All revealed truth is held in stewardship. It is given to be shared, not monopolized. If men cannot keep their scientific discoveries to themselves, how much less should we keep to ourselves the divine disclosures? --- From "The Message of Ephesians" John R.W. Stott

In the Bible God gives us revelations of himself which lead us to worship, promises of salvation which stimulate our faith, and commandments expressing his will which demand our obedience. This is the meaning of Christian discipleship. Its three essential ingredients are worship, faith and obedience. And all three are called forth by the Word of God. --- From The Bible: Book for Today

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
2/23/2008

It was another helter skelter week in the life of the Anglican Communion.

The week began with word that yet another Episcopal bishop is leaving The Episcopal Church for safer spiritual climes. The Rt. Rev. Terence Kelshaw, the retired bishop of the Rio Grande, was received into the Anglican Province of Uganda under the spiritual authority of the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi. Bishop Kelshaw wrote Mrs. Katherine Jefferts Schori saying, "I have therefore requested and been received into the Province of the Church of Uganda (where I once lived for two years) and I believe I sense a certain security and unity with that decision and with that Province."

This is the second defection from this diocese in recent months. Late last year, the incumbent bishop, Jeffrey Steenson, left for Rome joining several other former Episcopal bishops who have also crossed the Tiber. One wonders if the deep thinkers at 815 2nd Avenue are getting the message that all is not well in the land of liberal Episcopal agit prop. Kelshaw will now join with the Rt. Rev. John Guernsey, who was recently anointed a Ugandan bishop for American flocks who have fled TEC and are now under his care.

But then things got a whole lot heavier.

Twenty-one English evangelical bishops wrote a letter to the five GAFCON primates of the Global South, including Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and the Southern Cone, urging them to attend Lambeth.

The primates wrote back, turning down their appeal, saying they could not attend as the consecrators of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson in the Episcopal Church (TEC) of America will be there, an action'"they have not repented"'.

They added that to attend Lambeth would be an "'assault on our consciences"' Many American congregations, they are now overseeing under new episcopal arrangements, are being sued for their properties by The Episcopal Church. They added it would be "hypocrisy".

The primates also lit into the instruments of unity saying: "We have come to the conclusion, from the failure of the instruments of the Communion to take action either to discipline the Episcopal Church or to protect those who have asked the Communion for protection, that there is no serious space for those of an orthodox persuasion in the councils of the Communion to be themselves or to be taken seriously. We are therefore not persuaded by your arguments to attend."

What is sad about the English Evangelical bishops appeal is that they just don't get how serious the situation is in the U.S. They are blind and deaf to what is going on here or they don't read anything other than the liberal British broad sheets, Church Times and CEN, along with liberal Anglican blogs that refuse to tell the truth about how dire the situation is in The Episcopal Church! Furthermore, they refuse to acknowledge the theological and moral seriousness of what sodomy is doing to the Episcopal Church, the danger to human souls and the failure of TEC to live up to the demands of the Windsor Report. Also, the English bishops are prepared to put unity ahead of truth. Global South evangelicals will not tolerate that as they will never accede or compromise the gospel for the sake of a faux unity.

If that wasn't enough, a damning letter came from the council of the evangelical Church Society in the UK saying that Archbishop Rowan Williams was a "false" teacher, calling on them to break fellowship with the Archbishop of Canterbury because of his teaching on homosexuality. The Rev. David Phillips, the Society's general secretary, writing on behalf of the council, said that while he had no intention of divorcing from the formal structures of the Church of England, he would support congregations who might consider themselves outside those structures.

This was not met with universal acclaim. The Bishop of Lewes, the Rt. Rev. Wallace Benn, vice-chairman of the Church Society, (but not on its council) sought to distance himself from the letter, saying: "I have many friends at Church Society, but I think this is a very unhelpful letter at this time." The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has called for the Bishop's resignation. Phillips said that he believed the majority of the Society's members would support the letter. The Society is patron of 113 Church of England parishes, but they are not a party to the letter, and not all would be in agreement, he believed.

However, another faction, the Open Synod Group of the Church of England, re-affirmed their support for Dr Williams "'in his continuing prophetic ministry"' following the media outcry after his comments on Sharia Law.

Before the week ended however, four orthodox American Bishops (Howe, Central Florida; MacPherson, Western Louisiana; Smith, North Dakota; and Stanton, Dallas) met with the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.

