Life in Christ. No-one may dare to claim that he lives in Christ and Christ in him unless he is obedient to the three fundamental commands which John has been expounding (1 Jn. 4:24) which are belief in Christ, love for the brothers and moral righteousness. 'Living in Christ' is not a mystical experience which anyone may claim; its indispensable accompaniments are the confession of Jesus as the Son of God come in the flesh, and a consistent life of holiness and love. --- From "The Letters of John" by John R.W. Stott

"A Liberal is a person who will give away everything they don't own," --- William F. Carling

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
2/22/2009

Lawsuits continued to dominate the news this week along with the formation of a new orthodox Anglican diocese in North Florida and continuing decline in liberal Episcopal dioceses.

The law firm of David Booth Beers, claiming to represent The Episcopal Church, filed a petition seeking permission to join a lawsuit between Calvary Episcopal Church and the EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH. In that lawsuit, Calvary has claimed that the diocese violated a court order by withdrawing from The Episcopal Church. The petition filed by Beers' law firm claims that the diocese could not withdraw from The Episcopal Church and therefore did not withdraw. The diocese has not yet responded to the petition. Calvary has previously opposed having The Episcopal Church named as a party in the litigation.

*****

In the DIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE, a feisty orthodox Anglo-Catholic congregation is butting heads with Diocesan Bishop Steven Miller over who owns their property. The Diocese of Milwaukee filed suit Feb. 16 against the leadership and congregation of St. Edmund's Anglican Church in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.

Church leaders fired back at the Episcopal Diocese saying the congregation followed state laws and canons of the church when they broke off from the Episcopal Church in December and that they have no intention of walking away from their property.

Dr. Samuel Scheibler said the Elm Grove congregation had its title company, Chicago Title, conduct a title search and the company found that the church and its property belong to St. Edmund's. "It's not about the building, it's about our faith," Scheibler said. "The sweat equity (we've put into the church) does not belong to the diocese. We've worked hard to improve the property over the years." He also cited the Episcopal Church's "decision to move to the extreme left of Christianity" as a primary concern.

"The Episcopal Church has become increasingly intolerant of conservatives," he said. "Its creed seems to be 'trendier than thou.'" Since the split, church members have changed the parish's name to St. Edmund's Anglican Church, a move the Diocese of Milwaukee argues is invalid. St. Edmund's has employed legal counsel both locally and nationally, Scheibler said. "We are thriving."

This one could go all the way to the State Supreme Court as both sides see no compromise.

*****

In the DIOCESE OF COLORADO, diocesan lawyers accused The Rev. Donald Armstrong, rector of Grace and St. Stephens, and his church of deceit in a trial over who owns a $17 million church building. Things got down and dirty in the opening days of the trial when an attorney for the Episcopal Diocese attempted to depict church leaders as an all-powerful rogue group that lied to their diocese and parishioners about their plans to leave the national church. The deception, attorney Martin Nussbaum told a packed courtroom, was meant to thwart the diocese from claiming legal right to the Gothic church on North Tejon Street in Colorado Springs. Ownership of the property has been in dispute ever since the church vestry voted on March 26, 2007, to break from the Episcopal Church and affiliate with a conservative Anglican group based in Nigeria. You can read the full story in today's digest.

This is the same Episcopal Church from which former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning once said there would be no outcasts. Sort of has a hollow ring about it, don't you think?

*****

In the DIOCESE OF FT. WORTH, faithful All Saints Parishioners were forced to leave their parish when Fr. Christopher Jampor failed to take a vote called for by Diocesan Resolution 32. This isolated at least 100 of his flock who have started up, still as All Saints Episcopal Church, at a nearby Disciples of Christ church. The transition is temporary. Bishop Jack Iker has allowed this parish to carry on as though it can do what it pleases, but a day of reckoning is coming. The National Church has yet to weigh in with lawsuits, but they are expected, and the diocese is ready.

*****

The liberals might be winning most of the parish properties across the country, but the one thing they cannot do is prevent a new diocese from forming in an existing Episcopal Diocese. Thus it was that in North Florida this week, a number of former Episcopalians announced they are getting together February 28 as The ANGLICAN ALLIANCE OF NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTH GEORGIA to begin the process of forming a diocese with some 20 rectors. The Rev. Neil G. Lebhar, rector of Church of the Redeemer (Anglican) in Jacksonville, is the mover and shaker behind this move.

The long and short of it is that a new Anglican diocese is expected to emerge out of talks among former Episcopalians who have either been deposed or left The Diocese of Florida. It is all part of the on-going realignment in the Anglican Communion.

