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Curry's Consecration * ACNA Archbishop Responds * Historic Episcopal Parish Closes in Monroeville, PA * More Parishes Close in San Diego & Canada * Albany Dean Resigns * North Dakota Bishop Allows DEPO

Dead to sin. Consider Christ. 'The death he died he died to sin, once for all' (Rom. 6:10). What does this mean? It can mean only one thing: that Christ died to sin in the sense that he bore sin's penalty. He died for our sins, bearing them in his own innocent and sacred person. He took upon himself our sins and their just reward. The death that Jesus died was the wages of sin--our sin. He met its claim, he paid its penalty, he accepted its reward, and he did it 'once,' once and for all. As a result sin has no more claim or demand on him. So he was raised from the dead to prove the satisfactoriness of his sin-bearing, and he now lives forever to God. If this is the sense in which Christ died to sin, it is equally the sense in which we, by union with Christ, have died to sin. We have died to sin in the sense that in Christ we have borne its penalty. Consequently our old life has finished; a new life has begun. --- John R.W. Stott

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
November 6, 2015

By David Virtue in the Hague

It was showtime at the Washington National Cathedral this week when the Episcopal Church's 150 or so mostly liberal and progressive bishops passed on the mantle of leadership from a white woman to a black man.

We now have a black US president, a black presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and a wannabe black neurosurgeon Republican who wants to be the next president of the US. It's ironic that a small handful of black men can rise to the surface when the black community itself is in such vast disarray with the highest incarceration and unemployment rates in the US, the highest number of men killed in street violence, the highest rate of illegitimacy and so on.

No matter, The Episcopal Church's bishops in all their Almay array heralded a man who says he believes in Jesus...talks up Jesus' love, the Jesus Movement, Jesus for racial equality, Jesus for reconciliation, Jesus for evangelism, Jesus for this and Jesus for that--everything except the hard core business of Jesus for repentance and real reconciliation. No talk of Jesus as redeemer and savior.

Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) had this to say about the potential for this leadership change to spur reconciliation.

"I would be delighted if there were true reconciliation. It would be an answer to my prayers, and the prayers of many in the Anglican Church in North America," said Beach.

"However, if Bishop Curry and the Episcopal Church are unwilling to genuinely repent of the unbiblical teaching and destructive actions that caused the division, then reconciliation simply isn't possible."

Curry "pushed orthodox members of his diocese to the periphery" when he was bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, said the Rev. Cannon Andrew Gross, ACNA's Director of Communications.

"There has been a lot of talk about 'going to Galilee' [a Curry refrain], but unless there is a trip to Damascus, the crisis within the Episcopal Church will continue, and the divisions that it has caused internationally will only deepen."

So there you have it. Curry in his sermon repeatedly intoned "Don't worry, be happy," oblivious to the fact that this dated pop song from early 1988 was foreign to most people's experience. Yet everything done in the installation service was foreign to most people's experience. Curry seemed like a magician trying to dazzle people with his bizarre liturgy accented by the loud drumming that accompanied music and movement, wrote Sarah Frances Ives for VOL. Comment: Is this a direct quote? If so, it needs double quotation marks.

"Wildly rhythmic drumming began the day with about 150 bishops processing in to this. The repeated syncopated rhythm created a hypnotic effect that became not joyful, but oppressively overwhelming. Almost every musical selection included drumming, always loud and long. Moving with these beats, some dancers carried long-silvery ribbons that were thrown and tossed about in the air."

You can read the rest of the Rev. Dr. Sarah Frances Ives's take on this event. Her report clearly stung liberals. To date the story has gone viral with more than 13,000 hits, a number that's growing by more than 1,000 a day. By the time the story hits VOL's archives it will have been read by more than 50,000 people. No mean feat.

It was interesting to note who was and was not present for this event. There were no Global South Primates from Africa, Asia or Latin America. Fred Hiltz, Anglican Primate of Canada, was there because the Anglican Church of Canada and TEC are clones of one another. Also spotted among the processing bishops was the new Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Office in London, Josiah Idowu-Fearon, a former Nigerian Anglican Archbishop. As his office is largely funded by TEC, his attendance should come as no surprise. Also in attendance was the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, the communion’s main policy-making body.The line-up of liberal glitterati did not include Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox representatives. I think they believed that if they showed up, there might be another earthquake and the collapsing cathedral could cost them good irreplaceable men. Surprisingly absent was the Archbishop of Canterbury. No one even brought greetings from Lambeth Palace!

