BBC News UK 8/7/2004 A Gloucestershire vicar is to launch a nude calendar in his church after a group of 13 women posed naked to raise money for rape victims in Rwanda. The Rev Stephen Earley of St Martin's Church in Horsley said: "As Christians we are taught to help widows and orphans, so I didn't hesitate." The calendar will help Surf, an organisation working for survivors of the genocide and those with HIV. It will be launched at an evening service at the church on 26 September. "Many of the atrocities in Rwanda took place in churches where people had sought sanctuary, so it seems fitting to try and redress the balance," said the Rev Earley. EMPOWERING WOMEN Jo Hofman, 50, who posed for the calendar said: "We wanted to celebrate womanhood to heal a little of the pain suffered by our sisters in Rwanda." A sentiment echoed by Sarah Clifford who also posed for the calendar when she explained her reasons for taking part. "It seemed unbelievable that 10 years after one of the worst genocides in history, the survivors were now having to deal with even more suffering - Aids as a result of rape and children being orphaned for the second time - and we felt we had to act," she said. The vicar also said he was expecting a few complaints about his decision. "Undoubtedly some people will complain but it is important to see it before making any criticisms. A lot of thought has gone into this and it is about empowering Rwandan women who have been so debased. It is about reasserting women's essential female selves," he said. The calendar has been produced to mark the 10th anniversary of the genocide.

By Ted Schroder I have found that I have needed a renewed encounter with God at different stages in my life. The days and years can roll along without change for some time and then there is the need for a renewed vision. There is a tendency for our energy to run down and our batteries need to be recharged. A crisis can occur which gets us reaching out for help with a new urgency. There are new demands upon us to which we have to respond. New situations arise in which we don't have all the answers. The former responses don't satisfy and we get discouraged. We need a shot in the arm - something to get us going again in the right direction, with renewed vigor. Such was the case with a young nobleman named Isaiah. His beloved king had died, and he was in mourning. He went to his church (the Temple) and there experienced a life-changing encounter with God. (Isaiah 6:1-8) What can we learn from his experience to renew us? 1. FOCUS ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted. Above the Lord were the seraphs, heavenly creatures who guarded the throne and led the worship by singing of the transcendent holiness and universal presence of God's glory. The vision was one of sovereignty, power, authority, purity, and omnipresence: "the whole earth is full of his glory." Worship is meant to help us focus on the Presence of God. God is present in worship. God is present in all creation. The whole earth is full of his glory. That is our belief. We need to pray that it will be also our experience when we gather for worship. 2. GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR NEED, AND THE NEEDS OF OTHERS Isaiah was convicted of his own unworthiness and the problems of those among whom he lived. "For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." His vision of the presence of God had awakened him to his own impurity, and the plight of others in his community. While we keep ourselves away from God we can fool ourselves about our own goodness, but when we get near to God, we get a clearer glimpse of our own problems. Self-examination under the bright light of God's gaze can be devastating. There is no way we can hide, excuse, or cover up our shortcomings. But accurate diagnosis or evaluation is necessary before a cure can be applied. 3. WELCOME THE BURNING LOVE OF GOD The seraph touched Isaiah's mouth with a live coal from the altar: "See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." A sacrifice on the altar had been offered in his place to atone for his sins. God in his compassion and mercy had acted to cleanse him of guilt, to pay the penalty, and to restore him to fellowship. The love of God came down to us in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, so that we might be made new, given a new start, and totally purified. The fire of God's Spirit brings the presence of God into our hearts to dwell there with us. 4. HEAR AND RESPOND TO GOD'S CALL God advertises for volunteers to represent him in the world: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" The Holy Trinity seeks willing individuals to commission as ambassadors for the Gospel. The world has fallen away from God, it exists against his will, and he wishes to have it back. Isaiah finds his vocation as prophet when he responds to the call: "Here am I. Send me!" In order to get this world back again, and in his compassion, God wants the Gospel proclaimed. God is continually calling his people to reach out to others with the Good News of his love. Just as the live coal from the altar touched Isaiah's lips and he became a prophet, God seeks to touch us to become his messengers. We are his lips, his voice to the community. In Silence by Shusaku Endo, which Graham Greene described as "one of the finest novels of our time" the author tells the story of a Portuguese Catholic priest who goes to Japan to spread the Gospel. It is a time of terrible persecution when thousands of Christians, and all the missionary priests, have been tortured and executed. The novel takes its title from the priest's concern that God is not speaking to him and his people to defend and strengthen them. There is a silence of God in a pagan land which is terrifying. But at the end, despite his weakness, and the betrayal of others, the author writes from the point of view of the priest: "He loved him [his Lord] in a different way from before. Everything that had taken place until now had been necessary to bring him to this love. 'Even now I am the last priest in this land. But Our Lord was not silent. Even if he had been silent, my life until this day would have spoken of him.'" This is a powerful truth. God speaks to the world through us. Leighton Ford said, "Jesus was born in a borrowed manger. He preached from a borrowed boat. He entered Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, he ate the Last Supper in a borrowed upper room, and he was buried in a borrowed tomb. Now he asks to borrow the lives of Christians to reach the rest of the world. If we do not speak, then he is dumb and silent." Who are the people to whom God is calling us to go? The Ignostics: those with no Christian background and no experience or memory to relate to Christianity. The Notional Christians: those who have some memory or notion of what Christianity is, but it is not impacting their lives. The Nominal Christians: those who claim to be Christians but are not active in any church. What are the characteristics of the unchurched? They may not be in a church, but they believe in God. They have legitimate questions about spiritual matters. They want to experience God, not just know something about him. They may be morally adrift but they want an anchor. They are looking for a practical application of faith. They are not loyal to a denomination but want to find a community where their needs are met. What can you do? Make sure that your vision of God is fresh - experiential and not just intellectual. Seek that vision in your Sunday and daily worship. Get in touch with your own needs and the needs of others by transparent evaluation. If need be seek counseling, and pray that the Spirit would reveal to you what you need to know about yourself and others. Let God love you with his forgiveness and cleansing. Thank Christ for his sacrifice on the Cross to heal you. Deepen your appreciation of the Cross and the gift of the Spirit. Seek daily to be filled to overflowing with the Spirit of the love of God. Listen to what God is calling you to do for others. Reach out to the people God is putting in your path. Get to know them. Ask them questions about their lives. Earn the right to share with them your faith. Invite them to join you for worship so that they too might experience a vision of God.

