COMMENTARY By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org January 9, 2026 An astute observer of the travails of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) offered this assessment: "The gravest error now afflicting the ACNA is not misconduct, nor even scandal, but a fundamental category mistake: the confusion of institutional defensibility with ecclesial fitness. Whether allegations are true or false is, at this stage, almost irrelevant. The Church does not require bishops who are merely defensible; it requires bishops whose very visibility does not fracture trust. "To install an interim archbishop whose past must be explained, contextualized, hedged, or juridically caveated—precisely amid cascading failures of credibility—is not prudence. It is a confession. It reveals a Church that has already surrendered its understanding of authority, mistaking procedural survival for moral coherence. "This is not about guilt or innocence. It is about contradiction. Episcopal authority is not a credential one holds behind the scenes; it is a public reality that either gathers trust or corrodes it. When leadership itself becomes a point of dispute, the office is already impaired. No amount of clearance can repair what visibility itself destroys. "The College of Bishops has acted as though the Church could be stabilized by internal process, governed by managerial logic, and healed by compliance. But the Church is not a corporation weathering reputational risk. It is a moral body whose authority depends upon the credibility of those who stand before it. When leaders require explanation simply to be tolerated, authority has already collapsed into administration. "What we are witnessing, then, is not merely a leadership failure but a theological one: a refusal to reckon with what a bishop is. By privileging technical legitimacy over moral intelligibility, the ACNA has chosen institutional continuity over ecclesial truth. "And institutions may survive such choices for a time. Bodies do not." I believe this assessment is accurate. Furthermore, rejiggering the canons will change nothing. This is little more than window dressing, rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The problems in the ACNA are systemic. Their model is The Episcopal Church, but with different institutional bodies and the word "orthodox" affixed to the front. The Crisis of Leadership Archbishop Steve Wood has fractured trust in the ACNA. The Washington Post article has severely damaged his credibility despite his protestations of innocence. A cloud still hangs over Bishop Julian Dobbs, with charges by JAFC Bishop Derek Jones of financial malfeasance still not fully answered. "Internal processes" will not heal the divisions, and "managerial logic" will not solve the ACNA's problems. Only an outside organization is capable of addressing the various charges properly. Canon Chuck Collins has made this point brilliantly. He writes, "I firmly believe that the ground of our church's dysfunction is theological." Dean Collins, a historian with decades of church ministry experience, believes that ACNA bishops need to hire independent church trauma experts to openly assess the cases before them and advise the church on its disciplinary canons. "There might be hope for our future," he suggests. "Bishops disciplining bishops behind closed doors is a silly, unworkable solution. And the next time we elect a primate, we must call it an assembly, not a conclave. We are electing a leader, not a pope." The Pattern of Accountability Failures Bishop Stewart Ruch avoided consequences even though he remains legally guilty of a misdemeanor for his failure to act. The bishops gave him a pass because police decided not to prosecute, since the youth minister was already incarcerated. Pittsburgh Bishop James Hobby abruptly resigned when it was revealed that he allegedly "failed to act with urgency, transparency, and timeliness when an accusation of sexual misconduct by a member of the clergy was brought to his attention." He did not hesitate but did the honorable thing and resigned. This misconduct involved another adult, not Hobby himself. He still remains in good standing with the ACNA House of Bishops. So why hasn't Wood resigned? Wouldn't it be the honorable course for him to step down rather than putting the church through a trial that might find him technically not guilty because he has an explanation for everything? Playing by Worldly Standards The ACNA is operating by worldly standards, not biblical ones. Lawyers are being hired, and legal fights are about to commence—not just with Wood, but with JAFC Bishop Derek Jones. In Jones's case, a deal could be cut to end all the litigation, but the ACNA steadfastly refuses. The JAFC has extended an olive branch. It has been rejected. They are ignoring the Apostle Paul's plea not to take fellow believers to court but to resolve matters for the sake of the gospel and public testimony (see 1 Corinthians 6:1-8). There is no way, if all these trials proceed to court, that the ACNA will emerge with clean hands. Can one imagine hundreds of unbelievers pouring into ACNA churches to hear the gospel, knowing that its leaders covered up sin or made deals to lessen the consequences of wrongdoing? It's not going to happen. The age of sheep-stealing is nearly over. People are no longer moving from church to church; they are simply not going to church. Sunday is for sports, coffee, sleeping in, and reading online newspapers and blogs. The Path Forward If the ACNA is to survive—and the jury is out on that—then it must fully remove Archbishop Wood from the church's leadership immediately, quickly reach a settlement with Bishop Derek Jones to end the threatened million-dollar lawsuits, and bring transparency to an otherwise opaque church. Time is running out. END

COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue, DD Www.virtueonline.org January 22, 2025   Judgment begins with the household of God…. 1 Peter 4:17   The verse cited suggests that God's judgment will first affect His own people, the church, before it extends to the world. It is not a verse you will ever hear preached from a liberal pulpit. Nobody will ever persecute The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada or the Church of England. They don’t believe enough to persecute. Worse, they are being ignored. Furthermore, people are walking away because they have no transcendent message to proclaim to a spiritually threadbare nation.   Who would die for the thoughts of a lesbian Archbishop of Wales, or a ‘rave in the nave’ sodomite dean of Canterbury Cathedral! An Ayatollah might just cut their heads off to save the remnant Christians!   Churches that are being persecuted are those that actually believe something like ‘the faith once for all delivered to the saints.’ That Jesus is truly God and man, that salvation from sin is absolutely necessary; that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that ecumenism actually dilutes the faith. Whatever is left of the faith isn’t worth dying of, or for.   Progressive and revisionist churches will never be persecuted. The dilution of faith leads to irrelevance and lack of conviction. And these churches have it in abundance.   Look at the nations under persecution. Much of it is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to 14 countries on the watch list. According to Open Doors US, 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith — more than one in seven — an increase of more than 8 million compared to last year.   Nigeria is at the epicenter of much of the persecution going on. The list notes that the African country is the primary hotspot for deadly violence, accounting for the majority of faith-related killings globally. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during the reporting period, 3,490 were Nigerian, which marks an increase from 3,100 last year, according to the report.   Nigeria is the largest, fastest growing province in the Anglican communion today. Despite persecution (perhaps because of it), the province added 15 new dioceses last year. Meantime The Episcopal Church merged dioceses across the country and continues to close churches that are no longer viable. Some are propped up by diocesan money and the Lilly Foundation. I am told that parishes with endowments are virtually the only ones that can afford a full-time rector.   Half of Episcopal churches have an Average Sunday Attendance under 50. On the other hand, five percent of congregations contain 30 percent of Episcopalians, and these tend to be the churches with the largest endowments.  