True repentance is never alone in the heart of any person. It always has a companion-a blessed companion. It is always accompanied by lively faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Wherever faith is, there is repentance; wherever repentance is, there is always faith. I do not decide which comes first-whether repentance comes before faith, or faith before repentance. But I am bold to say that the two graces are never found separate, one from the other. Just as you cannot have the sun without light, or ice without cold, or fire without heat, or water without moisture-so long you will never find true faith without true repentance, and you will never find true repentance without lively faith. The two things will always go side by side. --- Bishop J.C. Ryle

The choice before us. If you suffer from moral anaemia, take my advice and steer clear of Christianity. If you want to live a life of easy-going self-indulgence, whatever you do, do not become a Christian. But if you want a life of self-discovery, deeply satisfying to the nature God has given you; if you want a life of adventure in which you have the privilege of serving him and your fellow men; if you want a life in which to express something of the overwhelming gratitude you are beginning to feel for him who died for you, then I would urge you to yield your life, without reserve and without delay, to your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. --- From "Basic Christianity" by John R.W. Stott

'Only the religious bit?' The whole of our life belongs to God and is part of his calling, both before conversion and outside religion. We must not imagine that God first became interested in us when we were converted, or that now he is interested only in the religious bit of our lives. ---From "The Contemporary Christian" by John R.W. Stott

The great secret of your advance in the divine life will be found to lie in the habitual closeness of your walk with God. Be a man of secret prayer, and you have a coat of armor, proof against all the assaults of your enemy. Prayer will make you skillful in the fight. Prayer will polish your armor, and sharpen your sword, and make you "terrible as an army with banners" to your foes.--- Octavius Winslow

Be On Guard Against False Doctrine. Let us be on our guard against false doctrine. Unsound faith will never be the mother of really sound practice, and in these latter days, departures from the faith abound. See then let your loins be girded about with truth, and be very jealous of receiving anything which cannot be proved by the Bible. Do not think for a moment that false doctrine will meet you face to face, saying, "I am false doctrine, and I want to come into your heart." Satan does not go to work in that way. He dresses up false doctrine like Jezebel - he paints her face and attires her hair, and tries to make her like truth. Do not think that those who preach error will never preach anything that is true. Error would do little harm if that was the case. No. Error will come before you mingled with much that is sound and scriptural. --- Bishop J.C. Ryle

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
June 17, 2011

The Archbishop of Canterbury took a drubbing this week, probably one of the most severe since he took office.

He got into hot water when he lashed out against the British conservative coalition government of David Cameron accusing the government of being insensitive to the poor and the needy. He sided with the liberal democrats in an open display of political partisanship that we have not seen since Dr. Williams attained the title of "hairy lefty" at the beginning of his incumbency.

Taking a party political stand is not biblically sanctioned. Christian leaders can speak truth to power realizing that original sin affects liberals and conservatives alike. Williams went over the top. He was publicly smacked for it by leaders, including Peter Hitchens, who argued that Williams failed to see the difference between spongers and the truly needy. Britain's nanny state has allowed millions of spongers to live off the state, causing massive taxation hikes and a national debt that reaches beyond the Tower of Babel. (The price of gas in England is nearly $10.00 a gallon and most of that is taxation.)

As the Rev. Charles Raven, a critic of Williams, observes, "So we are left with an odd inversion of what would be expected. On political matters, which are not his primary competence or responsibility, the Archbishop can himself be clear and 'sharp edged', but on spiritual matters he is typically nuanced and on the most neuralgic issue of homosexual practice he is even willing to split himself in two - to have an official voice (against) and a personal voice (for)."

You can read a number of stories about this whole blow up in England in today's digest including commentary by Peter Hitchens, Charles Raven, and me.

*****

There was more rejection of Dr. Williams' Covenant this week. This time it came from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. At the annual general meeting of the province, leaders said they had carefully considered the text of The Anglican Communion Covenant. They examined the context in which it was proposed and concluded, "The Covenant offers us nothing new or more compelling than the Spiritual Covenant that we already have with each other through faith in Jesus Christ.

"We see that Section Four of The Anglican Communion Covenant propose measures of compliance and discipline - including "relational consequences" and being declared "incompatible with the Covenant" - that go against the Gospel imperative to "love one another" (John 13:34-35).

You can be pretty sure that both TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada will also reject it. This begs the question what is the Archbishop of Canterbury going to do when most of the pan-Anglican liberal provinces say no? His credibility is now almost trash. He has taken a drubbing for his blast at English conservative government policies. He is losing Anglo-Catholics to Rome. GAFCON/FCA (Global South evangelicals) have set up shop in London. English evangelicals in the Church of England are growing restive at his inept and inconsequential leadership. Is it any wonder that, with great foresight, Canadian Anglican theologian Dr. J. I. Packer called for Dr. Williams' resignation a couple of years ago. A recent visitor to Lambeth Palace told VOL that the atmosphere at the palace was "dire."