By Ted Schroder July 4, 2004 "Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover up for evil; live as servants of God." (1 Peter 2:16) John Witherspoon (1723-1794) was the sixth President of Princeton (the College of New Jersey), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and from 1776 to 1782 a leading member of the Continental Congress. Garry Wills has called him "probably the most influential teacher in the history of America education," and Princeton under his tutelage produced a bumper crop of politician alumni: a U.S. president, twenty-one senators, twenty-nine congressmen, and twelve state governors. (Wills, Explaining America, 15) The following epitaph is inscribed on his grave: Beneath this marble lie interred the mortal remains of JOHN WITHERSPOON, D.D. LL.D. a venerable and beloved President of the College of New Jersey. He was born in the parish of Yester, in Scotland, on the 5th of February, 1722, O.S. And was liberally educated in the University of Edinburgh, invested with holy orders in the year 1743, he faithfully performed the duties of his pastoral charge during five and twenty years, first at Beith, and then at Paisley. Elected president of Nassau Hall, he assumed the duties of that office on the 13th of August, 1768, with the elevated expectations of the public. Excelling in every mental gift, he was a man of pre-eminent piety and virtue and deeply versed in the various branches of literature and the liberal arts. A grave and solemn preacher, his sermons abounded in the most excellent doctrines and precepts, and in lucid expositions of the Holy Scriptures. Affable, pleasant, and courteous in familiar conversation, he was eminently distinguished in concerns and deliberations of the church, and endowed with the greatest prudence in the management and instruction of youth. He exalted the reputation of the college amongst foreigners, and greatly promoted the advancement of its literary character and taste. He was, for a long time, conspicuous among the most brilliant luminaries of learning and of the Church. At length, universally venerated, beloved, and lamented, he departed this life on the fifteenth of November, 1794, aged 73 years. William Safire in his anthology Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, includes Witherspoon's sermon: The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men, preached at Princeton on May 17, 1776. Witherspoon is famous for his response to a member of the Continental Congress who said that the colonies were not ripe for independence. "In my judgment, sir, we are not only ripe but rotting!" Witherspoon was reluctant to speak about politics from the pulpit. But by 1775 he was ready to speak out on the events at the start of the Revolutionary War, in terms of how he saw the hand of God directing current events. His sermon on May 17, 1776 was occasioned by the General Fast that was appointed by the Congress throughout the United colonies. His text was Psalm 76:10 "Surely the wrath of men shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." "Hostilities had begun a year earlier, and a consensus for independence was mounting. Clearly it was time for a political sermon... Witherspoon's main point is a familiar one: God's power is absolute and human passions are ultimately under the control of divine providence. Witherspoon states his intention before developing the announced text: 'That all the disorderly passions of men whether exposing the innocent to private injury, or whether they are the arrows of divine judgment in public calamity, shall, in the end, be to the praise of God: Or, to apply it more particularly to the present state of the American Colonies, and the plague of war, - the ambition of mistaken princes, the cunning and cruelty of oppressive and corrupt ministers, and even the inhumanity of brutal soldiers, however dreadful, shall finally promote the glory of God, and in the meantime, while the storm continues, his mercy and kindness shall appear in prescribing bounds to their rage and fury.' (The Piety of John Witherspoon, L. Gordon Tait, 156) Witherspoon spells out the many ways in which human wrath praises God. He gives thanks for the ways in which providence has intervened on behalf of the Colonies. He assures the patriots of a happy outcome as long as three conditions are met: "If your cause is just, - if your principles are pure, - and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts." Witherspoon felt that a sermon touching on political matters was only suitable for a national day of fasting or thanksgiving, not for regular Sunday worship. "You are my witnesses," he declared, "That this is the first time of my introducing any political subject into the pulpit. At this season, however, it is not only lawful but necessary, and I willingly embrace the opportunity of declaring my opinion without any hesitation, that the cause in which America is now in arms, is the cause of justice, of liberty, and of human nature... The confederacy of the colonies, has not been the effect of pride, resentment, or sedition, but of deep and general conviction, that our civil and religious liberties, and consequently in great measure the temporal and eternal happiness of us and our posterity depended on the issue. The knowledge of God and his truths have from the beginning of the world been chiefly, if not entirely, confined to these parts of the earth, where some degree of liberty and political justice were to be seen... [In truth] there is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." For Witherspoon, this is the real reason why Americans must take up arms and why their cause is just: if civil liberty is lost, religious liberty would follow. This is how he ends his sermon: "What follows from this? That he is the best friend to American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down profanity and immorality of every kind. Whoever is an avowed enemy to God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country. Do not suppose, my brethren, that I mean to recommend a furious and angry zeal for the circumstantials of religion, or the contentions of one sect with another about their peculiar distinctions. I do not wish to oppose anybody's religion, but everybody's wickedness. Perhaps there are few surer of the reality of religion than when a man feels himself more joined in spirit to a true holy person of a different denomination than to an irregular liver of his own. It is therefore your duty in this important and critical season to exert yourselves, everyone in his proper sphere, to stem the tide of prevailing vice, to promote the knowledge of God, the reverence of his name and worship, and obedience to his laws.... God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable, and the unjust attempts to destroy one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both." Witherspoon's legacy to us is the reminder the civil liberty and personal virtue in the nation go together. A healthy and free society requires faith and virtue of its citizens. The Scriptures admonish us to "live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God." Followers of Christ know that in the world they are free from all forms of enslavement, even enslavement to one's passions. We are free to do our duty, free to work for a more virtuous society, and free to be political when we must. We are free to take history seriously, and to try to see our place in it. In times of peace, Witherspoon said, as well as in those difficulty and trial, "it is in the person of piety and inward principle that we may expect to find the uncorrupted patriot, the useful citizen and the invincible soldier."

