Against the same thought (lust), another old man said, "Be like him who passes through the marketplace in front of an inn and breathes the smell of cooking and roasting. If he enjoys it, he goes inside to eat some of it; if not, he only inhales the smell in passing and goes on his way. It is the same for you: avoid the bad smell. Wake up and pray, saying, "Son of God, help me." Do this for other temptations also. For we do not have to uproot the passions, but resist them." --- Unknown Desert Father

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
4/4/2008

The central issue now emerging in The Episcopal Church is the interpretation of the Canons and Constitutions. They are being used, more truthfully violated, by The Episcopal Church in such a high-handed injudicious manner that it is leaving Episcopalians and VOL readers breathless. The national church is going against the clear and unequivocal provisions of the Canons of the Church.

The violation of the canons in the cases of Bishops John-David Schofield, Robert Duncan and William Cox looks like something out a Laurel and Hardy (Beers and Schori) comedy routine.

Two letters written by the attorney for Bishop Robert Duncan to David Booth Beers, Chancellor to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, show that the Presiding Bishop has violated the Canons of The Episcopal Church and denied Bishop Duncan fundamental due process.

After failing to get the necessary consents to inhibit Bishop Duncan for "abandonment of communion", Jefferts Schori announced her intention to bring the "issue" of Bishop Duncan to the House of Bishops meeting in September, even though the canons refer only to an "inhibited bishop".

In the midst of all this, Bishop Duncan was mysteriously removed from the House of Bishops e-mail list and then, when it was discovered, just as suddenly reinstated after his attorney, John H. Lewis Jr., made public that piece of information. Lewis believes that the actions of Mrs. Jefferts Schori so clearly violated the canons that she herself should face presentment charges. You can read the full story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/3j4fov

In another story also related to this issue, is the deposition of Bishop William J. Cox. This story is even more egregious in the misuse of the canons of the Episcopal Church, so much so that Cox's attorney, Wicks Stephens, has asked Mrs. Jefferts Schori and David Booth Beers to withdraw the deposition saying that both persons violated the Canons and defamed the retired Episcopal bishop. The chronicle of abuse and arrogance is the worst in Episcopal Church history, said another church attorney. The PB and her attorney, David Booth Beers, have earned the title of the Episcopal Church's Laurel and Hardy over their handling of the depositions of multiple bishops. You can read that story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/6f6xzj

THEN came word today that a Fairfax circuit judge awarded a favorable judgment to 11 Anglican churches that were taken to court last fall after breaking away from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in late 2006. In an 83-page opinion, Judge Randy Bellows ruled that Virginia's Civil War-era "division statute" granting property to departing congregations applies to the Northern Virginia congregations, which are now part of the Nigerian-administered Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA).

"The court finds that a division has occurred in the diocese," the judge wrote. "Over 7 percent of the churches in the diocese, 11 percent of its baptized membership and 18 percent of the diocesan average attendance of 32,000 [per Sunday] have left in the past two years." You can read the full story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/459nda

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RUMORS, that the $500,000 being given to "reconstitute" the DIOCESE OF SAN JOAQUIN by the Episcopal Church had been taken from funds of Native American parishes, are apparently untrue. What is true is that there has been a 5% cut in the General Convention grants for Native ministries. Both decisions were made at the same Executive Council meeting in February. There are four "aided" dioceses, which have significant ministries with Native Americans: North Dakota, South Dakota, Navajoland and Alaska. "The 5% cut for North Dakota means about $8,000 less for us during the current budget year, this is frustrating for us, but could be devastating for the other three dioceses which receive larger grants," wrote North Dakota Bishop Michael Smith to VirtueOnline.

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The "reconstituted" DIOCESE OF SAN JOAQUIN elected a provisional bishop and governing board this past week naming the Rt. Rev. Jerry Lamb to run the diocese out of new headquarters. The Diocese claims 18 parishes though VOL could only count 14. "There is new hope here for a church that can tolerate and even welcome diversity," Katherine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, said in remarks at a convention in Lodi.

Bishop John-David Schofield will undoubtedly meet former Episcopalians and David Booth Beers in court, sometime in the future. At issue will be who owns the church's properties. Bishop Schofield remains in his old offices in Fresno. Mrs. Jefferts Schori echoed the now very old saw that all property is held in trust for the Episcopal Church. She said the Episcopal Church says its bishops act as agents for the larger church and do not hold property in their own names. "If we need to, we will invite the court to help enforce the law," said Michael Glass, a San Rafael-based attorney who represents churches voting to stay with the national church.

