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Maryland Bishop Cook Called on to Resign*First CofE Woman Ordained to Episcopacy*Mere Anglican Conference Draws Sell Out Crowd of 900*ACNA Consecrates 2nd Bishop of Diocese of Western Anglicans*12 Anglican Bishops March for Life

Keeping our distance. Close contact with people involves an uncomfortable exposure of ourselves to them. It is much easier, in both fellowship and witness, to keep our distance. We are more likely to win the admiration of other people if we do. It is only at close quarters that idols are seen to have feet of clay. Are we willing to let people come close enough to us to find our what we are really like and to know us as we really are? True witness, born of friendship, requires a great degree of holiness in us as well as love. The nearer we get to people the harder it is to speak for Christ. Is not this the reason why the hardest people of all to whom to witness are members of our own family? They know us too well. --- John R.W. Stott

According to the Bible, man is a sinner under the just condemnation of God; according to modern liberalism, there is really no such thing as sin. At the very root of the modern liberal movement is the loss of the consciousness of sin. --- J. Gresham Machen

I have known a bishop and his lawyer in British Columbia summon a clergyman and tell him that he would either be sacked (in which case there would be no other clerical job in Canada open to him), or he must resign on the spot. I have seen that same bishop tell the Synod that he personally created all the rules of the Synod, and that if he did not like what a delegate was saying he would simply turn the microphone off. That was my first, astonished introduction to the Diocese of New Westminster! The tyranny of authoritarian leadership in the Church can be a cancer. --- Canon Michael Green (Adventures in Faith)

The intention is to change the tone of the conversation and take some of the toxicity out of it, acknowledging that there is no agreement between, say, us and Reform. There will be a fracture and when it happens, it will be small and done with profound sadness, with a measure of grace, disagreeing well. The Conversations are a process in which it is hoped to find grace in each other where there are profound disagreements. Maybe 80% of the C of E will hold together with fractures at either end of the spectrum. --- LGBTQ Anglican Coalition leader Colin Coward

For some reason I had in my pocket that day my India paper edition of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which I had purchased at Blackwell's bookstore in Oxford. I turned to the collect for the day. Under the shade of a majestic gnarled tree I read out loud:

'Almighty Father,
who has given thine only Son to die for our sins,
and to rise again for our justification;
Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness,
that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of the same
thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.'

My eyes filled with tears as I asked myself what had I been missing in all of my frenzied subculture of experimental living. --- Thomas Oden

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
January 30, 2015

In a way, it was sort of like when the cleric officiating at a wedding asks, "If any of you has reasons why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Usually, no one objects, except in movies.

The ceremony that took place in England's Yorkminster this past Monday will be memorable for the historic nature of it, to be sure, but also because one man did not hold his peace.

The Anglican Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, gave the congregation one last chance to sign off on the consecration of Rev. Libby Lane, 48, as the Church of England's first woman bishop.

"Is it now your will that she should be ordained?" he called out. The crowd of some 1000 in the historic church responded in the affirmative. But as the echo died out, a man dressed in black stepped forward in front of the sanctuary and shouted "No!"

"It is not in the Bible," said the man, the Rev. Paul Williamson. "With respect, your grace, I ask to speak on this absolute impediment."

According to the London Telegraph, Sentamu had been warned of Williamson's presence. He instructed the congregation that the law had been changed to allow women bishops in the Church of England. Williamson stood in front of the front pew for a few moments, then returned quietly to his seat. Sentamu asked again for the congregation's assent, and this time "It is!" rang out even more thunderously.

Most bishops at today's service were male but, and there was another 'first', a number of women bishops from other parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Porvoo, and Meissen Ecumenical partners also attended.

The Rt. Rev. Helen-Ann Hartley came from her Diocese in Waikato in New Zealand;Bishop Margaret Vertue travelled from her Diocese of False Bay in South Africa; and from Ireland's Diocese of Meath and Kildare, came the Most Rev. Patricia Storey who participated in the 'laying-on of hands' at Libby's consecration. The Bishop of Iceland, Agnes Sigurðardóttir, and the retired bishop of the Diocese of Lund in Sweden, the Rt Rev Christina Odenberg, also took part. The Bishop of Munich and Upper Bavaria, the Rt Rev Susanne Breit-Kebler, was also to be present. Last but not least, the former Episcopal Bishop of Maine, Chilton Knudsen, who now assists in the Diocese of Long Island, was also in attendance.

