True greatness. Why did Jesus equate greatness with service? Must not our answer relate to the intrinsic worth of human beings, which was the presupposition underlying his own ministry of self-giving love, and which is an essential element of the Christian perspective? If human beings are Godlike beings, then they must be served not exploited, respected not manipulated. --- From "Issues Facing Christians Today" by John R.W. Stott

"How do we keep this up? How do I keep this up, day after day? Because we know how it's going to end, don't we? Our struggle is going to end with the full inclusion of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, in the life and ministry and leadership of the church. I have no doubt whatsoever. The fight that's going on now is not about if it's going to happen. It's only about when. I think even the conservatives would tell you that. They're just trying to forestall the day it is fulfilled. Not if, but when. We know how it's going to end. --- V. Gene Robinson

"I see now a Jesus who does not raise the bar to salvation, but lowers it so far that it disappears." --- Thew Forrester wannabe Bishop of Northern Michigan

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
3/27/2009

On any reading this has to be worst, down and dirty, nastiest, personal and legal fight since lawsuits began in the history of The Episcopal Church.

You may think the wars over properties are bad in California and Virginia. They were topped this week by the legal battle over the $17 million dollar property of Grace and St. Stephens parish in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Just hours after Judge Larry Schwartz issued a 28-page ruling that concluded the Diocese owned the parish of Grace Church & St. Stephen's and prohibited the departing parish members from taking the property with them, a gang of security guards were already on the property trying to prevent the Rev. Don Armstrong from entering the church.

Armstrong called the police. He produced a "writ of restitution," indicating that the Episcopal Church doesn't take possession of the property until April 1. Armstrong left, but police were still on the scene as of 2 p.m. A later court ruling has given Armstrong until April 3 to vacate the church. By May 8 he must be out of the rectory. They will also take his car.

Hell hath no fury like an inclusive and revisionist bishop scorned.

Bishop Rob O'Neill has done everything short of consigning him to Hades. He has sued him over allegations that he stole from the parish, even though an independent audit found no financial improprieties. He also inhibited and deposed the priest. O'Neill obtained untold hundreds of thousands of dollars from national church headquarters to sue Armstrong while the majority of the church simply wanted to stay and uphold the faith once delivered for all to the saints, a faith O'Neill does not believe in.

While Armstrong has lost his rectory and car, he is supported by the majority of the church who will move down the road and worship as St. George's Anglican Church. This new parish now has a new name, new corporate identity, a future home a hopeful attitude, and, above all a gospel to proclaim. His bishop, Martyn Minns of CANA is 100% behind him.

As in most of these cases, there will be a buzz and short high for the returnees with O'Neill announcing in pontifical tones that the church has been preserved for future generations. A few months from now, reality will set in. When the ringers have gone and the bishop visits once every three years, the dwindling congregation with a newly minted "inclusive" priest will ask how they can maintain the cost of the church without more money. There is always a day of reckoning. In the meantime, O'Neill will send a team of pansexualists off to General Convention this summer to represent the diocese. You can read stories about this saga in today's digest.

*****

If you doubt my words, consider what is happening in the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL NEW YORK where Bishop Skip Adams won the property of The Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton and is now going after the will of a former member who died in 1986 leaving behind money in a trust fund for his parish. The diocese wants to get its hands on that so it can prop up a number of failing parishes. So it's back to court they go. Last year, the Diocese sued for Good Shepherd to leave the church building on Conklin Avenue. In December, a state Supreme Court judge ruled in their favor.

But the victory is pyrrhic because the bishop faces half a dozen churches or more that will shortly have to close. They include Trinity, which claims 350 members but has an ASA of 40. Emmanuel in Elmira, (ASA 16), Grace in Elmira, (ASA 98), St. John's in Elmira Heights, (ASA 18), St. Matthew's in Horseheads, (ASA 98), Christ Church in Wellsburg (ASA 13), and Grace Church in Waverly (ASA 28). Total: 311. Together they will not make up the departing congregation of Good Shepherd. These seven churches have Plate & Pledge amounts in 2007 of $70,000; 24,000; 140,000; 14,000; 130,000; 12,000; and 28,000 respectively.

