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Anglican Angst as ACC Readies for Lusaka * ABC Pleads for all Primates to attend * Authority of Primates Challenged * Russian Patriarch Praises ACNA, Blasts TEC * TEC Lexington Bishop Suspended over Adultery * Continuing Anglicans say Full Communion 2017

Anglican teaching. Although it is sometimes said in Anglican circles that Scripture, tradition and reason form a 'threefold cord' which restrains and directs the church, and although there are not lacking those who regard these three as having equal authority, yet official pronouncements continue to uphold the primary, the supreme authority of Scripture, while accepting the important place of tradition and reason in the elucidation of Scripture. Thus, the report on the Bible issued by the 1958 Lambeth Conference contained this heartening statement: 'The Church is not "over" the Holy Scriptures, but "under" them, in the sense that the process of canonization was not one whereby the Church conferred authority on the books but one whereby the Church acknowledged them to possess authority. And why? The books were recognized as giving the witness of the Apostles to the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of the Lord and the interpretation by the Apostles of these events. To that apostolic authority the Church must ever bow.'(1) "The Lambeth Conference 1958" (SPCK, 1958), part 2, p. 5. --- John R.W. Stott

It is not the indignation of the new atheists that threatens authentic Christianity, nor the indifference of the populace, nor the encroachments of Islam, nor the brutality of Isis and its comrades in terror. It is not the infinite number of the enemies of God and his Gospel. It is the "I" of the professed believer that stands accused. If my heart is any guide, it is the quest for self-glory - the all-consuming pursuit of the natural man (Isaiah 40: 6-8). --- Roger Salter

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. -- I Cor. 15: 14 (KJV)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
March 27, 2016

Slowly but surely the noose is being tightened around the neck of The Episcopal Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury as new revelations pour out from Global South primates who tell a different story about what actually happened in Canterbury earlier this year.

It is becoming clearer by the week that the Anglican Communion was being sold a bill of goods about what went on and it is coming to a head over the upcoming Lusaka meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council where a number of Anglican Primates are publicly boycotting the event.

The most vocal is Nigerian Primate Nicholas Okoh, who said that he and his fellow primates were lambasted in Canterbury for being homophobic, and that the tactic of "patience" was designed solely to keep everyone at the table and to turn gullible primates into pro-gay shills for Western pansexualist archbishops like Michael Curry and Fred Hiltz.

The Nigerian Archbishop blasted the Episcopal Church and those who would "join the straight jacket of the revisionists and be politically correct," arguing that they are succeeding. He then tore the Episcopal Church claiming they were engaging in a campaign to walk orthodox Anglicans into "a well-rehearsed scheme to apply persuasion, subtle blackmail and coercion against those still standing with the Scriptures" on human sexuality.

As a result, he will not attend the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka next month.

He was soon followed by the archbishops of Kenya and Uganda, who also said they would not attend the Lusaka gabfest largely because they learned that TEC would not be stopped from engaging in talks and discussion on matters of faith and doctrine as they were ordered not to do in Canterbury.

The Archbishop of Kenya, Eliud Wabukala says in a letter to the ABC that he cannot heed his plea for him to attend next month's meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Lusaka because promises made at the recent Primates' Meeting in Canterbury to restrict the participation of the Episcopal Church in the Anglican Communion because of its liberal stance on homosexuality have not been kept.

The so-called "instruments" of communion are "not being used so much as instruments of unity but as instruments to cajole orthodox Global South provinces of the Communion into acquiescence with the secular sexual culture which has made such inroads into the Anglican Churches of the West," he writes in a letter to his province.

Wabukala acknowledges the Archbishop of Canterbury's recognition of the need for "repentance and confession".

"But there does not seem to be any recognition that homosexual activity is a matter for repentance by those speaking on behalf of the London based Anglican Communion authorities. Instead there are only calls to repent of 'homophobia', a term which is seriously compromised by the way homosexual activists have used it to include any opposition to their agenda."

The inability to recognize that the acceptance of homosexual activity calls for repentance is now "entrenched", he says.

Desperate for a win, Archbishop Justin Welby wrote a private letter (which VOL obtained) urging all the primates to attend Lusaka, saying they will be electing a new Chairman, and such a position should be someone who speaks the truth in love and seeks to unite the Communion in truth-filled service to Jesus Christ, and not to uphold any particular group at the expense of the Common Good, so long as we are within acceptable limits of diversity. He says "any particular group" but which group -- the revisionist archbishops or the GAFCON Primates? And what exactly are "acceptable limits of diversity"? will Welby publicly reject sodomy as evil behavior in the sight of the Lord, or will he complicitly side with Western pan-Anglican revisionists and keep talking about homophobia when he and we know that is notremotely the problem.

Why should the Global South Primates trust him anymore, if what we now know what happened in Canterbury is not the spin he put on it.

I urge you to read two fine commentary pieces on this in today's digest. The first is by Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council, "FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU...." and the other is by Bishop Bill Atwood, "High Noon at Lusaka".