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Recently, Huron University College, a small Anglican college affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree on the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at its Theology Convocation on May 5th. The Presiding Bishop is well known for her extremely liberal theological views and policies. Several large dioceses and dozens of churches have left TEC during her controversial nine-year term.

In an open letter to the College's administration, Margaret Wardroper, a granddaughter of Bishop W.T. Hallam, in whose honor the Bishop Hallam Theological Society was named, stated she was "deeply disappointed by the recent decision." Wardroper, who is herself a graduate of the College, explained that her grandfather had been Professor and Dean of Divinity at Huron College, and Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Huron. She had originally planned to donate her grandfather's papers to Huron College. After learning of the honor to be bestowed on Jefferts Schori, she "decided to entrust them to Wycliffe College [at the University of Toronto], where the historic faith is still upheld, and the legacy of evangelical bishops in the Anglican church is likely to be of greater interest." Source TAP

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Allowing same-sex couples to marry could lead to the acceptance of polygamy and incest, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has warned.

Writing in the church's newspaper, Southern Cross, Dr Jensen said the push for same-sex unions to be enshrined in the Marriage Act was not a drive for the extension of rights, but a redefinition of "one of the indispensable foundations of community".

"Ensuring public honour of same-sex relationships by calling them marriages is an abuse of marriage itself," he noted.

"It imposes, through social engineering, a newly minted concept of marriage on a community that understands it in quite another way."

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

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The Anglican Bishop of Recife, the Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti, has called for the election of a bishop-coadjutor. Speaking on the occasion of Recife's 35th anniversary as free-standing diocese on May 20, Bishop Cavalcanti said that he will retire on his 70th birthday in June 2014. He called for the election of a coadjutor bishop in 2013 "to make an orderly transition without prejudice to the normal activities of the diocese."

Since it broke from the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil (IEAB) in 2005, the diocese has seen significant growth and "has more than doubled its number of congregations, clergy and members" a diocesan spokesman reported earlier this year. At the start of 2011, the diocese stated it had 5,102 members in 47 congregations with 61 ordained clergy, and a "presence in 9 Brazilian states."

As Cavalcanti and the clergy of Recife were deposed by the IEAB for contumacy, the 2005 creation of the diocese has not been recognized by a majority of the wider Anglican Communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury has long attempted to mediate the dispute. Dr. Williams told a press conference at the close of the 2009 Primates Meeting, that he had sent emissaries to the two sides and hoped "this would lead to an eventual reconciliation."

However, Bishop Cavalcanti believes this is unrealistic. Forcing the two into one institutional body would compel "people of two different religions to live formally together," he said.

The stagnation of the IEAB has led Recife to expand outside of its diocesan boundaries and it now has "a presence in 9 Brazilian states," according to the diocese.

To oversee this growth, the diocese is organizing four archdeaconries and will elect two suffragan bishops later this year. The diocese has asked for the prayers of the wider church in support of its mission to bring the Gospel to Brazil and "hopes to count on the support of orthodox Anglicans throughout the world" in its work.

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For the first time, the Anglican Diocese of Accra has ordained three women deaconesses as priests of the Anglican Church of Ghana. The three are Rev. Mrs. Stella Bentsi-Enchil, Rev. Mrs. Alberta Kennies Addo, and Rev. Ms. Susanna C. Naana Ackun.

In a sermon, the Archbishop and Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa and Bishop of Accra, the Most Rev Dr Justice O. Akrofi, reminded the new priests of their call to fulfill the vision of God for mankind.

He said they had been called among many and, therefore, they should act as leaders with great respect, humility, patience and love for all. He reminded them of the various gifts with which God has endowed them and urged them to facilitate the different gifts within the church in order to promote its growth.

*****

The Episcopal News Service reports that The Rev. Catherine Dawkins made history in early June when she became the first woman to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East during a service at St. Christopher's Cathedral in Manama, Bahrain.

Dawkins, 34, will serve in the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, which in February this year was granted permission, by the vote of a provincial synod, to ordain and appoint women priests. The decision does not affect the other three dioceses in the province: Egypt, Iran and Jerusalem.

"It is wonderful that women are now able to be ordained in this diocese, and it was an immense privilege to be the first woman to be ordained here," Dawkins told ENS. Dawkins, a British citizen, has now moved to Dubai with her husband, the Rev. Nigel Dawkins, who will begin a new role on July 1 as senior port chaplain with Mission to Seafarers in Dubai.