"We have the options of applying to become a diocese immediately or to become a 'diocese in formation' under Anglican Church in North America (ACNA. We hope to have just over 20 parishes represented there when we meet" Lebhar told VOL.

Bishop John Howard is not amused. He has lost thousands of parishioners and has a score of small parishes in large buildings going nowhere. One parish is up for sale for $2.8 million, but to date there are no takers. You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

In Fallbrook, California, the beat goes on with legal battles over property rights and organizational authority playing out between the Episcopal DIOCESE OF SAN DIEGO and two breakaway churches in North County. Leaders of those two congregations insist the real conflict is over core religious beliefs.

The California Supreme Court recently issued two decisions with implications for St. Anne's in Oceanside and St. John's in Fallbrook, both of which seceded from the Episcopal Church and joined foreign dioceses within the global Anglican Communion, three years ago.

A Jan. 5 court ruling in favor of the national Episcopal church in its legal battle against three Los Angeles and Orange County breakaway congregations attempting to keep their properties is being cited by the San Diego diocese as strengthening its case against St. Anne's and St. John's. The two North County churches continue to meet in their existing buildings as Anglican congregations ---- with the San Diego diocese suing to regain control of those properties.

On Jan. 14, the state high court also agreed to hear an appeal over whether leaders of the Fallbrook congregation had the authority to split from the diocese in 2006. That case could take months or longer to resolve. If the court rules the local congregation didn't follow proper procedures in its split from the diocese, then its ownership of the property will probably also be called into question.

Despite the ongoing legal battles, leaders of the two breakaway congregations said their members are not anxious about what the future may hold. They said ultimately, it's not about buildings, but beliefs.

"The underlying problem that led to this is a completely different understanding as to what is the foundation of moral authority, whether it is biblical or whether it is something people can vote on," said The Rev. Don Kroeger, senior pastor of what is now St. John's Anglican Church in Fallbrook.

*****

The Episcopal DIOCESE OF MINNESOTA faces an economic crisis. A number of their leaders are calling for a drastic restructuring of the diocese saying that diocesan structures are too expensive to maintain. Parishes have withheld their diocesan assessments with leaders arguing that the economic crisis is dramatically impacting their mission. The situation is so serious that there is talk about curtailing central office costs with only one full-time administrator and one part time bookkeeper.

"We have seen this coming for a long time - congregations cannot keep up with the maintenance needs of our old buildings. We have an increasingly difficult time paying for full time seminary trained clergy. (and the seminaries can't afford to train them anymore either,) and our Diocesan structures are too expensive to maintain," wrote The Rev. LeeAnne Watkins.

"Now we need to realize that we can't think in small bits anymore. That pace is too slow. We need big bites. Drastic restructuring. We need to evaluate the sustainability of each of our ministry situations. We need to radically decrease the Apportionment for the Common Good. Running the central offices just costs too much." You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

The DIOCESE OF CENTRAL GULF COAST faces the possibility of going out of business unless Bishop Philip Duncan II can revive its failing finances. He's now screaming stewardship to anyone who will hear. A Blue Ribbon Committee says he's not doing a good job as no one seems to know what the vision for the diocese is. They have been critical of his roaming the globe for national church concerns while neglecting the home fires. The diocese is running out of money. The bishop acknowledged the diocese has 12 months to make good or "juncture" with the dioceses of Alabama and Florida. There is a ton of irony here. A number of orthodox parishes left the diocese a few short years ago. While the diocese got the properties, they lost the people and their check books. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. Is an early retirement for Duncan in the winds? Stay tuned. You can read the full story in today's digest.

VOL is documenting the steady decline in hundreds of parishes across the country. We have begun a multi-part series that will grow with time. Hopefully, as the economy worsens, people will use these stories to change the agenda of this year's General Convention from "how can we make this church more liberal" to "this church is dying - we need to change direction, the policies of the last 5 years are ruining us and we are all going to be out of work if we continue in this direction - let's stop these lawsuits and put a halt to these innovations and start being a church again."

*****

One parish rector wrote VOL about what was reported as a declining situation at Gethsemane Episcopal Church in Marion, Indiana. Its rector, Jim Warnock wrote to say that the parish's financial decline has little if anything to do with Bishop Robinson or the greater crisis in the Episcopal Church. "It has a lot to do with the economic decline in Marion and Grant County. Our economic situation rivals Elkhart, now made famous by President Obama, and has done so for some time. In the last six years, we've had a number of families move away for better jobs elsewhere. Others have retired and moved to be nearer their children. Of course, some have died. We don't get a lot of new people into Marion. Most of the new members we have seen in the last few years have come from Taylor University or Indiana Wesleyan University (mostly Taylor where I teach as an adjunct in the history department). I'm actually rather encouraged by that. There are still lots of evangelicals who are attracted to classical Anglican worship, as were my wife and I back in the 80s." VOL is glad to set the record straight.