*****

Another woman bishop in The Episcopal Church received different treatment this week. The Diocese of Maryland asked Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook to resign from the Diocese of Maryland following a hit and run accident resulting in the death of a cyclist.

The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland requested Cook's resignation as bishop suffragan in a letter sent through her lawyer on January 27. On Dec 27, 2014, Cook hit and killed cyclist Thomas Palermo, 41. She has been charged by police with vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and texting while driving, among other charges.

"It was clear that our lay and clergy leaders on the Standing Committee felt that the best interests of the diocese would be served were Heather to resign. Since this does not impede the Episcopal Church's investigation into the matter, it is my hope Heather will see the wisdom in this recommendation," added the Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of Maryland.

Right. Sutton knew all about her drinking problems long before she got a miter but said nothing. The PB should ask for his resignation as well. To make the point how revisionist and toady he is with the national church, VOL got hold of a story about a small church in a fight with Sutton and the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland over land and The Church of the Ascension in Essex which has been closed for about two years.

On one side is a congregation of fewer than 20 people represented by Towson lawyer Donna M.B. King, a sole practitioner. On the other is the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, which has 108 congregations and is represented by Venable, a national law firm with hundreds of attorneys.

Nationally, the Episcopal Church has been ensnared in a number of property disputes. Typically, these fights are triggered by congregations breaking away over issues such as the denomination's support for same-sex marriage and gay clergy, experts say. The Maryland diocese experienced such a defection in 2010 when Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore voted to become Catholic. In that case, the diocese simply sold the building to the departing church.

The issue in the Middle River case is different, inflamed by local passions for a property that many in Wilson Point see as a tribute to the priest's benevolent legacy.

"There are some hard feelings because there are a lot of emotional attachments to the church and a love of that community," King said.

Ascension members allege in their lawsuit that the diocese unlawfully took the building by falsifying a deed and improperly seized $27,000 in church bank accounts. They say that on Feb. 24, 2013, a diocese official ended the final Sunday service by leading the congregation outside and locking the door.

It's been locked ever since.

Episcopal officials contend that the church is a subsidiary of the diocese, rather than an independent nonprofit. Therefore, the building, land and other assets belong to the diocese.

The diocese has been accused of falsifying a deed and seizing $27k to keep their grubby hands on the property and loot. Is this a wonderful godly bishop or what? And you wonder why when people read stuff like this they up and leave TEC. These bishops are so venal about money and property because they don't give a damn about the gospel they swore to pronounce and uphold. Even if, in time, The Diocese of Maryland junctures with the Diocese of Easton, which seems inevitable, the long term future of the diocese is not good.

Sutton may have absolved himself of the cyclist's death, but that doesn't mean everyone else thinks he has or can. This is not over.

*****

On the Roman Catholic side of the equation, a Roman Catholic archbishop said that the Catholic Church will be keeping its ban on allowing women to serve as priests in the wake of the Church of England's consecration of its first ever female bishop.

Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham, who is also Catholic co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, told Vatican Radio on Tuesday that while "the conversation about women's ministry continues in parts of the Catholic Church, this development is unlikely to bring about changes in the Catholic teaching on the sacrament of ordination."

Only men are allowed to serve as priests or any higher positions within the Catholic Church. Longley affirmed that the tradition is set to stay as it is. Still, he called Lane's consecration a "historic moment in the life of the Church of England" and said that he wishes her well.

The Birmingham Archbishop admitted that while the ordination of women is challenging for the Anglican-Catholic dialogue, he said that Lane's consecration "shouldn't affect the way in which the dialogue is continued."

Longley noted that Lane's ordination will likely be discussed at ARCIC's next meeting in Rome in May, adding that Catholics will have to prepare to work more closely with women bishops due to the new direction.