*****

The heat was turned up this week on the DIOCESE OF FT. WORTH. Bishop Jack Iker's attorney Marshall M. Searcy, Jr. sent a short, sharp note to the other Diocese of Ft. Worth saying they were not remotely interested in turning diocesan properties over to them. In polite, but firm legal tones he wrote, "Regrettably, the ambiguity of your letter prevents any manner of meaningful response. If the letter's purpose (as your concurrent "press release" seems to indicate) is to arrogate (then publicize) an agenda for property confiscation that would contravene the expressed wishes of the vast majority of this Diocese, then I fear that there is little we can discuss."

Now you should know that Searcy is a one man lethal legal howitzer. He is pure Texas blue blood. His resume puts him among the top lawyers in the US. He was named the "Go-To-Lawyer" (legal malpractice law) by Texas Lawyer magazine. He was selected as one of the top 10 attorneys in Texas, by Texas Monthly's annual Texas Super Lawyers magazine. He has been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" by and is included in The Best Lawyers in America since 1997 In 1990, he was elected as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (a national organization composed of the leading trial lawyers in the United States whose membership is limited to those invited to join) and the American Board of Trial Advocates (a similar organization)...and that's just for openers.

With lawyers like him, you know why The Episcopal Church will spend upwards of $6 million in legal fees this year to try and take back the properties of Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh, San Joaquin and Quincy.

*****

Keeping the pressure on TEC, the ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA (ACNA) named a Chief Operating Officer this week. The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, archbishop-designate of announced that Mr. Brad B. Root has agreed to serve as the ACNA's first Chief Operating Officer (COO). ACNA unites Anglican Christians in both the United States and Canada as a body committed to reaching North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ, rooted in both Scripture and traditional Anglican belief. "Brad comes to us with not just a wealth of entrepreneurial experience and leadership ability, but also a depth of faith that makes him a wonderful fit for the needs of the new Church," said Bishop Duncan.

*****

Just how closeted do revisionists want to be in their actions? On March 21, in the DIOCESE OF SAN DIEGO, Bishop James R. Mathes ordained Tom Wilson to the priesthood. Wilson is the first openly partnered gay man in this Episcopal diocese. A source told VOL that Bishop Mathes kept this ordination carefully under wraps. There was one small notice on the All Souls website and one short reference in Mathes' weekly news letter to the clergy. The source said he did not receive the usual announcement in the mail which is customary in the diocese. "Tom is a partnered gay man (I know his partner) and this ordination was seriously covered up and kept out of the public eye." So much for "generous restraint". Six months ago, Wilson was consecrated as a Deacon. Mathes had hoped to keep a very low profile on this, but someone in his office called the "San Diego Union-Tribune" to brag about the event. VOL ran a piece on it at that time. BREAKING NEWS. A local gay newspaper has run the story. It is in today's digest.

*****

Another bishop has tossed his miter in the ring saying he will not give his consent to the Buddhist-trained wannabe Episcopal Bishop of Northern Michigan. The Bishop of WESTERN WASHINGTON, The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, has said no. Along with the bishops of Central Florida and South Carolina, the heat might just be turned up enough to deny Thew Forrester the episcopal see. Rickel said, "I did vote at the recent House of Bishops and I voted not to consent. I intend to share some of my reasoning in a letter and I promise to send that to you as well so you can see it." Bishops Tom Ely of Vermont and Bruce Caldwell of Wyoming have not made known how they intend to vote on consent.

However, two leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan released a statement on March 20 in defense of its bishop-elect. The diocese released letters of support from retired Northern Michigan Bishop Tom Ray and Diocese of Alaska Assisting Bishop Ruston Kimsey.

This diocese is one of the smallest in the church. Statistics released by the national Episcopal Church show that its membership has declined by 31.7 percent in the past 10 years. Forrester was the only candidate on the ballot when diocesan convention delegates voted last month. That in itself should set off alarm bells across the church. Since when has there ever been only one candidate for bishop...

Another reason for not electing Forrester is this. He is pastor of a Marquette, Michigan, church that has used liturgical texts not approved by the national Episcopal Church. He has also voiced unorthodox views, once writing in a diocesan newsletter: "Sin has little, if anything, to do with being bad. It has everything to do, as far as I can tell, with being blind to our own goodness." I know Long Island Bishop Orris walker would love to hear that argument along with the late Paul Moore, Bishop of New York, who had two wives, nine kids and a supply of male lovers.

As we go to cyber press, the consents process is underway.

