Obedience and understanding. Obedience is a precondition of understanding. We need to repent of the haughty way in which we sometimes stand in judgment upon Scripture and must learn to sit humbly under its judgment instead. If we come to Scripture with our minds made up, expecting to hear from it only an echo of our own thoughts and never the thunderclap of God's, then indeed he will not speak to us and we shall only be confirmed in our own prejudices. We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior. --- From "Culture and the Bible"

Authority and relevance. The modern world detests authority but worships relevance. So to bracket these two words in relation to the Bible is to claim for it one quality (authority) which people fear it has but wish it had not, and another (relevance) which they fear it has not but wish it had. Our Christian conviction is that the Bible has both authority and relevance - to a degree quite extraordinary in so ancient a book - and that the secret of both is in Jesus Christ. Indeed, we should never think of Christ and the Bible apart. 'The Scriptures ... bear witness to me,' he said (Jn. 5:39), and in so saying also bore his witness to them. This reciprocal testimony between the living Word and the written Word is the clue to our Christian understanding of the Bible. For his testimony to it assures us of its authority, and its testimony to him of its relevance. The authority and the relevance are his. --- From "The Authority and Relevance of the Bible in the Modern World" (The Bible Society in Australia)

The American people spoke last week and among the things they decided was this. The American people replaced 38 pro-abortion Members with pro-life Members and replaced 14 unreliable Members with reliable pro-life Representatives. Of the 93 Members of the Freshman Class at least 77 are committed to defending the unborn. --- Congressman Chris Smith, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
November 12, 2012

Archbishop Ian Ernest, Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA), revealed this week that he will be part of a small group of primates who will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury before the Primates Meeting in January.

"We shall be able to express ourselves but the decision to attend rests solely on the individual Archbishop," said Ernest.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz of Canada also met with the Archbishop of Canterbury on November 3rd. The Anglican Journal reported that the ABC may try to deal with the problem of orthodox archbishops vs. liberal archbishops by arranging prior meetings of smaller groups of like-minded primates.

But a story in a Church of England newspaper that the Primates meeting might be suspended for lack of interest by orthodox primates is inaccurate, according to Jan Butter, Director of Communications for the Anglican Communion Office.

"There has never been any intention of suspending the Primates Meeting," he wrote in an e-mail to VOL.

Butter said there is a suggestion that this might be a different kind of Primates' Meeting, which would begin with a number of different conversations taking place simultaneously. This is to provide a safe space where dialogue can begin and progress together in a spirit of discernment.

However, VOL met with a number of orthodox Global South archbishops in Cape Town, recently. They said they have no intention of attending the Dublin meeting if Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori is present, nor will they tolerate the shuttle diplomacy of Dr. Williams between groups suggested by CEN. A full-fledged boycott is inevitable.

Dr. Williams also called for a reform of the structure of the meetings, suggesting that an elected standing committee be created and the powers and responsibility of the meeting of the communion's 38 archbishops, presiding bishops and moderators be delineated.

Late on Thursday in the Diocese of Lichfield the Archbishop of Canterbury insisted that the worldwide Anglican Communion has a secure future despite divisions over issues such as homosexuality and women bishops.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session as part of a four-day pastoral visit to the diocese, Williams acknowledged that the Communion's divisions would not be "easily healed".

The Archbishop believes the association's role in building relationships between different churches is secure. Asked if there is a future for the Anglican Communion, Williams replied: "I do see the Communion as worth working for because I believe that a model of real international unity by consent is a very precious gift to the Christian world at large. That's what I want to work for." We shall see.

*****

In other world Anglican news, five traditionalist Anglican bishops officially resigned from the Church of England this week with the intention of taking up an English Ordinariate when it is set up.

Archbishop Rowan Williams accepted the resignations the Rt. Rev Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt. Rev Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough and Rt. Rev John Broadhurst Bishop of Fulham as well as the Rt. Rev Edwin Barnes the emeritus Bishop of Richborough and the Rt. Rev David Silk, an emeritus assistant bishop of Exeter.

VOL's source in London said there will not be wholesale defections from the Church of England. "The most accurate figure for the number of people leaving the CofE seems to be about 480 people, mostly laity. They are in 24 "groups" which indicates the number of clergy going to Rome, most of them retired already, including the four Canterbury province PEVs and former PEVs.

"Put them all together in one place and they would not be regarded by the Roman authorities as sufficient to form one viable parish."

Forward in Faith International assured the five bishops of the love, prayers and support of all its members and of its grateful thanks to them all for their ministries to them. FIF-NA leaders made it very clear, however, that FIF will remain an Anglican institution and will not go to Rome with any ordinariate.