Atwood writes; "We don't yet know what will happen in Lusaka, but I can say that one way or another, it will cast the die for the future of the Anglican Communion. By early in May, we should be able to predict with some degree of accuracy what the Communion will look like. One thing is certain. There will be a huge, robust fellowship around GAFCON (the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans). There will be a wonderful, orthodox future for those who love the Lord and the Scriptures and desire to live under their authority. How big that group will be may well be shaped largely by what happens in Lusaka."

*****

An argument is raging over what authority the primates really do have? Do they have any authority?

Western liberal voices are being raised following the January's Primates' Meeting saying they doubt the authority of the Primates have any in decision making. Some said "[It] is not a decision-making body--it's a body for Primates who come together to pray and discuss and discern and offer some guidance. They don't make resolutions." Others say, "The Primates' meeting has no jurisdiction."

Pro homosexual marriage western revisionist archbishops don't like the idea of authority because it restricts what they want to do and be, and don't want to be held accountable for their actions.

Egyptian Archbishop Mouneer Anis weighed in on the discussion and said that the Primates unequivocally do have authority, and in a brilliant essay which you can read in today's digest, he makes a clear historical case, saying that the Primates' Meeting together with the Archbishop of Canterbury carry an authority and responsibility in preserving the unity of the Communion. It is important for both of these Instruments to deal with the divisive issues at hand and especially the unilateral actions of TEC in regard to their alterations to the Anglican Communion's doctrine of marriage.

Failure to carry out the decision of the January Primates' Meeting will bring back the distrust which was there before the last meeting, the source of our impaired communion, he said.

*****

The growing alienation of the Episcopal Church from the rest of the Christian world continues to grow even as the Anglican Church in North America finds acceptance from leading Christian communities.

This week the Russian Orthodox leader, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, praised and supported the Anglican Church in North America which, he said, remains faithful to Christian ethics, while condemning the Episcopal Church, forcing his church to break off relations with the LGBT-affirming church in America.

"I would like to note once again the role played by the conservative Evangelicals in the United States as their position gives us an opportunity to continue our dialogue with Christians in America," Kirill said in the presence of evangelist Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham), who met with Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill of Moscow earlier this week. The two discussed issues pertaining to gay marriage, the secularization in the West, and Christian persecution. You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

On the Episcopal Church front, more sexual excitement this week when it was revealed that the Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn of the Diocese of Lexington was suspended for one year from his duties as bishop after it was learned that he had a sexual relationship with an adult female parishioner and intentionally withheld this information when seeking the position of bishop. Hahn has admitted to these charges against him. He and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry reached an official "Accord" or agreement, providing for terms of the suspension.

Now the irony should not be missed. Adultery is the only sexual sin left (apart from pedophilia and bestiality) that will get you into trouble. If you are a straight white bishop and decide to sodomize a man, first you need to get divorced from your wife and then "marry" the man and then divorce the man and then wear an earring showing your availability, you will be a hero to the Church and the "Integrity" organization who will probably arrange for you to get an honorary doctorate for your sexual honesty. If you are bisexual or a transgendered, they will also make you into a hero for your diversity.

What is so ludicrous is all the committees that are set up to scrutinize wannabee bishops. People are too frightened to ask the obvious questions, like "have you ever had sex with someone who is not your wife when you were a priest, yes or no." Look what happened when no one asked the new Suffragan Bishop of Maryland Heather Cook if she had a drinking problem, even though she was spotted sloshed at an event the former PB attended just weeks before she was anointed the new Suffragan. And what about her relationship with a former TEC priest who paid her bills! For their failure, a man lies dead, his children deprived of a father. Did anyone ask any hard questions of the new bishop of Pennsylvania? The answer is no, of course. In fact the event was so controlled by diocesan handlers so as not to invite tough questions about sexuality. All soft ball stuff about process please. And you wonder why TEC gets the lowest common denominator of bishop to lead flocks of spiritually vacuous Episcopalians. The sheep are being led by unregenerate shepherds over the cliff into christless eternities and they don't even know it.

*****

If you want to get a flavor of what The Episcopal Church will look like say in 2045 then you can read a story in today's digest about the financial crunch that has hit the United Church of Christ.

IRD writer Jeff Walton documented this denomination's demise because the UCC is even more progressive than The Episcopal Church and therefore says a lot about the future of The Episcopal Church. The UCC is making big staff cuts, and there is an internal report forecasting an 80 percent decline in membership by 2045! The average age of an Episcopalian is now in the mid-Sixties. There are no millennials coming along to fill either pulpits or pews. Nearly half of all pulpits now cannot afford a full time priest.

The 60-year-old denomination announced staffing changes during the UCC Board of Directors meeting held March 17-19 in Cleveland. The changes follow the announced resignation of a top staff member in February and an internal report predicting an 80 percent decline in membership by 2045!

National setting staff has decreased from over 300 in 2000 to just over 100 today. The trajectory is just the same for The Episcopal Church.

*****

There was some good news on the Continuing Anglican Church front this week when leaders of four Continuing jurisdictions signed a letter setting a goal of full communion by 2017.