*****

Dialogue or Syncretism? -- "Tri-Faith Initiative" has big plans for Omaha. Is it syncretism or merely interfaith dialogue? You be the judge. A remarkable project is taking place in Omaha, Nebraska. The DIOCESE OF NEBRASKA, Temple Israel and the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture have come together, planning to build a joint campus that will house a mosque, a temple and a church plus a shared facility. This is the only known undertaking of its kind in the world. Its website will keep you in touch with the progress on the plans for the Tri-Faith campus and other news of successful interfaith projects around the nation and around the world. Their first major public program will be the March 27 event featuring Rabbi Peter Knobel of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of The Episcopal Church. The evening at The Qwest Center will feature a worship service starting at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner and a conversation among the faith leaders on the theme of "Shalom, Salaam, Peace." The theme of peace is central to all three of the Abrahamic faiths and is included in daily and weekly worship. In all three faith groups, in the midst of prayer time, all turn to their neighbors offering them words and signs of peace. "Whether we say "Shalom", "Salaam" or "Peace be with you," the message is the same - the need to be reconciled with our neighbors as we seek to be reconciled with our God." Tip of the hat goes to Dean and President of Nashotah House, the Rev. Dr. Robert S. Munday.

*****

A former Roman Catholic priest was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the DIOCESE OF LONG ISLAND. The Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, 54, a native of Brooklyn, presently serves in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts as rector of St. Andrew's Church in Longmeadow. He received 70 percent of clergy votes and more than 60 percent in the lay order on the second ballot. VOL wrote to Provenzano to ask him his take on the pressing sexuality issues dividing the church, but got no response. He'll be a team player with Schori for sure. He will be a kindler gentler version of Orris Walker. One thing is for sure, he will not be able to restore the dioceses' fortune. They are lost forever. Orthodoxy is all but dead except in a few isolated parishes.

Fr. Provenzano came close to being elected on the first ballot from the field of seven candidates. He received twice as many votes in the clergy order than his nearest challenger, the Rev. Canon Petero Sabune, Episcopal chaplain, Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Ossining, N.Y. Two other candidates, who wanted the job badly, were the Very Rev. Peter Eaton, dean, St. John's Cathedral, Denver, CO and the Rt. Rev. Johncy Itty, former Bishop of Oregon. Itty moved to LI to be a candidate. He did not get a look in.

*****

The DIOCESE OF NORTHWEST TEXAS elected a new bishop this week. His name is The Rev. James Scott Mayer. Mayer is a 1992 graduate of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, and a 1977 graduate of Texas Tech. He replaces Bishop Ohl. My source for this diocese decided he had had enough and, with his family, crossed the Tiber. "The Episcopal Church is beyond repair," he said.

*****

A lesbian Episcopal Priest was named head of U.S. Court of Federal Claims this week by President Barack Obama. The White House appointed Judge Emily C. Hewitt, 64, who currently serves on the court, after being appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate in 1998. The U.S. court of federal claims hears monetary claims against the government.

During her time with the court, Judge Hewitt has chaired the rules and building and space committees, and served on its management committee. In 2006, she was appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to serve on the financial disclosure committee of the United States Judicial Conference, according to a biography released by the White House. Judge Hewitt previously served in an appointed position as general counsel to the General Services Administration during the Clinton administration. Prior to entering public service, she practiced law with the Boston firm Hill and Barlow. She was one of the original eleven irregularly ordained women priests in TEC in 1974 in Philadelphia.

*****

In a bi-lined story by the executive editor of the "Weekly Standard" and Fox News commentator Fred Barnes, the former Episcopal layman who left The Falls Church, Virginia, said he was encouraged by his rector John Yates to get into the church-planting business near his home in Alexandria. "We were a bit ambivalent about the move, but when Christ the King opened its doors in September 2007, we were there." Within months, it was a going concern. Church planting is a burgeoning movement among evangelicals who are conservative in doctrine (but not fundamentalist) and inclusive in their outreach to nonbelievers and lapsed Christians. It's a growing missionary field.

Contrast his godly ambition with how the outgoing Bishop of Virginia, Peter James Lee handled church planting. "He wouldn't allow us to discuss it fearing that new Episcopal churches would lure people from older ones. In 2001, he was allowed to plant a church, but only a county away in a distant exurb."

