The very first priority. The very first thing which needs to be said about Christian ministers of all kinds is that they are 'under' people (as their servants) rather than 'over' them (as their leaders, let alone their lords). Jesus made this absolutely plain. The chief characteristic of Christian leaders, he insisted, is humility not authority, and gentleness not power. --- -From "The Message of Thessalonians" by John R.W. Stott

"Anglicans have long recognized how we pray reflects and shapes what we believe. What good does it do to preach one thing when the liturgy that we are using and the worship practices that we have adopted teach another? Both our preaching and our liturgy and worship practices need to convey the same message." ---Robin Jordan. http://reasonablechristian.blogspot.com/

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
6/29/2009

Accolades poured in from around the world as the Anglican Church of North America was launched in Ft. Worth, Texas this week.

The leaders of three Anglican Provinces wrote to formally support the Anglican Church in North America.

The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer H. Anis, president bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East wrote: "Our prayers are for you and for the new Province to continue to stand firm in faith as you have always done. May the Lord keep your unity in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ in North America." Also writing to offer support was The Most. Rev. John Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia. "Today you are making a very historic and apostolic stand. Please be assured of our full and deep communion in the Lord."

The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda "resolved that it warmly supports the creation of the new Province in North America, the Anglican Church in North America, recognizes Bishop Bob Duncan as its new Archbishop, and declares that it is in full communion with the Anglican Church in North America."

Archbishop Peter Jensen of the Diocese of Sydney and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans wrote: "I send my warmest greetings and congratulations to the new Anglican Province. We recognize that authentic Anglican brothers and sisters have come together in a wonderful new fellowship in the service of the Lord Jesus. We pray that your faithful witness to the gospel will prosper and that as you live under the authority of God's word you will maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Support also came from England. Bishop Wallace Benn and Archdeacon Michael Lawson sent greetings on behalf of the Church of England Evangelical Council: "We wish you to know that we consider it a privilege given by God that we are joyful to be in full communion with you all. We are especially grateful for your unity expressed among Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical traditions, and recognise that this is in part a fruit of the Jerusalem Conference where the Primates present encouraged you to form a new and orthodox entity in North America. You are of course in fellowship with 80% of the Anglican Communion who share with us in the historic orthodox faith. It is for this reason that we call on many more of our brothers and sisters worldwide to affirm that they recognize the authentic marks of the Apostolic church and true Anglican identity in your witness."

Anglican Mainstream Convener, Philip Giddings, and Canon Dr. Chris Sugden wrote: "It has been our privilege to stand with you in fellowship and prayer...We rejoice to see the Lord's hand of blessing on you witness as he adds daily to your number those who are being saved."

Anglican leaders from around the world have welcomed the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. A total of nine Anglican provinces sent formal delegations to the Inaugural Assembly in Bedford, Texas, June 22-25. Many others sent personal greetings to Archbishop Robert Duncan.

And so it went. This was not "done in a corner". It was done in the cold light of day, recognizing that The Episcopal Church has abandoned "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" and that there is now no hope of its spiritual recovery.

For orthodox Episcopalians and Anglicans in North America, the die has been cast and there is no going back. What this new North American Province has declared is that a new, fresh, spiritually alive expression of the faith can now be found on North American soil. It has received recognition from independent evangelicals like mega-pastor Rick Warren to thoroughly orthodox prelates like Metropolitan Jonah. That is true inclusivity and true diversity.

One reader wrote to say that an important thing that made everything work so well was that this Provincial Meeting was COVERED in prayer. Intercessors in one room, and then intercessors in every corner of the Meeting area praying that God would handle any and all possible disagreements, and that the Devil would not have his way with this new beginning. God will sort everything out, but we went forward.

*****

To reinforce the point, The Bishop of the DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, The Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence conceded defeat and said in a letter to his diocese that "the cause of biblical orthodoxy within TEC is no longer a realistic thing to strive for through the councils of TEC. Politically speaking, we have lost the day." He and his delegation will attend GC2009, but not his canon theologian. You can read his letter here or in the digest. http://tinyurl.com/lz9wsa

The question left unspoken is this, what will become of those orthodox dioceses that still remain in TEC?