When the Boomer generation has gone, the disintegration will rapidly increase. Within a decade there will only be a handful of dioceses. More merges are guaranteed. A lot of the rot in TEC began when ACNA was born following the disastrous consecration of Gene Robinson. It has been going steadily downhill since then.   There is a profound irony in all this when The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, says clergy should prepare for a "new era of martyrdom" with rising tensions with federal immigration authorities. He said they should have their wills made out and their affairs in order to ensure that clergy can defend vulnerable individuals effectively. But dying for Miguel who crossed the border illegally hardly fits the martyrdom definition.   This is not dying for Christ. It is dying for a political principle that is tentative at best. It’s not as if America is going to hell like Iran, where thousands have died for freedom from demagogical leaders bent on their destruction, the destruction of Israel, and, if possible, America.   When the apostle Peter emphasizes that judgment must begin with the household of God, he is suggesting that the persecution faced by early Christians was part of God's plan to purify them and prepare them for the ultimate judgment. It highlights the responsibility believers have to live according to the teaching of Scriptures, because those who do not obey the gospel will face severe consequences. The verse serves as a reminder of the grace offered through Christ and the importance of aligning one's life with God's will. Think about that. Mainline churches are dying precisely because they no longer proclaim Christ and Him crucified; they have bought into every woke idea, capping it with homosexual marriage, transgender disorder and abortion. It is the opposite of purification.   It is why you will never hear about the judgment of God from progressive pulpits. Some key biblical verses include Romans 14:10-12: "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat... each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." This verse highlights the universality of God's judgment, indicating that everyone will ultimately be accountable for their actions.   Hebrews 9:27: "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." This underscores the inevitability of judgment after death, encouraging believers to live with purpose and intention.   Psalm 96:13: "He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness." This verse reassures believers that God's judgment is rooted in righteousness and faithfulness, providing hope for those who suffer injustice.   If you think God is a ‘hail fellow well met’ universalist, think again. Judgment begins first with the household of God. Liberals might to think about that. Time is running out.   END

OPINION By Rev Dr Christopher Landau PREMIER CHRISTIAN NEWS 21 January 2026 After several years of fractious debate, the CofE’s consultation on sexuality and marriage officially draws to a close this month with no clear conclusions. Living in Love and Faith (LLF) has left the Church more divided than ever, says Rev Dr Christopher Landau Source: cunaplus (Alamy) This month marks an “imperfect, untidy” conclusion to the Church of England’s eight year process of trying to find unity on questions of human sexuality. And they are the words of the CofE bishops, not the critics. There are several grim ironies about the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process. But perhaps the deepest is that, under an archbishop who longed for “good disagreement”, the Church of England has actually reached new depths of disunity. Although Most Rev Justin Welby hoped that English Anglicans could learn to disagree well, he failed to shape or steer the process in a way that won the confidence of all parties. The established roles of General Synod and its associated Commissions - which exist to advise on doctrine and liturgy - were downplayed or circumvented during many of the early years of LLF. In their January letter to the wider church, the bishops said the changes that have now been introduced – the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) which may be used with a same-sex couple in the context of an existing worship service – mean that the church has acted “without departing from or indicating any departure from the Church’s doctrine of marriage”. This assertion remains disputed by many, not least because the availability and reliability of legal advice supporting such claims has itself been contested throughout the process. In December 2023, the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham cautioned his clergy against using the new prayers, writing that the “bishops have been advised that it is likely that such use is indicative of a change of doctrine”. Under an archbishop who longed for “good disagreement”, the CofE has actually reached new depths of disunity. I worry that too many bishops have, in fact, been in denial – not just about the level of doctrinal clarity in the PLF, but also about the negative impact this has had at the local level. For gay Christians supportive of progressive change and their allies, years of uncertainty and waiting seem to have been largely in vain. Meanwhile, gay Christians committed to a traditional sexual ethic have wondered if the Church is about to disregard their sacrifice. And across its breadth, the Church has witnessed worrying drops in numbers of people coming forward for ordination. It seems inescapable that the uncertainty over theology and sexuality has been a key factor. My role sees me visiting parishes all round the country, and I have lost count of the numbers of places where LLF has taken a visible toll. I visited one deanery where members of a local church were picketing the event, handing out leaflets explaining their decision not to attend. I can think of several conversations with vicars in rural contexts, saddened by the decision of key people in their churches to leave. There are other impacts: clergy leaving the CofE for more progressive Anglican churches in Wales or Scotland. Another part of the story is new degrees of unity emerging in unexpected places; evangelicals and traditional Catholics have found common ground over LLF, and even evangelicals who disagree profoundly about women’s ordination have worked together fruitfully in relation to sexuality. With elections for General Synod’s new five-year term happening this year, a key danger is that this attempt at church democracy becomes riven with the factionalism against which the Bible routinely cautions. The Church of England has failed to hold together the grace and truth which Jesus models. Too many political actors in the LLF drama have disregarded St Paul’s encouragement: “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). Yet it could have been so different. LLF could have started from a place of clarity about what the Church’s existing teaching was - and thus framed options in ways that made sense for a Church with a historic prayer book that is emphatic about marriage being for one man and one woman. It could have explored change via Synodical channels, where all parts of the Church could together accept that a robust process had been followed. It could have engaged parishes and dioceses in discussion only when there was clarity about what actually was being proposed. It could have acknowledged, from the beginning, the value of drawing on the wisdom of Commissions that exist to advise on the Church’s worship and teaching. For Dame Sarah Mullally, about to begin her tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, LLF represents a deep wound in the Church’s common life, which is a long way from healing. Having held a pivotal role in the LLF debate, she knows the deep frustrations and pain surrounding sexuality within the CofE. Her own words and actions in recent years represent a complex inheritance. She approaches the chair of St Augustine knowing that so many of the questions that prompted LLF remain unresolved, as do the political tensions that continue to undermine the unity and mission of the Church she now leads. Christopher Landau was appointed Director of ReSource in 2021. The charity supports ‘little, local, ordinary’ churches in spiritual renewal, and has grown out of Anglican Renewal Ministries. Christopher has a DPhil in Christian Ethics from the University of Oxford.