By Ted Schroder Many people have been affected in life by an erroneous diagnosis of their problems. Ailments that have been wrongly diagnosed and treated accordingly have produced more problems than they have solved. That is why getting a second opinion is almost standard before any drastic and irreversible procedures are authorized. While this is routine in the medical field it is not always customary in the spiritual realm. Too many sincere seekers are all too ready to accept diagnoses of their condition that are questionable. The devil uses gullibility and trust in popular preachers, church leaders and authors to sow discouragement and despair. This is often done by confusing the physical, psychological and the spiritual realms. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a medical doctor who, at one point was assistant to Lord Moran, the personal physician to Winston Churchill, became a celebrated preacher and was assistant to, and then succeeded, G. Campbell Morgan as Minister at the famous Westminster Chapel, next to Buckingham Palace in London from 1938-1968. He was especially skilled at distinguishing between the spiritual, the physical, and the psychological. He wrote: "We are strange creatures, made up of body, mind, and spirit; these are interrelated and react upon one another. Many of our troubles in life are due to this fact, and to our failure to realize the place, function, and sphere of each of these realms. The devil, of course, takes full advantage of this, and attacks us along this line." He once preached 52 sermons on Ephesians 6:10-20, which have been published in two volumes: The Christian Warfare and The Christian Soldier. He points out that when Paul tells us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," (Eph.6:12) we must make sure of the correct spiritual diagnosis. Dr Lloyd-Jones lists three incorrect diagnoses. WRONG DIAGNOSIS #1 Confusing the physical with the spiritual. We are sick, overworked, or simply aging, and the tempter suggests that we are slipping spiritually in our walk with God because we don't feel as good as we used to. We confuse our physical well-being with our spiritual relationship with God. The prescription is not more prayer or trust in God, but treatment for our physical condition. We need a proper medical diagnosis, adequate rest, and adjustment to our expectations rather than pressure to conform to increased spiritual exercises. As we age our abilities change. We may begin to feel guilty because we cannot do all that we used to do. That is a physical problem not a spiritual problem. Paul encouraged Timothy to look after his physical health by prescribing a physical remedy: "Stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses." (1 Tim.5:23) The Bible takes sickness seriously and encourages caring for the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is one of the reasons why Christian Science is believed to deviate from orthodox Christianity. Mary Baker Eddy teaches, in her Science and Health, With a Key to the Scriptures, that sickness is an illusion, and to be ignored. Christian Science does not believe in medical science, and discourages its adherents from seeking medical help. The wife of my congressman in Texas, Mrs Lamar Smith, a strict Christian Scientist, died unnecessarily because she would not take her illness seriously. That is an example of the forces of evil blinding the understanding and deceiving a gullible soul. Mary Baker Eddy has a lot to answer for in being such an ally of deception. WRONG DIAGNOSIS #2 Confusing the psychological with the spiritual. There is a popular conception that when a person becomes a Christian his personality changes. That is not so. Christians are not expected to become Brand X or Type B personalities through sanctification! How dull that would be! There is no one kind of personality that qualifies for a superior spiritual rating. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones again, "Certain people by birth, by nature, and by temperament, belong to a depressed type; some are mercurial; others are phlegmatic. Some people are lively and animated, some are very slow...It is simply a fact that some people are born with a depressed and melancholic temperament." There are also cultural temperaments. Scandinavians are different from Hispanics; Yankees are different from Southerners. The difference is psychological not spiritual. The condition of our soul is not subject to our biological or psychological inheritance. Saul of Tarsus did not become a different personality when he became Paul the Apostle. We have to get to know ourselves so that we do not get accused by the devil, or other spiritual people, who accuse us of not being what they want us to be. That does not mean that we should not attempt to control our temperament. But we must not allow the devil to come in and make us think that our psychological problems are always purely spiritual. Some people who suffer from psychological disorders benefit from medical treatment, but that does not mean that they are deficient spiritually. Mental illness is a disease that needs compassionate counseling and medication not criticism and intolerance. William Cowper, the poet and hymn writer, was subject to severe bouts of depression, and tried to take his own life several times. He asked in one of his hymns, "Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord?" He thought his problem was spiritual. He was in agony of soul, and felt at times that God had deserted him. It was entirely due to the diseased condition of his mind. Another version of this wrong diagnosis is to attribute all problems to ourselves. We become so psychological in our thinking that we fail to remember that the devil tempts us to blame ourselves or someone else for our problems. The devil uses false guilt to distress us when we are simply being ourselves. We become depressed and discouraged because we feel that we are failures and we do not know what to do. We look for psychological answers when we need to recognize the temptations of the devil. Jesus himself was tempted. He did not go into an emotional funk and blame himself or his parents for the disturbance in his soul. The temptation came from the outside, not from his personality, or his upbringing. We must learn to draw a distinction between what we are in our personality and what the devil is doing to us. We must refuse to be condemned and resist the devil's insinuations about our character. We can become too introspective and depressed by comparing ourselves with other people and being anxious to be something we are not. We stand against this wrong diagnosis by saying: "I am myself, and I am meant to be myself; and all God asks of me is that I do my best as I am." A person who does not seek the help of God may be controlled by his temperament. That is why, so often, others find it difficult to live with him. He cannot control his temper. A believer in Christ has