Onward Gafcon, Onward Gafcon, Sixteen Sixty-Two!

That's the Prayer Book we will stick to, seeking to be true!

Onward Gafcon, Onward Gafcon, One through Thirty Nine!

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"How can anyone debate the practice of two men using their respective waste passages as a playground in order that it may become legally acceptable is totally beyond my understanding." --- Nicholas Fairbairn, MP for Fife, in the House of Commons, when the legislation regarding homosexual practice was first debated.

"The schism that has been threatened will not happen, because this is not just a question of homosexuality or biblical interpretation but also a struggle for power." The Church of England is almost dead or dying, while the church in Africa and Asia is alive and active. Latin America, though not growing at the same pace, is still a big hope." --- the Rt. Rev. Sergio Carranza, assistant bishop of Los Angeles.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
7/5/2008

There are many lessons to be learned from the recent gathering of over 1200 pilgrims in Jerusalem, but one of the most significant is that the Anglican Communion is now being defined by doctrine and no longer by ethos.

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) was a profound statement, not only about the present state of the Anglican Communion, but what the future will look like if the present theological impasse continues.

Representatives from over 38 countries (the same number of provinces that exist in the Anglican Communion, incidentally) made a clear biblical and apostolic witness when they wrote their declaration, published as "The Way, the Truth and the Life", and dropped it in the lap of the Archbishop of Canterbury just weeks before Lambeth - it was clear GAFCON leaders knew exactly what they were doing.

Their timing could not have been better. They stated the faith solidly and clearly and left Jerusalem saying, in so many words, that they do not need to go through Canterbury to get to Jesus.

To make the point abundantly clear, the Nigerian Province changed its canons and constitution to reflect this new reality. The Africans have been deeply hurt and wounded by Western liberals. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the so-called Instruments of Unity have looked down on them, treated them paternalistically, and regarded them as backward and so much more. Now the Africans have risen up and started a spiritual and theological revolution. They will not be stopped, turned aside or deterred.

GAFCON is the beginning. They have gotten on a new train. If the train stops to pick up new passengers, on the way, it is Williams and Schori's loss. If Dr. Williams wants to get on the train, he is going to have to do so on their terms, not his. The days of follow the (Canterbury) leader are over. They know the gospel. Williams' version, whatever it is, and nobody seems to know what that is, is incomprehensible. If there is schism, it began when The Episcopal Church went wildly astray, long before Gene Robinson's consecration.

Many of the pilgrims were barely back home when Dr. Rowan Williams responded to the declaration. It was not a pleasant exchange. While he congratulated them for holding onto the faith, a faith he seems to have some difficulty holding onto himself, he excoriated them for wanting structures outside the accepted Instruments of Unity - the same ones that have all but abdicated the faith to the American Episcopal Church that pays their bills. The Bishop of Durham Dr. N. T. Wright supported him in his contention.

These men simply do not get it. The fulcrum of power has moved from Canterbury to the Global South where the church is vibrantly Evangelical, faithful to Scripture and the creeds. Africans do not understand why anybody in their right mind wants to talk about homoerotic behavior and accept it as binding on the church. The truth is, it is not on their radar screen. They are not interested in discussing it (it was not on the agenda at GAFCON) because they are too busy converting millions to Christ. At he same time, Dr. Williams faces a palace revolt over women being ordained to the episcopacy, illicit sodomite marriages in his own backyard and a church that only 2 in 60 Brits are remotely interested in.

While the Church of England slowly collapses, Church of England leaders like Williams, N. T. Wright, and the Anglican Communion Office keep bleating about "bonds of affection" and how important it is to stay together with the present structures, the very faith they claim to believe in is so seriously compromised it is forcing the orthodox out.

The mind- blowing issue is that the liberal leadership simply doesn't get it. They believe the Anglican Communion can stay together when two very different gospels are being proclaimed. It's as if the Chinese Government can go on talking about Communism indefinitely when its whole economic structure has become capitalist. Communism has lost all its meaning. So indeed has Western liberal Christianity. People like Jefferts Schori, Gene Robinson, the liberal HOB, the British, Welsh, Scottish, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand liberals have deconstructed the faith, denuded it of all its transcendence. They then says they are still Christians and expect the rest of the Anglican world to roll over and fall in line. That day is done. Evangelicals won't. They have had enough.