Here is an EDITORIAL from the Church Times: Leader: The first departures to the Ordinariate

The announcement on Monday that five bishops are to leave the Church of England for the new Ordinariate was hardly a surprise. They will still be welcome at an Anglican altar, of course, but Anglicanism has long tolerated fuzzier edges than the denomination they intend to join - though the Ordinariate might be seen as an intriguing Roman experiment in fuzziness.

The five will encounter less democracy in their new Church, an experience that will not trouble them, since it was democracy that pushed them towards their decision. In two weeks' time, the Church of England will mark the 40th birthday of the General Synod. For the Church to effect a significant change - to open up the episcopate to women, for example - it requires a two-thirds majority in each of the three Houses. What has never been clear, though, is the fate of the other third. Is it supposed to bow to the will of the majority? Or is the majority supposed to take account of the minority? Probably a bit of both, but until those proportions are established at the final vote, both sides can realistically be expected to argue their point, and then it is too late for compromise. Thus the synodical system militates against the accommodation of opposing views - except that, in prac­tice, Synod members often seek agreement earlier in the process. The women-bishops debate has been so uncomfortable because the sides have been unusually, if not unsynodically, obdurate.

The final vote is still to come, however, and it is for this reason that the departure of the five, and the signal this gives to their flock, will be regretted by those whose views most coincide with theirs. There is now a strong possibility that last-ditch attempts to preserve a more substantial form of provision for those unable to accept women bishops will be undermined by an exodus to the Ordinariate, whatever the numbers involved. The five cannot be blamed, of course: the debate has been a wearisome and dam­aging business, and they are likely now to be experiencing the sort of relief felt in the United States when conservatives split from the Episcopal Church to form the Anglican Church of North America. Both sides there found themselves wondering why they had struggled for so long. Sometimes divorce is the best answer, especially when, in the English case, the split can be seen as a reunion, albeit, as some would argue, a little premature and on uncertain terms. But, for the time being, the bishops' de­parture must be seen as something to regret, the sign of a failure in the Church of England to live up to its high standards of tolerance and comprehensiveness.

US meeting. American Anglo-Catholics who are considering joining the Ordinariate will gather in San Antonio Nov. 16 to 18 for a conference entitled "Becoming One". Anglicans and Roman Catholics will discuss and pray about the proposals.

The meeting will be at Our Lady of the Atonement Anglican Use Catholic Church in San Antonio from Tuesday through Thursday. Fr. Christopher Phillips can be contacted for more information at: FrPhillips@atonementonline.com

*****

The Episcopal Church's first openly gay Episcopal Bishop, V. Gene Robinson said he will retire in 2013. Robinson set off an historic rift in the global Anglican Communion that has caused TEC to rupture and bleed both people and money. Robinson, 63 said pressure has taken a toll. He could have stayed on till 72.

I have written a piece telling the true story of what Robinson has really done to TEC and the global Anglican Communion with his behavior. You can read it here or in today's digest. It is not a pretty tale. http://tinyurl.com/25a3yow

*****

Delegates to the 227th Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Pennsylvania voted overwhelmingly for Bishop Charles Bennison to resign. 476 secret ballots were cast, 341 in favor of the resolution, 134 voted against the resolution.

Bennison thanked the diocesan convention for its voting and when asked to comment, refused to say anything and proceeded to continue with the business of the convention.

Proposers of the resolution focused almost entirely on the abuse and cover-up of his bother's sexual abuse of a minor, citing various things Bennison has said, recently and generally, as well as his unrepentant and self-justifying attitude.

Bennison remained expressionless throughout the vote and discussions. Following the vote, he continued on as if it had never happened.

Bishop Paul Marshall, Diocese of Bethlehem earlier called on Bennison to resign his office. You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

The Anglican Covenant: To Sign or not to Sign, that is the question. By now it should be apparent to every thoughtful Anglican that the Anglican Covenant designed to hold the Communion together is in deep trouble.

Last July, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori dismissed the Covenant as "cheap grace". More recently, two liberal (progressive) groups in the Church of England have poured cold water on it. Inclusive Church and Modern Church, joined together in late October to campaign against the covenant, which they say is "an attempt by some leaders of the Anglican Communion to subordinate national churches to a centralized international authority, with power to forbid developments when another province objects."

What in fact they object to is Section IV of the Covenant that calls for disciplinary action in the event that a province violates the Covenant. I have written an article about this and I would commend two additional articles by Bishop John H. Rodgers who offers his own analysis both of the Covenant and the Hegeleian mind of Rowan Williams. These are must reads.

