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TECinSC Makes "Spurious" Property Offer to Bishop Lawrence*Washington Bishop Denies Trinity at Washington National Cathedral Confirmations*Marriage Resolutions Passage at GC2015 Could Derail Future of Anglican Communion*Episcopal Parishes Close Across US

Mass delusion is an important tool of oppressors because they can't survive free expression. That's why the First Amendment's a target. --- Stella Morabito in the Federalist

Spokesmen of God. In the primary sense in which the Bible uses the word, a prophet was a person who 'stood in the council of God', who heard and even 'saw' his word, and who in consequence 'spoke from the mouth of the Lord' and spoke his word 'faithfully' (cf. Je. 23:16-32). In other words, a prophet was a mouthpiece or spokesman of God, a vehicle of his direct revelation. *In this sense* we must insist that there are no prophets today. Nobody can presume to claim an inspiration comparable to that of the canonical prophets, or use their introductory formula 'Thus says the Lord'. If this were possible, we would have to add their words to Scripture, and the whole church would need to listen and obey. --- John R.W. Stott

Which of the religions of the world gives to its followers the greatest happiness? While it lasts, the religion of worshipping oneself is best.
....As you perhaps know, I haven't always been a Christian. I didn't go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don't recommend Christianity. I am certain there must be a patent American article on the market which will suit you far better, but I can't give any advice. --- C. S. Lewis

God at work. There is an urgent need for all of us to grasp the biblical revelation of the living God who works primarily in nature not in supernature, in history not in miracle. He is the most high God who rules the kingdom of men (Dn. 4:32), with whom 'the nations are like a drop from a bucket' and who 'takes up the isles like fine dust' (Is. 40:15), who 'executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another' (Ps. 75:7). It is he also who causes his sun to rise and sends the rain (Mt. 5:45), who maintains the regularity of the seasons (Gn. 8:22; Acts 14:17), who rules the raging of the sea (Ps. 89:9), who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field (Mt. 6:26, 30), and has the breath of man in his hand (Dn. 5:23). Once we begin to see the living God ceaselessly at work through the processes of history and nature, we shall begin (for example) to recognize that all healing is divine healing, whether without the use of means or through the use of physical, psychological or surgical means. The former should probably be termed 'miraculous healing', while the latter is non-miraculous, but both are equally 'divine healing'. --- John R.W. Stott

A "right to happiness"...sounds to me as odd as a right to good luck. For I believe--whatever one school of moralists may say---that we depend for a very great deal of our happiness or misery on circumstances outside all human control. A right to happiness doesn't, for me, make much more sense than a right to be six feet tall, or to have a millionaire for your father, or to get good weather whenever you want to have a picnic. ---- C.S. Lewis

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
June 19, 2015

The attempt to change God the Father to God the Mother is full bore idolatry--a syncretism of the spirit of the age.

Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr., a teaching fellow for Ligonier Ministries and the former editor of Tabletalk magazine wrote, "I remember some of the most emotionally powerful moments of worship that I have experienced occurred in a context where there was the least amount of belief. There was a time in my life when I regularly went to worship at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, a beautiful church building that had this glorious liturgy. And it would be my habit to go there on Sunday morning and to sit in the pew and listen to the music and to work through the liturgy. And then when the pastor got up to preach I also would get up and walk out of the building because I knew what I was going to hear was not going to be faithful to God's Word. I'm old, but I'm not old enough to remember when the Episcopal Church was a faithful church, generally speaking.

"More recently, the Church of England has ordained their very first female Bishop, her name is Libby Lane. Not long after her installation as a bishop, she proposed some significant changes that would take away what yet remains the best part of the Church of England: so much of the liturgy that is in the Book of Common Prayer. You see, that is why I loved that worship service, because that Book of Common Prayer was infused with Scripture and infused with sound doctrine even though the people saying it, the ones leading the liturgy, didn't believe it. The actual words were the words of life."

Is it any wonder that this week at the Washington National Cathedral, the Bishop of Washington, the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde publicly admitted that she no longer refers to the Trinity and prays only in "in the name of God?" Even the altar she uses in the Cathedral has no cross on it; in both her language and theology she has cut the Trinity out of the Christian faith.

