Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
11/30/2007

OH CANADA. The Anglican Church of Canada stole the limelight this week with the announcement that two bishops said they are leaving the church for the Province of the Southern Cone coming under the ecclesiastical authority of the Most Rev. Gregory Venables.

Orthodox Canadians were finally pushed over the line by three Canadian dioceses' which have accepted the blessing of same-sex unions. They departed amidst much hand-wringing, threats and more from Anglican Church leaders who feel aggrieved that two of their own and as many as 20 or more parishes will, in due course, slip out of the grasp of the liberal led denomination.

Schism has finally come to the north. This is bigger news than most would credit because Canadians, by and large, are not people who like to get into ecclesiastical fights. It takes a lot to push them over the edge. (This writer still retains his Canadian passport, having lived in BC for nine years). Canadian Anglicans have no exact history like that of the St. Louis 1977 breakaway of American Episcopalians and the steady departures over the years, though many Canadians have walked away from their church.

So for several hundred orthodox Anglicans to say they are done with the liberal denomination is big news indeed. A group of parishes broke away from the Diocese of New Westminster some years ago and suffered mightily for their decision to leave, but now there are bishops and clergy leaving across the country. For their departure they will be met head on by the national church whose leaders are deeply upset at their flight.

The 300 biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans met at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ont. Nov. 22 and 23 and arranged for new ecclesial oversight to replace that of the Anglican Church of Canada. They met under the banner of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), which was formed in 2005 to serve as a "lifeboat" for Canadian Anglicans increasingly alienated by the liberal theology taking hold in that church's Canadian dioceses.

With the announcement this week that two bishops have left, the legal fight for properties will now begin. A $1 million war chest has been established to fight for the properties and a law firm has been hired as property battles looms. It is possible that they could lose church properties at the end of the day, said a document released this week by Anglican Essentials Canada, however, that day could be very long coming.

Leading Anglican theologian J.I. Packer, who gave an address at the conference, said the move was necessary because of liberal theology that has virtually taken control of the Anglican Church of Canada, as well as the Episcopal Church in the United States. "North America is more radically committed to this form of liberalism than any other part of the Anglican communion anywhere," he said. Biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans, he added, "are being penalized by our own bishop for the views that we hold contrary to his - views on one issue in particular; namely, whether it is right to see any form of same-sex union, homosexual partnership, as a mode of holiness and to bless it in church on that basis. I am one who cannot accept that policy. I can't accept that view of gay unions."

ANiC director Cheryl Chang said she anticipates difficult times ahead for the Anglican Church in Canada as struggles are bound to ensue over property and clerical authority. "It's likely to get messy," she said. "We expect priests to be fired and congregations to be locked out of buildings or attempts to evict them. We have asked for an act of grace from the Canadian church to let parishes discern their future without threats and intimidation, but we shall see how they respond."

I have posted a number of stories about the schism in Canada as well as a number of excellent commentary pieces by Canadian historian Dr. George Egerton, theologian Dr. J. I. Packer, an interview with Bishop Don Harvey and many more. Anglican history is being made by our brothers and sisters in the north, further indication that what we are seeing is a worldwide realignment of Anglicanism that Dr. Rowan Williams can no longer ignore or stop..

It would appear that unless he steps up to the plate and acknowledges the apostasy of The American Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada and does not withdraw their invitations to Lambeth next year, Lambeth will find its leading Global South primates absent causing Lambeth to be little more than a reflection of gay and liberal agitprop.

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Twenty-six of the Anglican Communion's 38 primates have returned a no confidence vote rejecting the conclusions of the ACC/Primates Joint Standing Committee (JSC), and have told the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams that the Episcopal Church has failed, in whole or in part, to honor the recommendations of the Windsor Report and the Primates' Dar es Salaam communique.

This is bad news for Williams and confirms that the Anglican Communion, already in trouble with a possible boycott of Lambeth next year by the Global South Primates. This judgment is a clear repudiation of The Episcopal Church making a showdown between liberals and conservatives inevitable, and gives a major boost to the Anglican Communion Network and Common Cause. It also affirms what orthodox Canadians did this week in their church.

