"Individual homosexuals may show splendid qualities. Some become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die of Aids. But the influence of the homosexual ideology destroys the social fabric of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, homosexuality is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout western European civilization, raising militants at every step. Nothing can stop it apart from prayer and the mobilization of Christians out of their middle class ghettos. But things will have to get a lot worse before that happens." ---- David Skinner UK, Dorset

True apostolic succession. Almost deafened by the babel of voices in the contemporary church, how are we to decide whom to follow? The answer is: we must test them all by the teaching of the apostles of Jesus Christ. 'Peace and mercy' will be on the church when it 'walks by this rule' (Gal. 6:16). Indeed, this is the only kind of apostolic succession we can accept --– not a line of bishops stretching back to the apostles and claiming to be their successors (for the apostles were unique in both authorization and inspiration, and they have no successors), but loyalty to the apostolic doctrine of the New Testament. The teaching of the apostles, now permanently preserved in the New Testament, is to regulate the beliefs and practices of the church of every generation. This is why the Bible is over the church and not vice versa. The apostolic authors of the New Testament were commissioned by Christ, not by the church, and wrote with the authority of Christ, not of the church. 'To that authority (sc. of the apostles)', as the Anglican bishops said at the 1958 Lambeth Conference, 'the Church must ever bow.' Would that it did. The only church union schemes which can be pleasing to God and beneficial to the church are those which first distinguish between apostolic traditions and ecclesiastical traditions and then subject the latter to the former. ---- From "The Message of Galatians" (The Bible Speaks Today) John R. W. Stott

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
August 14, 2009

Her letter to VOL was direct and to the point. "I am 83 years old. I am so disillusioned by our House of Bishops - disillusioned and discouraged. A group of us at St. Mark's are looking for a way out. Our vestry has sent a letter to our Standing Committee protesting the PB's heresy statement and reinterpretation of the Gospel. Now we are waiting..."

Across the country, in one diocese after another, similar letters and sentiments are being sent to bishops and Standing Committees protesting the actions of General Convention 2009 and the statements of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori about salvation and sodomy. The unraveling of The Episcopal Church will slowly continue, there is no stopping it in sight. If bishops thought they would have a free run after GC2009, they are sorely mistaken.

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Clergy, attending a special meeting of the DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA this week, heard Bishop Mark Lawrence say that the diocese needs to distance itself from the governing bodies of The Episcopal Church. He then held out an exit card to parishes wanting to leave the diocese for safer more orthodox ecclesiastical pastures.

Lawrence advocated withdrawing as a diocese from "all bodies of governance of TEC that have assented to actions contrary to Holy Scripture; the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this church has received them; the resolutions of Lambeth which have expressed the mind of the Communion; the Book of Common Prayer (p.422-423) and the Constitution & Canons of TEC (Canon 18:1.2.b) until such bodies show a willingness to repent of such actions."

It was bewildering and confusing, an orthodox rector told VOL. "Liberal rectors concluded that he would not take the diocese out of TEC and therefore would not go after him by appealing to Jefferts Schori or David Booth Beers, but a number of orthodox rectors, many of whom have sworn allegiance to the wider Anglican Communion are now weighing their options. I would not be surprised if a number of them decided to leave," the source said.

In his long peroration delivered at St. James' Church, James Island, Charleston, Lawrence blasted the actions of The Episcopal Church's recent General Convention, upheld the authority of Scripture, urged the diocese not to consider leaving TEC, and concluded by calling for a special convention on Oct. 24 to vote on proposals that he presented during the meeting. You can read the full story in today's digest

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Recent statements, comments and interviews by the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, reveal a common theme: she no longer (if she ever did) believes in the unique claims of Jesus Christ as both savior and Lord resulting in a poor if non-existent Christology.

In a recent video, Jefferts Schori openly and publicly denied that Jesus is the only way to salvation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IxG96wpx60

She has publicly said that Muslims do not need converting to Christ and that she would never tell them they do, or that Jews are saved under the first covenant. In her most recent statement, uttered publicly at General Convention in Anaheim, she stated that personal or individual conversion (to Christ) is a Western heresy and likened it to "work" rather than that of free grace.