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Now it's the Southern Baptists turn to get an earful of gay agit-prop. A coalition of local and national LGBT activists will hand-deliver a petition to leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention at their annual meeting calling on the SBC to apologize for the harm its teachings have caused the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to delivering the petition, an historic "Teach-In" will take place outside of the SBC's convention.

The group includes The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, Believe OutLoud, Faith in America, GetEqual, Soulforce and Truth Wins Out. The shoutout will take place at The Phoenix Convention Center.

"The LGBT crowd are calling on the SBC to stop misusing the Bible to promote religion-based bigotry and start recognizing the enormous pain and suffering caused by its mistreatment of LGBT people, particularly vulnerable youth," explained Dr. Jack McKinney, a heterosexual, married, former Southern Baptist minister and spokesperson for Faith in America. "History has not been kind to the Southern Baptist Convention's record on minorities and it is making the same awful mistake today by perpetuating abuse against gay people."

Pansexuality is now fully enshrined in TEC and the ELCA. It is moving rapidly in Presbyterian and Methodist circles and is now coming full force at the evangelical SBC. It will be interesting to see if they roll over. Watch for push back from men like Dr. Al Mohler and other SBC leaders. This could get rough as the SBC views Scripture as fully authoritative on sexuality issues.

*****

Southern Baptists have fewest baptisms since the 1950s and are losing members, the "Huffington Post" has reported. Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, have dipped to their lowest point in 60 years, according to a new report. Last year, there were 332,321 baptisms in the church, which are 17,416 less than 2009.

For a time, conservative groups resisted this trend. This should be a wake-up call to Episcopalians, the fastest dying mainline denomination in the US. Evangelical Anglicans, on the other hand, are growing at a rapid pace. ACNA has more than 100,000 members in 800 parishes in 28 dioceses

*****

A story VOL ran recently about the Reformed Episcopal Church's "trial use" Book of Common Prayer issued by Bishop Richard Boyce. The trial BCP has been approved by no one in authority in the REC, including the Committee on Doctrine and Worship and the Standing Liturgical Commission and is extra canonical in that no individual bishop is authorized under the canons to issue his own liturgy. Therefore, the book has no legal standing whatsoever, according to Jim Payne, Archdeacon DMA of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

"The 53rd General Council did, however, approve a beautiful contemporary language version of the 2003 REC BCP - one that modernizes the language while preserving the theology, meter and structure of the 1662 BCP so that existing liturgical music can still be used along with contemporary music. This version, for optional use, was approximately 5 years in the making and was taken through the legitimate process of approval. We are very excited to have it available alongside the traditional BCP."

*****

Anthony Weiner, the disgraced New York politician who posed naked on video and sent it to various women, is reportedly going in for therapy to deal with his problem. So, unlike homosexuality, heterosexuality is apparently amenable to therapeutic remedies. Congressman Weiner is expected to resign late Thursday.

*****

Another parish has closed in the Diocese of Olympia. The Diocese of Olympia announced that it is closing St. George Episcopal Church, located in Seattle, Washington (Lake City). They held a final worship service on May 15, 2011. At the same time, St Mark's Cathedral in Seattle will hold a gay Pride and Faith Evening with Jennifer Knapp this summer. St. Mark's Cathedral is partnering with other faith-based and community organizations in the annual Pride celebration to host an evening of music and community with folk-rock artist Jennifer Knapp. Knapp recently rocked the Christian music world when she announced she was in a relationship with another woman. So the decline will continue till the last person turns out the lights in Olympia.

*****

The Diocese of Albanyrecently passed revisions to the Title IV canons at their diocesan convention. The changes reflect the increase of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori's metropolitan powers that kick in on July 1. One layman, distinctly unhappy at the prospect, rose to protest the resolution. Sheridan Biggs, an orthodox layman in Albany, said it would give carte blanche to Jefferts Schori to go after Bishop Mark Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina.

However, a priest spoke up for the resolution that was passed overwhelmingly. The passage of the resolution is strange bearing in mind that the diocese passed a poison pill resolution in 2008 making sure the diocese stays in orthodox hands if Bishop Bill Love ever steps down and a new bishop never obtains consent from the HOB or Standing Committees. On another note, the Albany assistant chancellor Raymond Dague resigned.