The cathedral itself now struggles for minimal survival. According to one insider, the Diocese of Washington and the Cathedral appear desperate for cash as it struggles to pay its massive parking garage debt. Recently, the Cathedral announced even more closures with the end of the 75-year-old Herb Cottage business closing its doors on June 30, 2015. To exacerbate the already poor public image of the Cathedral, Budde led a bizarre ordination on June 13 at the Cathedral that, according to one priest, the Commission on Ministry did not attend. The only physical entrance into the Cathedral now heads into aggressive employees demanding a fee to enter. The Washington National Cathedral presents an image of an organization in free-fall as it demands more and more cash to stay solvent.

VOL's Washington correspondent noted that when Budde ordained four people in the Washington National Cathedral, she issued a series of warnings to both the ordinands and the congregation of about 150 people who sat in the near empty Cathedral that future deacons and priests had no promise of lifetime employment and that these four had seen the worst that church life offers. In fact, she said, they had been knocked-around by the church. Budde added that with the current state of the Diocese of Washington, she was surprised that these persons wanting ordination had even "showed up" for the ceremony.

She added these lines which might go down in modern ecclesiastical history. "A new study concluded that members in the Episcopal Church have no regularly disciplined spiritual practices and that even priests do not talk about God." She admitted that this is true about the Episcopal Church.

What we are seeing is the end of casual Christianity, writes Michael Gerson in the Washington Post. He based his observations on a recent Pew Research Center report on "America's Changing Religious Landscape." The study reports that theologically liberal churches are disappearing into the culture in what Gerson calls the "mainline's comeuppance." Comeuppance indeed. Having deleted the Trinity and keeping only culturally acceptable ideas, the Washington National Cathedral and the Diocese of Washington is failing at all of its tasks.

You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

The other big news of the week was the ongoing legal shenanigans in South Carolina. The TECinSC, owned and operated by Bishop vonRosenberg, tried to pull a fast one on the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina under Bishop Mark Lawrence.

On June 3rd, Mr. Tom Tisdale, legal counsel for The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, sent letters to attorneys representing all Diocese of South Carolina churches in the litigation, making an offer of settlement proposal. It proposed that if the Diocese and Trustees relinquished their names, identities, and all assets (including the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center), then The Episcopal Church (TEC) would relinquish its claim to all parish properties.

Lawrence's attorneys responded by saying that the proposal was not a legitimate offer of good faith negotiation and was never intended to be. Naturally the proposal was unanimously rejected by all parties to the litigation for the Diocese of South Carolina. They called the Episcopal Church's proposal a "spurious" offer to settle and rejected the proposal.

Canon Jim Lewis commented:

1. First, if it had been legitimate, it would have come from someone with authority to bind all the parties on the Episcopal Church side. The Presiding Bishop, though referenced in the letter, does not have that authority for TEC. It would - at minimum - require an action by TEC's Executive Council, if not General Convention. Tisdale's letter doesn't even have the signature of legal counsel for TEC. Counsel for TEC was contacted to request that they provide the necessary proof of authority, along with THEIR signature on this offer. There has been no response.

2. Equally important, a valid proposal should have come to the Diocese's lead counsel for this litigation, not to a parish representative. After nearly two weeks from the time of the original "offer" that contact has still not been made. A good faith offer has still not been properly presented.

3. Along these same lines, it should have been done entirely in confidence, and not presented as a kind of mass public statement. On Friday (6/12) it was publicly announced by a TECinSC blogger that Bishop vonRosenberg had sent a written notice to all his parishes, informing them this offer had been made. Both communications represent a serious breach of confidentiality. Today's announcement from them further emphasizes this dynamic. If some kind (any kind) of good faith negotiation is what they were really interested in, this certainly was not the way to conduct it.

Particularly to the point, the letters from Mr. Tisdale should not have been presented in the midst of the appellate briefs being filed. It must be noted that the expiration date of this offer was the same day our reply brief was due to be filed with the State Supreme Court. That is obviously no accident.

4. Finally, a serious offer (the specifics of this one entirely aside) would have given adequate time for discussion and consideration, given the nature of the proposal and the number of parties involved. This proposal failed to do so. The attorney receiving Mr. Tisdale's original offer asked that it be withdrawn and resubmitted after the June 15 deadline for our reply brief to be filed. The fact that our reasonable request was rejected points to the essential question.