Here is a summary of what was presented to the Presiding Bishop. "In the context of the Episcopal Visitors concept announced by the Presiding Bishop at the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans, a number of us have reflected a need for a larger gathering which we are calling Communion Partners. We believe such a gathering will afford us the opportunity for mutual support, accountability and fellowship; and present an important sign of our connectedness in and vision for the Anglican Communion as it moves through this time of stress and renewal." In the letter, released by John Howe, he said five Primates of the Global South: West Indies, Tanzania, Indian Ocean, Burundi, Middle East would act as the Episcopal Visitors. You can read the full story in today's digest. You should note that a story written by Jonathan Petre was slammed as inaccurate by Howe. Another story, by George Conger, also has some errors, but is more factually correct.

*****

The liberal shockwaves coursing through The Episcopal Church alighted this week on one of its 11 accredited seminaries. The Trustees and the Dean of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary announced that it was facing "real economic and missional challenges," and will stop offering a residential Masters of Divinity degree. It will enter a period of discernment about its future.

They wrote: "The stand-alone residential model developed in the nineteenth century is becoming unsustainable for most of our institutions. Bishops, congregations, and seminarians have fewer resources to allot to the education of seminarians. And the cost of theological education has resulted in an unprecedented level of student debt. We believe that the church does not need Seabury in its present form; there are a number of other schools who do what we have traditionally done as well as we do."

"At the same time, all the seminaries of the Episcopal Church face real economic and missional challenges."

This last statement is not true. The Episcopal Church's two orthodox seminaries, Trinity School for Ministry and Nashotah House, are on a roll and in no danger of going out of business. They do not face declining student enrollment or "missional challenges" only the liberal seminaries do. Is this the beginning of the end of the church's more liberal seminaries? Are there more that will soon follow Seabury? The truth is liberalism has a built in death wish. Inclusivity, diversity have replaced the gospel in TEC and pansexuality is not criteria for Christian conversion church growth.

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Bishop JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD gave a "'State of the Diocese"' presentation to the clergy and laity of the Delta Deanery recently. He gave a historical analysis of the traditional movement within American Anglicanism and the steps that the Diocese has taken to preserve and promote traditional Christian teaching in our churches. Even though the Diocesan move to align with the Southern Cone was done with less than a month's preparation, the overwhelming majority vote in favor of accepting the invitation highlighted the Convention's desire for the spiritual covering of Archbishop Gregory Venables and his House of Bishops. The Constitution and Canons of the Southern Cone were presented. Also, the Diocese of Fort Worth has utilized the time, that San Joaquin was not afforded, in order to make a careful analysis of the benefits of aligning with the Southern Cone. Bishop John-David was grateful in being able to share that analysis with the people of San Joaquin. Finally, the Bishop shared his grief and shock over movements in Anglicanism to deny Christ as the only way to the Father and the truth of Holy Scripture in its role to discipline and instruct the faithful. The Bishop was met with the warm thanks and support of his clergy and people.

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The Bishop of the DIOCESE OF GEORGIA is retiring. Henry I. Louttit said he will retire from Episcopal ministry when the 10th bishop of Georgia is consecrated. At the diocese's 186th convention February 7-9 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta, Louttit asked, "Why should we belong to a Church in which there are people who do not agree with us [as a] parish, diocese, national denomination, World Communion?" After noting that "the Bible does not show all faithful people agreeing," the bishop concluded, "The point is we need diversity to serve in God's richly diverse world." There might be another explanation, which is he doesn't want to continue the debilitating legal fight with the Mother Church of the diocese - Christ Church, Savannah - where John Wesley was its third rector and George Whitfield was its fourth. Both have left the diocese and the Episcopal Church.

*****

Bishop John W. Howe of the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA is working hard to find a non-litigious way forward with parishes who want to leave the diocese and TEC. He is walking a fine line wanting fair market value for properties from priests and vestries who want to keep them, while at the same time not incurring the wrath of Mrs. Jefferts Schori and David Booth Beers by under selling the properties. An insider says Howe has rebounded from significant hits he has been taking from both sides in the fiery debates over property issues in his diocese. His approach might yet be a model for other bishops, both liberal and conservative, who want to deal amicably with fleeing parishes.