Someone should tell the Birmingham Archbishop that ARCIC is dead and has been so for more than 45 years. It is going nowhere. In January of 2014, Lord Carey of Clifton said the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) was "irrelevant" to most Christians, who are motivated by relations at grassroots level. He suggested that financial grounds alone might justify the abandoning of the ecumenical project in favor of local projects underpinned by good will and a shared commitment to charity.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury said 45 years of attempts to bring about visible unity by bridging theological differences had "run into the sand".

"I don't know what is going on," he said. "If you take the latest ARCIC document, I think it is so irrelevant to the ordinary Christian - Catholic, Anglican or Methodist - that it might as well be talking on the moon."

He's absolutely right of course. No one cares in England. For the most part, that's true in TEC, as well. ACNA folk are not the slightest bit interested in ARCIC happenings as they are too busy planting churches.

*****

MERE ANGLICAN conference was held in Charleston this week with the theme Salt and Light: The Christian Response to Secularism. One of the themes that seemed to come out of last week's conference was the need to find a way to present the story of Christ and Christianity in an increasingly aggressive anti-Christian, secularized world.

The process of secularization has degraded our western culture's common narrative into a confused and ever changing mix of stories that is being fed into the minds of our children by media, educational systems, parents, and sometimes the Church itself, noted The Underground Pewster.

Of course, the process began well before the modern media and educational institutions began, but it seems to have accelerated thanks to our obsession with technology, entertainment, and other distractions.

This conference drew a number of notable scholars including two Church of England bishops, NT Wright and Michael Nazir Ali; two Roman Catholic thinkers; Ross Douthart, New York Times columnist; Os Guinness, Anglican social critic; and ethicist Mary Eberstadt. I have written an extensive piece on what happened there in today's digest.

*****

The Archbishop of Canterbury posted a blog warning Christians not to tweet their disagreements. Electronic communication, he says, lacks the human touch, and, in particular, the kinds of modulations of tone and the face-to-face aspects of relationships which make it possible to disagree productively.

"Social media does not show tears in the eye, a hand on the arm when saying something painful, body language that speaks of inner turmoil, deep distress -- even gentle respect. It is simply there -- usually forever," he writes.

What Welby recommends is a more privately authoritarian process: essentially that the church should not wash its dirty linen in public. Jesus, in Matthew's gospel, says: "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses'. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

At a time when the Church of England has just managed to unite around women clergy, and is facing another decade or so of grumbling guerilla struggles over the acceptance of gay clergy, this reads more like a yearning for discipline and coherence than anything else.

*****

From the Anglican Church in North America comes more good news. The consecration of the second Bishop of The Diocese of Western Anglicans took place this week. Hands were laid on The Rev. Dr. M. Keith Andrews on Sunday, January 25th, at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA.
Apparently you can't keep a good church down. Even as TEC slowly withers, ACNA keeps growing. Well might you ask what side the Holy Spirit is on? You can view it here on AnglicanTV:

http://www.anglican.tv/content/consecration-service-rev-dr-m-keith-andrews

*****

While the Episcopal Church embraces abortion, a delegation of one dozen bishops from the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) joined in the annual March for Life this past Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Led by Archbishop Foley Beach, the Anglican group was organized for the third year by Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic Bishop John Guernsey and Georgette Forney of Anglicans for Life.

The March for Life is the largest annual protest in the United States, regularly drawing tens of thousands of people to mark the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that struck down state restrictions on abortions in 1973.

The theme of this year's march, "Every Life is a Gift" is intended to counter the perception that some lives are not worth living, and that prematurely ending a life by abortion is preferable in those instances.

*****

Atlanta Bishop Rob Wright sent a letter this week to the chair and members of Georgia's Board of Pardons and Paroles asking them to spare the life of an intellectually disabled death-row inmate who killed a fellow inmate. Warren Lee Hill, whose intellectual disability has been twice confirmed by lower courts, had his final appeal to the State Supreme Court denied Jan. 20. The Board of Pardons and Paroles, which meets Jan. 26, provides Hill with a last opportunity for avoiding the death penalty unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.

In his letter, Wright made a biblical argument against executing Hill. "While many people support capital punishment, Holy Scripture clearly shows Jesus never taught that we should murder a human being, no matter how heinous the crime."

