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SC Court sees in Favor of TEC over Property Dispute * Bishop Bruno Bashed Again by PB * Uganda Archbishop Nixes October Meeting with ABC * Province of Sudan Opens as Communion's 39th Province * Former SC Bishop Blasts TEC Leaders *NZ to allow SS blessings

A heterogeneous church. It is of course a fact that people like to worship with their own kith and kin, and with their own kind, as experts in church growth remind us; and it may be necessary to acquiesce in different congregations according to language, which is the most formidable barrier of all. But heterogeneity is of the essence of the church, since it is the one and only community in the world in which Christ has broken down all dividing walls. The vision we have been given of the church triumphant is of a company drawn from 'every nation, tribe, people and language', who are all singing God's praises in unison (Rev. 7:19ff). So we must declare that a homogeneous church is a defective church, which must work penitently and perseveringly towards heterogeneity. --- John R.W. Stott

When the leadership of a Church loses its moral compass, it is invariably the result of abandoning the clarity and authority of God's word, the Bible. --- Phil Ashey, American Anglican Council

"I fear you are right, my dear. We traditionalists have kept our finger in the dyke for long enough, and her waters have finally broken. Do we go with the flow towards the waterfall of apostasy or board the Ark of Sanity and sail in the opposite direction?" --- Archbishop Cranmer

For the vast majority of people your gender identity aligns with your crotch equipment. This is reality. For most people, anything else is a bit of fakery and no amount of fake hormones and surgeries by your favorite Dr. Frankenstein will change this. --- Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
August 4, 2017

The news broke Wednesday afternoon. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that The Episcopal Church can reclaim 29 local parishes whose congregations left The Episcopal Church in 2012 cannot take their valuable properties with them, a decision that could set the stage for a massive exchange of historic church capital in the region.

However, seven churches that departed can take their properties with them because they never agreed to let the national church hold them in trust, unlike the others, and therefore shouldn't have to forfeit them, a majority of justices ruled.

It was not immediately clear in the ruling which parish properties fell into which group. Attorneys scrambled Wednesday to decipher the distinction, along with the fate of the beloved St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island.

St. Michael's Church, the oldest surviving religious building in Charleston, and St. Philip's Church, the oldest congregation in the state, appear to be among properties set to return to The Episcopal Church, several sources said.

This is a lengthy and detailed ruling, and our legal team and leadership will be studying it closely in the days ahead. It is important to note that the legal system allows for periods of judicial review and possible appeal, so it will be some time before we can say with certainty what the journey ahead will look like. Please be patient and know that we will keep you updated along the way as information becomes available to us, said Episcopal Bishop Skip Adams.

So, what will Skippie and the diocese do with 29 empty church properties worth an estimated half a billion dollars? They can't sell them to Muslim groups there aren't enough Muslims in Charleston. Perhaps a few can be sold to independent evangelical start up churches, you know, the same kind of churches that have the same evangelical faith as ACNA parishes but without a liturgy.

"The opinions show a bitterly divided Court that could not agree even upon the basic framework by which to decide the case (what the Court calls "the standard of review"). I put a lot of the blame for this divisiveness upon Justice Hearn, about whose blatant bias I wrote at the time of the oral argument. Her opinion concurring with Justice Pleicones might as well have been written by David Booth Beers," wrote Canon lawyer Allan Haley.

So why didn't Lawrence's lawyers ask to have Judge Hearn recuse herself? Is it this seemingly endless mantra that if we are nice to them they will be nice right back. That has never worked. Never. You can read what Bishop Adams did to a single whistle blower orthodox priest when he was Bishop of Central New York. http://tinyurl.com/ydxedlq8 You will find several stories about Adam's behavior, and then ask yourself what do you think he will do in South Carolina. Once TEC liberals got their foot in the door over sodomy it was down-hill all the way. There can never be any accommodation over morals and doctrine with liberals and revisionists. Generous orthodoxy is a myth. They bitterly hate us.

The ruling can be seen here: http://www.sccourts.org/opinions/HTMLFiles/SC/27731.pdf

*****

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH VS BISHOP JON BRUNO. The bully Bishop of Los Angeles found himself in more hot water this week when Presiding Bishop Michael Curry removed him from his authority over St. James the Great, a property Bruno tried to take out from under the Rev. Cindy Voorhees and her remnant congregation and sell it to developers. That is now not going to happen.

Voorhees jubilantly wrote, "In a decisive action, Presiding Bishop Curry issued an immediate order that fully restricts the ministry of Bishop Bruno and COMPLETELY REMOVES his authority over St. James the Great -- property, congregation, and our Vicar. We are beyond words thankful for the care and consideration provided by Presiding Bishop Curry and his wishes for the preservation of St. James the Great and the continuation of our service to God and our community."