One of those bishops, The Rt. Rev. James Adams of Western Kansas was spotted at the ACNA launching while Bishop Lawrence of South Carolina sent The Very Rev. Craige Borrett, to be an observer at the event. The retired bishops of Quincy and Eau Claire, The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman and The Rt. Rev. William Wantland were highly visible throughout the launching. No one was present from the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, but a number of folks suggested to VOL that Bishop James Stanton is deliberately playing a very low profile these days.

My own conclusion from all this is that GAFCON, ACNA and the launching of FCA next week in London may well be the beginning of a new Anglican Communion. It is hard to see how this is not the case. Western pan-Anglicanism is liberal, revisionist and dying despite all the vaunted talk of inclusivity and diversity. They have no gospel to proclaim and their millions of dollars will not sustain them indefinitely.

Bishop John Richardson's article on why England is no longer a Christian nation and why the Church of England will be out of business in 30 years is must reading. http://tinyurl.com/loulqs

*****

Bishop Gulick is seeking loyalty from 70 Diocese of Fort Worth clerics and wrote to them this week with his demands. VOL writer Mary Ann Mueller obtained a copy of the letter and spoke to a Fr. Christophe Culpepper about it. You can read the full story in today's digest.

"This letter is to inform you that I will ask the Standing Committee of The Diocese of Fort Worth at a meeting which will be held on July 2, to certify that you have in fact, under the provision of Title IV, Canon 10.1 of the Episcopal Church abandoned the communion of this church. I will ask the Standing Committee to join me in issuing a letter of Inhibition."

*****

ST. JAMES ANGLICAN CHURCH, which is at the epicenter of a nationally publicized church property dispute with The Episcopal Church, filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States this week. St. James is asking the Court to overturn a prior decision of the California Supreme Court, which conferred a special power on certain religious denominations to take property they do not own simply by passing an internal "rule." The petition asks the Supreme Court to decide whether, under the U.S. Constitution, certain religious denominations can disregard the normal rules of property ownership that apply to everyone else.

Dr. John Eastman, a nationally recognized constitutional law scholar, has joined the legal team to pursue the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A response from the Court regarding the St. James petition can be expected as early as October 2009. A decision could be reached as early as mid-2010.

The constitutional issues St. James is raising before the U.S. Supreme Court go far beyond the Episcopal Church. Every local church, temple, synagogue, parish, spiritual center, congregation or religious group which owns its own property through a religious corporation, and has some affiliation with a larger religious group, is at risk of losing its own property under the California Supreme Court's ruling. As a result, religious freedom is suppressed, as those who have sacrificed to build their local religious communities are now at risk of having their properties taken based on some past, current or future spiritual affiliation. A United States Supreme Court decision in favor of St. James would benefit local church property owners throughout the country because it would allow them the ability to freely exercise their religion without risk of losing their property. You can read more stories in today's digest about this significant legal move.

*****

From ST. JOHN'S ANGLICAN CHURCH, in Sonoma County, California, comes word that after successful negotiations, the Petaluma, California, based church has entered into a peaceful settlement with mutual releases with the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, The Episcopal Church and St. John's Episcopal Church, Petaluma.

*****

If you want to see where freedom of speech is going in England, watch this video. It is very scary what is happening in the UK these days. There is a political correctness bordering on fascism that is seeing the complete vilification of people who want to talk to people about Jesus and being prevented from doing so because a single man or woman accuses this evangelical preacher of promoting hate. He was finally exonerated by six (yes, six) policemen who came to his home, two on horseback. It is George Orwell all over again. Watch and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztUe1CM23dA&e

*****

Alberto Cutié, the renegade Roman Catholic priest, got married in an Episcopal church wedding this week with supporters rallying outside St. Francis Catholic Church in Miami Beach. Cutie gave his first Episcopal sermon on Sunday morning at the Church of the Resurrection in Miami. Hundreds of worshipers showed up to support him, according to local newspaper reports.

