Theological liberalism is a cancer. It is "respectable unbelief." It is the hiss of the serpent in the Garden asking "Hath God said...?" It arises from within an ecclesiastical body, pretends to be a legitimate part of that body, and then feeds off of the resources of that body until it has grown strong enough to kill its host.---Rev Brian Carpenter, Presbyterian Church in America

New birth, new behavior. The new birth results in new behavior. Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.---From "The Letters of John" by John R.W. Stott

A birth 'from above'. Regeneration is the new birth, and it is absurd to imagine that anybody could ever give birth to himself, either physically or spiritually. The new birth is a birth 'from above', a birth 'of the Spirit', a birth 'of God'. It is God who 'begets' us, putting his Spirit within us, implanting life in our souls and making us partakers of his divine nature. All this is his work alone, making us in Christ a 'new creation'. --- From "Our Guilty Silence" by John R.W. Stott

The norm of Christian initiation. The norm of Christian experience, then, is a cluster of four things: repentance, faith in Jesus, water baptism and the gift of the Spirit. Though the perceived order may vary a little, the four belong together and are universal in Christian initiation. The laying-on of apostolic hands, however, together with tongue-speaking and prophesying, were special to Ephesus, as to Samaria, in order to demonstrate visibly and publicly that particular groups were incorporated into Christ by the Spirit; the New Testament does not universalize them. There are no Samaritans or disciples of John the Baptist left in the world today. --- From "The Message of Acts" John R.W. Stott

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
11/26/2008

There seems to be no end to the outrage by liberals in the Anglican Communion.

Not content with making life a living hell for orthodox Episcopalians by sanctifying inclusivity as dogma, and then declaring that it is not necessary to say that Jesus is THE way the truth and the life, we now have a new twist on international liberal Anglican hegemony.

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of "The Times" reports that a conservative province in the Anglican Communion faces "punishment" for offering a safe haven to conservatives. "Senior bishops and laity meeting in London are to consider suspending the Anglican Church in South America for taking rebel US dioceses under its wing. The move will bring the Anglican Communion closer to a formal split. Early next month, rebel conservatives are expected to finalize plans for a new Anglican province in the US, to sit as a parallel jurisdiction alongside the existing Episcopal Church."

Unless this new province is recognized as part of the Anglican family by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and the other 38 primates, it will in effect become a new Anglican church, she writes. Will it?

Near the end of the story, she reveals who is behind this. It is none other the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) whose manipulative liberalism is well established.

Writes Gledhill, "In a further indication that the liberals are winning the Anglican wars, The Episcopal Church of the US, which was suspended at a previous meeting, is expected to be welcomed back into the fold after sticking by its pledge not to consecrate any more gay bishops."

Now that is only partially true. They haven't done so to date. Furthermore TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is on record as saying that if a non-celibate homosexual candidate presented himself or herself for consecration, she would not hold back. So this is just a game of semantics.

The hypocrisy of this should be noted if Archbishop Venables and his province are tossed out or disciplined in any way by the ACC or the Primates in the Anglican Communion.

All along, the liberals have claimed there is no way in the Anglican system to suspend or expel a province from the Anglican Communion. That's when some wanted TEC necks on the chopping block. Now, lo and behold, it turns out we can suspend a province, after all. Oivey.

The hypocrisy and lies never end. If Rowan Williams doesn't see through this, he should resign.

Archbishop Venables, has aroused the fury of liberal primates for taking four orthodox Episcopal dioceses under his wing, at least till a new North American Anglican province is formed.

"The Church of England has so far resisted being split by the controversy. At a recent meeting of evangelicals in London, delegates refused to vote for a motion backing a declaration by the Global Anglican Future Conference, the conservative "alternative" to the Lambeth Conference that met in Jerusalem last summer," wrote Gledhill.

"The penalty being considered against the Southern Cone, which has 22,000 members in Argentina and surrounding nations, includes the removal of voting rights at the forthcoming meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, the central governing body of the Anglican Communion, in Jamaica next May."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and Bishop Jefferts Schori are among those who will be debating action against the Southern Cone at this week's meeting of the joint standing committee of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council, chaired by the Rt. Rev. John Paterson of New Zealand.

Significantly, the two conservative Archbishops on the committee, the Most Rev Henry Orombi of Uganda and the Most Rev Mouneer Anis of Egypt and the Middle East, have decided not to attend.