*****

In yet another sign of the disintegration within The Episcopal Church, Deb Tenney lay co- chair of the Communion Laity and Clergy of Colorado (CLC), has resigned saying she is leaving TEC. She said, in part,: "When I began this work four years ago, there was hope that Communion discipline of TEC would happen for supporting the consecration of a practicing homosexual bishop. While this was the presenting symptom, the larger issue was the distorted view of Scripture being espoused by TEC that would allow such a consecration to take place. We believed the Windsor Report charted a way forward for us, and because we valued the community of faith that was the Anglican Communion and our part in that larger body, as the CLC we persevered together through one meeting after another, waiting and praying for relief. Last August we endured the House of Bishops (HOB) meeting, which told us the leadership majority in TEC had no intention of turning back from their liberal agenda."

"I can no longer be part of a church that presents a distorted hollow Christian witness to a culture crying out for salvation found only by laying down sin at the foot of the Cross. The passing of time will have to tell us which was the better path, but for now I trust the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing that whatever decision we make, in faith, about leaving or staying will be used for good." Ms. Tenney said she is in the process of finding a new home in the Anglican Mission in America.

*****

The DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA web site (www.dncweb.org) is seeking funds for their legal defense against St. John's Anglican Church in Petaluma, California, writes Michael McInosh, Senior Warden. "It would give the impression that TEC is not participating in the financial support as well as indicating that the diocese is in fact having financial issues. My prayer would be that the orthodox would see more clearly what the diocese and the bishop stand for, and encourage them to walk away from the apostasy that prevails within TEC. We have preached the gospel here for the last 150 years and will continue to be a light in the world and a resting place for those who desire to hear God's word proclaimed."

*****

On the international front, the organizers of GAFCON will now meet in two locations in the Middle East, not one, in June, as earlier planned. VOL was made aware of this some weeks ago, but agreed to say nothing until it was confirmed.

It was announced this week that, following consultations with the Bishop in Jerusalem, the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, the conference will now be broken into two parts: a consultation for church leaders in Jordan from June 18-22 and a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from June 22-29.

"We are very grateful for the feedback that we have received on the many complex issues that confront us," the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, a GAFCON planner, said. The Bishop in Jerusalem had urged Dr. Jensen to reconsider holding Gafcon in Jerusalem telling the Archbishop that holding GAFCON in Jerusalem is politically unwise.

Last month, Dr. Jensen and the Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, travelled to Jerusalem to discuss the June meeting. Some have criticized GAFCON as being a rival to the Lambeth Conference, but this has been vigorously denied.

The first week of the meeting will consist of a smaller, invitation only gathering of the conference leadership, its theological resource group, those bishops serving in majority Islamic settings and other key leaders. That will be followed by a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. You can read more about this in today's digest.

*****

Another TEC bishop told VOL that he will not be going to Lambeth in July. The Rt. Rev. James Adams, DIOCESE OF WESTERN KANSAS, said he had no intention of spending $10,000 to attend a gabfest from which little or nothing would come. "I have better uses for the money. I want to plant and grow churches," he told VOL at the recent Mere Anglicanism conference in Charleston, SC.

*****

IN CANADA, events are heating up rapidly with a number of orthodox parishes now flouting their liberal ecclesiastical masters and making their way out the door, while refusing to relinquish their properties.

In the DIOCESE OF NIAGARA, Bishop Ralph Spence, made a lightening move and suspended the parish bank accounts of St. Hilda's in Oakville, Ontario, striking out against the parish held by the Rev. Charlie Masters. A VOL reader reported that. following a visit from a couple of diocesan representatives who were there to request the keys to the building which were denied them by representatives of the parish, Spence made a grab for the parish's accounts. The move comes on the heels of a vote by the parish to join with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone as a result of the steady drift of the Anglican Church of Canada away from orthodoxy.

In the DIOCESE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, two Anglican priests got a "'grace period"' in their conflict with the bishop. Diocesan Archdeacon Bruce Bryant-Scott wrote, in an e-mail to parishioners on Thursday, that he has agreed to a 12-day grace period, during which no disciplinary action will be taken against the Venerable Sharon Hayton, the rector, and Rev. Andrew Hewlett, the assistant priest, of St. Mary's of the Incarnation in the Victoria suburb of Metchosin. Ms. Hayton and Mr. Hewlett were told a week ago to stop performing their duties "as an ordained priest." The Archdeacon made his statement following a meeting with the two and their lawyers.

What we are seeing take place in the Anglican Church of Canada is a copycat version of what has been going on in the US Episcopal Church and just as nasty.