the same temperament, but he is given the power of the Spirit to control his temperament. He recognizes what his temptation is and is on guard against it. He does not allow the devil to come in and make him think that his problems are always purely spiritual. So you must not be a victim of your temperament, and must be careful of the wiles of the devil. I have had to learn the limits of my patience, and to recognize the danger signals before I give in to the temptation to unload on someone when the stress gets too much for me. I have also had to learn to value who I am and not beat up on myself for not being perfect, or not being someone else. Some people have tried to make me over into their image of what I should be, and it didn't work. They would have been better employed befriending me and affirming my strengths rather than alienating themselves by constant criticism. Paul writes, "think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Romans 12:3) Accept the personality and the gifts God has given you, and stand against the schemes of the devil to try to make you something different. WRONG DIAGNOSIS #3 Confusing the spiritual with the physical and the psychological. This is the tendency to evade spiritual problems by explaining them away in terms of the physical or the psychological. This happens when we are out of the will of God in our lives and feel miserable. We seek help to relieve our distress. We end up seeking medication or psychological counseling to help us adjust to the guilt of our rebellion against God, our disobedience to his purpose for our lives. The devil is saying to us that our problem is not with God but with our coming to terms with our life style or our lack of self control. This is especially so with respect to relational sins, sexual sins, sins of anger or greed. What we need is to stand against the sin in our lives, not seek permission and support to make us feel good about our sin. Just because something may legal does not make it moral. There is the tendency to explain away sin altogether by excusing immoral behavior as being due to diminished responsibility. Everything is explained away in terms of diseased conditions or psychological states. Immoral behavior is justified on the grounds that a person is biologically determined, and therefore made by God to live that way. What was previously considered sin is now considered to be natural, and therefore to be accepted by society. The forces of evil have confused young people growing up in this environment so that they believe that what they see on television, and in the movies, is acceptable behavior, despite it being condemned by Scripture and a recipe for an unhealthy and tragic lifestyle. Many conflicts and problems in life would be prevented by a more thorough understanding of the truth. Regular Bible reading and prayer, the reading of Christian books, and participation in worship and Christian community promote a healthy lifestyle that can prevent undue physical and psychological illness. Fears and phobias are not merely psychological problems. St. Paul talks about "conflicts on the outside, fears within", which he had to deal with in his life. (2 Cor.7:5) The devil will try to get you to think that this is a purely psychological matter, and that you need psychological treatment. Instead learn to say, "I am a child of God, and whatever happens to me, I am in God's hands, and God will allow no harm to come to me ultimately. He has said, 'I will never leave you, nor forsake you', so I must not give way to these fears." We have to stand against fears by putting on the armor of God and not give way to them. We must apply our faith and see that fears are of the devil, and resist them, standing on the rock who is Christ. How do we make sure that we have the correct spiritual diagnosis of our condition? We are fortunate to have the Great Physician to help us. Read the Scriptures, seek counsel from godly people whom you respect, pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in the darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP p.832)

By Greg Roberts The Australian, 28 July 2004 The Anglican bishop at the centre of the child sex abuse controversy that forced the resignation of Peter Hollingworth as governor-general is to be formally stripped of his holy orders. A church tribunal headed by Queensland Supreme Court judge Debra Mullins has unanimously resolved that Donald Shearman, 77, be defrocked for seducing a teenage schoolgirl boarding at an Anglican hostel at Forbes in western NSW in the mid-1950s. Church sources said the unprecedented defrocking will be performed by Brisbane Archbishop Phillip Aspinall in the Darnell Room of St Martin's House - part of the St John's Cathedral complex in central Brisbane - on August 25. In a parallel development, NSW police have begun investigating the first formal complaint against Mr Shearman by his victim. Religious historian and head of religious studies at the University of Queensland, Philip Almond, said he had not heard of a bishop being defrocked in comparable circumstances anywhere. "This is indeed exceptional," Professor Almond said yesterday. "This is clearly being done to emphasise how seriously the diocese intends to deal with behaviour of this kind." Archbishop Aspinall confirmed yesterday that he had received the six-member tribunal's findings, but said it would be inappropriate for him to comment until the process had concluded. A suggestion by Dr Hollingworth in 2002 that the underage victim had initiated the sexual relationship with Mr Shearman sparked a national outcry, and a church inquiry into his handling of sex abuse complaints while archbishop of Brisbane. The inquiry's report was highly critical of Dr Hollingworth and led to his resignation last year as governor-general. Mr Shearman, who failed to respond to the so-called Articles of Association served on him by the tribunal and refused to attend its hearings, has previously admitted the relationship with his student but said he was unsure how old she was at the time. The victim has claimed the then priest began sexually interfering with her when she was 14, and this progressed to sexual intercourse when she was 15 before he expelled her from the hostel. In the complaint now being investigated by police, the woman claims Mr Shearman told her at the time she was not too young to have sex because the teenage Juliet, in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, was a partner in "one of the great romances of history". Mr Shearman could not be reached for comment yesterday at his Deception Bay home north of Brisbane. As Brisbane archbishop, Dr Hollingworth was present at a 1995 meeting attended by the woman and Mr Shearman. Mr Shearman later offered to relinquish his holy orders, but Dr Hollingworth rejected the offer. Instead, Dr Hollingworth wrote to the woman suggesting that her allegations had caused great distress to Mr Shearman and his wife, Fay.