By Rowan Williams https://www.independent.co.uk/ January 19, 2026 The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has accused Vladimir Putin of “heresy” after the Russian President claimed his invasion of Ukraine was a “holy mission”. During a speech to mark Orthodox Christmas earlier this month, Putin called his soldiers “warriors” who were acting “as if at the Lord’s behest” and “defending the fatherland”. Mr Williams, who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012, condemned the use of religion to justify the invasion as “disturbing” and said that Putin’s revanchism directly contradicts the message preached by Jesus Christ. “I’d certainly say we’re talking about heresy,” he told The Independent. “We’re talking about something which undermines a really fundamental aspect of religious belief, of Christian belief, which assumes that we have to defend God by violence.” Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 1,600 theologians and clerics from the Eastern Orthodox Church issued the Volos Declaration, which condemned the “Russian World” ideology as a heretical belief and practice. The belief system grants Russia a special place in the cosmic order and claims the country has a divine right to build the “Holy Rus”: a land chosen by God for the Russian people. “The idea that death in battle for your country equates to Christian martyrdom seems to be the most bizarre and unjustifiable interpretation you could take,” Mr Williams said. “There is something really, really disturbing about the systematic, comprehensive rebranding of Christianity as Russian national ideology.” He referred to statements made by Christ that his kingdom is “not of this world” and “if it were of this world, my servants would fight”. Mr Williams pointed to the fact that Putin often resists calls to scale back fighting and violence over Christian religious periods, including Christmas and Easter. He also pointed to the arrest and detention of two young Orthodox seminary members, Denis Popovich and Nikita Ivankovich. They are facing up to 20 years in prison on what critics say are trumped-up charges, according to Public Orthodoxy, a publication that is part of the Orthodox Christian Studies Centre. Mr Popovich was arrested as he was walking to Sretensky Monastery in Moscow for “petty hooliganism” and “allegedly shouting and using obscene language”. Public Orthodoxy wrote in a newsletter on the anniversary of his arrest: “Anyone who knew this devout young man understood immediately that such behaviour was inconceivable for him”. Six weeks later, the allegations had transformed into terrorism charges. Asked what he would say to Putin, the theologian said: “The word Christianity contains the name Christ. Which Christ do you think you’re serving? The one of the Gospels or some nationalist goblin?” In 2024, the Ukrainian parliament outlawed the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church because of its strong support for Russia’s invasion. The Russian Orthodox Church has been a powerful ally of Putin, giving its blessing to the war and supporting his campaign to uphold what he calls traditional values in Russian society, in contrast to perceived Western decadence. Mr Williams said that Russia’s use of faith as a justification for war should be an alarm bell for the West. Governments are in denial about the extent to which religion is being “weaponised” to drive human conflict across the world, and religious leaders should step up their condemnation of violence, he suggested. “In the West, we might think that religion is draining away but it certainly isn’t in other parts of the world,” he said. “To imagine that faith can only be defended by violence is a bit of an insult to faith really. If you’re saying faith can only be strong if I beat the living daylights out of unbelievers, you’re not saying much about the strength of faith, are you?” Orthodox priests told The Independent last week that Putin is more akin to the “Antichrist” than a messiah, and that he holds “demonic” beliefs antithetical to the faith. “Seen from a Christian perspective, you don’t use unholy means to pursue a holy mission,” the former Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, told The Independent. “When that unholy means involves slaughtering people, invading their country, and telling lies.” END