When liberals deny the faith and orthodox rectors want to uphold it, Archbishop Fred Hiltz and his coterie of liberal bishops cry foul. They argue the church has not changed its doctrine and same-sex blessings are left to local dioceses who then broker them in. When challenged by orthodox priests about the obvious contradiction, liberals then use the big tent argument to say that all can live together at peace. "No!" say the conservatives and then make moves to leave. The wrath of "inclusivist" bishops erupts and mayhem ensues.

*****

New Zealand has elected former Canadian Bishop Victoria Matthews to head the Diocese of Christchurch, a place she has apparently never visited. The former bishop of Edmonton, Matthews was narrowly beaten in her bid to become Canada's primate last summer. She is an Affirming Catholic who voted that homosexual partnerships do not violate core church doctrines. A VOL reader said she is bailing out of the Canadian church because she thinks it is sinking and has no future. She was briefly employed at Wycliffe College, a conservative seminary in Canada. Christchurch is a liberal diocese. The Diocese of Nelson, NZ, is considered to be the only orthodox diocese in NZ.

*****

If orthodoxy is having its troubles within the Episcopal Church, then it also faces headaches from Jehovah's Witnesses who are now the fastest-growing church body in the U.S. and Canada, with more than 1 million members, according to new figures that track church membership in the U.S. and Canada.

Although Jehovah's Witnesses ranked 24th on the list of the 25 largest churches, they reported the largest growth rate -- 2.25 percent -- of all churches. The badly divided Episcopal Church, meanwhile, reported the largest drop, at 4.15 percent.

The 2008 Yearbook of Canadian and American Churches, produced by the New York-based National Council of Churches, recorded growth trends in 224 national church bodies, with a combined membership of 147 million Americans. The Roman Catholic Church, with 67.5 million members, remains the largest U.S. church body, with a 2006 increase of 0.87 percent. The second largest church, the Southern Baptist Convention (16.3 million), has more than twice the number of members as the United Methodist Church, the third largest, which documented 7.9 million U.S. members.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 5.7 million U.S. members (1.56 percent increase) and the Church of God in Christ, with a steady 5.5 million, round out the top five.

According to the Yearbook, the 10 largest church bodies in the United States are:

-- The Catholic Church (67.5 million)
-- The Southern Baptist Convention (16.3 million)
-- The United Methodist Church (7.9 million)
-- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (5.7 million)
-- The Church of God in Christ (5.5 million)
-- National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (5 million)
-- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (4.7 million)
-- Presbyterian Church (USA) (3 million)
-- Assemblies of God (2.8 million)

*****

The former Primate of the Church of Papua, New Guinea (PNG), Archbishop George Ambo has been identified as a leader of a "'cargo cult"' in that country's Oro Province and is being sought by police for questioning in connection with the theft of relief supplies. According to a report in Religious Intelligence, the former Primate is wanted by the police. Inspector Samuel Jumangu of the PNG police told The Nation newspaper that a retired bishop and former mother superior are being sought by police to assist them with their inquiries into the "forceful" removal of relief supplies in the wake of Cyclone Guba by members of the Puwo Gawe cult.

*****

WILL THE TRUTH about Paul Moore, former Bishop of New York, finally be learned? Now a book by his daughter, Honor Moore, will tell all about this man and his mission. Sylvia Nasar describes the book as "An unsparing portrait of a glamorous but elusive father and his daughter's search for the truth about his secret life." The Bishop's Daughter is a daughter's story about her turbulent relationship with a father who struggled privately with his sexuality while she openly explored hers, and a searching account of the consequences of sexual secrets.

*****

There are a number of very fine columns in today's digest. I hope you will take time to read and reflect on them. There is hardly a columnist who has come to the defense of Rowan Williams over his views on Sharia Law being incorporated into English Common Law, but one bishop, the Rt. Rev. N. T. Wright of Durham, has done so. You can read his views in today's digest.

Sides are being fiercely drawn up over attendance at GAFCON and the Lambeth Conference. The Rev. Dr. Peter Toon, president of the Prayer Book Society, has taken the stand that all bishops should attend Lambeth, if only to make their presence felt as a last ditch stand for orthodoxy.

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P.S. I have been on a brief vacation with my family and will return to a full writing schedule this week. Thank you for your patience. In the last 30 days nearly 180,000 unique visitors from 161 countries visited VOL's website www.virtueonline.org. Spread the word. The information is free for the reading and taking, pasting and posting to blogs and websites. VOL believes that truth has no copyright.