It was all to no avail, Hill was executed Tuesday by injection at the prison in Jackson, Georgia.

On a positive note, Bishop wright was recognized as one of Georgia's 100 most influential people at a luncheon given by Georgia Trend magazine. Wright was listed with the state's U.S. senators, the chancellor of the university system and business leaders for "wading into the gun debate, urging its defeat and then the veto of HB60, the concealed carry law," and, when the bill passed, for banning guns in Episcopal churches in Middle and North Georgia. He was also noted for his support of blessing same-sex relationships. Wright's inclusion was also notable for being the only clergy member on the 2015 list.

*****

In Massey, MD, St. Clement's Episcopal Church hosted a service of solemn evensong and sermon last Friday to mark the 152nd anniversary of the birth of Father Paul Wattson and to promote the continuing cause of Christian Unity.

Presiding as officiant was the Right Rev. Henry N. Parsley Jr., bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. The sermon was delivered by a Roman Catholic and member of the Society of the Atonement, the Rev. Wilfred Leonard Tyrell, Catholic chaplain and interfaith coordinator at Manhattanville College, Purchase, N.Y.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an event observed annually by members of the Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopalian, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox denominations around the world from Jan. 18 through Jan. 25. The practice was established in 1908 by Wattson, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. Today, the religious order he founded continues to distinguish itself in the field of ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, as well as sacrificial service to the poor, with monasteries now located on several continents.

In November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops endorsed the cause for canonization of Wattson, the first step in a process that could culminate in his being formally declared the 13th American Catholic saint.

*****

The Mormon Church announced this week that it will support national and local anti-discrimination laws for gays and lesbians, provided such laws also respect the rights of religious groups. Church leaders called the offer a new "way forward" to balance religious freedom and legal protection for people in the LGBT community.

With nearly 6.5 million members in the United States, the Mormon Church is now one of the largest in this country to back equal rights laws. The announcement, however, does not change church doctrine or alter the church's opposition to same-sex marriage, Mormon leaders added.

*****

After nearly 200 years in New York City, the American Bible Society (ABS) is departing for Philadelphia, one of an increasing number of religious institutions selling once iconic urban properties. A 12-story building located blocks away from Central Park, ABS' headquarters have also housed other evangelical ministries, including Q Ideas, Redeemer Presbyterian Church's Center for Faith & Work, the Museum of Biblical Art, and Young Life.

American Bible Society president and CEO Roy Peterson announced the move in a joint press conference with Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter this week. "On behalf of the City of Philadelphia, we're honored to welcome American Bible Society to its new home," Nutter said. Peterson cited strategic collaboration opportunities, affordability and livability as reasons behind ABS' relocation to downtown Philadelphia, though he called the decision to leave New York "heart-wrenching."

"People can afford to live here [in Philadelphia], it's walkable, there's public transportation," Peterson told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Our staff commutes an hour or two...from Long Island, the Bronx."
ABS also revealed plans to create a Bible Discovery Center, Scriptures Depository, and a scholarly working library in its new home, which will be located several blocks away from Independence Mall. The organization hopes to be fully moved in by the end of the summer, just ahead of Pope Francis' Philadelphia visit in September.

*****

There is "no zero-sum solution' to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, PB Jefferts Schori said in Israel this past week where US interfaith leaders dedicated themselves to being partners in building peace

In seeking a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, people of faith need to be effective partners committed to hearing multiple narratives, say members of a broad U.S. interfaith delegation, led by Jefferts Schori, during a weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The 15-member delegation of Jews, Christians and Muslims engaged in a series of high-level political and religious meetings in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, including with former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and current Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, to hear a wide range of perspectives on peace, religion and politics and to share their own views about the role the three Abrahamic faiths must play in helping to shape a better world.

The group heard deep concerns, frustrations, and strong sentiments of distrust in the midst of a stalled peace process, but they were encouraged by countless signs of hope and optimism. They were galvanized to be part of the solution together.

They also met with leaders of grassroots initiatives -- the Shades Negotiation Program, EcoPeace and Roots -- that bring together Israelis and Palestinians to hear and learn from one another's narratives, and to build a peaceful society in which everyone can prosper.