Following the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans, Dr. Williams wrote to the primates asking "How far is your Province able to accept the JSC Report assessment that the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops have responded positively to the requests of the Windsor Report and those made by the Primates in their Communique at the end of their meeting in Dar es Salaam?", well they have issued their answer.

Watch for more developments and responses from Archbishops like Peter Akinola and Gregory Venables. This report certainly confirms the actions of the Southern Cone primate to open his doors as a place of ecclesiastical refuge for North American dioceses.

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ON The EPISCOPAL CHURCH home front, Trinity School for Ministry and Nashotah House have buddied up for the future of Biblical Anglicanism. The Rev. Dr Grant Le Marquand and The Rev. Dr Rodney A. Whitacre, both professors at Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry, were in San Diego where they spoke on the emerging visions for the future of Biblical Anglicanism in North America. Both professors spoke enthusiastically of a recent get together with the faculty of "rival" seminary Nashotah House. There is a write up about it on the Nashotah website. http://www.nashotah.edu/news.htm#item1

"In the current state of the Episcopal Church, the old disputes between our traditions pale in significance when measured against our common devotion to the great tradition of the Christian faith," remarked the Rev. Martha Giltinan, Trinity's Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology. "Both schools are asking themselves what the future of Anglicanism is going to look like. And the return to a biblically faithful, traditional Anglicanism isn't just about our Bishops coming to agreement. It involves the whole Church--including its organs of theological education."

The two faculties are contemplating a wide variety of possibilities for future collaboration, including sharing expertise in creating and growing new degree programs, and the mutual stimulation each faculty can provide the other in terms of academic scholarship. "We recognize that each school, because of its particular emphases, teaches subjects that the other doesn't," said Bishop Rodgers, "and it's easy to see how students could profit from being able to take advantage of what both seminaries have to offer."

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In the DIOCESE OF SOUTHERN OHIO, St Matthew's, Westerville, voted to affiliate with CANA this past week. The congregation voted by more than a two to one margin to authorize the Vestry to negotiate with the Bishop and Diocese to disaffiliate their association with and participation in the Diocese and thereby The Episcopal Church in order to establish association with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). This decision came after 40 days of prayer and fasting for discernment. The vestry received the results of the parish balloting from Toukan Associates, CPA. Fr. Ron Baird, rector, and Austin Stout, senior warden, assured Bishop Tom Breidenthal at their meeting that no action would be taken until the vestry's representatives and Fr. Ron Baird meet with diocesan officials on Dec. 10 a.m. to discuss the way forward. http://www.saintmatthewsonline.org/

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In Vestal, NY in the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL NEW YORK, the priest and parishioners of St. Andrew's church walked away from their property leaving the buildings on Mirador Road. They will share facilities with a Baptist congregation on Front Street. Parish priest Tony Seel said his congregation has aligned with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, (CANA) and will worship at Memorial Park Baptist. You can read the full story in today's digest.

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And in the DIOCESE OF CONNECTICUT, Bishop Seabury Church in Groton, Ct. under the leadership of the Rev. Ron Gauss, is getting ready to split from the liberal diocese and come under CANA, as well. Bishop Drew Smith has shown himself to be a very nasty player when it comes to parishes who want to leave his ecclesiastical grip so expect a war over the properties here. He has shredded several other rectors who have dared to oppose him and his revisionist agenda. No mercy can be expected from him with regard to this historic parish.

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VOL has learned that one newly anointed American African bishop is soliciting churches to leave the Episcopal Church and join up with him. VOL believes this is unacceptable, unethical and amoral behavior. It is one thing for a parish to voluntarily choose, by democratic vote, to leave TEC and agree to join an African jurisdiction like AMIA, CANA or Bishop Guernsey of the Anglican Province of Uganda, it is quite another thing to phone priests and incite them to leave. VOL will uncover and expose these tactics.

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In the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, a joint meeting of the standing committee and diocesan council, along with Bishop John W. Howe announced recently that they were unable to agree upon a protocol for congregations desiring to secede from The Episcopal Church. A proposal, which was rejected, would have permitted a departing congregation to purchase church property from the diocese provided that they made adequate provision for those members who desired to remain Episcopalians and participated in a parish discernment process devised and supervised by the diocese. The diocese's special task force on property will seek to revise the document, Bishop Howe said, for reconsideration at a joint meeting on Dec. 13.