*****

The DIOCESE OF QUINCY remnant is reorganizing and The Rt. Rev. Keith Whitmore has agreed to serve as consulting bishop. They have called a special synod at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Peoria, Ill., on April 4.

The reorganizing synod came about after a majority of clergy and lay delegates voted last November to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church. The Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy, resigned Nov. 1, six days before the synod convened. Representatives of the reorganizing diocese met recently for two days with senior leadership of The Episcopal Church in New York City to plan the synod agenda.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will convene the synod, at which time diocesan officers will be elected and representatives will consent to a provisional bishop nominated by Bishop Jefferts Schori. Bishop Whitmore resigned as Bishop of Eau Claire in 2008 to accept a call to be an Assistant Bishop of Atlanta.

*****

Well just how does the fledgling ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA (ACNA) shape up compared to other provinces?

According to a report put out by ACNA leaders, the Average Sunday attendance (ASA) for the ACNA's 693 congregations is 81,311, with an estimated membership in excess of 100,000. By way of comparison, the Church in Wales, whose Archbishop Dr Barry Morgan has vowed to fight recognition of the ACNA with "every fibre" of his being, has a total membership of 70,353 and the Scottish Episcopal Church 53,553.

The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop has repeatedly said that breakaway groups represent only a small percentage of Episcopalians, but recent ASA figures for TEC reveal only 727,000 practising Episcopalians on any given Sunday.

The breakdown is as follows: The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), under the oversight of Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, reports an ASA of 21,600 in 180 congregations. The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), under the oversight of Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, reports that its 69 congregations have an ASA of 9,828. Uganda's 51 American parishes report an ASA of 7,000, while Kenya and the Southern Cone's American 55 American parishes have an ASA of 10,000.

Four dioceses that left The Episcopal Church and are under the temporary oversight of Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone: Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy and San Joaquin have 163 congregations with an ASA of 16,483. This does not include those congregations that have opted to remain with the national Episcopal Church.

The Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) reports that its 24 congregations have an ASA of 3,400, while the Reformed Episcopal Church --- an evangelical group that seceded from the Episcopal Church in the 19th century - reports that its 150 parishes have an ASA of 13,000.

"Based on a firm Sunday attendance average of 81,311 people, it is reasonable to very conservatively project that more than 100,000 Anglicans in North America are active members of a congregation of the proposed province," the ACNA concluded.

*****

Some Episcopal scholars live in a twilight zone all their own, incapable of seeing the proverbial woods for the trees. Some of them write remarkable fiction, as well. Dr. Diana Butler Bass, a nationally recognized scholar, speaker and author of "Christianity for the Rest of Us," believes that she can debunk the myth that only evangelical and Pentecostal churches are growing. Bass has written extensively, and with some optimism, about mainline Protestant churches. She spoke to a group of 125 disaffected Episcopalians at the Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, recently, and tried to put her best face on a denomination in decline. This writer found her arguments irresistibly stupid, ahistorical, and light-headed. I weighed in on her nonsense. That story is in today's digest.

*****

Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori was in FT. WORTH recently to rally the remnants of that orthodox diocese to her side. From the pulpit of All Saints' Church, The PB accused Bishop Jack Iker and his people of "control, fear-mongering, and intimidation". Ironic really, as just days before, four Episcopal parishes had been informed that they were being given their property and 20+ members of the diocesan clergy were released without deposition in order to allow them to remain in the Episcopal Church. So who exactly is doing the "control, fear-mongering, and intimidation"... You be the judge.

Jefferts Schori made it clear that TEC's Constitution and Canons continue to govern TEC and its Corporation continues to hold all its property and assets. She said the necessity of this separation has been a source of sorrow to her. "We pray God's blessings upon our continued life of worship, service, and ministry..." Pray or not. you can expect the lawsuits to fly from 815 the national headquarters in the not too distant future.

*****

CANA Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns made the pages of Newsweek magazine this past week when he discussed the current crisis in The Episcopal Church. He gave reasons for the emerging Anglican Province in the U.S. Here are some of his quotes:

Newsweek: Does Jesus care if you report to Africa?
Minns: Jesus cares about all things, so yes. But that presumes I do report to Africa. I'm a bishop in the Church of Nigeria, but it's not that kind of relationship. In the early days, the church was less segregated than today. We're breaking that down.