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DIOCESES START TO FEEL FINANCIAL PAIN. Just how are dioceses, cathedrals and parishes faring financially in The Episcopal Church? Several days of research by VOL revealed some startling facts. All is not well in the 100 or so dioceses. A handful are making it with increased budgets, but the majority, while hoping for an increase in their budgets in 2009, are hoping that the economy will turn around and allow them to do "mission" according to Mrs. Jefferts Schori. A number of dioceses have flat budgets in 2009 from 2008. Several are living off endowments. We can reveal that some of the dioceses have lost millions of dollars on Wall Street, no doubt putting a strain on their budgets. A number of dioceses and cathedrals are laying off staff thus adding to the unemployment rolls.

On top of all this are aging congregations with parishioners living on fixed incomes and pensions that have plunged along with the stock market. All in all, it is not a pretty picture. Many hope that a new administration will turn it around.

The real question is: Why do people still pour millions of dollars into a church that openly embraces sexual immorality, believes that Millennium Development Goals have superseded the call of The Great Commission and whose leader believes that Jesus is "a" way not "the" way the truth and the life? It boggles the mind. You can read the full story in today's digest.

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The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner's recent statement that a new "Province" in North America is neither the only nor the right answer for the Communion has met with a rebuff by the Dean and President of Nashotah House, Dr. Robert S. Munday. Radner said that the formation of a new "province" appears to be a fait accompli. It will presumably provide formal stability for the congregations and their plants who have left TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada, as well as some kind of more easily grasped relationship with some other parts of the Anglican Communion. It is important to note, however, that such a new grouping will not solve the problems of traditional Anglicans in North America, and that it will pose new problems to the Communion, as a whole. Radner states,"As a member of the Covenant Design Group, committed to a particular work of providing a new framework for faithful communion life in Christ among Anglicans, I want to be clear about how the pressing forward of this new grouping within its stated terms poses some serious problems." Not necessarily true, says Munday. You can read what he says in today's digest.

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PEOPLE. The U.S. North East's most prestigious evangelical Episcopal parish, The Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA, is losing its senior rector, the Rev. Gregory Brewer. He has accepted a call to Calvary/St. George's in New York City. This 800+ member parish will begin the search for a new pastor. The search process is expected to take upwards of 18 months. The parish recently underwent a $10 million makeover.

FORWARD IN FAITH NORTH AMERICA has a new Executive Director. FiFNA announced the appointment this week of Dr. Michael W. Howell who will officially begin on January 1, 2009. Dr. Howell, a former Associate Professor at the University of South Florida, currently serves on the boards of FiFNA, the American Anglican Council, and Trinity School for Ministry. "I have never been more excited about the role that FiFNA will play in the new emerging Anglican Church in North America. We are committed to preaching and spreading of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe the leaders of the Anglican Communion recognize the need for an orthodox (believing) Province in North America. Now more than ever, we need to ensure that Anglicanism's Catholic heritage and order will continue to grow and thrive within the context of a mission oriented, biblically-grounded emerging North American Province." Dr. Howell replaces Fr. Ed den Blaauwen who is on the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Quincy while it expands its mission work as a Diocese of the Southern Cone.

And the ANGLICAN COMMUNION OFFICE in London has "let go" of its Director of Communications Canon James Rosenthal. No word on who, if anyone, will replace him. He told people attending the recent Compass Rose Society that he will leave his post by Christmas.

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Episcopal dioceses in PROVINCE I, which consists of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Western Mass. Mass. Ct. and Rhode Island, have issued a pastoral resource for same-gender couples counseling. The Episcopal News Service reports that the document is the first of its kind in the Episcopal Church.

The report was accepted at the Province I synod held November 21 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Concord, New Hampshire, with a resolution stating that its "use is to be determined by diocesan bishops."

The document consists of four parts: an historical and theological overview of same-gender unions; an exploration of issues specific to same-gender couples and their congregations; a statement of legalities, which vary from state-to-state; and a framework for counseling same-gender couples who desire a public commitment. An appendix of websites, books, documents and other resources is also included in the report.

In an interview, Province I president, Marjorie Burke said, "This document is a gift to the entire Episcopal church." She noted that several states outside New England are considering the issue of same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Two states in Province I, Massachusetts and Connecticut, allow same-sex marriage, and two other states in the province, New Hampshire and Vermont, allow civil unions.

The task force consisted of nine clergy and lay members of dioceses in the New England province. The task force was recommended by Province I's executive council in November, 2005. and formed in April of the following year.

Now anyone with half a brain knows where this is going. First it will be elective, then optional with pressure, and finally, it will be mandated, just like women's ordination. We will watch with interest as to how the remaining orthodox dioceses wail at the coercive nature of same sex blessings. Don't say you weren't warned. It will be coming to a diocese and parish near you.

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All ordained women in the Episcopal Church - and 1,500 male clergy -- are beginning to receive invitations to participate in what is one of the most comprehensive studies of female clergy by any denomination in recent years.