*****

The Diocese of Atlanta has made it official and is searching for a new bishop. Bishop J. Neil Alexander pledged to wipe out racism in his tenure but apparently failed. If they don't pick up an African-American, Alexander's ongoing anti-racism training may have failed. His "wiping racism out of the Diocese of Atlanta" legacy will be a failure if he can't get a black to replace him. This bears close scrutiny. He admitted in his last Address to Council that he's obsessed with race and that he's burdened with white privilege. It is reasonable to conclude that if the diocese doesn't replace him with a person of color, his tenure has been a failure.

The truth is Alexander's anti racist missional legacy is up for grabs as he flees administrative stress for a return to the leisurely classroom.

The Sewanee Community will be watching with great interest the developments in the selection of Neil Alexander's replacement in the Diocese of Atlanta. As a regent and now Chancellor of Sewanee University, he has worked very closely and effectively with Jon Meacham, Trudie Cunningham, Erik Benjamin, Whalter Browneridge, James Hefner, the minority empowering Posse Foundation Scholars, and Rev. Tomas Makfie to transform Sewanee into a multicultural reflection of the African American racial diversity we must have in order to see the Face of God in our dorms, classrooms, and All Saints' Chapel, and rugby and equitation teams. Thanks to Alexander, Sewanee is now finally blessed with an enriching contribution of vibrant, corrective, and growing multicultural leadership. But is he as sincere in Atlanta as he is at Sewanee?

In his last Address to Council, he made strong statements about ongoing race problems in his diocese.

"There are so many arenas of my life to which this applies, but today I want to speak of only one, the sin of racism. There are other sins, of course - gender-based sexism, ageism, heterosexism, and classism - to name only a few, but it is racism and working toward its eradication, I believe, that cries out to be claimed as a new and renewed priority.

"We must be sensitive, especially those of us burdened by white privilege, to how easily we rationalize away the more difficult transactions of daily life when they involve persons of other races; and, how easy it is for persons of color to slip all-too-easily into their own stereotyping of each other and of the rest of us."

*****

At the US Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in San Francisco Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl said as many as 100 U.S. Anglican priests and 2,000 laypeople could be the first members of a U.S. personal ordinariate for former Anglicans who want to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Wuerl was appointed by the Vatican last September to guide the incorporation of Anglican groups into the Catholic Church in the United States under "Anglicanorum coetibus," an apostolic constitution issued by Pope Benedict XVI in November 2009.

At a news conference following his report, Cardinal Wuerl said he "wouldn't be surprised" if the Vatican were to establish the U.S. ordinariate by the end of the year. "I think it will be sooner rather than later," he said.

Two Anglican congregations in Maryland -- St. Luke's in Bladensburg and Mount Calvary in Baltimore -- have announced their intention to join the new ordinariate once it is established.

Last fall it was touted that 1,000 priests, 800 parishes and up to 30,000 laity in England were likely to join up. So far it's 60 priests, 1 parish and 800 - 1,000 laity.

Ordinariates are under consideration in Australia and Canada, as well as in the United States. So far in Canada, one Anglican parish has voted to go (many of the members are not going) out of 1800 parishes and 2 million Anglicans. At most only 6 or 7 congregations of the ACCC, probably a total of 300 people along with a dozen clergy with 8 of them over the age limit. See more stories in today's digest.

*****

A revival at St. Thomas, in Philadelphia? The African American Episcopal parish recently hosted The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., retired senior pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois, with the theme "Rebirth and Renewal." You will recall that Wright was scheduled to serve as a revivalist in 2008, but got kyboshed for his outspoken remarks about President Obama and white America. Apparently, all has been forgiven. Another interpretation for his not appearing was that Wright wanted Obama to get the lock on the nomination.

*****

In yet another sign that TEC bishops now believe that God now approves marriage between same sex couples, Long Island Bishop Larry Provenzano has lent his full support to Marriage Equality. "It would be a blessing if New York were to allow loving, committed gay and lesbian couples to be married."

His statement reads, "Our faith traditions teach us that all people are children of God, deserving of love, dignity and equal treatment, and we, the undersigned therefore believe that gay and lesbian New Yorkers in committed, loving relationships should be able to protect each other with the critical safety-net provided by civil marriage. The performing of marriage ceremonies is one of the most important facets of our work as ministers and rabbis. We take this work extremely seriously and are grateful to have 'the power vested in us' by the State of New York as we bring couples together in marriage through our civil and religious laws.

"While we recognize and respect that not all faiths support marriage equality, it is important to note that the legislation in its current form states that no clergy, house of worship or denomination would be forced to perform same-sex marriages. Moreover, current New York State law already provides extremely broad protections for religious organizations that do not wish to make their facilities available to same-sex couples for marriage ceremonies, receptions or other functions. Those protections would be unchanged under the proposed legislation.