Why was this really done? There are likely four motives at play here.

The first and primary intention of all this was to disrupt the preparation of our reply brief for the South Carolina Supreme Court. The timing here is not coincidental. The time and energy devoted to dealing with this non-offer was significant. That cannot be overstated.

Secondly, and of similar importance, this was an attempt to create division between the Diocese, Trustees and the Parishes. By structuring their "offer" in this way it tries to set what is good for one against what is good for the other. Our unity in this case has been, and continues to be, essential to its success. To falter now, when our case is so strong and the end so near, would be foolish. But that is what counsel for TEC would desire.

Additionally, there is always publicity. Not even the smallest legal proceeding in this case has been too small to merit a press release. Mr. Tisdale has alluded, frequently, to their willingness to negotiate, while never once making a proposal over the last two years. This "offer" gives the appearance of being reasonable and conciliatory while offering nothing of substance.

You can read several stories about this in today's digest including a longish article by VOL's own correspondent Mary Ann Mueller.

*****

In wake of the killing this week of nine persons at an AME church in Charleston, SC, Bishop Mark Lawrence issued this statement: "I have spoken to the Rev. Jimmy Gallant, one of our black clergyman and a leader in the Charleston community, earlier this morning in the wake of the horrific shooting at Emmanuel AME Church last evening. Unconfirmed reports have nine dead from the shootings including the pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney. The African American community in Charleston is crushed. The larger community staggers wondering how to respond.

"Frankly, our hearts are crushed by this violent act. Our minds reeling as we consider the pain of our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones--mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren, family and friends--as well as for those who have lost faith and hope from such a senseless act of hatred and insanity. My heart and thoughts also reach out to all our brothers and sisters in Christ in this diocese, especially those of African American descent, as we grieve in the aftermath of this horrific event and from whatever root causes lie beneath it."

Lawrence said that he and some of the priests and lay persons from the diocese attended the prayer service at Morris Brown AME Church. "We shall seek God's face on how he will have us respond as a diocese, as congregations, and as individual members of the Body of Christ--ambassadors of reconciliation--in this broken and fallen world for which His Son our Savior, Jesus Christ, has died that He might redeem.

"Prayer for all involved would seem the primary thing we can offer at this point:

"For Emmanuel AME
Their members
The injured
The families and friends of those killed
The community, as it responds to this tragedy
Law enforcement, for a speedy apprehension of the person responsible
Protection from those who would attempt to exploit this crisis
Restraint of further violence in response
For the Church... to be a witness in the midst of this tragedy... to redeem it

"O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples and races of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and those who are near: Grant to those who have lost love ones your hope, comfort and peace; grant to those members of Emmanuel AME Church a sense of your presence; look with compassion on the whole human family here in Charleston and across our nation; show us how to respond to one another's hurt and suffering; shed abroad your Spirit on those who have lost faith, hope and trust in You and one another; break down the walls that we separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that in your good time all peoples and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

*****

If Episcopal delegates to General Convention pass two marriage resolutions in Salt Lake City later this month, it could seal the fate of any hope that the Anglican Communion can hold together, a Covenant notwithstanding. The worst fears of GAFCON Primates and Global South archbishops will have been realized -- the Episcopal Church will never repent of its sexual innovations thus sealing forever the unity of the Anglican Communion as an attainable goal.

It is over. Never again will an Archbishop of Canterbury be able to call a meeting of his fellow primates; at least a third will be no shows. Ditto for a Lambeth Conference. Rowan Williams sowed to the wind and Justin Welby has reaped the whirlwind.

Allowing a resolution for rites for same sex marriage to be utilized by priests at the behest of their bishops and override the already established marriage canons in the Book of Common Prayer places the priests in a very difficult situation of disobeying the BCP while adhering to their bishop's wishes if not demands. This is going to be very messy, even messier than the ordination of women canons. I have written about this at length in today's digest. The real danger is the further alienation from the Anglican Communion if these revised marriage canons are voted into the Episcopal Church.

*****

One by one around the country Episcopal parishes are closing their doors.