Every ordained woman -- deacon, priest, and bishop -- will be asked about her aspirations, needs, and experience of how ministry is lived out through her life. The Called to Serve survey is unprecedented in the Episcopal Church for its attempt to obtain responses from those in both paid and unpaid ministry, those actively engaged in ministry, those who are taking time out, and who are retired. It also seeks the input of young new clergy, second-career clergy, those ministering in two-career families, and those ministering as single parents or caregivers.

Inclusion of both active and retired men and women is meant to give comparative data on careers, and men's needs for family leave as well as retirement. It is also meant to help the church understand the way the call to ministry is being lived out in 2008.

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The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev. Vincent Nichols who is favorite to become the next Archbishop of Westminster has launched an attack on the values of the "market" and called on the Government to look to Christian and spiritual ethics for solutions to the credit crisis this Christmas. The Archbishop said it would take more than financial measures to take Britain out of recession and that the answers were to be found in faith. "The Christian faith is a guardian of the true human virtues we need as we begin to live in a time of austerity and hardship", he said in a sermon in Birmingham. "The root causes of the financial crisis are ethical. Indeed the very term 'credit' comes from 'credere' and indicates that trust and belief are central," said the Archbishop. Some senior insiders in the banking industry agree with the Archbishop's analysis. A senior manager told "The Times" that he believed it no accident that the world's strongest private-sector bank, HSBC, criticized in the "good times" for being too conservative, but now well placed to survive the crisis, is headed by an Anglican lay preacher, Stephen Green. Green has made no secret of how his religious convictions form his business life.

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"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything," said G.K. Chesterton. In ENGLAND, God has been eclipsed by supernatural believers and tales of UFO sightings, according to a report in the Daily Mail. Tales of aliens and ghosts may seem far-fetched, but they are believed more than God. A survey has found that while 54 per cent are convinced the Almighty exists, 58 per cent believe in the supernatural. The survey found that women were more likely to believe in the supernatural than men, and were more likely to visit a medium. A survey has also found more people believe in supernatural activity than in the existence of God. Nearly a quarter of the 3,000 surveyed by market researchers claimed they had had a paranormal encounter. Some 37 per cent said aliens and ghosts were the basis of their belief system.

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A POST CHRISTIAN VISION FOR OBAMA. Since his election, Barack Obama has spent the last three Sunday mornings skipping church and working out in a gym, according to Politico.com. Well, he could do worse. The president-elect could take "Washington Post" religion maven Sally Quinn's advice and attend services at the National Cathedral.

There, he would find so much lukewarm liberal hogwash that it might make him long for the conspiratorial but Biblically spiced rants of his old Chicago pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Quinn, co-moderator of the Newsweek/Post On Faith online column, wrote an op-ed on Nov. 22, "A Church for the Obamas," calling the National Cathedral "the perfect church for Barack and Michelle Obama to join." She's excited because the cathedral is replete with "pluralism" (read: moral relativism), according a place to all the world's religions, from Hinduism to Islam and even atheism. As Quinn puts it, the cathedral "is at once deeply Christian and deeply interfaith."

There's something deep here, all right. The National Cathedral, Quinn points out, is where the first female presiding bishop, Katherine Jefforts Schori, was installed. A longtime practitioner of the faith of radical liberalism, Ms. Jefforts Schori is now busy presiding over the breakup of the Episcopal Church, as more and more Bible-based congregations are fleeing to the Anglicans.

Also on Quinn's all-star list of cathedral inductions is New Hampshire's Vickie Gene Robinson, the first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop. Robinson left his wife and kids behind for the gay life, which makes him the perfect "finding oneself" role model for what's left of the Episcopal Church.

Recently the National Cathedral hosted Deepak Chopra, the Hindu self-help guru. Chopra wrote a searing indictment of politically active conservative Christians in his Nov. 1 On Faith column, "Please Keep God Out of the Voting Booth."

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For an interesting take on the Bible, Race, and American History watch John Rankin & Jeremiah Wright face off here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGGSL6NXBto

For something on the lighter side, but with a sharp kick in the teeth watch this. Makes you proud to be an Anglican. What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=D7_dZTrjw9I

HEADS UP. The following is an audio interview between Kevin Kallsen and Bishop Thad Barnum of The Anglican Mission in America based on his book "Never Silent" foreword by Rick Warren. VOL will post a review of the book and full video when it becomes available. In the meantime if you want to purchase a copy of this pioneer work on North American Anglicanism you can obtain it here: Our discipleship ministry: ARIELPAWLEYS.ORG or direct from the publisher: NEVERSILENTBOOK.COM

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/628766727/ed14521576bf385a6626c438735ebe10

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