What happened at GAFCON was a total reversal of fortunes for Williams and the liberal left. 1,200 pilgrims raised a STOP sign and said hitherto have we come with the west and we will go no further. We are done talking, listening, (that word again), and exercising patience (the latest buzzword from Canterbury).They said they have had enough.

To truly make the point, a number of the GAFCON leaders went to London (All Souls, Langham Place) to tell 800 more folk what they had done in Jerusalem, further angering liberals whose doctrine of "niceness" and inclusion only leads people to hell without repentance.

The truth is this, a new day has dawned for Global Anglicanism. A realignment, already in play will now reach new heights. Yes, there will be rages at the orthodox, cries of homophobia, fundamentalism and orthophobia, more lawsuits, more property disputes, and more bishops and clergy deposed, but, for the first time in centuries, a clear understanding of what the gospel is and what it demands from people is on the table. It will be there till the Second Coming. Williams can engage it or ignore it to his own peril.

I have written more stories from GAFCON, as well as including speeches from GAFCON leaders given in London. In all, there are more than 40 stories including commentary from a wide variety of writers and theologians at VOL's website www.virtueonline.org . Feel free to browse, copy and paste whatever you see and send to friends. Truth has no copyright. We believe in the widest possible circulation of our stories.

This writer feels personally honored that leaders at GAFCON acknowledged his scribblings. We have struggled for years to tell the truth about the Episcopal Church and Western pan-Anglican liberalism. Now we see it paying off. VOL is not in the business of leading a revolution, we simply point to what is going on and leave it to others to decide what to do. That is journalism at its finest. We have no intention of stopping or giving up now (though the temptation at times has been great with the fierce opposition we have faced). God has been good and we have continued despite personal and financial hardships.

You can read more in today's digest about how the gay-baiting British media spun GAFCON. You can also read my take on Rowan Williams rip of the GAFCON gathering. His post-colonial paternalism is insulting to Global South men and women, some of whom have PhD's from the finest institutions in the world and know as much or more as he does.

One of the delights at GAFCON was the appearance of Rochester Bishop Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali. We greeted each other warmly, and in the few moments we had together, I realized afresh what a giant of a man he is. He is taking enormous risks for the faith. His personal life has been under attack as he speaks out about both the dangers of a militant Islam and Western Imperialistic attitudes towards the Global South. It is this writer's belief that it is Nazir-Ali, not Williams, who should have been the Archbishop of Canterbury, but he got butchered by the liberal press. That venality has cost the Anglican Communion dearly.

*****

LIES, LIES AND MORE DAMNED LIES. Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell says that he was "violently ejected" from a major London evangelical church after seeking to mount a protest against a hardline Anglican group. The incident allegedly happened at All Souls Church, Langham Place, opposite the BBC, when post-GAFCON leaders met to bring British Evangelical Anglicans up to speed with what happened in Jerusalem.

He was never "violently ejected". The Press Association said he was "blocked from entering" the conference. Dr. Chris Sugden of Anglican Mainstream wrote VOL to confirm this.

The spin concluded, "When they tried to enter the famous church, Tatchell and his colleagues were forcibly removed and Tatchell was punched in the chest by a church steward," says OutRage! It never happened.

*****

On the domestic front, the DIOCESE OF MARYLAND consecrated its first Black Bishop. A descendant of slaves, the Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton (54) said he would stress environmentalism and reconciliation to almost 3,000 people, including more than 30 bishops from across the country, who attended the service in Northwest Washington. Sutton becomes the 14th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.TEC has other African American bishops in the U.S. Episcopal Church, whose membership is predominantly white, but there has never been one in Maryland -- which has a large black population, especially in the diocese's seat, Baltimore. In Washington, he served as an associate rector and priest in charge at two churches, St. Columba's and St. Margaret's. In 1997, he co-founded the Contemplative Outreach of Metropolitan Washington, an ecumenical network devoted to contemplating the gospel in daily life. Until his consecration yesterday, Sutton had been serving as canon pastor at Washington National Cathedral and director of its Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, which he said was work that he held close to his heart. He said he wants to be known as the diocese's first green bishop than simply its first black bishop. No word on whether he plans to preach the gospel of God's redeeming grace.