*****

Attorneys for the Anglican District of Virginia churches who are being sued have turned in their briefs to Judge Bellows. He and his staff will now review the briefs before hearing oral arguments today, CANA Bishop David Bena writes. "I am calling all ADV clergy and laity and parishes to daily prayer for the judge and his staff, that God will bless them. Please pray that the Anglican congregations of Church of the Apostles, Fairfax; Church of the Epiphany, Herndon; The Church of Our Saviour, Oatlands; St. Margaret's Anglican Church, Woodbridge; St. Paul's Church, Haymarket; St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Heathsville; The Falls Church, Falls Church; Truro Church, Fairfax; and Church of the Word, Gainesville will retain their properties and do many signs and wonders as they use their properties to lead people into the Kingdom of God."

To recap where things stand, the Virginia Supreme Court earlier this year ruled in favor of the diocese and overturned a lower court decision, returning the cases to the lower court for retrial.

The CANA parishes asked Virginia Supreme Court to reconsider its own decision, but the court declined.

At that juncture, the Virginia dispute stood where most church property disputes begin.

In October, the lower court asked the parties for their views of how the trial(s) should proceed. CANA and the Diocese have now replied to the court. Eight of the nine CANA parishes filed a joint reply. Another filed its own.

A hearing is set for today to determine procedures and set the trial schedule.

Among the questions is whether the nine cases will be consolidated. The parties anticipate the briefing and trial period to be April - June 2011.

Court documents can be read at: http://www.thediocese.net/News/Property_Dispute/#2010trial

*****

In a recent article on the Covenant, VOL mentioned that the Anglican Church of Mexico(ACM) was the first out of the box to approve the covenant. A reader wrote in to say that in the ACM there was not a process of consultation with clergy and parishes before the approval of said Covenant. It was unilaterally decided by the bishops and archbishop.

*****

I once said that when the liberals and revisionists have finished deposing and running the orthodox out of town, they will turn on each other. It has started.

The Rev. Ann Fontaine of Lander, Wyoming, an ultra liberal Episcopal priest blasted the liberalBishop of Bethlehem, Paul Marshall for writing a letter calling on Pennsylvania Bishop Charles Bennison to resign. She wrote that Marshall's letter is a symptom of disregard for women, the House of Deputies, and laity by some bishops. She accused Marshall of making remarks that were wholly inappropriate about PHOD Bonnie Anderson. Anderson's letter to the survivors of Bennison's actions only prays that the bishops will take action and does NOT recommend any canonical changes. Marshall's letter reveals an all too common complaint by some bishops about the Deputies, especially laity. Marshall wrote about Bonnie Anderson, "I will not offer comment on the action of the House of Bishops, or the unwarranted and acutely unwelcome intrusion by the perhaps officious President of the House of Deputies into the affairs of another house (imagine the explosion that would happen if the reverse occurred.)"

So there you have it, when the last orthodox rector and bishop in TEC are gone, the revisionist wolves will turn on one another. Who said this was not the greatest show on earth to watch?

*****

The National (Episcopal) Church is apparently discussing the possibility of taking over control of not only real property, but personal property as well --namely the endowments of both dioceses and parishes. At the recent Diocese of Pennsylvania convention, there was discussion of resolution R-9-2010, a resolution for the continuation of the diocesan mission planning commission. It was passed. Long term planning would not allow individual parishes to take their endowment before the parishes leave. They can take income, but not principal. This apparently fits with the changing structures of Title IV.

The bottom line is this. As the Episcopal Church leadership sees its people flee and its income diminish, the need to take and hold onto power grows greater. Is it any wonder that Mrs. Jefferts Schori and her attorney David Booth Beers are adamant that no deals be cut with parishes that leave TEC?

Witness the recent action of Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton, Bishop of the Diocese of Maryland, who sent in a gay priest between two services at Mt. Calvary, an Anglo-Catholic congregation, to establish his authority even as the parish votes to go to Rome...millions being spent on lawsuits to the extent that the national church has re-mortgaged 815 2nd avenue to the tune of $60 million...pending action by one diocese against IRD...the financial castration of the 20/20 program to double the size of TEC...the inevitable deposition of Bishop Mark Lawrence of South Carolina, and the possible decline of Fr. Daniel Martins to be the next Bishop of Springfield. It doesn't take brain surgery to figure where all this is going.

*****

At a meeting of the clergy of the Diocese of Pennsylvania during the week preceding the Diocesan Convention on November 6, 2010, members of the clergy who had personally suffered egregious abuses at the hands of Charles Bennison, told their stories to all present. Bishop Rodney Michel, interim Bishop while Bennison was inhibited, who had previously been made aware of some of the alleged outrageous Bennison conduct, acknowledged those victims publicly in his remarks at the meeting of the Diocese in August called to deal with Bennison's return.