Don't pass up Dr. Ives's brilliant reporting on this event. It is memorable. You can read it in today's digest or here: http://tinyurl.com/p48zeaa

*****

Episcopal Church closings are increasing across North America. It's hard to keep up with all the closures.

One significant development this past week was the closure of St. Martin's in Monroeville, PA, an historic evangelical Episcopal congregation whose death was hastened by the Culture Wars raging in The Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh, Dorsey McConnell, announced the death of this once proud parish that saw the birth of the ACNA and Trinity School for Ministry in a statement at the diocesan website.

A sign over the church reads "Jesus is alive," and it is visible from the highway. The church, however, is closed and dead, killed off by the culture wars in The Episcopal Church.

St. Martin's, Monroeville was a center of evangelical renewal in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Now under Dorsey W. M. McConnell, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, it has admitted defeat and closed its doors forever.

VOL sent an email to the bishop and asked him if he would consider selling it back to its original owners. We never got an answer. Based on past history and what the former Presiding Bishop ordered her bishops to do, Episcopal bishops have not been allowed to sell church buildings back to any Anglican congregation. Jefferts Schori has instead preferred to sell them to future saloon owners (her favorite) or to Muslims for mosques.

Fr. Kua Apple, who leads the breakaway St. Martin's Anglican Church, which meets over the road at Bethel Presbyterian Church, said the whole congregation of about 50 left in 2012. "We did not sue to stay. We left on good terms. We polished the silver, made sure the boilers were working, and left."

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

Bishop James Mathes of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego announced the closure of three parishes this week.

"After consultation with our standing committee and executive council, area missioners, the clergy of our diocese, and fellow bishops, I write this pastoral letter with a heavy heart to announce my decision to dissolve Santa Rosa Del Mar, Desert Shores, effective immediately; to sell property used by the mission congregation of St. Anne's, Oceanside; and to declare All Saints', Vista a mission action parish with likely similar property-related actions in the near future," wrote the bishop.

This diocese is now reaping the whirlwind of pansexuality: the departure of some nine parishes a few short years ago and now three more this week. This is the wrecking ball of Gene Robinson's consecration, which has come home to destroy churches.

One wonders when we will be told that the Diocese of Bethlehem and the Diocese of Easton are no longer viable and will be merged into other dioceses.

Recently the Diocese of Long Island sold an historic parish for $15 million, and in the Diocese of Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno (who faces presentment charges) is trying to sell off an historic parish for $20 million with little success, one should point out.

In the Diocese of Huron in the Anglican Church of Canada, an historic parish in Walkerville now faces possible demolition. The Windsor Star reports that St. George's Church and Hall, known for its distinctive contrast of old and modern architecture, could soon be torn down.

"This church was struggling financially for a number of years, and unfortunately we weren't able to maintain the building due to a lack of resources," Paul Rathbone, the secretary-treasurer for the Diocese of Huron, said Wednesday. "Walls are starting to bow and there are various other signs of disrepair."

In the spring, the 36 parishioners from St. George's moved east to the former St. Michael and All Angels Church, which had a congregation of 35, leaving their old building in limbo.

"It's sad," Rathbone said. "It's a historic church in that area. It had some historical significance. But it's unsafe. It needs to come down." Comment: Please confirm that the closing quotation marks have been added in the correct place.

These closures are happening at a faster rate in the dioceses of Ontario and Quebec, where it is expected whole dioceses will close in the eastern half of Canada.

*****

The Diocese of Albany saw the resignation this past week of the cathedral's dean over the gay marriage debate, which has dogged most dioceses, with the exception of those who have already collapsed and rolled over to play dead on the issue.

Dean David Collum resigned his position at the Episcopal Cathedral of All Saints amid a heated controversy over Bishop William Love's opposition to same-sex marriage, which caused numerous parishioners to leave.