*****

In the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Episcopal Bishop Allen L. Bartlett Jr., who has been handling the liturgical and sacramental duties of the diocesan bishop during the suspension of Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., has agreed to continue that role through the rest of the year. A nine-judge panel found Bennison guilty of those charges and will decide in several weeks whether to remove him permanently from clerical office, continue his suspension, or issue a reprimand. Bennison has said he will appeal the verdict.

****

When The Rt. Rev. Andy Doyle takes over as the next BISHOP OF TEXAS, he will be the nation's second-youngest bishop. As Canon to the Ordinary, Doyle navigated a sexual abuse scandal involving now-retired priest James L. Tucker. After a church tribunal in February, which included testimony from several men who said Tucker had molested them while they were students at St. Stephen's in the 1960s, the diocese stripped Tucker of his priestly orders. Doyle has continued to work with victims on compensation. His views, however, will not cause any excitement to orthodox Episcopalians in his diocese. He got accolades from the liberal Greg Rickel, former rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in East Austin and now bishop of Olympia, Washington. That speaks volumes. When questioned about the divisions in the church and TEC's abandonment of Scripture authority, Doyle didn't offer any opinions on those issues, saying "there hasn't ever been a time in the history of the church where everyone has agreed on everything."

When asked what he will do about priests who reject the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, Doyle said he would do nothing as some priests have always argued that. "I guess I'm just not that worried," he said. The Apostle Paul would thoroughly disagree with Doyle, declaring that such persons' faith was "in vain" and that they shouldn't be in pulpits expounding rubbish. Doyle had this choice line, "I don't want history to judge me by whether I checked the right boxes on controversial questions." The Last Judgment will decide otherwise.

*****

Another potato head became BISHOP OF IDAHO this past week. A Twin Falls Episcopal priest who has served at the Church of the Ascension for 17 of his 20 years, Brian Thom was named bishop of the Episcopal Diocese. He says he'll look for ways to bring congregations closer. TRANSLATION. We are closing parishes as people are leaving and dying and we want to pool resources quickly and sell off empty churches. The diocese has 29 parishes. Thom supported Gene Robinson as bishop in New Hampshire, which should tell you everything you need to know about this man and the diocese's' future. "I am a supporter of full inclusion in the life of the church," Thom said. He will also presumably support it when it falls apart.

*****

Mainstream media colluded with the Episcopal Church (New York) propagandists on South Dakota news, wrote an Episcopal priest to VOL. Before the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church visited the DIOCESE OF SOUTH DAKOTA, the "Rapid City Journal" paper ran a story by Mary Garrigan claiming that 3,000 (that's right, three thousand) people would show up for the event. The priest, Tom Fountain emailed and phoned Ms. Garrigan, only to discover that she went on a long weekend while the Presiding Bishop was in SD. "She and her paper ran an article and didn't bother to check or follow up on numbers and info given to them by Episcopal publicity folks." Now, we find that attendance was - in the "hundreds" - and this included out-of-state Episcopal representatives brought in for the event. "Shame also on the "Sioux Falls Argus Leader" (many locals call it the "Argus Liar" and one local radio host calls it "the newspaper whose name we do not speak"). "The Argus" declined to accept questions or press releases from the American Anglican Council/South Dakota Chapter, which contested some of the Presiding Bishop's propaganda and also raised questions about her lawsuits against Christians around the country.