Dean Credited for Growth of City's Largest Episcopal Church Sunday, August 01, 2004 Greg Garrison, News Staff Writer The Rev. Paul Zahl will say goodbye to his flock today at Cathedral Church of the Advent after a decade of growth inspired by his sometimes controversial theological flair. "I say things sharply and carry it to the limit to engage a listener," said Zahl, who leaves Monday for Ambridge, Pa., to become the dean and president of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. "I hope I gave most people room to disagree." Since he took over as dean of the Advent in 1995, Zahl has helped expand membership from about 2,400 to 3,424 at Birmingham's largest Episcopal church. Sunday attendance grew from less than 900 to 1,249. And the annual budget doubled, to more than $3.4 million. "I think it's been Paul's preaching," said the Rev. John Harper, the vice-dean who takes over as interim dean Monday. "It's his message and his style." Zahl will preach at the 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m. services today and teach his dean's class for the last time at 10 a.m., with a reception after the 11 a.m. service. When Zahl takes the pulpit, the sermons tend to overflow with cultural as well as biblical references. He quotes rock music lyrics and makes literary or cinematic allusions to novels, little-known scholarly treatises, obscure foreign films and 1950s American science fiction movies. "I don't think he's ever forgotten anything he's read or seen," said Harper, who noted that Zahl draws a youthful crowd. Eighty percent of the downtown congregation is age 55 or younger, more than half is under 40. "I didn't come in worrying about membership or financial giving," Zahl said. "I trusted the message." Zahl, 53, came to Advent after earning his doctorate in theology from the University of Tubingen in Germany and kept a high profile in international theological circles. He especially played a prominent role last year as a voice of opposition when the Episcopal Church approved its first openly gay bishop. "There's no question I came on very strong," Zahl said. "The stakes were so high and continue to be so high. It was of rather decisive significance." That prompted a dramatic symbolic move. Zahl hung a black flag outside the cathedral for two days after the vote to approve New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson. "I got severe criticism," Zahl said. "I got a tremendous amount of support. It was an important symbolic gesture to make it plain that something very important was at stake." "He said if he had it to do over, he would still hang the flag. "I would take it down immediately after it was noticed. I think it stayed up too long. Five hours would have been long enough." "I feel I'm leaving the Advent on a wave of goodwill," he said. "We have never been happier in all our 30 years in ministry. We've never felt better received or better understood." Trinity has a reputation for producing priests who are willing to take on tough assignments, revitalizing dying parishes. It also stands for traditional, orthodox Christianity and opposition to the denomination's growing acceptance of same-sex unions. "Trinity has a reputation as a rallying point for dissenters," Zahl said. The problem has been that bishops won't send their priest candidates to Trinity. "Most bishops will accept our graduates as clergy," Zahl said. "Our problem has been that bishops won't send candidates to us to be trained. I hope many bishops will look at us in a new way." "The fruit of transformed lives is the lasting testimony," Zahl said.

News Analysis By David W. Virtue Two American Episcopal bishops and a seminary Dean are in Africa trying to understand why African Anglican Provinces and their bishops will have nothing to do with ECUSA's theological and moral innovations. The three are John Lipscomb, Diocesan Bishop of Southwest Florida, Ted Daniels, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Texas and Titus Pressler, Dean of the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. Dr. Pressler wrote a letter from Nairobi, Kenya, explaining their 12-day mission. "The purpose of the trip is to have conversations with African bishops in the context of the current tensions in the Anglican Communion. We hope to build relationships that can strengthen our communion in Christ, even as we aware of differences." Pressler says that formal statements publicized by many parties are not as good as "face-to-face conversation." The trip is being pushed by Frank Griswold, ECUSA's Presiding Bishop who is now persona non grata in most of Africa. "We view the trip as a pilot project in having conversation and building relationships. The keynotes are listening and vulnerability." Pressler positions it theologically on the "incarnation of God." Titus Pressler is either ignorant, a fool, or he thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of bishops and Primates of the Global South. "Pressler's assumption that the good ship ECUSA can stay afloat because part of the hull is intact is simply wrong. Just because ECUSA shares some things with the Christian Faith, the places where it doesn't, leave gaping holes below the water line," said EKKLESIA leader Canon Bill Atwood who acts as a go between for orthodox bishops in the West with those in the Global South. "The trip is a pernicious strategy to use weak bishops that voted against Robinson but support Frank Griswold. Griswold is clearly behind this whole trip in an effort to find weak links in Africa," said Atwood. And Pressler's own seminary recently approved of homosexuals and lesbians who come to his seminary to cohabit in the dorms, something that is totally anathema to Global South Primates and bishops. They won't even send their seminarians there any more. Why then should the Africans listen to anything Pressler has to say? He goes to Africa as head of a morally flawed seminary and expects graceful conversation. In his dreams. Pressler says he views the trip as being about "conversation". Now that's a buzzword for, we'll listen to you, if you listen to us about sodomy and then you agree that you are wrong and we are right. Then he talks about "listening" and "vulnerability". Let me explain what these words means in the cultural context of the ECUSA. The orthodox have been listening to Episcopal homosexualists whine for over 30 years about sodomy, and all it has done is polarize the Episcopal Church to the extent that we now have two churches inside one. The three not so wise men should have stayed at home. They could have spent the plane fare on supporting an AIDS clinic in South Africa, it would have done more good. They will get nothing but smiles, nods and hospitality from the Africans, because the Africans are unfailingly hospitable and polite even to those who disagree with them, but that is all they will get. Come October and they will learn just how far off base they have been, and by next February they will be crying in their empty cupcakes. But no one can say they were never warned.