In a letter to members, Collum, priest to the cathedral congregation for the past five years, said he made the decision "with a heavy heart" but denied the decision was influenced by the gay marriage inbroglio.

"Given the controversies surrounding the larger church, some may conclude my action is a reaction to the challenging situation," Collum wrote in a letter mailed Wednesday. "I would assure you that it is not." However, Mr. Collum did not respond to requests for additional comment. Now you can be sure that it is about gay marriage, and while he may deny it, a member of All Saints' Cathedral followed up with this line: "The situation is clear as mud, but the dean's decision to resign leaves me with grave concerns about the future of the Diocese of Albany within the framework of the national church," said Don Csaposs, a member for more than 15 years at All Saints'.

Bishop Bill Love has given no indication that he intends to leave TEC, and his diocese is holding its own in one of the most secular areas of the country. No small feat in this day and age. Bishop Love is no pushover. He has allowed Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) for several of his parishes, but he has not backed down on approving sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman, which was no doubt brought home to him on a recent trip he made to Africa, where African Anglicans staunchly oppose sodomy and gay marriage. Comment: Has he not backed down on sex between men and women, or same-sex sex, or both? This should be clarified.

This diocese, along with the Diocese of Springfield, will be the ones to watch after the primates meet in Canterbury and January. We will see what devolves from that.

Evangelical Central Florida Bishop Gregory Brewer has drunk the Episcopal Kool Aid and will now go along to get along.

*****

The evangelical bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota, Michael G. Smith, said he will allow his clergy who want to perform same sex marriage rites to seek Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO). He says he will appoint another bishop to provide ecclesiastical oversight.

In a letter in the July-August issue of The Sheaf, the Diocesan magazine, he included the reasons why he could not in good conscience authorize the trial rite of same sex marriage for the Diocese.

"Although the enabling resolution for the rite gave authority to the Diocesan Bishop to make such a decision, it also included the directive that the Diocesan Bishop 'will make provision for all couples asking to be married in this Church to have access to these liturgies.' I have concluded a process of consultation, seeking the advice of those clergy who are responsible for solemnizing marriages, about what course of action I should take."

Is this just the thin end of the wedge? A couple of posters seem to think so. One wrote, "This is such a sad situation. While in TEC, this Bishop and Diocese must live by the assertion that both points of view are valid, while individual people do not really recognize the validity of the opposite point of view. Another wrote, "The tension for more orthodox priests and bishops is palpable. Diversity is fine with some things (adiaphora) but it is nothing short of heresy for a behavior where the teaching is clear and consistent throughout the scriptures and uniform through 2000 years of Church tradition (and in all Christian churches until this recent half century). To not only accept homosexual behavior but to celebrate it with false "marriages" is so far out there as to be anti-Christian." Comment: Please confirm that the end quotation marks have been inserted in the correct location. The spirit of antichrist is alive ... and killing the churches in the west.

A firmer voice wrote this: "Rationalization, Michael G. Smith. It is time to go. Think, too, what you may be doing to other souls by your hanging on by a thread. Yes, we all will face the Lord. What will you say if asked, have you done enough? No, it isn't easy. Many can attest to that, but their consciences are clear."

*****

Last week the Church of England broke through another "stained glass ceiling" as the first female bishop took her seat in the House of Lords. The Upper Chamber rose to its feet to cheer and applaud the landmark moment of her introduction as one of the parliament's 26 Lords Spiritual.

The woman to have made this small, significant and long step into the history books was the Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek.

She admitted that both historically and in present times, both here and across the world, there has been big division on this issue.

Despite her appointment, Treweek says the church still had "a long way to go" before it achieved gender equality. "I won't lie. I think it's frustrating it's taken so long to get to this point. But importantly we've finally reached this place where those with different views can stay together within the church. And I think that's something to be commended."

In keeping with the theme of unity and dialogue, she defended Archbishop Justin Welby's decision to bring together the world's Anglican church leaders to try and avert a permanent split over issues such as homosexuality.

In an effort to deal with increasing division of the Anglican Communion in recent years, the crisis talks in January will be an opportunity for the 38 leaders of national churches who represent 80 million Christians around the world to come together and discuss their differences.