Fountain, evangelical rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Sioux Falls, said former Bishop Creighton L. Robertson's tenure was marked by controversy that led to schisms within Episcopal churches nationwide. "He knew it was coming and he's been trying to arrange for an orderly transfer." When Fountain gave an interview to the local press, the journalist chose not to mention certain salient points. Here they are: The main issue dividing the Episcopal Church is the authority of the Bible. The gay and lesbian agenda is just one point in a much larger issue. The diocese, like the national church, has suffered incredible losses in both membership and average Sunday attendance. Remaining members are aging and not bringing new people to Christ. The National Church has made the local bishop's job all but impossible. In fact, the Episcopal Church's New York leaders are spending millions of dollars suing congregations and individuals all around the country - losing many of these cases including expensive appeals. The diocese is not disclosing this to the people here. The national church, despite requests, will not reveal the exact amount being spent or what budget items are being used.

Fountain said the Diocese has plateaued at around 2,100 in average Sunday worship attendance (ASA), down from 2,600 ASA in the year 2000. Financial giving was up after two years of decline, but still not exceeding the amount given in 2003. Membership (always a tricky and unreliable number) is slightly up after years of decline. Some of the declines might have been due to better reporting (clearing inactive people off of church lists), so it is hard to track a trend there. Flagship liberal congregation Calvary, Sioux Falls, continues to decline in all categories. This is a church where Bible-bashing Bishop Spong is taught as "Christian Education" and a homosexual activist group holds its own services and leads classes to enlighten the rest of the congregation.

Traditional parish Good Shepherd, Sioux Falls, has had a solid ASA increase and reached a parish best for financial support.

"The overall weakness and irrelevance of the Episcopal Church here is suggested by the fact that Lincoln County (includes the south side of Sioux Falls) population grew by 45.9% in the years 2000-06, reaching just over 35,000 residents according to the US Census Bureau. There is no TEC church in the county, and no effort to plant one. The combined ASA of the three TEC churches in Sioux Falls (Calvary Cathedral, Good Shepherd and Holy Apostles') hovers around 300. Minnehaha County, in which they sit, has a population of over 163,000, up 10.1% from year 2000."

*****

From the Church of the Annunciation in the DIOCESE OF LOUISIANA comes good news. Some 2,000 volunteers, serving through Annunciation Mission, so far in 2008 have worked on 50 houses and contributed $1,312,500 in services to the City of New Orleans, according to Fr. Jerry Kramer. As an example of reverse mission, Annunciation sent its first volunteer mission team to help bring relief to flood affected residents of Quincy, Illinois in the See of Quincy, by helping to sandbag a town left in shambles by the Mississippi River flooding. "The best therapy for people who are stressed out and freaked out is to help others," the Rev. Jerry Kramer said. Kramer, 40, is rector of the Free Church of the Annunciation, a vibrant Episcopal church on South Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. He says people in his Broadmoor neighborhood are still dealing with housing problems, family problems, money problems, and health problems. And he's not immune. He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last summer. He had a mild heart attack 10 months ago. The escrow on his house went up $500 a month recently. "We're all knee-deep in crisis right now," he said.

*****

Permission was granted The ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF SAN JOAQUIN to submit an amicus brief in support of St. James, Newport Beach, CA, this past week. The California Supreme Court has extended the deadline for such briefing to 7/29/08.

*****

The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker, Bishop of the DIOCESE OF FT. WORTH, wrote saying what a joy it was to participate in the GAFCON experience in Jerusalem. He welcomes and endorses the proclamation that was issued at the conclusion of the week of deliberation and prayer. "It is a positive contribution to the future direction of the Anglican Communion, as well as a very encouraging affirmation and validation of the realignment that has been taking place in the Communion over the past few years. We stand in solidarity with the GAFCON movement and principles, and we in Fort Worth look forward to the continuing saga of this exciting development in our life together as faithful Anglicans. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in the challenging days ahead of us."

*****

SIGN OF THE TIMES. A budget shortfall and large amount of debt have led to deep cuts and to the delay of calling a new rector at ST. MARGARET'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH in Palm Desert. The church announced sharp cuts to staffing and parish expenditures including the rector! A letter sent to parish members said "operating costs exceeded pledges by $300,000, and the church said it has a $2.1 million debt." The church is in need of a new rector, but wants to get its' financial affairs in order before they call one, the letter said.