By R. Albert Mohler Jr. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- In this strange postmodern age, heretics find themselves in a very strange predicament. Various skeptics, revisionists, liberal theorists and atheists have been undermining the faith for more than a century. By this time, virtually every heresy has been expounded by numerous proponents. The creative heretic of the contemporary age has to come up with some new angle or bizarre new theory to promote. Nevertheless, never discount the diabolical ingenuity of those who intend to subvert biblical truth and the Christian faith. The latest evidence of the heretical imagination comes from Professor Theodore W. Jennings Jr. of Chicago Theological Seminary. Just when you think you've encountered just about every possible heresy, along comes something so shocking that it demands painful attention. In "The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives From the New Testament," Ted Jennings argues not only that Jesus approved of same-sex relationships -- but that He was involved in one. Jennings explains that his book is "an attempt to carefully and patiently explore texts from the Gospels that suggest something about Jesus' own erotic attachments and the attitude toward same-sex relationships that may be fairly extrapolated from the traditions about Jesus." He admits that his argument "departs from what has been the norm of discussion." That qualifies as a disingenuous understatement. What Jennings proposes is a radical re-reading of the New Testament material in order to claim Jesus not only as a proponent of the homosexual movement but as a man involved in homoerotic relationships. He intends to appropriate the Bible for a "gay-positive perspective." Of course, the Bible contains explicit statements condemning homosexual activity in all forms. Jennings explains that the biblical material dealing with homosexuality can be reduced to five texts -- two verses from Leviticus and three from the New Testament. What Jennings proposes is to ignore those specific texts and to jump over the entire argument by appealing to an absurd reading of the entire New Testament for evidence justifying homoerotic relationships and attraction. Jennings, a United Methodist, argues that his approach is "pro-gay" rather than defensive in dealing with the biblical texts. Reading the Old Testament, he finds parallels in the relationship between Jonathan and David or Ruth and Naomi. Those unfamiliar with the bizarre science of liberal theology and modern biblical studies may be unfamiliar with the way the post-Christian scholars approach the text. Rather than dealing with the text as it is given and clearly intended to be understood, they look for hidden "strategies" by which the text can be read to mean the opposite of what it clearly states. Anyone reading the Bible in an honest and straightforward manner will come face to face with the reality that the Bible communicates an unequivocal and clear message concerning homosexuality. The Bible not only condemns same-sex attraction and acts but also explains that the whole complex of homosexuality is a form of direct rebellion against God's Word and God's design in creation. Jennings teaches at Chicago Theological Seminary in the field of biblical and constructive theology. He is also credited with being a founder of their gay and lesbian studies program. But even in this company Jennings presents a radical argument. The concept of a homosexual Jesus has been promoted by peripheral figures such as playwright Terrence McNally in his infamous 1998 play "Corpus Christi" and Robert Williams, the late Episcopal priest ordained by Bishop John Shelby Spong. Jennings is the first to argue for Jesus' participation in homoerotic relationships from within the mainstream academy. In order to make his case, Jennings turns especially to the Gospel of John and to its author, described as the disciple "whom Jesus loved." He works through various New Testament texts in order to find parallels, arguing that the youth in the garden (Mark 14:50-52) was a homosexual prostitute and that the centurion's servant healed by Jesus (Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10) was his homosexual lover. Clearly, Jennings' obscene theory is the monstrosity. His book is not only an assault upon traditional Christian sexual ethics, but upon the person of Jesus Christ. In all its ugliness, it is a desperate ploy to undermine the Christian faith in order to support sexual practices and lifestyles condemned in the Scripture. We should note that the publication of this book tells us as much about the world of liberal theological education as it does about Professor Jennings and his demented agenda. Chicago Theological Seminary is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a denomination that grew out of American Congregationalism and has been on a steady march leftward over the last half century or more. Professor Jennings and his horribly offensive new book are prime exhibits of the anti-Christian ideologies accepted by the theological left and its fellow travelers. Determined to undermine Christianity at every turn, liberal theology is losing its mind. R. Albert Mohler Jr. is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

By Pat Hurst, PA News. 8/1/2004 A new Archbishop of York must stand firm on the divisive issue of gay clergy, traditionalists in the Church of England said today. The present Archbishop David Hope famously described his own sexuality as a "grey area" when confronted by Peter Tatchell's gay right's group Outrage. Crucially for the church he also said he led a celibate life. Today Reverend Rod Thomas, a spokesman for Reform, an evangelical group on the traditional wing of the Church opposed to gay priests, said: "He was someone who played to different parts of the church. He has a slightly mixed history. What is crucial is not looking back but looking forwards. In many ways the out going Archbishop has been a friend to evangelicals and to anybody that believes in orthodox Christian church. The question for the future is, who will succeed him? It is vital the person who succeeds him clearly stands by the authority of the bible." Richard Kirker, a spokesman for Lesbian and Gay Christians, said: "I think his contribution has been ambiguous at best." Mr Kirker, a former curate in the Church of England, said the appointment of the next archbishop may be a liberal in the same way of thinking as the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. "It is widely believed that David Hope was largely responsible for Rowan Williams' appointment and got his way. I think that if Rowan Williams were now to find that his number two was antagonistic towards opening up these issues then he would be put in a very difficult position."

Archbishop 'To Return to Parish' BBC News The Church of England's second most senior bishop has resigned and will return to being a parish priest. Dr. David Hope, who has been Archbishop of York for nine years, will be invested in a more junior role by one of his own bishops in March 2005. The archbishop will swap his palace in York and a £60,000 salary for the rectory at St Margaret's, in Ilkley near Bradford, and just £18,500-a-year. But Dr. Hope insisted he won't miss any of the luxuries of a bishop's life. He told BBC News he felt it was time to move on. He said: "It has been something that has been rumbling around in my mind and heart for a couple of years. I will have done nearly 20 years as a bishop. It is the sort of time that you ought to be moving on." During his time as archbishop Dr. Hope has aligned himself with traditionalists in the Anglican church. He has opposed the ordination of women and has warned that the internet could limit human interactions. He said St Margaret's in Ilkley, a town of around 5,500 people, was attractive to him because of the "traditional values" of its people. "Clearly I sympathise with their background. I'm looking forward to it. It is clearly a change and a challenge," he said. "I thought it would be good to conclude my ministry where I began - as a parish priest," he added. Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams described Dr. Hope as "unfailingly effective" and "one of God's great gifts to the church". Dr. Williams said: "In every post he has filled he has brought to bear a deep common sense, a complete unpompous attitude, a ready sympathy for all and an irrepressible dead-pan humour. I shall miss him more than I can easily say, as a colleague whose wise advice and constant support have made a huge difference to my own ministry." BBC correspondent Jane Little said Dr. Hope has made no secret of his desire to return to what he has called the "real ministry" of parish practice. She said: "Dr. Hope, as an opponent of women priests, has had the support of traditionalists within the church and some have seen him as a counterweight to the more liberal Archbishop of Canterbury. His departure could not come at a more sensitive time for the embattled church." Dr. Hope, 64, can continue as a parish priest until the age of 70.