The proposed revision states that Central Florida is a "constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a fellowship of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces, and regional churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding the propagating the historic faith and order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. So long as The Episcopal Church is the constituent member province of the Anglican Communion with rightful jurisdiction in this country, the Diocese of Central Florida declares its adhesion to the same and accedes to its constitution and canons."

Earlier, rectors of seven parishes and two church planters informed Bishop Howe that their congregations were in discussions about leaving The Episcopal Church. Recently the Rev. Kevin Holsapple, rector of St. Anne's Church, Crystal River, informed Bishop Howe that he had reconsidered and that neither he nor his parish would be leaving.

"This is a very painful time for many of us," Bishop Howe wrote in his monthly column for the diocesan newspaper. "During this time of transition, I urge all of us to treat each other with great care and compassion."

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And from the DIOCESE OF LONG ISLAND comes this word from a VOL reader even as Bishop Orris Walker announced he was retiring and is looking for a successor. "David, it's been horrible. The Cathedral of the Incarnation, jewel in the crown of architecture on Long Island, has been in disrepair for years, with the scaffolding on the spire a grim reminder of the corruption at the heart of the diocese. Across the street, new houses stand where my alma mater, Cathedral School of St. Mary once raised its ugly but beloved towers. Here was its new science lab, there its gym, here the playing field where I once had to rake leaves. All gone. Its brother school, Cathedral School of St. Paul, stands empty on 42 prime acres, surrounded by weeds. The hospital owned by the diocese has been sold to the Roman Catholic Church. The convent on the South Fork has been sold, the sisters and students scattered. This is perhaps the most valuable piece of real estate in the USA. Perverts and ignoramuses run rampant through the halls of the diocesan offices and parish churches. Fortunately, there's no 'Picture of Dorian Walker' in his attic, with his face reflecting the ravages he's inflicted on the Church."

The source told VOL that one couple who have attended the Cathedral from childhood, were married there, took their children there, and served on the vestry and various committees and also gave lots of their income, were told to go. "They were very devout, very much immersed in the Episcopal Church for several generations. In the end, a fellow vestryman told them if they didn't like the new order, they should look for another church. They did. Imagine the void this has created in their lives." Indeed.

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It's official. The Rev. Dr. Paul Zahl will serve as the new rector of All Saints' Church in Chevy Chase, Md. in the ultra liberal DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON. However he will be protected by the retired Bishop of South Carolina Ed Salmon under a hands off agreement with Washington Bishop John Chane. Both Chane and Salmon approved the call.

Formerly President and Dean of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, and Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Zahl is a strong Christ-centered, Biblically grounded, orthodox priest. He stands in the tradition of the great Protestant Reformers and his theology is centered on the Grace of God as the only hope for sinners. "I'm thrilled to be coming to All Saints! What I hope to focus on is the Old, Old Story, week in and week out, with an emphasis also on old fashioned pastoral care and love -- Back to Basics, you might say."

Zahl will begin service as the new rector beginning Sunday, December 9, 2007, preaching at all three services 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 11:00 am.

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THE CHURCH PENSION FUND has developed a curriculum, "Safeguarding God's Children". A report received by VOL said the CPG contracted with a firm who developed the "Safeguarding God's Children" training materials and will offer a web-based child abuse awareness and protection training program. Fourteen dioceses that have expressed interest in this program will attend a meeting in Baltimore to review the program and to decide if and when they wan to get involved. The program currently has modules on five related subjects. Additional courses will be added in the future. It takes an individual 30-60 minutes to complete on course. There is a test at the end of each course. CPG is paying for the product. The diocese and parish only need to devote some manpower to promote and administer the program. Interested persons should contact BJ Coghan at bcoghan@cpg.org (extension 6353).

Regrettably this program comes too late for the Bennison brothers, one of whom engaged in the abuse of a 14-year old while the older brother looked on and did nothing.