Biblical Man Jan 21, 2026 Yuval Noah Harari stood on a World Economic Forum stage and said something that made the crowd smile and nod. “AI can write a new Bible.” He wasn’t joking. He said AI could create “religions that are actually correct.” The globalist crowd loved it. The tech bros clapped. The spiritually dead cheered. And I sat there thinking: This man has never once had Scripture read him back. Let me tell you something. I used to open my Bible like a textbook. Looking for answers. Looking for ammunition. Looking for a verse to win arguments. I treated it like a vending machine. Insert effort. Receive wisdom. But something was wrong. The words sat flat on the page. Dead letters. Empty doctrine. I could quote Romans. But I couldn’t feel Romans. I was reading Scripture. But Scripture wasn’t reading me. That’s the difference Harari will never understand. Here’s what the elite intellectuals miss: The Bible isn’t an information delivery system. It’s not a moral code generator. It’s not a religious operating manual. It’s alive. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) Read that again. The Word discerns your thoughts. Your intents. Your hidden motives. AI can process language. It cannot pierce your soul. The moment my Bible reading changed wasn’t when I got smarter. It was when I got hungry. Starving, actually. I stopped skimming for facts and started sitting with God. I stopped reading at the Bible and started letting the Bible read into me. And it found things. Dark things. Pride I called discernment. Bitterness I called boundaries. Fear I called wisdom. No algorithm can do that. No large language model can expose the rot in your heart. No silicon prophet can make you weep over your sin at 2 AM. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And He doesn’t run on servers. Here’s what Harari doesn’t understand about humans: You are not just a body. You are not just a spirit. You are body, spirit, and soul. The body? Outside forces can influence that. Drugs. Disease. Environment. The spirit? Outside forces can mess with that too. Demons. Deception. False teaching. But the soul? The soul belongs to God alone. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” — Matthew 10:28 (KJV) AI can reach your body through screens. Demons can attack your spirit through lies. But your soul? That’s God’s territory. And He speaks to it through His Word. Let me give you something practical. Leviticus 2:1–6 describes something called the Meat Offering. Most people skip right past it. Boring Old Testament stuff, right? Wrong. The Meat Offering is a blueprint for spiritual growth. Three ingredients. Fine flour — the pure Word of God. Ground down. Refined. No lumps. Not your favorite preacher’s paraphrase. Not a podcast summary. The actual text, studied and absorbed. Oil — the Holy Spirit. You can’t understand Scripture without Him. He illuminates the text and applies it to your life. Frankincense — prayer. The aroma that rises to God. Bible reading without prayer is just academics. Prayer without Bible reading is just emotion. Fine flour. Oil. Frankincense. Word. Spirit. Prayer. That’s the recipe. And that’s what AI cannot replicate. The Bible isn’t described as just one kind of nourishment. It’s described as many. Milk — for new believers (1 Peter 2:2) Bread — daily sustenance (Matthew 4:4) Meat — deeper doctrine (Hebrews 5:12–14) Fruit — life-giving refreshment (Proverbs 18:21) Honey — sweetness to the soul (Psalm 119:103) AI can generate words. It cannot generate nourishment. You can’t feed your soul on synthetic Scripture. You can’t grow strong on machine-made mantras. A counterfeit Bible would be like artificial honey. It might look similar. It might taste familiar. But it cannot sustain life. Here’s the hard truth most believers never hear: Personal Bible study is your primary ministry. Not church attendance. Not small groups. Not even serving. Your number one job as a believer is to get alone with God and His Word. Every single day. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Notice: approved unto God. Not approved unto your pastor. Not approved unto your denomination. Not approved unto your favorite theologian on YouTube. God. When you sit with your Bible and let the Spirit teach you, something happens no conference, no course, no AI-generated devotional can replicate: You hear from God directly. So why don’t believers tremble at Harari’s words? Because we’ve sat with the real thing. We’ve had mornings where one verse wrecked our whole week. We’ve had nights where Psalms were the only thing between us and despair. We’ve watched Scripture predict things, reveal things, heal things no human author could’ve orchestrated. I’m not threatened by AI-generated religion. I’m not afraid of synthetic Scripture. I’m not worried about machine-made messiahs. Because I know what the real Word does. It cuts. It heals. It transforms. It reads you back. Your move. Stop outsourcing your Bible study. Stop letting podcasts chew your food for you. Stop waiting for Sunday to hear from God. Open the Book. Sit with the Spirit. Let the Word read you. Fine flour. Oil. Frankincense. Word. Spirit. Prayer. Start tomorrow morning. Fifteen minutes. Just you, your Bible, and God. And when some elite intellectual tells you AI can write a new Bible, you’ll know the truth: A machine can generate text. Only God can generate transformation. Harari can keep his synthetic scriptures. I’ll take the one that’s been reading my soul for years. If this hit different, share it with someone who needs it. If you’re ready to stop consuming secondhand faith and start feeding on the real thing, subscribe. The world is building fake gods. We’re still serving the real One.