This week an historic parish in Norristown, PA, St. John's Episcopal, the oldest church in the area closed its doors.

"My church is closing because they have no money. They're in debt," said longtime member Grace Bean, who founded the soup kitchen more than 20 years ago with her husband, Cecil Bean. The soup kitchen will stay open apparently, proof, I suppose, that man can live by bread alone. Depleting finances and dwindling attendance were among the reasons the vestry gave for the closing.

Out in California, St. James the Great Episcopal Church in Newport Beach is to be replaced by townhomes under a plan by a developer that bought the site in May from LA Bishop Jon Bruno.

The congregation was taken aback last month when Bishop J. Jon Bruno of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles announced during a service that the church, at 3209 Via Lido, was being sold to Legacy Partners Residential for about $15 million.

"We have a jewel box of a church," the Rev. Cindy Voorhees said of the property, which was built in the 1940s. "This church was supposed to stand for several hundred years. To have it come down now is absolutely ludicrous."

Congregants have questioned why the diocese decided to sell the church less than two years after reclaiming it from an Anglican parish. For decades, the church was home to an Episcopal parish, but in 2004, ideological issues led St. James to affiliate with the Anglican Church.

The move launched a years-long court battle over the property. The church was an Anglican parish from 2004 to 2013, when an Orange County Superior Court judge granted ownership rights to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. The last service is expected to be June 28.

In NY the 148-year-old Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Brooklyn was sold recently for $20 million to a real estate developer. Lawrence Provenzano, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, which owned the building, explained the decision: "It became clear in a short time there were no realistic prospects for a large increase in donations or in members that could have covered immediate and ongoing expenses."

The historic church, which has a mosaic in the walls of the subway station there, sits in one of the priciest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The developer will likely raze the building.

In Harlem, the Church of the Intercession is facing $1 million in repairs. Outside this Episcopal Church in Harlem is a sweeping cemetery that includes the grave of naturalist John Audubon. Inside on a Sunday only 42 worshippers, including the choir, are present. Almost everyone is elderly. There are three canes, one walker, and one child.

With decades long decline, other mainline denominations, including The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church, are slowly going out of business. With dwindling and aging congregants, many mainline churches, often with high-value historic properties, are becoming real estate holders. When they struggle to finance their massive, empty historic buildings they often sell them off -- usually, to developers instead of other churches.

By contrast, in cities like New York, evangelical churches without their own properties are multiplying. The fastest-growing churches in New York are young, evangelical, and meeting in places like school gyms and the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. Evangelical leaders say the disconcerting Pew survey shows a more theologically committed church as people shed the denominations they were merely born into.

The Episcopal Church is working on handling its assets more as investments when a congregation disappears. Bishop Stacy Sauls, the chief operating officer of The Episcopal Church, said he thinks it is "unwise" for churches simply to liquidate their real estate to pay expenses. The denomination will be offering more financial advice for churches to handle their assets like investments.

Sauls says they should be keeping the real estate to generate revenue for the church, like leasing property. Most churches rely on their members when making real estate decisions, Sauls added, and "complex real estate deals" are often beyond the expertise of members. The denomination hopes to offer that expertise. "We're just beginning to work on that," he said. "I think we can be much smarter."

The denomination doesn't pay for buildings if congregations can't support them, and it also doesn't necessarily benefit from these church sales.

*****

A C of E bishop has been asked if the "hot potato" issue of a clergyman marrying his partner in a same-sex marriage was delegated by the Archbishop of Canterbury to avoid a Church of England split.

Former acting Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham Richard Inwood was asked if the Most Rev Justin Welby decided "to leave it (the issue) alone, politically," in allowing individual bishops to handle such a breach of the church's rule as they saw fit.

The bishop replied: "To paraphrase the TV programme [House of Cards], you may say that, but I couldn't possibly comment." Inwood was speaking at an employment tribunal for Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who has made a claim for discrimination against the bishop.

In April 2014, Rev Pemberton became the first clergyman to marry his same-sex partner, in defiance of guidance issued by the C of E's bishops the month before.

Pemberton claims the bishop's decision -- to revoke his permission to officiate as a priest in June 2014 and the refusing of a post for him as hospital chaplain in Nottinghamshire -- breached the Equalities Act. The church's case is that the issue of marriage between a man and a woman is enshrined in church doctrine.