A VOL reader who saw this article in the Wall Street Journal wrote saying that this is an indictment of Peter Lee and the operative organizational mindset of TEC. To "plant" churches (the Great Commission) within the same diocese would not only dilute TEC's already fudged congregational numbers, but explicitly challenge the authority and effectiveness of diocesan leadership. Lee has been an unmitigated disaster, the result of an unprincipled and theologically ambivalent bishop." You can read Barnes' opinion here or in today's digest. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123751393100191463.html

*****

"Secularist intolerance for Christianity, seeks to drive it not only from the public square but even from the provision of education, health care, and welfare services to the wider community." And it is through anti-discrimination legislation that this goal has been widely achieved according to Australian Cardinal Pell. The cardinal pointed to the apparent irony in the way in which some of the most morally permissive groups, such as the homosexualist and feminist political movements that endorse limitless "pan-sexuality" as well as abortion on demand, have become politically repressive of opposition, despite the rhetoric of "diversity and tolerance." The cardinal's address, titled "Varieties of Intolerance: Religious and Secular," was the first Thomas More Lecture on Religion in the Public Square, hosted by the Oxford University Newman Society. The Thomas More Lectures, co-sponsored by the Catholic Herald newspaper, were established "to examine the relationship between faith and society."

*****

In what some say was the best Renewal Mission of the past 22 years, some 120 Anglicans turned out recently for a RENEWAL MISSION in Vancouver, British Columbia. Many people reported their lives being deeply impacted by the event. Seventy Pastors signed up for the Annual Renewal Mission Clergy Luncheon held at Valley Church. The theme "'Catching Fish in the 21st Century"' (Luke 5) struck home to many as the Rev. William Beasley and the Rev. Gabe Garcia shared from their hearts. To read more and view pictures of Renewal Mission 2009, click on: http://acicanada.blogspot.com/2009/03/renewal-mission-2009-pictures.html This report came from the Rev. Ed. Hird.

*****

Holy Redeemer Anglican Church will be the site of an historic first in modern times as Sister Victoria Payne of San Antonio, Texas, will be veiled Sister Mary Magdalene, taking the name of the saint who was among the first followers of Jesus Christ. The Rev. Dr. Ralph Gardiner, a well-known traditional Anglican priest, will present the candidate for veiling and consecration before the Rt. Rev. Larry W. Johnson, Bishop of the Anglican Church of Virginia. Dr. Gardiner serves as the Archdeacon of the Anglican Church of Virginia and Rector of Holy Redeemer. The Service will take place at 11 am, Sunday, March 29, 2009 at Grant Church where the congregation of Holy Redeemer currently meets.

Sister Mary Magdalene will be Prioress of the Community of Compassion and will be commissioned to lead the Sisters of Compassion and serve as the Rt. Rev. Mother Mary Magdalene, Guardian.

*****

Prince Charles is expected to invite the Pope to Britain, reports "The Times". The Prince of Wales is due to visit the Vatican at the end of April and to reinforce an invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Britain extended by Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, three weeks ago.

Vatican sources said a papal trip to Britain would include Northern Ireland. Recent violence there makes a papal trip to appeal for peace more likely rather than less. At his weekly audience this week, the Pope deplored the latest killings saying "I condemn in the strongest terms these abominable acts of terrorism which, apart from desecrating human life, seriously endanger the ongoing peace process in Northern Ireland". Mr. Brown suggested the trip could coincide with the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the most celebrated Anglican convert to Roman Catholicism, who died in 1890. The beatification is expected later this year or early next year. The last Pope to visit Britain was Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, who in 1982 became the first pontiff ever to visit Canterbury Cathedral where he met Robert Runcie, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. He was also welcomed by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

*****

Anglicans win DEMENTED PRIEST AWARD. Muslims Against Sharia site has a variety of awards it bestows upon deserving contenders. One is the Demented Priest Award.; Anglicans will be proud to know that two of their own are the latest recipients of this prestigious accolade. Rowan Williams was recognized for his groundbreaking work on explaining to Britons why Sharia law is inevitable in the land of the Crusaders as was Katharine Jefferts-Schori for her tireless support of Islamofascism. The only disappointment here is the sad lack of recognition of the efforts of Canadian Fred Hiltz. Never mind Fred, with a bit of work and a lot of concentration, I'm sure you will do better next time. From Anglican Samizdat

*****

St. Paul's, Modesto, California made it official and left TEC to come under the Anglican Missions in the Americas. Their new bishop is Sandy Greene. This parish, under the Rev. Michael McCleneghan, decided not to go with Bishop John-David Schofield. A fuller story on this will be forthcoming, shortly.