I felt constrained to pull together all her utterances in a single article which you can read here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/px9jx8

I have also written a piece of satire that I hope encapsulates the Culture Wars in The Anglican Communion.

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One of the candidates for the Bishop of the DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES is a homosexual with an adopted black son. He is The Rev. John L. Kirkley, rector of St. John the Evangelist Church in San Francisco in the Diocese of California. He is "married" to his "husband" Andrew Aldrich and they are parents of an eleven year-old African-American boy by the name of Nehemiah.

A recent article by social scientists written by Trayce Hansen, Ph.D. who researched children raised by openly homosexual parents reveals that they are more likely to engage in homosexual behavior than children raised by others. Studies thus far find between 8% and 21% of homosexually parented children ultimately identify as non-heterosexual. For comparison purposes, approximately 2% of the general population are non-heterosexual. Therefore, if these percentages continue to hold true, children of homosexuals have a 4 to 10 times greater likelihood of developing a non-heterosexual preference than other children.

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The Rev. Donald Armstrong, priest of St. George's Anglican Church, Colorado Springs, CO, says his parish might be moving downtown, according to his blog. Since he and the majority of Grace and St. Stephens, North Tejon Street broke away from the DIOCESE OF COLORADO, the Anglican Church, a Convocation of Anglicans in North America parish has been meeting in rented space in the Mountain Shadows area.

That may change soon. Armstrong says St. George's is looking for church property downtown. "We are in the process of deciding as a congregation to purchase a prime piece of property in the downtown area to establish an Anglican presence in the center of Colorado Springs,"

In an email Armstrong wrote, "That site will have a very purposefully designed building to accommodate large worship services, educational programs for all ages, and significant outreach programs."

What do you think of the possibility of St. George's being virtual neighbors with Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on North Tejon Street, which won the property case over Grace?

Meanwhile, Armstrong says the CANA parish has grown since Easter, when weekly attendance reportedly was 600, resulting in the creation of additional services on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

In other news, the criminal trial of the Fr. Armstrong, indicted on 20 counts of felony-theft charges and currently free on a $20,000 bond, won't begin until summer 2010, said Dennis Hartley, Armstrong's attorney. "We just received nine three-spring binders three inches thick" from the Pueblo District Attorney's Office, Hartley said. "It is going to take a long time to prepare this case for trial."

"It will be impossible to be ready before summer 2010," Hartley said. When the case finally goes to trial, it will be in Fourth Judicial District court downtown.

*****

FORWARD IN FAITH North America will consecrate its first bishop as part of the FiF North America Missionary Diocese. Fr William Ilgenfritz (62), a rector in the Diocese of Pittsburgh (Anglican), Charleroi, Pennsylvania USA, will be consecrated by Archbishop Robert Duncan (Primate of the ACNA, Anglican Communion), the bishops of FiFNA and other bishops of the ACNA College of Bishops.

Seven years ago, Father Ilgenfritz was nominated by FiFNA, a pan-Anglican organization "upholding the faith and order of the undivided Church." Father Ilgenfritz was put forward to lead this missionary effort by a vote of FiFNA congregation, not an appointment by the College of Bishops.

Father Ilgenfritz will head a cluster of Forward in Faith North America affiliated congregations whose mission is to bring Christ to and establish congregations in the historic Anglican tradition of the Christian Faith.

This consecration is significant in the sense two areas: the FiFNA insistence that the consent for the consecration comes not only from the organization, but also affirmed under the authority of the larger Anglican world; and FiFNA shifting to an intentionally mission oriented structure.

Father Ilgenfritz is scheduled to be consecrated on August, 22nd at Charleroi, Pennsylvania. It is expected that several Primates from other parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion will take part in the consecration along with the Archbishop and College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America.