Dozens of reporters from local and international media staked out the church grounds, in addition to many local residents, aching to see the famous couple.

"I don't like the way Alberto has handled himself," said Maria Rivas, 62, of North Miami Beach, who had heard reports about the wedding and rushed to the church to try to get in.

"It's a free world," remarked Victor Gutierrez, 49, of North Miami Beach. "Let them have fun and be happy."

*****

In a story that has frightening pansexual consequences for The Episcopal Church, a Gay Duke University official, Frank M. Lombard, a vestry member of the gay friendly Episcopal Church of the Advocate in Carrborro, NC, was arrested for molesting at least 1 of his 2 adopted African American sons (raping boy since infancy, he's now 5 years old). What's more, he not only molested the little boy, he videotaped himself doing it, aired videos online through IRC hookup, and advertised for other homosexual pedophiles to come molest the child as well, under the heading "perv fam fun".

This man is a close personal friend of Episcopal Bishop, Gene Robinson, who to date has not denounced this man or his behavior. VOL wrote to Robinson, but got no response.

Immediately after the story broke, his name was scrubbed from the church web site, but it's still available in the cache on Google. From Carrboro, NC, a friend of Gene Robinson, asks is this what it means when he tells little children to "share their sexual gifts" with others? You can read the full story here: http://abcnews.go.com/News/story?id=7942546&page=1

A VOL reader wrote to say that when this surfaced at Duke University, the usual media and campus PC crowd kept mighty quiet. Identity politics apparently trumps all sense of outrage.

"Of course, after the disgraceful media and university reaction to the phony allegations against Duke Lacrosse team members, it is wise avoid jumping to conclusions, but the comparative silence on the current case is nonetheless remarkable, considering how many particulars of the case were left out of the main AP account."

Frank Lombard is the associate director of Duke's Center for Health Policy.

From one blogger came this. "In 2003, many defenders drew a line (read: manufactured a standard) by saying that Jesus never specifically condemned homosexuality in the New Testament. But there is a huge problem: Jesus never specifically condemned pedophilia, incest, or rape in the New Testament either.

"After my friend told me that any church he joins must allow gay deacons I asked this question: When you chose to cohabitate with your boyfriend did this also impose on the church a demand that they allow cohabitating deacons?

"The question can be worded another way: Is it the role of the church to shape the culture or to merely reflect it?

"That Frank Lombard was arrested on the day of Michael Jackson's death is highly symbolic. Christians need to take a break from worshipping this culture and the idols it produces. We need to take a closer look at the man in the mirror." Indeed.

*****

UGANDAN PRIMATE BLASTS corruption and war. Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi urged graduates to resist corruption and do their work diligently.

"Corruption and moral decay have eaten up society. So, go and change this nation so that we shall be proud of the products of UCU for a long time," the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, told graduates of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono.

Orombi, who is the chancellor of the university, was addressing students at the university's 10th graduation ceremony recently. A total of 902 students were awarded degrees, diplomas and masters in various fields. There were 485 female graduates against 417 male graduates. 30 students got first class degrees. Orombi said students who have graduated from UCU have been exemplary in life and urged the fresh graduates to emulate their predecessors and desist from corrupt tendencies.

The vice chancellor, Prof. Stephen Noll, asked the graduates to consider joining fulltime Christian service as pastors and missionaries. Noll also said the university planned to start training scientists and technicians to address the development needs of Uganda. This is in addition to the construction of a computer laboratory.