*****

ECCLESIASTICAL BLOOPER. Cardinal Cormac Muprhy-O'Connor, Westminster, London who recently took part in the consecration of the new Roman Catholic bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, made an informal speech at the end of what was a joyful and harmonious celebration. He began, "'When I became Archbishop of Canterbury..."' When everybody laughed, he quickly and embarrassedly corrected himself, apologizing to any sundry Anglican bishop he could find in the congregation for fear he had caused offense. Said Times correspondent Ruth Gledhill, "far from offended, Rowan Williams would have been delighted if another had been chosen to shoulder the cross of Cantuar, if that 'other' had been Father Cormac."

*****

The British Government is threatening to cut ties with the country's most high-profile Muslim organization, the Muslim Council of Britain, over allegations that one of its most senior members is a supporter of Hamas, reports Ruth Gledhill in The Times. The Council is a Muslim representative organization that was established in the wake of the fatwa issued against author Salman Rushdie over his book, "The Satanic Verses". Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears has written to the Council demanding that it clarify the position of its deputy director-general, Dr. Daud Abdullah. The Government wants Dr Abdullah sacked from the Council because he signed an inflammatory anti-Israel document, the Gaza Declaration in Istanbul, along with 89 other worldwide Muslim leaders.

*****

The bishops of the SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH have posted a response to the Primates of the Anglican Communion following the spring meeting of their bishops saying they will observe the moratorium. While pointing out that there is a wide range of opinion regarding the issues of ordaining a partnered gay or lesbian as a bishop and the blessing of same-sex unions, the Scottish College of Bishops states that it is going to abide by the request of Lambeth for "gracious restraint". They make clear that, in the case of same-sex blessings, they are refraining from officially authorizing liturgical rites. It does not require that priests performing such actions be prosecuted. The document ends by expressing a unanimous observation that Anglican provincial boundaries must be observed.

*****

Music That Saves? Isn't It Divine? The high altar of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is flanked by two menorahs - a gift from Adolph Ochs, the Jewish founder of The New York Times. St. John the Divine sees itself as a cathedral not just for Episcopalians, but also for the world. "The house of prayer for all people as it extends to other faith communities was envisioned in the beginning, but more as a civil gathering place for major civic events and for civic worship," said Wayne Kempton, archivist for the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It's that openness and the group's relationship with Thomas Miller, the Reverend Canon for Liturgy and the Arts, that brought "Music in Desperate Times" to New York City. Above its mission to be a house of prayer for all people, beyond its bronze doors decorated with scenes from the Old Testament and past the images of Moses in its stained-glass windows, the cathedral has been an outspoken supporter of the Jewish community during hard times.

*****

After years of watching the anti-free trade groups put together remarkably broad coalitions, the pro-free trade side is striking back. In a March 20 letter to President Barack Obama and congressional leaders, a pro-free trade coalition urged the completion of the Doha free trade pact and a "reaffirmation" at the leaders summit of the Group of 20 nations of the "critical importance of rejecting destructive protectionism." The message wasn't especially new for free-trade supporters, but the signers were. Along with the usual suspects - groups of exporters like the Business Roundtable and Emergency Committee for American Trade - was a selection of development groups and religious organizations. They include the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bread for the World and One, the Africa development group founded by singer Bono. There were 17 signers in all.

*****

Mary Kohart, who has acted for the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA as its legal counsel in several cases, has been appointed Vice Chancellor, according to an announcement by Chancellor Michael F. Rehill on March 23. The Standing Committee approved her appointment on March 15. In making the announcement, Rehill stated, "Mary Kohart is an incredibly talented attorney who is deeply committed to the Episcopal Church and this diocese. I am grateful that she has accepted this appointment, and I look forward to continuing to work with her." Kohart is a litigation partner at the Philadelphia firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. She has been handling major litigation for the Diocese of Pennsylvania for several years, most recently defending successfully a lawsuit suit brought by the Rev. David Moyer claiming that he had been unjustly deposed in 2002 by Bishop Charles Bennison. She is currently representing the diocese in two cases, including an action pending in the Orphans' Court Division of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas seeking to recover the assets and property of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont. Kohart, a member of St. Thomas, Whitemarsh, has been married to Dean Phillips since 1984. They have three children.