The second bombshell came late Friday night when a two-page letter was faxed to Virtuosity by a Nigerian priest in the US. The letter was a stunning rebuke by Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola of Dr. Rowan Williams over the appointment of yet another white male, and liberal at that, to the Anglican Communion Office in London to replace Canon John Peterson when, according to Akinola, there are any number of qualified Global South persons who would have been better suited for the job, and one who would have better reflected their theological outlook. Akinola was particularly incensed, accusing the Archbishop of "marginalizing and treating as irrelevant a very large segment of the Anglican Communion." Now Virtuosity has learned that Canon Kenneth Kearon, Director of the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin who will succeed Canon John L. Peterson as general secretary of the ACC is from the same liberal school when it comes to homosexual behavior. In an interview with BBC in Northern Ireland Canon Kearon said sex had been individualized and commercialized, but the Christian tradition said much about sexuality in relationship that would "resonate with many others". He did not explain what he meant by "many others." Gays perhaps? Furthermore he did not publicly repudiate homosexual behavior, a failure that could rebound on both him and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Global South Bishops and orthodox bishops of the West have publicly repudiated this behavior both at the 1998 Lambeth Conference and in subsequent primatial statements. One wonders how long all this can go on for. The deliberate snubbing of the Global South by Williams in this recent appointment; the deliberate effort to put Canon Jeffrey John, an openly gay man into a place of serious leadership in the Church of England; the consecration of a sodomite to the episcopacy in the US, and on and on it goes. There has to be an end to all this? Clearly the Global South and those orthodox remnants in the West are waiting on pins and needles for the Lambeth Commission to deliver itself of a verdict on Western revisionism, and Irish Primate Robin Eames will not be able to charm this one away. A British observer said his sticky fingers were all over the new ACC appointment in London. Why are we not surprised? THE THIRD BOMBSHELL The third bombshell came this week when the Church of England Evangelical Council made a submission to the Lambeth (Eames) Commission detailing a carefully reasoned, closely argued condemnation of recent theological and moral innovations in the US, Canada and the UK. By acting now the CEEC has adopted a first strike policy, retaliating quickly before the liberals swing into action. This group, like REFORM and others have seen what has happened in the ECUSA by waiting too long, prevaricating and trying to cut deals with revisionists. They know it won't work and so they are getting their oar in first and quickly. British Evangelicals also have another advantage. They are the largest, most powerful and richest segment of the Church of England and they can withhold money to make their point. And this week Britain's evangelicals intensified their battle over homosexuality by calling on hundreds of parishes to reject the spiritual authority of liberal bishops. REFORM the conservative evangelical network, announced plans for a national campaign in the statement to its 1,700 members. The group called on parishes to test whether their diocesan bishops held "orthodox" beliefs on homosexuality. If their bishops' views proved unacceptable, they were urged to declare themselves in "impaired communion" and to cap their contributions. The bottom line is that an apostate church that will not listen to its members voices will eventually hear from their pocketbooks. The Reform statement warned that the crisis would deepen if the Lambeth Commission failed to avert schism. IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH USA In the Diocese of Connecticut, Bishop Andrew Smith is ratcheting up the pain on half a dozen orthodox parishes that won't fall into line with his revisionist agenda. Conform or get out, he says. One church, St. Paul's Darien, is one of ECUSA's largest evangelical/charismatic churches. If he blows them off it will be a signal that charismatics have no future in the ECUSA. It is interesting to note that as ECUSA's revisionist bishops lower the theological standards and accept looser morals they are tightening up by using the church's canons and constitutions to keep their priests in line. Can one imagine for a moment that that is how Jesus would operate? Increasingly the ECUSA House of Bishops is like the "Top Gun" school for bores. It takes people who have certain natural facilities for pomposity, dresses them in purple, and turns them, by putting them in small groups at general conventions, into weapons of mass narcolepsy. In the Diocese of Southern Virginia, the rector and congregation of Grace Episcopal Church, Newport News, left The Episcopal Church. The Rev. R. Bolling "Bo" Bryant, the rector, and the wardens said they now wanted to be under the authority of the Anglican Mission in America. "Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that we the Rector and Vestry of Grace Church do resign as the official governing body of this parish and sever our connections with the Episcopal Church USA," they wrote the bishop. Reached for comment, "Bo" Bryant told Virtuosity that the parting from the diocese and the Bishop, David C. Bane, Jr. was amicable with the bishop declaring, "I want you to know that the people of Grace Church have been incredibly gentle, caring, and compassionate in this difficult process. They realize and fully accept that the physical property belongs to the Diocese of Southern Virginia and are doing everything within their power to insure that there is an orderly transition that reflects the fact that all of us are disciples of Jesus Christ. As difficult as this situation is I ask that you keep Bo and the people of the congregation in your prayer." The church, all 100 percent, walked out leaving the keys at the front door. They had no endowment. Word has it that a black church group will probably buy the building. Score another loss for revisionism. In the Diocese of Colorado a newspaper article provoked a heated debate between an orthodox priest and the head of the Diocesan Standing Committee with charges being traded about the cause for the potential closure of two parishes reported in the secular press. Money and bad theology is at the heart of the problem. And a lay person in the Diocese of Colorado, Deb Tenney who is involved with Communion Laity and Clergy of Colorado, A Voice for Orthodox Episcopalians, wrote Virtuosity to say that Bishop Rob O'Neill told her that he would not allow her to purchase ad space in the Episcopalian to publish a short article on the Communion Laity and Clergy "because he considers us an Episcopal parachurch group