*****

The beat for orthodoxy continues. The Rev. Silas Ng of Richmond Emmanuel Church will be consecrated Missionary Bishop of the PROVINCE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF RWANDA on September 9 in Pasadena, California. On Sunday, September 13, he will be installed as the first Canadian Bishop of ACiC and AI (Asian Initiative). The Installation Service will take place at 4:00 pm at Richmond Emmanuel Church. This is just further evidence that the truth faith will not be stopped or denied despite what the Anglican Church of Canada thinks or does, or whatever properties they can grab from orthodox priests. The faith goes onward and upward.

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Rare medieval paintings telling the story of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket have been revealed in a Spanish church for the first time in 30 years. To view these, go here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8192655.stm

*****

Following the recent launch of the UK Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, the Council of Church Society is encouraged to see Anglicans within the UK and elsewhere taking a stand against the destructive forces of theological liberalism and aggressive secularism. "We continue to be committed to working with others on issues of common concern."

"Anglicanism is firmly Protestant and Reformed, as expressed by the Church's confessional standard, the 39 Articles of Religion. The Articles commit Anglicans to proclaiming the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and upholding the supreme and final authority of Holy Scripture as God's Word written," said a statement from Church Society Council regarding UK-FCA.

In other FCA news, VOL was told that a Fellowship of Continuing Anglicans Conference will be held on North American soil in early 2010. "We are looking forward to a convergence of ACNA and evangelicals still in TEC coming together for this great event," said Canon Phil Ashey, COO of the American Anglican Council.

*****

There's been a changing of the guard at THE LIVING CHURCH magazine. Executive editor David Kalvalage is retiring and is being replaced by the Rev. Dr. Christopher Wells as executive director. Also gone is news editor Steve Waring. He is being replaced by Doug LeBlanc who will write news and features. In his final rip at TEC, Kalvalage had this to say, "The decrease in love of The Episcopal Church has come about without any effort on my part. Being present at eight General Conventions, especially the last one, was a start. And the church, by trashing much of what Episcopalians who would consider themselves traditionalists regard as important, has made it easy. Its relentless, ever-increasing embrace of our culture, its tolerance of everything from Buddhist and Muslim clergy to the infusion of social justice for theology, and its indifference as loyal, faithful members proceed to the nearest exit have turned a once-dynamic church into a ridiculed sect, increasingly protestant and less catholic."

*****

Want to listen to a good sermon on heresy? Then click this link to hear the Rev. John P. Richardson of St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham, Alabama: http://wp.stpetersbhm.org/sermons/2009-sermons/

If you are looking for a thoughtful critique of Durham Bishop N. T. Wright you can hear it here: This link is to an MP3 of the late Dr John Robbins critiquing of Bishop Wright's theology. www.trinitylectures.org/MP3/Wright_Collection13.mp3

*****

For folks concerned about the Health Care reform package being proposed by President Barack Obama, VOL is posting a story by regular columnist Mike McManus addressing a number of issues in it. If you are looking for an alternative to AARP then go here: http://www.christiansenior.org/home/index.php

*****

I am pleased to announce that on August 23 a radio program will air on the White Horse Inn www.whitehorseinn.org that features yours truly with the Rt. Rev. Dr. C. FitzSimons Allison with host Michael Horton, author of Christless Christianity and professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in California. Tune in for a moment of truth about The Anglican Communion.

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Sadly we announce the death of Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 1915-2009, one of the most influential background figures of 20th-century theology. He was a renowned church historian and historical theologian, and professor emeritus at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. He passed away Friday, August 7. He was one of the most significant background figures in 20th century theology. He helped shape English-language Christianity over the past six decades, translating and editing-from several original languages-thousands upon thousands of pages of theological works from such notables as Karl Barth, Jacques Ellul, Helmut Thielicke, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Ernst Kaseman, among others.

*****

VOL welcomes new readers from across the world this week. We especially welcome readers from Ethiopia, Egypt, Russia and China. We hope that VOL's website is both informative and instructive. Please let people know that our website can be found here www.virtueonline.org

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In Christ,

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