Archbishop Mark Haverland of the Anglican Catholic Church; Presiding Bishop Brian Marsh of the Anglican Church in America; The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf, Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Province of America and the Rt. Rev. Paul C. Hewett SSC, of the Diocese of the Holy Cross issued a joint letter agreeing to "work cooperatively , in a spirit of brotherly love and affection, to create a sacramental union and commonality of purpose that is pleasing to God and in accord with godly purpose to our respective jurisdictions". They also said they would endeavor to "hold in concert our national and provincial synods in 2017" with a goal for this meeting "to formalize a relationship of communion in sacris; and during the intervening period to work "in full accord toward that end, [seeking] ways to cooperate with each other, supporting each others' jurisdictions and communicating on a variety of ecclesiastical matters." The bishops also pledge to meet monthly by teleconferencing.

*****

A former Archbishop of Canterbury has attacked the church for destroying the reputation of Bishop George Bell over a settled claim of child sex abuse.

Lord Carey said he was "appalled" at the way the church had treated the memory of the revered late wartime bishop and was looking for "ways of re-opening" the case of the former head of the Church of England in Sussex.

Suggesting Bell had been 'crushed' by a 'powerful organization', Lord Carey said he had been denied the right to a fair trial and had questioned the church's approach but been told to keep things 'low-key'.

Last October, the Church of England announced it had settled the claim formally lodged in April 2014 after expert reports gave them "no reason to doubt" its veracity.

The British have no statute of limitations and there is a presumption of guilt when issues like this come up.

*****

SEWANEE, the University of the South, the Episcopal Church's only university, is now fully in the forefront of gay activism. According to the newspaper, The Messenger, staff writer Leslie Lytle, says that the newly formed Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club at Franklin County High School (FCHS) attracted national attention when it held its first meeting on Jan. 19 under the direction of faculty advisor Jenny Turrell, FCHS art teacher and a resident of Sewanee.

A firestorm of comments followed on the social media outlet Facebook, both condoning and condemning the club. Said one critic, "the next thing you know they will have F.I.M.A. (Future ISIS Members of America)."

Under the 1984 Equal Access Act, all federally funded secondary schools must provide equal access to extracurricular clubs.

Citing the law, Director of Schools Amie Lonas said, "If we choose not to allow this club to be established, then we would be required to prohibit all non-curriculum clubs or give up federal funding."

The GSA "is not a recruitment tool or trying to promote an alternate lifestyle," Lonas stressed in response to critics. "It's more about tolerance and trying to treat people equally and with respect."

Right, and if you believe that, then you will believe that cows fly.

School board policy clearly prohibits "any employee or any student to discriminate against or harass a student through disparaging conduct or communication that is sexual, racial, ethnic or religious in nature."

"It's a non-sponsored program driven by students with no outside affiliation. It's important for the club to evolve as the students want it to evolve."

Parents might want to think seriously about sending their kids to Sewanee if they think they will be getting a Christian education or an education that espouses serious Christian morality. Those days are long gone apparently.

*****

Gay bullying is becoming a pastime for homosexual activists. To make their point yet again, a pro-family critic is saying homosexual activists have displayed their intolerance and bigotry towards Christianity in denouncing the raising of a Christian flag outside Newfoundland's Confederation Building in St. Johns.

St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Network Church asked the government to raise the Christian flag to mark Easter week, where Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The white flag contains a blue box with a red cross inside. The white represents Jesus' purity, the blue the waters of baptism, and the red the blood that Jesus shed to save sinners.

Premier Dwight Ball, who has participated in pride parades and various pride flag raisings, told reporters that when the Christian church first asked permission to fly the flag, no one saw it as a problem.

"The request came in asking to fly the Christian flag during Easter Week, during Holy Week. That request was granted," he said. "This was about being tolerant and open to the views of all people in the province."

But when the flag appeared on the courtesy flag pole beside Confederation Building, homosexual activists and supporters were outraged.

Gerry Rogers, MHA for St. John's Centre, went as far as saying that the flag "represents a very divisive approach to Christianity that it's homophobic, that it's against choice for women."

Homosexual activists and supporters appeared to take special aim at the Anglican church's website which links to some resources about helping homosexuals overcome same-sex attraction.

And you thought pansexualists were all about love, joy, peace and inclusion. The bullying will only get worse.

*****

I am writing these VIEWPOINTS to you from Hoi An, a small city in Vietnam where I am decamped with my family and two Vietnamese born grandchildren who are seeing the country of their birth for the first since they came to the US as small bundles of joy and were adopted by our daughter and son-in-law. Now as 14-year old teenagers, they see people who look more like themselves than us. They love it here, but it is not home. They will be happy to go back to school, friends and church in Maryland next week.

*****

If you have a few moments please watch Bach's Mass in B-Minor Et Resurrexit as my Easter offering to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8CcMvosBfA

The late Michael Ramsey (former Archbishop of Canterbury) once wrote, "The Gospel without the Resurrection is not merely a Gospel without a final chapter, it is not a Gospel at all."

And what a difference the resurrection makes - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Jerusalem tomb sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Our Savior, the Savior of the gospels is a risen Savior. His tomb is empty and that makes all the difference in the world (and in the heavens)!

VOL wishes you all a very happy and blessed Easter.

David

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