Welby is expected to propose that Anglican churches with opposing views loosen their links but remain connected.

Bishop Rachel calls the talks "a wonderful idea. It goes back to theme of listening to people and hearing different views."

Addressing undoubtedly the two biggest issues facing the Church worldwide--the rights of LGTB people and the inclusion of woman in the church--she says, "I think it's very unlikely we'll see a situation where everyone will have the same view."

Really.

VOL was told this week that there is a growing mood towards disestablishment of the Church of England, which could certainly change the whole ball game if it ever came about.

*****

It was a good week for values voters. Voters of Houston came out in massive numbers and soundly rejected Mayor Annise Parker's ordinance proposal that would have allowed men to enter women's bathrooms, showers and changing areas based on gender identification. The HERO (Houston Equal Rights Ordinance) proposition was rejected by a vote of 61 to 39 percent with 95 percent of the ballots counted.

The proposition saw nearly a quarter million voters take to the polls to send a clear message to the city's leaders. "Houstonians sent a clear message and voted for common sense by rejecting this dangerous ordinance," said Briscoe Cain, who worked with Campaign for Houston, the group which opposed the measure.

Harris County GOP Chairman Paul Simpson told Breitbart, Texas in an interview Tuesday night, "Thanks to the efforts of our precinct chairs, Republican volunteers and activists, and dedicated staff, HCRP made more than 100,000 volunteer phone calls and knocked on 30,000 doors to turn out conservative voters to defeat HERO." Comment: Is Breitbart Texas a location? If so, the comma should be added. If it's some sort of group, it should be deleted.

"This is a national game changer," said Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values Action, in a statement obtained by Breitbart, Texas. "Today's vote is a massive victory for common sense, safety, and religious freedom, not just in Houston, but for all of Texas. The eyes of the nation were on Houston, and the people sent a clear message and soundly rejected this intentionally deceptive and dangerous ordinance."

Ohio voters on Tuesday shot down a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, but advocates remained hopeful for another measure that could be on the ballot in 2016. The swing state of nearly 11.6 million people would have followed five other jurisdictions where both recreational and medicinal marijuana are now legal: the states of Oregon, Alaska, Colorado and Washington, along with Washington DC.

In England, the Church of England won a round in the courts when The Rev Canon Jeremy Pemberton, a hospital chaplain in Lincolnshire, accused the Church of discrimination on grounds of sexuality by stripping him of his licence to preach in Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, where he lives, after he married his long-term partner Laurence Cunnington last year.

Although he works in Lincolnshire outside the diocese and is employed by the NHS rather than the Church, the decision to take away his licence effectively thwarted a planned promotion to a senior chaplaincy post because it meant he was no longer seen as "in good standing" with the Church.

An employment tribunal in Nottingham ruled in the Church's favor, finding he was "not complying" with his ordination vows by rebelling against Church policy. Despite being blocked for promotion, Canon Pemberton still works in his existing role as a chaplain in Lincolnshire.

The judge also noted that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, was "aware of the competing tensions" within the Church on homosexuality.

Interestingly, the Archbishop of Canterbury urged clerics to stick to the "line" over rebel priest's gay wedding. According to a tribunal, Justin Welby instructed Church of England officials and clerics to brush off questions about a priest who defied a ban on gay marriage rather than openly engage in further discussion about its teaching on homosexuality.

An email circulated within the Church of England last year after the Rev Canon Jeremy Pemberton married his partner Laurence Cunnington, revealing that Welby asked staff at Lambeth Palace to ensure senior figures stick to a standard pre-agreed "line" if asked about the issue.

They were told that the Archbishop wanted to "move the conversation on" to other subjects such as poverty. They were urged to deflect any media inquiries by insisting that the Church did not want to "prejudice" a long-drawn-out consultation process it is holding over the question of sexuality, expected to take several years.

Clearly the Archbishop wants to avoid the "hot potato" issue, but he can't for much longer. It will all come to a head in January in Canterbury when the Primates meet. It will be interesting to see where he stands and what side he will take and what the implications will be not only for the Church of England but for the whole Anglican Communion.

*****

Anti-Christian bigotry is growing in Canada. Some say it is even worse there than in the US, where we are protected by the First Amendment. Here's the story.