*****

REMAIN FAITHFUL, an organization of orthodox Episcopalian and Anglican laity, will hold its first conference "Mobilizing the Faithful" on July 12, 2008. The conference will be held at St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church in Arlington, Texas. The event will begin with Eucharist at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Dr. Tom Hightower, Rector of St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church, as celebrant. The sermon will be delivered by Rev. Dr. Bill Dickson, Rector of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, Texas. A keynote address will be given by Dr. Michael Howell, noted Episcopalian lay leader, who recently returned from the GAFCON (See today's digest for full details.) For more information on Remain Faithful, visit the website at http://www.remainfaithful.org/ or contact Cora Werley, Spokesperson at 817-946-3865.

*****

The Anglican Communion News Service announces that AUSTRALIA'S PRIMATE, The Most Revd Phillip Aspinall will act as principal spokesman for the Anglican Communion bishops attending the 14th Lambeth Conference which meets in Canterbury from 20 July to August 4. Archbishop Aspinall acted as spokesman for the Primates at their meeting Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in February 2007. He will chair a daily press conference during the Lambeth meeting at which he will be joined by bishops with special experience in the theme of the day. The themes to be covered by the bishops in their discussions range from climate change and the Millennium Development Goals to Anglican identity and the role of Covenant in the future of the Communion. Aspinall is as liberal as the day is long and frequently clashes with the evangelical Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen.

"Anglicanism has much to say about many things including the challenges of poverty, insecurity, loss of faith and increasing relativism. The Conference will be a time for listening as well as speaking, and I will be as much a part of that listening process as my fellow bishops," said Dr Aspinall. One wonders how much listening will take place with regard to the GAFCON Declaration.

*****

The CHURCH OF ENGLAND'S General Synod is meeting in York this week. High on the agenda is the consecration of women bishops. According to the latest report from Ruth Gledhill of the "London Times", the Church faithful may block the move for women bishops to stop the risk of defection by clergy. .She writes, "Proposals to consecrate women bishops in the Church of England could fall at the last hurdle as church members take fright at the prospect of mass defections among the clergy. Sources at the General Synod, which began meeting in York last night to discuss the ordination of women bishops, predicted that many lay members would try to scupper the move in an attempt to preserve the unity of the Church." You can read the full story in today's digest.

IN OTHER SYNOD NEWS, there were a number of questions about Wycliffe Hall theological college. Elaine Storkey took another swipe at the college under the guise of a question. Philip Giddings, in response, gave a positive plug for the college noting that it was "full of students" and had "united staff".

Questions were also asked about the operation of the new Clergy Discipline Measure. There was a request for a figure on the total cost of cases, which have gone all the way to a Tribunal. In two such cases, the costs had not yet been resolved fully.

A question was asked about the observations and proposals in the Pilling Report that conservative evangelicals are discriminated against in relation to episcopal appointments (ie there are no conservative evangelicals in the House of Bishops and probably only one in the College of Bishops). The response of the Archbishop of Canterbury was, in effect, to say that whilst he and the Archbishop of York understand the issue there is nothing they can really do about it. David Phillips, General Secretary, Church Society filed this report.

*****

The head of the CHURCH OF IRELAND has said if homosexuality is proven to be biologically predetermined, then his church would have to allow gay unions."If such comes to be shown, it will be necessary to acknowledge the full implications of that new aspect of the truth," said Archbishop Alan Harper. His remarks come in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding comments made by DUP MP Iris Robinson. Mrs Robinson said that gay sex was a sin and an abomination. Harper, who was speaking at the Anglicans in World Mission conference in Swanwick, England, called on members of the church to return to the core principles of the faith in order to resolve the controversy over gay marriages. Harper also said it was important to distinguish parts of the Bible that were considered the direct word of God and other elements that were human interpretations of his teachings in the context of the time.

*****

Next week, I head out the door to Canterbury, England to cover the LAMBETH conference. I promise you full daily coverage. All the indications are that this event will be a bust with no resolutions just lots of talk about issues. We shall see. The Gene Robinson Sexual Road Show will be in full swing, with much whining from the left about Lambeth's lack of inclusion and diversity. VOL will have a second reporter and other writers ready and able to comment on what is going on. We are ready. Pray for us.

*****

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