By Terry Mattingly From coast to coast, United Methodists are doing the math. America's third-largest flock just survived another quadrennial General Conference rocked by media-friendly fighting over sex. Now it's time to dissect the numbers. Delegates voted 570-334 to affirm the historic doctrines of the Christian faith. Efforts to back laws defining "marriage as the union of one man and one woman" passed on a 624-184 vote. Same-sex union rites fell -- 756-159. Should the church delete its "faithfulness in marriage and celibacy in singleness" standard for clergy? Delegates voted 806-95 to say "no." The big news was a 579-376 vote against weakening the Book of Discipline's law that self-avowed, practicing homosexuals cannot be clergy because homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." Delegates also rejected a resolution from gay-rights supporters that said: "We recognize that Christians disagree on the compatibility of homosexual practice with Christian teaching." That vote was 527-423. After three decades of pain, it seemed the numbers were stacking up for United Methodist conservatives, whose churches are thriving in the American Sunbelt and the Third World. But a final plot twist remained in Pittsburgh. A key church leader caused fireworks by saying it's time to end the war over the Bible and sex -- by separating the armies. "Our culture alone confronts us with more challenges than we can humanly speaking confront and challenge. That struggle, combined with the continuous struggle in the church, is more than we can bear. Our people, who have been faithful and patient, should not have to continue to endure our endless conflict," said the Rev. William Hinson, retired pastor of the 12,000-member First United Methodist Church of Houston, at a breakfast for conservatives. "I believe the time has come when we must begin to explore an amicable and just separation that will free us both from our cycle of pain and conflict. Such a just separation will protect the property rights of churches and the pension rights of clergy. It will also free us to reclaim our high calling and to fulfill our mission in the world." To understand the roots of this move -- which parallels divisions looming in other oldline Protestant churches -- it helps to dig a little deeper into the United Methodist numbers. Hinson is president of the "Confessing Movement," with 1,400 churches with 650,000 members. Gay-rights supporters have a Reconciling Ministries Network of 192 churches, with 17,000 members. But there are 35,000 congregations in all, with 8.3 million members. Sickened by decades of decline -- membership was 11 million in 1970 -- the last thing Methodists in the institutional middle wanted to hear was the word "schism." Before the conference closed, delegates linked hands, sang a hymn and passed a symbolic call for unity -- 869 to 41. And there was another number that deserved study. General Conference voted by a narrow 455-445 to clarify which Discipline violations can lead to a trial. The list of chargeable offenses now includes failing to be "celibate in singleness or being unfaithful in a heterosexual marriage; being a self-avowed practicing homosexual; conducting ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions or performing same-sex wedding ceremonies." But leaders on both sides noted that about 20 percent of the delegates this year came from Africa, Asia and Latin America -- where churches are more conservative. Efforts to enforce the Discipline's teachings might fall short, if left to delegates from North American churches. United Methodist progressives also continue to dominate the church's bureaucracies and seminaries. So be it, said theologian Thomas Oden, a former United Methodist liberal who now is a conservative strategist. The key during the next four years is for local church leaders to weigh options for how to end the national warfare over the Bible and sex. "We don't particularly care about the powers that be. What we care about is the doctrine and the Discipline in our church," he said. "That's were our focus is and that's where it will stay. … But the actual enforcement of those teachings remains a problem for us, as it is for most Protestant churches today. "We know that we will be struggling with that issue for decades. That's the question: We know what our church teaches, but do we have the will to enforce it?" Terry Mattingly (www.tmatt.net) teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is senior fellow for journalism at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. He writes this weekly column for the Scripps Howard News Service. END

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, and Victoria Combe THE DAILY TELEGRAPH May 12, 2005 A written constitution is being considered by the Anglican Church in an attempt to prevent it splitting over the issue of homosexuality. The Primate of Ireland, Archbishop Robin Eames, who chairs the Lambeth Commission set up to resolve the crisis, said last night that it was examining whether a constitution could heal the rifts in the Church. But he acknowledged that there would be resistance from people anxious to retain the autonomy of the 38 individual provinces that form the worldwide Communion, and some want an even more loosely-tied federation. "The Anglican Communion is not like a golf club," said Archbishop Eames. "The question is, do you write rules and, having written these rules, then try to get agreement from those who do not want to be bound by rules? If that is done, then it will be the first time we have done it." The Archbishop's comments came at a press conference on the first day of the Church of Ireland's General Synod in Armagh, and coincided with an appeal for unity from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Preaching in St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh last night, Dr Williams singled out Dr Eames's work on the commission and said that Christians who faced conflict had to try to see the position from the point of view of their enemies. "We have to let the fear and suspicion that another is going through be felt in our own hearts and minds; we have to let the world appear to us as it appears to them, and to sense and share the risks they believe they face," he told the congregation. Dr Williams, who set up the Lambeth Commission in October, said that the process was more intense for groups of rival Christians because they were rooted in the same faith. However, in fresh evidence of growing divisions, a church is to withhold its entire quota - the "tax" paid by parishes to central diocesan funds - in protest at the appointment of Dr Jeffrey John as Dean of St Albans. In what is thought to be an unprecedented act, Holy Trinity church in Barnet, north London, has told the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Christopher Herbert, that it will not pay a penny of the £33,600 the diocese expects. The Rev Charles Dobbie, the vicar, said that he blamed Bishop Herbert for approving the appointment of Dr John, the openly homosexual cleric who was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading last summer. Mr Dobbie, a member of the conservative evangelical Church Society, said he hoped that other churches, some of whom already withhold parts of their quotas, would follow Holy Trinity's lead and pay nothing. "We were shocked and grieved by the appointment of Jeffrey John last month," he said. "We have decided to stand up and be counted." He added that he would not now expect the diocese to pay for his upkeep, and any extra money the parish held would go to a Christian charity ministering to homosexuals. Church sources said that the decision would have little impact on central finances, though the position could change if a large number of parishes followed suit.

Otis Charles, left, a retired Episcopal bishop, is shown marrying his partner, Felipe Sanchez Paris, at St. Gregory's of Nyssa Episcopal Church on April 24. Disclaimer: The following photo is from SFGate.com. Given the details of this "ceremony", some may wish to skip to the next story. Viewing of this photograph may cause various violent reactions. -webmaster.