*****

From the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA comes updated news on the hearings regarding Charles E. Bennison, their deposed and disgraced former bishop. The Standing Committee reported that on June 22, the Church Attorney filed, under seal, the Church's opposition to Bishop Bennison's motion for a new trial. Bishop Bennison's reply, if any, is due today (June 29). The Court has not yet indicated whether it will hold a hearing on the motion. If such a hearing is granted, it would likely occur in August or September, and would probably be conducted by telephone conference-with the media and the public excluded. A ruling by the Court would then most likely follow within one-to-two months. If Bishop Bennison's motion is denied, his appeal would, at that juncture, proceed in the Court of Review. If his motion is granted, the Trial Court will then set a schedule for a new trial. You can read the full story here: http://www.diopa.org/office/standing-committee/communication/update-on-the-hearings-regarding-bishop-bennison/

*****

The Episcopal Church has hired a homosexual activist to spearhead its Ft. Worth lawsuit.

The New York offices of the Episcopal Church continue their scorched earth litigation campaign with the goal of punishing all congregations who voluntarily and democratically decided to realign under a different Province of the Anglican Communion. It seems they will stop at nothing until these congregations, who disagree with the ordination of homosexual priests, lose their houses of worship -- the churches they built and paid for and to which they hold the deed.

Jonathan D.F. Nelson, the lead attorney in The Episcopal Church's lawsuit against the Diocese of Fort Worth, is an outspoken homosexual and active member of the North Texas Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender alliance. http://www.northtexasglbtchamber.org/files/63-March-Business.pdf

Nelson lives in Fort Worth with his partner of three years. According to one of his interviews with the Dallas Voice, the Dallas gay newspaper, Nelson's mission is "to assist in the recovery of property rightfully belonging to the Episcopal Church. However, because the church has so courageously grappled with issues like the ordination of women and gays, I do feel a personal bond with them."

*****

The CHURCH OF SWEDEN has gone overboard supporting the state's stand on same-sex marriages. It is being met with resistance from a group calling themselves the Church Coalition for the Bible and Confession. They have laid out how modern society, through the political parties, uses the church to propagate its own agenda and in reality has taken over the Church of Sweden structure together with people inside the church, that is the bishops and some Church Theologians who have made their career within the system. Yngve wrote, "The situation for the orthodox and traditionalists in the Church of Sweden is indeed very serious and I kindly ask for your prayers for us." The link below takes you to a Statement on the Proposal for a new Order of Marriage for the Church of Sweden now being made public by the Chairman for the Church Coalition for the Bible and Confession. http://kyrkligsamling.se/marriagestatement09.pdf

*****

One of Britain's most historic cities, Canterbury, has been told it is sufficiently gay - after a complaint sparked a two-month investigation costing thousands of pounds, according to newspaper reports. Rob Davies, spokesman for the council, said: "Obviously we're delighted with the outcome of the investigation." Rejecting a complaint by local activists, a government watchdog decided that Canterbury in Kent does enough to promote homosexual culture. The Local Government Ombudsman - who asked for the city's council to provide evidence of how it supported the gay community - said it was satisfied the pink pound was being catered to. It should be observed that Canterbury is the spiritual home of the Church of England, but we have not heard anything from the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding this piece of news.

*****

Britain "knows little about Bible". The "Independent" newspaper reports that according to a recent survey conducted by St John's College Durham, the British public is widely ignorant of the stories and people who provide the basis of Christianity, despite 75 per cent of respondents owning a copy of the Bible.

Figures such as Abraham and Joseph were a source of puzzlement and it was rare to find anyone who could name the Ten Commandments.

Researchers found that 57 per cent of people knew nothing about Joseph or his brothers despite the hit musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". 60 per cent were ignorant of the story of the Good Samaritan.

St John's College Durham in Durham carried out the survey and released preliminary findings yesterday. The full report is expected to be published in July.

*****

Later this week, I head out the door to the UK to cover the launching of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) in London. This will be an historic event, unprecedented on English soil. VOL believes this is the first salvo being fired in support of perhaps a Third Province in England (which Anglo-Catholics have sought). At the very least, it is a wake-up call to the Archbishop of Canterbury and perhaps, it also indicates, at a deeper level, that a new world Anglican order is coming. Following this historic event, I will fly directly to Los Angeles and General Convention in Anaheim.

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All Blessings,

David