*****

In other UK news, REFORM and the Oxford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship called for the Church of England to uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"This week began with Katherine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (TEC) of the USA, preaching in Westminster Abbey, it will end, we are told with Canon Michael Smith of York Minster blessing the York Gay Pride March. In between, we have seen the Bishop of Buckingham describe doctrine that he swore to teach and pass on as 'lousy'.

"Nowhere in any of this has there been the clear message of the Gospel that despite our rejection of his ways we are all loved by God and can find forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not surprising then, that the majority of the world's Anglicans now look to the Primates of Global Anglican Future Conference GAFCON for leadership -- the question is whether those in the Church of England who wish to proclaim this Gospel will be forced to follow the same path."

The deeper question is how long will Evangelicals, who are the financial backbone of the Church of England, go on drawing lines in the sand over the heresies of the church, and simply call it quits.

*****

Sports Fan Outreach International participates in the Great Commission by mobilizing, equipping, and discipling teams of preachers and evangelists to proclaim Christ (Phil. 1:18) to fans at major sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Cup (soccer), Olympics, Final Four, and Rugby World Cup in the U.S.A. and around the world.

SFOI's three directives are fellowship, teaching, and outreach. Fellowship means that the Saints who participate are organized and minster together in teams and that the Saints' accommodations are at the same location to facilitate interaction amongst everyone so they can get to know each other; teaching means that during the outreaches Pastors and Professors speak to us either about a specific topic or their area of expertise; and outreach means that the Saints are engaged in evangelistic outreach to the fans for six to eight hours per day.

SFOI now has established the George Whitefield program under the guise of Revival-USA which is for men who believed they are called to full-time evangelism. SFOI offers administrative support and practical and theological training for full-time evangelists.

To apply to the George Whitefield program download the application.

Sports Fan Outreach International
1266 W. Paces Ferry Rd. #596
Atlanta, GA
30327
http://sfoi.org/about/
Email: info@sfoi.org

*****

Evangelicals Praise Papal Encyclical. The Rev. Mitch Hescox, President & CEO, Evangelical Environmental Network, issued a statement this week praising the Pope's encyclical statement on climate change.

"We are grateful that the Pope has joined with over 300 evangelicals like Rick Warren, Rich Stearns, and Bill Hybels, and other Christian leaders who understand climate change as the greatest moral challenge of our time and the greatest opportunity for hope. It's time to make hope happen by fueling the unstoppable clean energy transition, stopping the ideological battles, and working together. Creating a new energy economy that benefits all and addresses climate change is not about a political party but living as a disciple of Jesus Christ. We urge all people of good will, especially fellow Christian conservatives to read and study these timely words from Pope Francis."

Pope Francis has written the first papal encyclical focused solely on the environment, attempting to reframe care of the earth as a moral and spiritual concern, and not just a matter of politics, science, and economics. In the document, "Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home," he argues that the environment is in crisis -- cities to oceans, forests to farmland. He emphasizes that the poor are most affected by damage from what he describes as economic systems that favor the wealthy, and political systems that lack the courage to look beyond short-term rewards. But the encyclical is addressed to everyone on the planet. Its 184 pages are an urgent, accessible call to action, making a case that all is interconnected, including the solutions to the grave environmental crisis.

*****

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) continues to grow. Archbishop Foley Beach, writing in his latest missive to friends and followers, says that when the ACNA started in 2009 they had 700 parishes and 6 dioceses. Today they have more than 980 churches and 32 dioceses. "We continue to put more and more of our resources into mission and ministry," he writes. He said ACNA's role in GAFCON is also increasing.

*****

When General Convention meets in Salt Lake City in the Diocese of Utah it might be the last time they meet. The diocese has only 22 parishes with an ASA of 1676 as of 2013. Based on a trajectory of 1,896 in 2003 the ASA has been steadily going downhill. It is probably lower in 2014. By contrast, one solidly evangelical church, Christ Church, Plano, a former TEC parish in the Diocese of Dallas and now under the ACNA has a weekly ASA of 1,800! Who do you think will be around 10 years from now!

*****

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In Christ,

David

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