By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent THE TIMES Jeffrey John says Church and State should offer couples a covenant of faithfulness JEFFREY JOHN, the gay cleric who is to be appointed Dean of St Albans, called on the Church of England yesterday to move towards blessing same-sex unions. Dr John, the canon theologian at Southwark Cathedral who had to withdraw last year from his nomination as Bishop of Reading after concerns that the appointment would damage church unity, said that Church and State should offer gay and lesbian people a "covenant of faithfulness". Dr John was speaking at a news conference at St Albans Cathedral, where he will be installed as Dean this year, succeeding the Very Rev Christopher Lewis who is now Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Dr John's views are significant because, although the appointment is not as provocative as if he had been made a bishop, his promotion has the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Dr John, who abides by church rules on homosexuality and has had an abstinent 27-year relationship with his partner, another Anglican priest, pledged not to contravene canon law. He said: "Certainly I won't be attempting to do anything in the abbey which goes against the canons of the Church of England. Certainly as things stand, anything resembling a same-sex marriage service would be against these. "I support the State and the Church offering gay people a framework to live their lives within, a covenant of faithfulness to each other. I do not much mind whether one calls that a marriage or not. "What matters is that gay people are given that framework for stable, healthy living." He hoped the Church would follow the State in supplying that framework. He said a relationship between two men or two women could be sacramental in the same way as a heterosexual marriage because "it can reflect that love of God". Dr John said he had been banned from visiting St Albans Cathedral in the past few months in case news leaked out that he was being considered for the post of dean. He said: "It's a wonderful place. It's not only a very beautiful place, it's a deep place, a profound place." Dr John, 51, said that as dean he would help the cathedral to work towards its £6.4 million appeal target for education, music and fabric, but he also wanted to develop his role as pastor, teacher and preacher. "This is a place that has been prayed in for a good 17 centuries by monks, parishioners and pilgrims, a 'thin' place, as the Celts say, where the barriers seem to be down between Heaven and Earth. "That's very important, because so often the Church, let alone the world, has lost this sense of place and holy presence, and losing that has left us bereft of something crucial." The Bishop of St Albans, the Right Rev Christopher Herbert, welcomed the appointment. He backed Dr John's statement on same-sex blessings, saying such relationships could have "something of the mercy and the love of God". Bishop Herbert said: "I am very, very pleased that the State is beginning to recognise same-sex partnerships. I agree entirely with Jeffrey that human relationships are based on covenant. Marriage is obviously what God desires for many of us but I think what God desires overall is covenant, faithful relationships." The Bishop added: "Jeffrey John has a well-deserved reputation for being a good, caring pastor. He is an intelligent, courageous priest who will follow a long line of superb deans of St Albans and will bring to the abbey a wide range of gifts. He is a man of prayer, a preacher and teacher of real authority and grace." The appointment comes at a sensitive time in the Anglican Communion, which remains in danger of being split by the debate over gays. Dr John's remarks on same-sex blessings and Bishop Herbert's backing for him will deepen concerns among conservative evangelicals that the Church of England is heading in the same direction as Canada and the US. Last week, leaders of the Church in Africa issued a statement insisting that they would accept no future funding from dioceses in the West that took a liberal approach on the gay issue and giving the American Church three months to "repent" for its ordination of the openly gay priest Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. Dr Williams had pleaded for a period of calm reflection in Anglican provinces worldwide until the Lambeth Commission that he has set up to resolve the issue reports at the end of the year. The appointment of Dr John to St Albans was made by the Queen on the advice of Downing Street. Because St Albans is a parish church cathedral, Bishop Herbert was consulted as patron of the parish. He said: "I had to take this entirely on my own shoulders and have not been able to discuss the appointment with my closest colleagues nor with the cathedral staff or wardens, simply because the system of appointment does not allow this." LIFE AND WORK Jeffrey John was born in the South Wales mining village of Tonyrefail in 1953 and brought up as a chapel boy. He was confirmed as an Anglican at 18. While reading classics and modern languages at Oxford he was called to the priesthood. He served a curacy in South Wales then returned to Oxford at Magdalen and Brasenone colleges, doing theological research and teaching as well as pastoral duties. Appointed Vicar of Holy Trinity, Eltham, in 1992, he became a canon at Southwark six years later.

By Steve Levin Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Tuesday, May 11, 2004 A confirmation ceremony Sunday in Ligonier of 13 adults by a retired bishop of a splinter Episcopal group was a historical first for the denomination. The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. Cox of the Reformed Episcopal Church performed the confirmation after receiving permission from the church's rector and from the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan Jr. The service at St. Michael's in the Valley unsettled some members of the Pittsburgh Diocese, who believed -- wrongly -- that it violated canon law of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church USA. Attorney Charles B. Jarrett Jr., former chancellor of the Pittsburgh diocese, said that Cox's ordination and Duncan's permission for him to perform a sacramental act satisfy church law. Duncan is out of the country and the diocese's assistant bishop was presiding at another confirmation Sunday. But not everyone was happy about it. "We are certainly not in full communion with the [Reformed Episcopal Church] and so I do not believe it is appropriate for one of their bishops to confirm," said the Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, the national church's deputy officer of ecumenical and interfaith relations. "That is not the way we do ecumenical work." The Reformed Episcopal Church split from the larger church in 1873 over scriptural issues. It has a U.S. membership of about 14,000. Les Fairfield, a professor of church history at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, said it was the first time such a "distant" member of the greater Anglican family had conducted a sacramental service in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Jim Simons, rector of St. Michael's in the Valley, wasn't sure such "an esoteric historic moment" was worth any extra attention. "They're not going to make a stamp about it," he said.