By any reading Bruno is toast, but note it was about money and property not doctrine, nor 'sound teaching' or about 'the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

Bruno has now been removed from all matters pertaining to St. James the Great Episcopal Church as of Aug. 1, as the national church continues its review of misconduct charges against him stemming from his attempts to sell the Newport Beach property and displacing its congregants.

The move by Curry to transfer jurisdiction of the embattled church to the Rev. John Taylor, bishop coadjutor of the Los Angeles diocese, is to "seek to resolve the conflict over and determine the disposition of all matters related to the property, congregation and vicar" Curry said.

Taylor is slated to replace Bruno upon his retirement in December.

The order comes just weeks after a five-member panel from the national Episcopal Church recommended that Bruno be suspended for three years after he twice tried to sell the 40,000-square-foot building and surrounding property at 3209 Via Lido.

A final ruling is expected later this month.

*****

"I Have Been Ashamed of Episcopal Leadership Denying the Christian Faith..."
Grace and justification by faith alone are the key doctrines of the Christian Church
I have been solidly anchored in commitment to the Anglican Reformation

These are the headlines from an exclusive interview I had this week with Bishop C. FitzSimons Allison, retired Bishop of South Carolina on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

I first met Bishop Allison when my wife and I arrived in New York City in the early 80s from Vancouver, British Columbia. I had been invited to join the American Bible Society as their Media Director, and I had heard about Dr. Allison and his preaching at Grace Church in the village of New York. After listening to him, we became members of his church and enjoyed wonderful preaching for two years as he preached on themes of grace, redemption and justification by faith.

From this position, he went on to become the twelfth Episcopal Bishop of South Carolina. He began his episcopacy as co-adjutor of the diocese, then became its diocesan in 1982. He retired in 1990, but remained very active in preaching, speaking, and writing. He remains a tour de force of low church orthodox Anglicanism with no equals.

Fitz, as he is fondly known to his friends, was born in 1927 and recently turned 90, making him one of the oldest bishops alive in The Episcopal Church and certainly its most knowledgeable.

The full interview can be read here: http://www.virtueonline.org/i-have-been-ashamed-episcopal-leadership-denying-christian-faith

*****

The Archbishop of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali, has said that he will not attend the next gathering of Anglican Primates in October because of divisions over sexuality issues.

Archbishop Ntagali was asked by the BBC's Martin Bashir, who is traveling with the Archbishop of Canterbury to South Sudan and Uganda, whether he would attend the next Primates conference. 'No...I made it clear I am not attending,' replied the archbishop, before attempting to stop the interview, which he said was supposed to be about the refugee crisis in the region.

Confirmation that Ntagali will not attend the Primates meeting comes after he walked out of the last gathering in Canterbury in January last year, accusing the American and Canadian Churches of having 'torn the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level'.

In a letter to his Church in Uganda, the archbishop wrote at the time: 'On the second day of the gathering, I moved a resolution that asked the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada to voluntarily withdraw from the meeting and other Anglican Communion activities until they repented of their decisions that have torn the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level.

'They would not agree to this request, nor did it appear that the Archbishop of Canterbury and his facilitators would ensure that this matter be substantively addressed in a timely manner.'

VOL has been told that Nigerian Primate Nichols Okoh will not attend and, most probably, all of the GAFOCN primates will not appear either, though that has yet to be confirmed.

*****

Bishop Grant LaMarquand has resigned his post as bishop of the Horn of Africa. He cites his wife's health.

"It is with a heavy heart that today I must announce my resignation as the Bishop for the Horn of Africa within the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa. This decision has not been taken lightly but after consultation with Bishop Mouneer, with spiritual counsellors, and with our medical doctors. Wendy and I will leave Ethiopia at the end of October this year, although our work for the diocese will continue for a time.

"The reason for our needing to leave is that Wendy's health has made it impossible for her to continue to live in Africa. As many of you know, a few months ago Wendy experienced terrible pain in her back leading her to seek medical testing and advice. The tests revealed five broken vertebrae and a broken rib. The fragility of the bones have been attributed to osteoporosis and the fractures were due to coughing. Originally we believed that the coughing was due simply to asthma, but after further testing it now seems that Wendy has also had lung infections, perhaps several. Wendy's doctors have been clear that returning to live in Africa would put Wendy's lungs (and ultimately her heart) at grave risk. She will stay in Pittsburgh for the next two months while I continue to work in Ethiopia. She will come to say farewell during the month of October."

*****

COMPROMISE WITH SIN. A working group set up explore how different strands of thinking on sexuality could be kept together in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has published its interim report. The group was established after the May 2016 meeting of the province's General Synod agreed to "let lie on the table" a motion on the blessings of same-sex relationships. The Synod instead called for a working group to look at structural arrangements to keep the different sides of the debate together.

In their interim report, the working group recommends that there should be "no alteration to the formularies of this Church" and that dioceses and bishops should be allowed "to authorise individual clergy within their ministry units to conduct services blessing same gender relationships."