Newsweek: Isn't this process making it more segregated?
Minns: No. We preach across lines of race, class and geography.

Newsweek: But not sexuality?
Minns: God's love can change us all.

Newsweek: Is homosexuality a sin?
Minns: It's clearly sinful. It leads to brokenness.

Newsweek: But aren't you abetting that brokenness by splitting away?
Minns: The church drew a line in the sand hundreds of years ago. The Episcopal Church stepped over it. It's naive to say that by being nice to each other we can avoid issues of sin.

Newsweek: How does winning look to you?
Minns: Maintaining our integrity. It does not look like big offices in Manhattan.

Newsweek: Are you referring to the Episcopal Church's headquarters?
Minns: Not necessarily. It's just that I'm more interested in people than in building institutions.

*****

Is Rowan Williams coming to TEC's General Convention? Unsubstantiated and unconfirmed rumors have it that the ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, might come to TEC's convention in Anaheim in July. A number of other Primates have been invited as well, but you can rest assured they will be the very liberal ones like Barry Morgan (Wales) or Fred Hiltz from Canada. Don't look for any orthodox Primates like Peter Akinola (Nigeria) or Henry Luke Orombi (Uganda) to get an invite.

*****

SWEDISH BISHOPS REVOLT. "Free the Bishops from the Politicians" ran a recent Internet headline. According to free lance writer, Goran Skytte, nine of Sweden's thirteen bishops want to abolish the church's legal right to conduct weddings. The reason they have given (Dagens Nyheter 6 February) is that the imminent "gender neutral" marriage law was developed without the church's participation. Perhaps they also wish to avoid a new, lengthy, painful internal conflict, such as occurred over the issue of female pastors.

In a normal case, one might think this should settle the matter. A large majority of the church's leaders see this as the best solution. But in ecclesiastical matters, Sweden is not a "normal" country. In ecclesiastical matters, Sweden is unique, because it is not the church's people and leadership that determine the church's faith and practice. Instead, politicians from the political parties control the church -- politicians who in many cases probably seldom or never set foot in the church.

*****

If you want to know the voting count by the Synod of the Church of England on women bishops, here it is: 281 in favour, 114 against. The motion was carried.

*****

On a brighter note, CANON MICHAEL GREEN, author of some 50 books and evangelist par excellence conducted an evangelistic mission at University College in London, a highly secularized institution with remarkable results. Out of a body of 20,000 students, a small vital Christian Union of 30-40 is operating joyfully and courageously in a vast, sprawling and largely non-residential university, he told VOL.

"The university offers them no facilities, they have no room to meet in, no guest rooms in the two residential Halls. Inside the main entrance is the South Cloister, a large, cavernous corridor, at one end of which the mortal remains of the eighteenth century utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham stare at you from a glass case. Bentham is the man who defined actions as good if they produced 'the greatest happiness for the greatest number'."

Undaunted by the odds, Green gave talks, five at lunchtime and three in the evenings in different locations, all based on Mark's Gospel. Every meeting ended with a threefold challenge. Agnostics were invited to take the gospel, read it, and see where it led them. Those who wanted to take things further were asked to sign up for follow-up sessions. "Those who were ready to respond to Christ then and there were given an opportunity to do so in the closing silence and prayer. In the meetings we made good use of free hospitality, drama, testimony, countless personal conversations by the team, and preaching which regularly caused people to stop, listen, and often almost to block the thoroughfare. Imaginatively produced copies of Mark's Gospel (called 'Free') were around everywhere and countless people took them away to read.

"Who knows the impact that will have? He wrote VOL to say that well over 100 showed an interest in the Christian Faith. "I had the joy of leading an outstanding team of six students from our Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, together with 5 student workers from central London churches. All over the country this sort of thing is happening in universities, and it is one of the great hopes for the spread of the Christian faith in the coming generation in the UK."

*****

While this is happening, LIBRARIANS IN THE UK are being told to move the Bible to the top shelf to avoid giving offense to followers of Islam. Muslims have complained of finding the Koran on lower shelves, saying it should be put above commonplace things. So officials have responded with guidance, backed by ministers, that all holy books should be treated equally and go on the top shelf together. This means that Christian works, which also have immense historical and literary value, will be kept out of the reach and sight of many readers. The guidance was published by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, a quango answering to Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.

Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute commented, "It is disappointing if the policy of libraries is dictated by the practices of one group. It is particularly disappointing if this is done to put the scriptures beyond reach. I hope there will be a rethink. I understand that Muslims revere their own text, but in public libraries there should not be a policy of putting religious texts out of reach." England is dying of political correctness. Recently, a nurse was fired after she prayed with a dying patient, at the patient's request. This was such blatant prejudice that even the Archbishop of York waded in. Mercifully, the woman was rehired.

*****

The ANGLICAN RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT FUND (ARDF) is asking Anglican Christians in North America to engage in the discipline of giving during the season of Lent. Canon Nancy Norton, ARDF's executive director, said gifts marked "Lenten Appeal" will be used to help fund seven projects that have already received approval from ARDF's board. For more reasons to give, click here: http://www.united-anglicans.org/stream/2009/02/ardflentenappeal.html

*****

On the eve of his retirement, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said Catholics could not be "indifferent" to divisions that "impoverished the communion of the whole Church", he told the Church of England's General Synod. The Cardinal said there is a need for unity as both Churches are facing the challenge of a secular society.

The leader of the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ENGLAND AND WALES said he regrets the divisions in the Church of England. "Your struggles with issues on Communion, which deeply affect the unity of the Anglican Communion, affect us all. Divisions within any Church or ecclesial community impoverish the communion of the whole Church. We Roman Catholics cannot be indifferent to what is happening to our friends in the Anglican Communion and, in particular, in the Church of England." The cardinal called for greater unity in the Church of England, adding,: "Unity is a prerequisite to truth and you should not settle for less - even if it takes time."

*****

The nation's largest Lutheran denomination, the EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA will consider allowing individual congregations to choose whether to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, an attempt to avoid the sort of infighting that has threatened to tear other churches apart. A task force of the ELCA recently recommended that course in a long-awaited report on ministry standards. The panel, however, said the church needs to clarify a number of questions before overhauling its gay clergy policy.

The report, issued at the same time as a broader church social statement on human sexuality, seeks balance on an issue dividing many Protestant churches. Both documents will be considered in August in Minneapolis at the biannual convention of the 4.7-million member denomination.

"At this point, there is no consensus in the church," said the Rev. Peter Strommen of Prior Lake, Minn., chairman of the 15-member task force on sexuality. "The question ends up being, 'How are we going to live together in that absence of consensus?'"

*****

The two sexes "'sin in different ways"'. Women are prouder than men, but men are more lustful, according to a Vatican report which states that the two sexes sin differently.

A Catholic survey found that the most common sin for women was pride, while for men, the urge for food was only surpassed by the urge for sex. The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by Fr Roberto Busa, a 95-year-old Jesuit scholar. The Pope's personal theologian backed up the report in the Vatican newspaper. "Men and women sin in different ways," Msgr Wojciech Giertych, theologian to the papal household, wrote in L'Osservatore Romano. "When you look at vices from the point of view of the difficulties they create you find that men experiment in a different way from women." Msgr Giertych said the most difficult sin for men to face was lust, followed by gluttony, sloth, anger, pride, envy and greed. For women, the most dangerous sins were pride, envy, anger, lust, and sloth, he added.

*****

Religious leaders in KENYA have castigated their president, Mwai Kibaki, and prime minister, Raila Odinga, saying that citizens are dispirited, embarrassed and bitter with their leadership.

"We are concerned enough even to rise up and march in the streets against our political leaders," ANGLICAN CHURCH OF KENYA Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi told a national prayer rally on February 19 in what is seen as one of the strongest messages from the faith community to Kenya's political leaders.

"But before we march and demonstrate against corruption," said Nzimbi, "we have said we would come before God and pray together."

The government announced the national prayer rally after a supermarket fire in Nairobi and a fuel tanker blaze in Sachang'wan, near the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, resulted in the deaths of 160 people. Kenya is also experiencing a lethal drought affecting nearly 10 million people, which was also upheld in prayer. Source: [Ecumenical News International]

*****

Here is an interesting Interview with God: http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

*****

An absolute must read in today's digest is an Afterword on the Primates meeting in Alexandria written by Canon Gary L'Hommedieu. It is one of the most perceptive and brilliant analysis of the brokenness of the Anglican Communion.
You can read it here: http://tinyurl.com/bdebxb

*****

VIRTUEONLINE remains the leader in Anglican news for orthodox Anglicans. We are in the process of making major changes to our website that will include an educational dimension for our Global South brothers and sisters. This initiative comes with the blessing of a number of archbishops in the Global South. I hope you will consider a donation to make this possible.

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