"It would be a blessing if New York were to allow loving, committed gay and lesbian couples to be married. We call on the Legislature to pass this legislation for the good of these couples and for the good of our great State."

At one point in time, Provenzano was a leading Roman Catholic, and we know what the RC church thinks about this.

*****

The Southern Cone's Provincial Executive Council met in Chile from May 16-18. The key concern was Uruguay's petition to seek another jurisdiction after last year's Provincial Synod, given the Province's trajectory contrary to the ordination of women to the presbyterate and the denial of local option. The meeting's atmosphere was one of deep pastoral concern for the diocese. The canons direct that a decision of this nature be taken by Synod, which normally occurs every three years. Considering this fact, the Executive Council voted to hold an extraordinary Synod next November with the request of Uruguay as its subject and allowing the Province to pastorally accompany the diocese. This also responded to Uruguay's request to reach a decision within the year. The extraordinary Synod will take place in Asunción, Paraguay. In another action, the Province appointed Bishop Nicholas Drayson as Ordinary for Northern Argentina in response to the diocese's petition, with the House of Bishops concurring. (Drayson has long been involved in ministry in Northern Argentina, earlier as a missionary translator to the Charote people.) Bishop Gregory Venables had been the Interim Bishop in charge of the Diocese of Northern Argentina. Source Bishop Frank Lyons, Cochabamba, Bolivia, June 12, 2011.

*****

The trustees of four Vancouver-area Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes are preparing to vacate their church buildings after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed their case and awarded legal costs to the Anglican Church of Canada Diocese of New Westminster.

The four churches are: St John's (Shaughnessy), St Matthews (Abbotsford), Good Shepherd (Vancouver), and St Matthias & St Luke's (Vancouver).

The parishes had appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada requesting the court to overturn the decision of the BC courts in awarding their church properties to the Diocese.

****

A Missouri court ruled in favor of a Colonial Church in a property dispute. He said a Presbyterian Church USA trust clause violated state law. One of Kansas City's largest Presbyterian churches joined the growing ranks of departing churches that are winning property cases against the Presbyterian Church (USA). On July 10, Judge Justine E. Del Muro ruled in favor of the Colonial Presbyterian Church of Kansas City, MO, in a decision that will allow the 1,700-member congregation to keep its property following its 2010 departure from Heartland Presbytery.

This is an important property decision that might have implications for historic Christ Church, a prominent Savannah fixture since Georgia's colonial days which is divided in a bitter legal dispute over its future sparked by an argument about homosexuality that has riven Episcopal churches nationwide.

The congregation, which proudly embraces its nickname, "The Mother Church of Georgia," has been wrangling over the ownership of its property in the heart of downtown Savannah ever since 87 percent of the members voted to split with the Episcopal Church in 2007. The divided church membership is battling in Georgia's Supreme Court over who owns the $3 million property and the building. Many legal observers believe the case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Presbyterian Church ruling could assist the congregation in its fight with the diocese.

*****

The Episcopal Church's Executive Council opened its three-day meeting in Linthicum Heights, Maryland by hearing about the rebuilding challenges facing three dioceses: Haiti, Quincy and San Joaquin.

A report about the current state of the Diocese of Quincy was conducted in open session. A question-and-answer period on the needs of that diocese and the initial discussion of the San Joaquin report were both heard during an executive session of council's Governance and Administration for Mission (GAM) and Finances for Mission (FFM) committees, apparently due to the inclusion in both instances of information concerning litigation.

*****

Rapture preacher and evangelical Harold Camping suffered a stroke. The 89-year-old retired civil engineer rallied thousands of followers with a prophecy the world would end last month. He also founded Family Radio Worldwide, an independent ministry that has broadcasted his prediction around the world. Camping fell ill after a broadcast of his daily "Open Forum" radio show last Thursday in Oakland, California, and was admitted to a hospital in the San Francisco Bay area, said Tom Evans, a spokesman for his Family Radio network.

Camping drew international attention by predicting that the Rapture, the biblical Judgment Day, would happen on May 21, launching a doomsday countdown in which some followers spent their savings in anticipation of being swept into heaven that day. After the prophecy failed to materialize, Camping said he had simply miscalculated by five months and announced a new date for the apocalypse - Oct. 21.

*****

Remember the Rev. Al Kimmel, the Episcopal priest who left TEC became a Roman Catholic priest and then threw stones at Anglicans for a time because they couldn't recognize the One True Church? Now, he is a Western Rite Orthodox priest.

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If you want to see and hear the truth preached with Holy Ghost power, passion and conviction by a Global South Anglican African leader, watch this. It comes from the Church of the Redeemer: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=498914466726&oid=159411727412953&comments

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