Garrison forbids two other rectors from seeking outside bishops for confirmation Special Report By David W. Virtue BUFFALO, NY—The Bishop of Western New York, the Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison has lowered the boom on an orthodox rector, making unreal demands on him, in order to stifle the priest's canonical desire for Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight. Two other diocesan rectors were forbidden to present confirmands to any other bishop, and were told they could not invite another bishop to preach, teach or preside at the sacraments in their respective parishes. In an exchange of letters between Fr. Arthur W. Ward Jr., the rector, wardens and vestry of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Tonawanda and the Buffalo-based bishop, Fr. Ward wrote Garrison on April 6 requesting DEPO — a course of action approved recently by ECUSA's House of Bishops. St. Bartholomew's has the largest parish income in the diocese with a budget of $470,000 and an anticipated parish income of $520,000 in 2004. It is also the numerically largest parish in the diocese with more than 1,100 attending members. In his brief one-page letter Ward wrote, "As you are aware, we are gravely concerned about the direction of this diocese and The Episcopal Church in general. However, we also recognize that we are called by our Lord to work towards reconciliation. We are most willing to meet with you toward that purpose." Fr. Ward then wrote that adult candidates and youth confirmands for Holy Confirmation had asked for another bishop to administer Holy Confirmation. "As a result, there will be no candidates available for confirmation during your scheduled May 30th visit to St. Bartholomew's. The priest said he had scheduled only one service for that day. Ward concluded his letter saying that he was ready to meet "so that we can work towards achieving some sort of agreement that will satisfy both sides." On April 23rd, Bishop Garrison wrote a blistering two-page detailed letter with the following demands. He began with a slap and put down of Fr. Ward saying, "Happily I am not planning to be with you on Sunday morning, May 30, as I have another invitation. Since I made a visitation to St. Bartholomew's in 2003 for Confirmation, I shall not return for visitation until 2006." Instead the bishop will be blessing an altar at St. John's Grace, Buffalo run by an openly homosexual priest, the Rev. Phil Dougherty. Then the bishop listed a set of six demands on Fr. Ward, concluding by telling him that he was reassigning his deacon, and that when another priest who served with him, Fr. Clark Hubbard Jr. had found another parish that he would never license another priest to serve with him. Garrison said that an ordinand who was preparing for the ministry would also be removed from his parish. Garrison then demanded that Fr. Ward meet with him and insisted that he bring along the Parish Register and Service Book; financial statements from the first quarter of the year, including a list of beneficiaries of your "alternative" to the Fair Share. "Fair Share" is a voluntary pledge made by the bishop to all parishes. The bishop also demanded the minutes of the vestry meetings for the same period of time. The bishop then demanded that Ward "deliver to my office a copy of three teachings that you will prepare and deliver to the people of St. Bartholomew's on the Heresy of Donatism and its application in the current crises with reference to Article XXVI of the Articles of Religion." The bishop then asked Fr. Ward how he could personally remain connected and in communion with himself during this time of estrangement—including his personal reflection on what it means to be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them — a question required of you at your ordinations to both the deaconate and priesthood." "Thirdly, how do you intend to live out the joint pastoral responsibility you share with me through accepting a "Letter of Institution" from me at your installation as rector of St. Bartholomew's?" Garrison told Ward he would reassign his Deacon Ed Kusmierczyk. "I no longer have confidence that you can provide him sufficient guidance in making Christ and his redemptive love known." Deacon Kusmierczyk has been a deacon since May and he came out of the parish. "It is mean spirited because my part time assisting priest Fr. Thomas Jones aged 47, went home to be with Lord on Dec. 26 so the parish lost a priest. It is an insensitive act by the bishop to reassign my deacon," he told Virtuosity. "Fr. Clark Hubbard Jr. is currently our associate rector. If he leaves the bishop said he would not allow anyone in. I don't appreciate the bishop holding the pastoral ministry of St. Bartholomew's hostage, and it certainly does not reflect the pastoral ministry of our Lord and the Good Shepherd image of a bishop." The bishop then said that an ordinand who is a candidate for the Diaconate, one John Reese, (Reitz, the bishop misspelled his name) would be also transferred to another parish. Garrison then twisted the knife further issuing a Pastoral Direction to Ward forbidding him to present confirmands from his parish to any other bishop of this Church. "You are forbidden to invite another bishop to preach, teach, or preside at the Sacraments, except as specifically authorized by me." Fr. Ward said he was shocked and surprised at the tone and tenor of Bishop Garrison's letter. "He had said on March 30th at a clergy day event that he had supported and voted for DEPO and that he would allow parishes to have alternative pastoral oversight in consultation with him." Fr. Ward said that he and the wardens and vestry have sent a letter asking the bishop to reconsider his demands and the bishop responded by writing another letter dated May 6th in which he said he was sorry that we perceived his original letter as threatening. They were not threats but simply consequences, he said. However, Garrison considers Fr. Ward to be in rebellion against the church and he says that I do not respect him. "I am very concerned with the bishop's approach for it seems to me that he is trying to set me and St. Bartholomew's up for further disciplinary action. We certainly appreciate the prayers and moral support of all our sisters and brothers who are standing with us and for the One Holy and Apostolic Faith of the Church." Bishop Garrison is not backing down, said a disappointed Ward. "He believes his requirements set forth in this letter are within the canons and constitutions and within his right as bishop." On April 29, Bishop Garrison wrote another letter, this time to all his diocesan clergy saying that he was forbidding two other orthodox rectors in his diocese because the warden of St. Stephen's, Niagara Falls told him he would not allow his grandson to be confirmed by him. Garrison responded by recalling the actions of the five retired bishops acting in the Diocese of Ohio saying that what they did was an "indecent violation of Church order" and then issued the following pastoral directive to Fr. Roger Grist of St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Buffalo and to Fr. Richard Molison of St. Stephen's in Niagara Falls, saying "you are forbidden to present confirmands to any other bishop of this church…you are forbidden to invite another bishop