Yonge & Dundas Square is like Canada's version of Times Square in New York, with concerts, buskers, demonstrations and events--everything from Hare Krishna chants to marijuana rallies to a permanent kiosk where Muslim men hand out Korans.

All manner of artists apply to use the space at Yonge & Dundas Square, including a group called Voices of the Nations, who have held a concert there for five years.

As a Christian organization, musicians who perform as part of the Voices of the Nations event sing songs about Jesus. But this year, when Voices of the Nations applied for another permit, they were turned down. A Toronto bureaucrat banned them from the public square because their previous events had featured songs that included the words "praise the Lord" and "there's no God like Jehovah."

According to the bureaucrats, Voices of the Nations weren't allowed to use the square because they were promoting religion, even though there are Muslim preachers using the same space.

So having a booth specifically for the purpose of converting people to Islam is fine under the city's "no-converting people" policy. But singing a song in a concert that happens to praise Jesus--that's illegal.

Anyone can sing in that square. Except Christians. Anyone can proselytize in that square--except Christians. And even just singing the words "praise Jesus" is considering proselytizing--and it's banned.

This isn't the first time Christians have been censored in this same place.

Just last year, a Christian pastor named Rev. David Lynn was charged by police with illegal "busking" for singing Christian songs at Yonge & Dundas Square, less than 50 feet from the Muslim Koran kiosk. The Rebel helped recruit a civil liberties lawyer to fight Rev. Lynn's case, and we won.

You can watch a video here: http://www.therebel.media/antichristian

*****

What are people thinking about when they visit museums? Maybe it isn't always intellectual inspiration. A team launching a project at the Victoria and Albert Museum have revealed the type of searches made on the London museum's website.

In the top 10 this summer, along with design-related searches such as "floral patterns," was "homo-erotic." The museum has a gay history project this month as part of the Being Human humanities festival.

At the launch at the Hunterian Museum in London, V&A assistant curator Zorian Clayton explained that the project would examine the hidden histories of the museum's collection and its intersections with gay and lesbian culture.

He revealed the level of potential interest from people searching the art and design museum's website. Along with "ships," "flowers," and "cinema," "homo-erotic" was one of the most popular searches.

This prompted a VOL reader to write, "My heart mourns at society's being drenched in this stuff as if it is high art and the soon to be touted acme of human civilization. The V&A is about the most reputable museum in London [a reputation enhanced by their rejection of Margaret Thatcher's wardrobe]. It really depresses me. NPR advocates this cultural and moral aberration almost daily. Even Alabama's local station devoted time to the stories of the LGBT community. I can only turn off these items with nauseous disgust. I think we have plunged into this state of decadence without hope of recovery and only the prospect of severe judgement. It's a Sodom situation and Gomorrah generation--proudly wicked. Everyone takes "gayism" and atheistic evolution for granted (I don't discount evolution as a divine process that glorifies God). Perhaps the church needs to adapt to survival mode in a situation of divine abandonment. By all means we continue to call the world to repentance, but perhaps we ought to concentrate on gathering the chicks under the mother hen for safety and sustenance. The wolf is ravaging the fowl pen.

"I have never felt so close to, and in need of, the Parousia. I can't think we can sink any further, knowing that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, and I don't wish to discover what is below. I can hardly endure the contempt for God. I know these things weigh heavily upon yourself. Everything is so grotesque. I scan Rolling Stone regularly to monitor trends, but the content is now too repellant. We must nurture the believing remnant, and the church must cease pandering to the world. What a disaster the Church of England is.

"I truly think God is easing himself out of our situation. The hubris and hatefulness of man is so horrid. The church by and large is effete at best and dangerous in its worst "avant-garde" expressions. I know the Lord can do exceedingly more than we can think or imagine, but there is a deadline and I think it is fast approaching."

As for the Evangelical constituency: Grimshaw's rebuke to Whitefield on the latter's optimistic estimate of the spiritual health of Grimshaw's congregation--"Oh sir, for God's sake, do not speak so! I pray you, do not flatter them! I fear the greater part of them are going to hell with their eyes open."

*****

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Thank you for your support.

In Christ,

David

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