*****

EU 'To Put Animals Before Embryos'. The European Union is to radically restrict laboratory testing on animals - by insisting human embryos be used by scientists for research instead. Toxicology tests on animals will be permitted only after similar research on tissue taken from human embryos has proved fruitless, according to a proposed new directive from the European Commission (EC). Before scientists can test any new medicines on animals, they will first have to determine that no other method is "reasonably or practicably available". Such methods, according to the EC, include testing human embryonic stem cells - a procedure controversial in most European countries because the embryos are destroyed during the process of extraction of such tissue. If the EC directive is approved by MEPs next month, it will be binding on all 27 EU member states, including Britain. Katharina Schauer of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (Comece) said that the directive "may have the possible outcome of obliging member states to use certain toxicology tests aimed at reducing animal testing, and so involve the use of human embryonic stem cells".

*****

Flooding around NORTH DAKOTA is getting worse, reports The Rev'd Canon John F. Floberg, rector of St. Luke's, St. James', Church of the Cross. "We have not seen the full extent of this spring flooding event yet. There is a blizzard bearing down on the western part of the state and the rest of the state is getting rain. The road between St. Gabriel's Camp and Cannon Ball is closed. The river is over its banks and over the road in some places. The camp is high and dry, but Breien and Solen are not. Even more pressing is the expected rise of the Red River in the east. Fargo and Moorhead are not sure they can get dikes in place before a record crest is forecast. That could affect St. John the Divine in Moorhead. Please pray for safety for people and protection of property," he writes. VOL asks its readers to pray for this diocese and these godly men and women.

*****

A new polling analysis by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that most mainline Protestants want homosexuality to be accepted by society. Just 39 percent of those in historically black Protestant churches and 26 percent of evangelicals share that view. You can see the full report here: http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=245

For a sound theological analysis on why Scripture absolutely and totally prohibits homosexual behavior and what the Biblical evidence is read Prof. Robert Gagnon's theological piece in today's digest or click here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=10156

*****

Condoms will be advertised round-the-clock on TV in England, writes Ruth Gledhill of the Times. In an attempt to cut the teenage pregnancy rate, which is the highest in Europe, the Advertising Standards Authority wants to relax the current rules. The authority also proposes to allow pro-abortion services to advertise on television for the first time in a move condemned immediately by anti-abortion groups. The change is outlined in a consultation by the authority beginning today on new advertising codes for broadcast and other media. Pregnancy advice services will be able to advertise on television, but must make it clear whether or not their service includes abortion referrals.

The use of condoms was condemned last week by the Pope as a health measure that "aggravates" rather than protects against the problem of HIV/Aids infection.

Anti-abortion and Catholic groups believe that condoms encourage promiscuity and so have the opposite effect of what is intended, increasing rates of unwanted pregnancies and risking an increase of sexually transmitted diseases.

*****

The Uniting General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches has put up a new website that focuses on the activities that will occur before, during and after the creation of new Reformed Church body that will represent some 75 million Christians around the world. The website - www.reformedchurches.org - will permit churches and interested individuals to access information about the historic gathering which will take place on 18-28 June 2010 at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

Coming together at that time will be the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC), both of which have worked for several years to unite the two ecumenical organizations. This would make it the fourth largest religious body in the world, just behind the Anglican Communion. Just how big is the ANGLICAN COMMUNION? Figures regularly tossed about are 77 and 80 million respectively.

The real figure is closer to 55 million, according to Anglican Mainstream theologian Dr. Chris Sugden. One has to discount the 24 million plus The Church of England claims, he says. They are not church going and should not really be identified as Anglican except in a cultural sense.

According to one news report, the Church of England is on the brink of 'losing' 24 million 'members'. One person, John Hunt is trying to get his baptism into the Church of England rescinded, with the support of the National Secular Society. The case is significant because it could ultimately cost the Church of England and the other Anglican churches in the UK nearly all of their 25,336,000 official members, as recorded by the World Council of Churches, as counted by the Wakeham Commission on reform of the House of Lords and even by the Anglican Communion itself.

The Church of England claims it does not use baptismal figures in counting its membership, but clearly they are used by other bodies, and where bodies do use these figures, they are supplied by the church, writes Gledhill. Dr. Hunt does not want the Church of England to enjoy special privileges based on 25 million members counted by baptisms carried out on babies when, judging by church attendance of 1.1 million, most of these grown-up babies no longer profess.

*****

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