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The CHURCH OF ENGLAND released its official attendance figures last week and tried to cover up the devastating news that Sunday church attendance has fallen below one million. A drop of 2 per cent in one year brings the average church attendance down from 1,010,000 in 2004 to 988,000 in 2005. The press release put the emphasis on the fact that those people who do go to church are giving more money. That will keep the Church solvent, but the question still arises - why is such a tiny institution given so much power and influence in this country? Meanwhile, the Church Commissioners confirmed last week that they have sold a Northumberland country estate, the 2566-acre Dissington Estate, near Ponteland, reportedly for £18–20 million.

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Churches fear BRITISH HATE CRIMES law could silence Christians. British churches have expressed concern that legislation punishing hate crimes based on sexual orientation could be used to silence Christian disapproval of certain sexual behaviors.

Both the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England have issued a memorandum concerning an amendment to the Public Order Act of 1986 that would make incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation an offense punishable by law.

"Christians engaged in teaching or preaching and those seeking to act in accord with Christian convictions in their daily lives need to be assured that the expression of strong opinions on marriage or sexuality will not be illegal," the memorandum says.

The churches pressed for maximum clarity about what the law permits and forbids. They feared the law would restrict opinions and forbid criticisms about sexual behavior and lifestyles. Both churches affirmed the importance of protecting those vulnerable to attack on grounds of their sexual or gender identity. However, they pointed out that the present law already restricts "words, behavior and display of written material which are intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress, or which occur in the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress."

The churches suggested legal safeguards to protect expressions of opinion directed against conduct, rather than at opinions directed against persons themselves.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury celebrated a 'secret' gay communion service this week, according to Ruth Gledhill of the London Times reported at her blog. Williams presided at a 'secret' eucharist for the Clergy Consultation and he gave a talk on 'present realities and future possibilities for lesbians and gay men in the church.' The venue, originally at St Peter's Eaton Square, was switched to another location in London to avoid media attention after new of the meeting emerged first on the Church Society website. You can read the full story in today's digest.

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CHRISTIAN bookshops are refusing to stock copies of a new Bible study guide that challenges standard New Testament translations that describe gay sex as sinful, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. A US distributor, God's Word to Women, has banned the Australian publication, and withdrawn another Bible translation published by the same NSW publishing house, Smith and Stirling, for promoting a lifestyle in contradiction of the scriptures. Two American academics have asked that their endorsements be removed from other works by a classical Greek lexicographer, Ann Nyland, because of her authorship of the gay study bible. Australia's largest Christian retailer, Koorong, says it is unlikely to carry the Study New Testament for Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgender, if the content proves controversial.

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Chanukkah will be celebrated at Westminster Abbey. Ruth Gledhill of the London Times reports that the Abbey will hold its first joint Jewish and Christian service next weekend with a combined celebration of the festivals of Advent and Chanukkah. Rabbi Mark Solomon, of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, in St. John's Wood, northwest London, and Canon Robert Reiss, of the Abbey, will give readings that will be interspersed with music from both faiths and the lighting of candles. The service, on Sunday evening, is open to the public. Canon Reiss said: "Westminster Abbey is very happy to respond to a suggestion from the Council of Christians and Jews that this joint event should take place, which will give an opportunity for representatives from both faiths to understand one another's practices and, it is hoped, to share in the celebration of the light that flows from God."

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Did you know that an average of 6,000 children lose a parent to AIDS every day? Does that thought paralyze you with hopelessness? Don't let it. You really can make a difference. December 1 is World AIDS Day. World Vision has produced and gathered information on events, advocacy, and AIDS education at their World AIDS Day home page, where you can also watch interviews with AIDS orphans, test your AIDS I.Q., learn how to put together Caregiver Kits, participate in the global prayer vigil, and much more. Spend some time there and leave with hope. Put your faith into action. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/32cfod

The Archbishop of Canterbury's Message for World AIDS day can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMKHUSyyf94

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Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of THE BARNABAS FUND, will be visiting the U.S. the week of December 3. Dr. Sookhdeo will speak on "The Future in the Face of Militant Islam" and launch his new book, "Global Jihad," on Wednesday, December 5 at 12:30 pm in the Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium. Both events are being hosted by the Heritage Foundation. The Barnabas Fund Benefit Concert will be hosted by Church of the Apostles on Friday, December 7, at 7:30 pm at Church of the Apostles for a Christmas Concert and Sing Along. All proceeds will benefit Save Iraqi Christians campaign. Dr. Sookhdeo will preach on Saturday, December 8 at 5 pm and Sunday, December 9 at 10 am at Church of the Apostles, located at 3500 Pickett Road, Fairfax, Virginia.