The question is, why hasn't a new complaint been filed against Bennison to deal with these further allegations? That question was asked of David Booth Beers at the last Bennison hearing in Delaware earlier this year. Beers indignantly replied, "We are not here to deal with that issue today".

It would seem then that the ball is squarely in the court of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. Will she act?

*****

Bishop Robert Duncan delivered his annual Bishop's Address at the opening Convention Eucharist of the Diocese of Pittsburgh on November 5, 2010. The address focused on how God has pruned the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh so that it might become more fruitful and exist for the sake of others. The theme for this past Convention was "Becoming Congregations for Others." The full text of his address is available in today's digest.

*****

REALIGNMENT continues at a vigorous pace in North America. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) dialogue is going on with the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) bishops currently in St. Louis, MO. A reader told VOL that what we may not know is that top bishops and clergy around the Anglican Communion (especially in the C of E) are looking very closely at the various dialogues the ACNA has going with several groups like the Orthodox and are in simple awe of what is happening. "It's like they don't understand why so many groups want to speak with the ACNA...Yet, ultimately...the answer is simple. The ACNA has dialogue going with various groups because they are scripturally based and orthodox in their theology. It's like Canterbury isn't making the connection with the fact that they need to be orthodox if they want to be taken seriously by orthodox Christians from other traditions. "I would also like to point out that the ACNA dialogue with the LCMS is very historic. The number of groups that have gotten this far with the LCMS over the years could be counted on one hand. In fact, I'm not sure any have been non-Lutheran before now. "It also appears that since the ACNA is being so successful in talks with the Orthodox and the LCMS this has given many within the ACNA encouragement to deal effectively with the WO issue."

*****

The National Council of Churches and global humanitarian agency Church World Service capped a year of ecumenical anniversary celebrations with their annual general assembly, welcoming religious leaders from the United States and beyond, including Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The Nov. 9-11 "centennial gathering" is drawing more than 400 people to the Marriott New Orleans to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland -- an event widely regarded as the beginning of the modern ecumenical movement -- and to discuss how the churches might live and work together in the future.

Let me disabuse you of something. The NCC/WCC is not the spiritual heirs of the 1910 World Missionary conference. Those folk back then actually believed they had a gospel to share with the world. Not this lot. They believe all religions are on an equal playing field and that Christian conversion is not necessary. The true heir of 1910 is the recent Lausanne Conference on World Evangelism in Cape Town, South Africa. They have maintained the true evangelical tradition. One could add the GAFCON gathering of global Anglican leaders in Jerusalem, as well.

*****

Anglican spiritual leader, Archbishop Rowan Williams will visit the Vatican on November 17th. His visit is in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

*****

The power of prayer. This is an excellent video of a non-Christian police official testifying to the power of having pastors praying over their cities and before potentially dangerous events. It came to me from Christian officers in New Zealand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvptKRZ-Ggw&feature=share;

*****

THIS FROM A VOL CANADIAN READER: If David Virtue lived in Canada, and if he were publishing virtueonline.org from a Canadian address, he would not be publishing at all. His web based news page would be shut down by order of the Supreme Court of Canada, and he would be arrested, tried, and probably jailed under Canada's current "anti-hate" laws. Virtue is protected by the fact that he lives in and publishes from the USA (but this protection could be lost at any time in the near future, if American compatriots are not vigilant). It is dangerous in Canada even to openly challenge non-Christian religions, because they are able to hide behind Canada's multiculturalism.

*****

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to VOL. Funds are very low and there are conferences to cover (AMIA, Mere Anglican and the Primates in Ireland) early in the New Year. For a few dollars it is a bargain basement deal. You wake up each week to a digest which comes directly into your e-mail box. VOL's website www.virtueonline.org is updated daily with stories that you can read 24/7. So please, as you consider your end of year giving, spare a dime for VOL. We have shown ourselves to be reliable year after year. We have never let you down, we have never failed you. You may not agree with every article we write, but we try to tell the truth without spin and without fear of the consequences. What more can we do? We work 6.5 days a week (60+ hours) and I run my meager staff ragged with my travels and crazy schedule.

Do you know what it is like to wake a copy-editor at 3am in Colorado Springs when it is midnight in Cape Town? Or wake my attorney at 10pm to check a story for libel when it is 3am in Uganda? A retired hermit with 35 years experience in journalism works for VOL from a small town in Texas. Her stories are making Episcopal history. ALL VOL's staff works uncomplainingly. So please send a check. This is a bare bones ministry, but one that you have come to trust or hundreds of thousands of you would not be still reading VOL 15 years later. Please keep trust alive. You can send your donation to:

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All blessings,

David