to preach, teach, or preside at the Sacraments, except as specifically authorized by me." Reached at his parish the Rev. Dr. Grist told Virtuosity, "I am surprised, the bishop seems to be trying to keep us from having a bishop who would be in line with the faith once delivered. Furthermore what he is really saying is that he would only allow a bishop of his choice." "He is not trying to bring about reconciliation, and he accuses us of causing division. He won't cut us any slack, nor does he seem to be interested in the recent DEPO resolution passed by the House of Bishops. He is determined to have it all his way." The Rev. Dr. Grist said that DEPO means nothing to him. "He has also reinterpreted the diocesan canons related to the Fair Share (pledge system). He made it mandatory (it was voluntary) at a March meeting of the Diocesan Council but it has never been brought to a Diocesan Convention. Any parish that does not pay its fair share, he makes into a dependent parish. The bishop can then act unilaterally, and that is what he has done to Fr. Ward." Fr. Richard Molison, St. Stephen's told Virtuosity, "I don't sense any ministry of reconciliation with my chief shepherd. This is the second of two letters he has written to me both of which have not been very pastoral. Our concern, those of us who are orthodox in this diocese, is to have this tested before Holy Scripture not the canons. I find this difficult to accept." Virtuosity has learned that there is a coalition of five parishes seeking to bring about orthodox teaching in the diocese. They are St. Stephens in Niagara Falls, St. Mary's in Salamanca, St. Peter's in Forestville, St. Bartholomew's in Tonawanda, and St. Michael's and All Angels in Buffalo. All are members of the American Anglican Council (AAC). Bishop Garrison has vigorously spoken out against the AAC and the Network. At their last diocesan convention Garrison accused the AAC of being a right-wing conspiracy saying it was "wreaking [the] havoc of schism" with "groups financed by American philanthropists." The bishop is facing a crisis in his diocese, Virtuosity was told. He has had to face staff cuts owing to a loss of income from about 50 percent of the diocese's parishes that are either unable or unwilling to pay their 'fair share' this year. "This involves some 30 parishes, (out of 63). The bishop is facing a huge deficit for the coming year. This is a huge red flag," said Fr. Molison. The short fall is about $220,000 in a $1.1 million dollar budget, he said. "The bishop is saying it is about economic factors, but a number of people have left The Episcopal Church, and five orthodox parishes have vocally condemned the Robinson consecration. It is not about economics, the orthodox parishes are thriving even as revisionist ones suffer with no gospel," said Molison. Note: If you are not receiving this from VIRTUOSITY, the Anglican Communion's largest and most widely read biblically-orthodox online news service, then you may subscribe FREE at www.virtuosityonline.org. Virtuosity has had more than 1.6 million hits at its website. Readers can be found in 45 countries on six continents.

David Williamson The Western Mail May 8, 2004 Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey yesterday warned that unless Britain reclaimed its spiritual heritage the challenge of terrorism would plunge the nation into despair and cynicism. Speaking yesterday at his home on Gower he said, "I think we have got to pay attention to the very dangerous world we live in where terrorism is now a reality of our times. "This is not the fault of ordinary Muslims but Islam is being used by very evil people to do a great deal of damage. "I think the real challenge is to be rooted in these universal values that make life worth living and work honourable. To reconnect with that great story of what Christ has done for us is the only antidote to despair and cynicism." Lord Carey is today in Llandrindod Wells where he will deliver an address on the theme Mastery and Mystery: The Power of the Bible in the Church and the Individual. His concern at the way in which Islam has been manipulated by extremists was echoed yesterday by Sheikh Said Ismail, imam of the South Wales Islamic Centre. He said, "We are against all these killings. We can understand why it is being done but that still doesn't make it lawful. Muslims should be people who are merciful and reasonable and compassionate. Then you have the people who interpret things differently and the people who are egging them on and are exploiting the name of Islam. "God is not pleased when you kill his children." Within the Welsh Muslim community, he said, there was great frustration that the violence of a few had damaged the reputation of the many. "Instead of people loving us they have got further away from us," he said. "These are the things which are hurting us very much inside." Lord Carey will call on the church in Britain to bring the study and the appreciation of the Bible back into the heart of its corporate life. He compared the lacklustre preaching in many churches with the fervency with which Muslims cherished the Koran. He said, "[They] have a great devotion to the Koran and study it avidly. That used to be the situation here." Sheikh Said described the central place the Koran still held in a Muslim's life. "We have to pray five times a day so it's a connection with God five times a day," he said. "We are never out of the vicinity of God." At the conference, organised by the Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales, Lord Carey will examine the causes of "the decline in Bible knowledge" and suggest ways forward. He said, "I'll offer some reasons for this and go on to talk about the failure of the church to make the Bible central to our liturgy and preaching today. "I want to explore that and give some examples of the richness of the Bible and how we may be encouraged to return with a greater commitment and a deeper devotion." Lord Carey said the writings contained in the Bible had been "the backbone of British culture since the Reformation" and had inspired some of the greatest storytelling of the 20th century. "Lord of the Rings was written by a profoundly Christian man," he said. "You can't really understand Lord of the Rings without understanding the world of evil and good upon which it draws." The success of The Passion of The Christ, he suggested, showed the continuing power of religious stories in the present day. "I've been quite reluctant to see The Passion because it focuses too much on the physical sufferings of Christ ... but it's amazed me, the interest it's created around the world. "In Qatar, the Emir has allowed The Passion to be shown for one month. Of course, Muslims have a great admiration for Jesus Christ." Lord Carey hopes people will take the opportunity to discover the Bible for themselves. The number attending weekly services has dropped sharply in recent decades, but he suggested that people today had a chance to read its stories with a freshness other generations might not have enjoyed. "There's still a very deep interest in Jesus Christ as a person," he said. "Perhaps the chasm that's opened up between the knowledge of the Bible and popular culture has given many people a fresh opportunity to look at it in a fresh way outside the church stronghold."