such as a pro-life or an environmental group who also would not make the editor's cut." Fascism with a smiley, revisionist face. And in the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast, a book written by the Rev. Dr. David McDowell-Fleming outlines why a diocese can get into trouble. His book The Deconstruction of a Diocese, How Defensive Responses and Controlling Personal Agendas lay the Groundwork for a Schism in the Church, is an excellent read. The Episcopal Church's official homosexual organization Integrity is hopping mad these days. Their financial support of $30,000 to the Uganda chapter has gone. Integrity-Uganda is no more. The Ugandans saw the light and gave the whole operation over to the new archbishop who will have nothing to do with sodomy. Integrity lost a small bundle. And from the Diocese of Tennessee, the Rt. Rev. Bert Herlong writes in the Jul/Aug 2004 issue of the Cross and Crozier that it is not news to anyone that there continues to be significant fallout and disruption in the Episcopal Church from the actions of the 74th General Convention. "Laity and clergy are continuing to react in ways that demonstrate their dissatisfaction. Then, of course, there is an equal and opposite reaction by those who disagree with them, contributing to the continuing unrest." This writer has had occasion to bump into Bishop Herlong at two recent events and I can assure you this bishop is made of the right stuff. He is tough and unyielding in dealing with revisionists in his diocese. He could teach some of the fence sitters a lesson. He brushes off threats of a presentment. "Let em try," he says. "I'm ready". Making their way across the African continent looking for love and understanding are three Episcopalians including two bishops, John Lipscomb of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, Ted Daniels, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Texas and Titus Pressler Dean of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. They say they have no agenda; they are just out there promoting "conversation," "listening" and "being vulnerable", the liberal trinity of ECUSA's Vain Hopes. These are all favorite buzzwords of men with little or no theology or understanding of what the Africans really believe in and won't compromise on. They are wasting their time and our money. And a Virtuosity numbers cruncher found that the 74% of bishops who voted for Quincy Bishop Keith Ackerman's GC Resolution B001 affirming basic doctrines of the faith voted AGAINST Robinson. 92% of those who voted against B001, voted for Robinson. The correlation is plain to see -- orthodoxy produces orthopraxis and vice versa. According to the current issue of "First Things", no one is to be ordained in the Church of Sweden unless he (or she) supports the ordination of women. In response, the presiding bishop of the Lutheran Church in Kenya has indicated his willingness to ordain men in Sweden who object to WO. And in Honolulu this week the American Psychological Association's Council of Representatives backed gay marriage. The nation's largest association of psychologists made its support official at the first day of the group's annual convention in Waikiki. But an orthodox Episcopal psychiatrist in South Carolina retorted that the American Psychiatric Association has never said homosexuality is good or right. "The only official thing they ever did on homosexuality was to say they were not going to consider it a medical issue, and I agree with them. Homosexuality is like adultery - it's a wrongful behavior; neither homosexuality nor adultery is a disease." And a study on sexuality is scheduled to come to a vote at the 2005 churchwide assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The revisionists have been watching carefully the Episcopalian crack-up and want to avoid the alienation of a couple of million members from the much larger ELCA. And thousands witnessed the opening of the Cathedral in Rwanda this week. The Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame were among thousands of Anglican faithful who attended the official opening and blessing of John the Baptist Cathedral in Ruhengeri, Rwanda. An altar call made during the service saw 1,080 people accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior. All blessings, David W. Virtue DD

By David W. Virtue Dear Brothers and Sisters, Three major events shook the life of the Anglican Communion this week. The first was the announcement that Dan England, Director of Communications for the national Episcopal Church suddenly, and unexpectedly resigned. There had been no inkling of this. An official statement put out by Pat Mordecai at the church's headquarters said it was for "personal reasons." Griswold said that "the creative initiatives begun by Dan England during his approximately four years on the staff have been much appreciated and will continue to serve our ongoing communications efforts." His position will go temporarily to Robert Williams a homosexual from California who directs the Episcopal News Service and oversees media relations for the Episcopal Church. He will assume the title of Acting Director of Communications. But his departure immediately triggered speculation by the American Anglican Council who put out a press release, IS THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN DISARRAY? "Does Mr. England's resignation signal an acknowledgement that the approach chosen by ECUSA has proven ineffective, unsuccessful or even a complete failure? Does Mr. England's resignation indicate that the leadership of ECUSA is questioning its own direction, decisions and leadership? Did he in fact 'resign'?" Ironically part of Mr. England's job description was to deal with Internet communication which had gotten away from the revisionist leadership of the Episcopal Church. Griswold had moaned on several occasions about so called Internet communicators that were harming ECUSA's cause. The Presiding Bishop had obliquely attacked Virtuosity for its ability to get the word out about what ECUSA's revisionists are really doing to its faithful orthodox parishes and rectors in America, and clearly England had failed to dent this news ministry. Is the Episcopal Church leadership actually in serious disarray, and can ECUSA no longer afford to denigrate the voice of the Communion? Is 815 merely shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic? We will know more in time. An orthodox bishop who agreed to speak to Virtuosity on grounds of anonymity said England, who was a Baptist, was always friendly to the orthodox bishops, and there had been a very definite and growing friction between the official policies post general convention and the communications director. The bishop said that England was more on the conservative side of things and talked about marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman. I am not totally surprised he left, said the bishop. Attempts to reach England by this writer were unsuccessful.