"We've built bridges this week," said Jefferts Schori, "and we're going to keep traveling those bridges, and exploring the chasms beneath them, and looking over the guard rails for new possibilities, until God's shalom and salaam and peace prevail in the Land of the Holy One and throughout the oneness of God's creation."

However, she said, "this cannot be a zero-sum game" in which one side's gain is equivalent to another's loss. "When we can back off from 'what are they going to take from us,' we might begin to find the answers."

*****

The Church of England made history with an online pastor role this week. The Church of England's Lichfield Diocese broke new ground by advertising for a lay or ordained diocesan pastor to connect and support people online.

According to Bishop of Stafford Geoff Annas, the Diocesan Online Pastor is "a brave new role" with a focus on enabling teenagers and young people to "build up and nurture each other in the Christian faith."

Speaking on the Church of England's weekly podcast, Annas stressed that while it was "not a substitute for face-to-face contact" the role would help the church meet needs that young people had and that weren't currently being met.

"The emphasis is about how [young people] can better join in in their churches, but it's also about keeping them aware of what's going on in other churches," he said.

"A lot of young people nowadays don't see themselves even in denominational terms they see themselves as young Christians and the way they live out their faith is very different from traditional ways. It's all part of reimagining of what it means to be 'church' in the coming years.

"I think where we've got problems is that young people see church in a totally different way. We're not going to get them to sign up to endless meetings...the Church of England particularly is at an interesting moment. It's at a turning point."

*****

The Rt. Rev. David Mitchell Reed obtained consents to be bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. Reed, 57, is currently the bishop suffragan of the diocese, and was one of six nominees. Reed is the first Bishop Suffragan of the diocese to be elected Bishop Coadjutor and then go on to serve as Diocesan Bishop.

So where does this bishop stand on the hot button issues? Surprisingly, he is more orthodox than first thought. At GC2009, he signed the Minority Bishops "Anaheim Statement" in the face of two sexuality resolutions that could undermine The Episcopal Church' place in The Anglican Communion. "We reaffirm our commitment to the three moratoria requested of us by the instruments of Communion," the report said. Score one for Reed.

He was also one of the signer bishops who voted against the "Deposition" of Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh. Score two for Reed.

He also voted no on A049 a resolution to authorize the adoption of the same-sex blessing materials to meet the needs of a handful of members of The Episcopal Church. Score three.

We will see his true colors when General Convention meets next year in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the vote comes up for the formal acceptance of Rites for blessing same sex unions.

*****

A retired Ugandan Anglican bishop said he was willing to defend a notorious Lord's Resistance Army commander charged with war crimes.

Bishop Nelson Onono-Onweng of northern Uganda diocese said rebel commander Dominic Ongwen is a victim of circumstance, having been abducted at the age of 10 and transformed into a marauding killer.

"I am willing to go and give evidence at the ICC about him. I am not afraid," said Onono-Onweng. "The world betrayed this child. The state, which had the instruments to protect him, did not. The international community also took too long to act (against the) LRA. The world can see how things conspired against him."

In its heyday, the Ugandan rebel force known as the Lord's Resistance Army was accused of killing more than 100,000 people, abducting 60,000 to 100,000 children and displacing more than 2.5 million civilians.

Ongwen appeared at the International Criminal Court on Monday (Jan. 26) after surrendering to the U.S. special forces in Central African Republic. He was indicted in 2005, together with three other top commanders.

*****

We must have a winter budget to make it into spring. Getting some of you to donate is like pulling teeth. Every month we strive to pay the bills and, by God's grace, we do so. To get the necessary donations I have to write letters and make appeals, all of which takes away from researching and writing more articles for you to read, time that should rightly be dedicated to the mission of information. Timing is everything. Depending on voluntary support is always risky. Our need for funding is immediate and serious. We are making progress but if you have time please hit the donate link and make a contribution. All donations are tax-deductible. You can send a snail mail check to:

VIRTUEONLINE
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Or you can make a contribution through VOL's PAYPAL link here: http://www.virtueonline.org/support-vol/

Many thanks for your support.

In Christ,

David

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