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CHINA. Celebrations are planned in China to mark the production of more than 50 million Bibles in the People's Republic by the Amity Printing Company, a joint venture between the United Bible Societies and the Amity Foundation, which is a Chinese Christian agency. "After the cultural revolution of 1966 to 1976, many Chinese Christians are doing their best to take the chance to read the Bible," Qiu Zhonghui, general secretary of the Amity Foundation, told Ecumenical News International on November 27. The celebrations planned in the city of Nanjing for December 8 will mark the production on September 11, 2007 of the 50 millionth Bible by the Amity Printing Company, the only company allowed to print Bibles in mainland China. Zhang Liwei, the Amity Foundation's associate general secretary, said the events would "celebrate the miracle that God makes it possible in China to print these millions of copies of the Bible for Chinese Christians."

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Under pressure from Baltimore's new ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP, a priest resigned as pastor to three parishes and signed a statement apologizing for "bringing scandal to the church" after offenses that included officiating at a funeral Mass with an Episcopal priest, a violation of canon law. Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien ordered the resignation of the Rev. Ray Martin, who has led the Catholic Community of South Baltimore for five years, triggering a debate about enforcing Catholic doctrine and the limits of ecumenical relations. Martin said he led the Oct. 15 funeral Mass for local activist Ann Shirley Doda at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church with several clergy, including the Rev. Annette Chappell, pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Redemption. Apparently ARCIC talks haven't filtered down to the local level.

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RIGHT TO DEATH IN NEW ZEALAND. The VP of Right to Life New Zealand Inc., Chris O'Brien wrote VOL to say his organization recently celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Contraception Steralisation and Abortion Act, in NZ. This Act of Parliament opened the floodgates to essentially abortion on demand. The Act was supposed to protect the unborn child, but legal loopholes have seen over 350,000 unborn children killed in this country of four million over the last 30 years.

Recently Right to Life New Zealand wrote to the ANGLICAN BISHOPS OF NZ who were holding a conference and asked them to speak out on behalf of the unborn in view of this important anniversary. They replied in writing, turning down their request to make a public statement in the media saying they do this in their own way within their own churches. "We know that as a rule they do not," said the Right to Life spokesperson. "It just adds to the growing body of evidence that the Anglican Church in the West has lost the plot."

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IN TODAY'S digest you can read my exclusive interview with the Rt. Rev. William Wantland a canon lawyer who reflects on property disputes in The Episcopal Church. This is essential reading. This is essential reading if you want to know the whys and hows of property disputes.

The Archbishop of Canterbury took a major swing at America's foreign Policy and George Bush, so I took a cold hard look at his statement and found it naturally flawed. You can read that here "Disconnectedness Marks World Anglican Leaders." Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori's ecclesiastical and legal strategy of iron-fisted conformity is not going down well. In fact it is not going over at all. She is more than a disappointment. She is a disaster. As Charles Bennison, the inhibited Bishop of Pennsylvania, learned the hard way recently, when you betray your own liberal constituency, you can find the tables turned against you. If Mrs. Jefferts Schori pushes too hard against her own kind, the same thing could happen to her. In the world of ecclesiastical politics, as in the world of Machiavellian realpolitik, the long knives of revenge are never far from the convention floor. Just ask Bishop Bennison. You can read my story, "Mrs. Jefferts Schori and The Future of an Illusion." And to conclude my exclusives, you can read how liberals frame the debate forcing the orthodox to defend themselves.

All these and much more are available in today's digest. We close with a devotional to lift your spirit in this coming Advent season.

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CORRECTION: I have been saying that three Episcopal bishops have crossed the Tiber in recent months. The correct number is four. I omitted to mention Bishop Clarence Pope.

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