The working group also recommends that bishops and clergy should be given immunity from complaints "for exercising their discretion on whether or not to authorise or conduct services of same gender blessings."

It also recommends "amendment of the declarations of adherence and submission to the authority of [the General Synod]" and recognition of "Orders of Consecrated Life to allow for those with clear theological convictions to have those convictions respected and protected."

Explaining the recommendations, the working group says in its report: "We have tried to create places where each can stand without compromise to the beliefs they sincerely hold. The mandate talks of two integrities but it is more than that -- there is a spectrum of views and so there needs to be a range of possible ways forward.

"This range of tools means that if you are a clergy person who is unable to support the blessings of same gender couples, then the canonical changes will ensure that you are not required to participate in such blessings and there will be no disciplinary nor adverse consequences for you declining to be involved.

"Similarly, if you are a clergy person who is supportive of such blessings or you see this as a social justice issue, then there will be a structure by which such blessings can occur and there will be no disciplinary nor adverse consequences for you conducting a service."

On the formularies of the church, the working group says that it "acknowledges that as this Church is not of one mind on this issue it is important that the doctrine on marriage not change and that matters relating to the blessing of same gender relationships in this Church continue to be tested and debated across the theological spectrum.

"To enable ongoing debate, the [working group] thinks the formularies must remain as they presently are."

An authorisation by a bishop to a priest to conduct a blessing for a civil same-sex marriage would be allowed under the provinces Canon XIV, which allows a bishop to "authorise a non-formulary service for use within a named ministry unit." The working group recommends that this should be used when "the couple are duly married under civil law, when the vestry or equivalent leadership body within the clergy's ministry unit has been consulted and its advice considered in good faith, when the service is in a form authorised by the bishop, and when the service would not contravene the general laws of the jurisdiction in which it is to take place."

But they stress that bishops and clergy should not be "liable to complaint for exercising their discretion in this matter." In the report, the working group says that it is "important that a bishop's permission to conduct a service is granted only to clergy who wish to do so. No clergy should feel obligated to take services contrary to their theological conviction and conscience."

And they go on to recommend immunity from complaints, saying that "a 'no discipline' policy is the best way to safeguard the consciences of clergy and bishops.

In order for each viewpoint to safely co-exist within this Church each needs to acknowledge that the other must have freedom of conscience and action that aligns with their theological convictions."

GAFCON leader and former Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen blasted this in an editorial which you can read in today's digest.

*****

A new Anglican province came into being this week. The Province of Sudan was opened on July 30. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, declared Muslim-majority Sudan as the 39th province of the Anglican Communion.

The 61-year-old spiritual leader of the Church of England said he believed that the declaration will mark "a new beginning" for Christians in this predominantly Muslim country.

Welby was on an official visit to Sudan over the weekend where he met with the faithful exhorting them to make sure the province worked.

Christians in Sudan have a responsibility to make this province work and to make it loved by their brothers from abroad who must support it and pray for it.

He also inaugurated the new leader and first Anglican Archbishop for the country in the person of Ezekiel Kondo Kumir Kuku at the All Saints' Cathedral in Khartoum.

"Christians in Sudan have a responsibility to make this province work and to make it loved by their brothers from abroad who must support it and pray for it," said Welby.

Since mostly Christian, South Sudan, became independent in 2011, the Anglican Church in Sudan has been administered from Juba.

Sudan's Christian-minority, concentrated mainly in the south of the country, in the region of the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan, have been long seen as persecuted with some priests having been arrested and charged among others with undermining the state and espionage.

After the secession of the South in 2011, human rights organizations and Christian groups accused the Sudanese authorities of persecuting Christians and even destroying churches in the capital.

The Anglican faith unites an estimated 85 million faithful across the world. Anglicanism was born out of a split with the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century after the then Pope's refusal to grant King Henry VIII of England the annulment of his marriage.

*****

In Leamington Ontario, Canada an Anglican church opened its doors to Muslim worshippers.

The Rev. Andrew Wilson of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church offered the space to be used as a mosque after learning the Muslim community had been renting a tiny location that was not big enough for their needs.

Now Imam Asghar and many others regularly pray at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, where the Muslim community has set up a mosque, thanks to a deal worked out between the two religious communities. "We tried to show the community in Leamington, and everywhere in Ontario, that Muslims and Christians are hand to hand," he said.

The mosque now regularly has 30 to 40 people coming in for the prayer service.

Ironically, as Anglican churches open their doors to other religions they continue to close parishes across the country even as gay marriages in parishes take hold and Anglicans can be seen in gay parades.

In Howick, Ontario two churches closed recently. Trinity Anglican Church in Fordwich, and St. Stephens Anglican Church in Gorrie. Both churches held final services. Trinity Church services were first held as early as 1856, at the log cabin home of John Sotheran. St. Stephen's Church records go back to 1856, when the first baptism was held. It is so sad to see so many of our old buildings, with so many memories, no longer being used, said a former parishioner.

*****

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In Christ,

David

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