IN YET another sign of Episcopal heavy fisted behavior, a cyber war broke out when the official diocesan website of the Diocese of San Joaquin disappeared. Seekers clicking onto it were redirected to the diocesan website of the reconstituted TEC Diocese of San Joaquin. The website just disappeared, an irate searcher told VirtueOnline. Visitors to www.sanjoaquin.anglican.org - the website of the (Southern Cone) Diocese of San Joaquin - were magically redirected to the new website for the reconstituted TEC diocese, at www.diosanjoaquin.org. Within a day the diocese was back up and running and people can now find it here: http://www.sjoaquin.net/

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The DIOCESE OF MARYLAND elected The Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton on March 29 as the new 14th bishop of that diocese. Sutton, an African American, is 54 and canon pastor at Washington National Cathedral and director of the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage (Diocese of Washington). He was elected on the first ballot out of a field of five nominees. Sutton is a frequent leader of retreats and conferences on prayer, preaching, spirituality and mission. He is married to Sonya Subbayya Sutton. Their family includes four children and stepchildren. He is a liberal and is expected to carry on the tradition of his predecessor, Bishop Robert W. Ihloff. The ambitious Very Rev. Peter D. Eaton, 49, dean of St. John's Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, withdrew his name from the slate on March 11. The Diocese of Maryland comprises approximately 44,200 Episcopalians in 117 congregations covering 10 counties and Baltimore City.

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The DIOCESE OF DALLAS also elected a new suffragan bishop this week. The Rev. Canon Paul Lambert, 57, canon to the ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, was elected on the sixth ballot out of a field of six nominees. A source in the diocese told VOL that he will absolutely not allow openly gay and lesbian priests to function in the diocese. His views are exactly the same as that of Bishop James Stanton. Lambert has served parishes in the dioceses of Dallas and Western Kansas. He is a member of the board of trustees at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas.

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In the DIOCESE OF OLYMPIA, The Very Rev. Robert Taylor, an avowed homosexual, resigned on March 29 as dean of St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, after nine years in the post. It is the seventh-largest congregation in the United States. Conflicts over his management style have surfaced in recent months. Parishioners expressed shock over the suddenness of church staff layoffs and became angry when they found out, that at the same time, the dean was getting a sizable raise to nearly $220,000, including salary and benefits. Many accused cathedral leaders of not being transparent about finances. Pay equity among cathedral staff members also became an issue. The Dean will leave with a $313,333 settlement package, $20,000 of which will come from the Olympia Diocese. You can read the full story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/3e9xsa

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In the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Bishop Charles E. Bennison may be gone, but he is not entirely forgotten. His long shadow still hangs over the diocese as his two trials draw closer. Latest word is that the civil case is on the June jury trial list. The trial could start as early as May 27.

On the diocesan website, Allan Bartlett, Bishop Pro Tempore, said, "we can scarcely talk about it, but we are conflicted about our relationship with our Bishop. He has been charged by a national Church body with serious offenses in California some years ago. The national Episcopal Church is carrying forward the trial (at its expense) in Philadelphia, beginning June 9. We will all be wounded in some way."

A recent meeting of Concerned Pennsylvania Episcopalians (CPE) brought a lot of stuff to the surface. One member of Diocesan Council said Camp Wapiti was "slam dunked" approved as long as funds are available. There is some fuzziness about sources and use of funds. The Nun's Fund is being used inappropriately, VOL was told. St. Aidan's Church was sold for $900,000 with some of the proceeds going to the Bishop's Revolving Loan fund even though the diocese does not have a Bishop. Bennison apparently changed how these funds were accessed, and his methods are apparently still in place. He originally had $500,000 in the fund 65% of it has been written off as uncollectible since loan agreements were not in place. The question is, how will these funds be used, and by whom? What happened to the rest of the dollars from the sale of St. Aidan's?

The two Standing Committee members who were present (Rev. William Wood and Chris Hart) voted in favor of having camp at Wapiti, if funds can be raised. Two Diocesan council members, Bill Duffy and Jack Henn,also attended the CPE meeting and voted against the Wapiti Camp proposal. Two or three other people also voted against it. The Wapiti Board found a clergy person to run the camp. He provided a camp budget based on the assumption that DIOPA will pay $146,000. He was very straightforward in saying that there is no assurance that any revenues will be collected, although target tuition is $275 per week. The camp could serve anywhere from 1 to 288 campers over 6 weeks, but it is not known how many will register. There is no target number of campers or go/no go deadline for camp cancellation if enrollment is low. The proposed camp will be heavily subsidized since the cost per camper will be $500! Camp Wapiti is also still in debt to the DIOPA, but there was no discussion about how to pay this off. Another member said it appeared that Camp Wapiti will probably occur with Standing Committee support, even though it is fiscally irresponsible.

Another attendee noted that Fr. Wood indicated in his report that one of Bishop Allan Bartlett's (bishop pro tempore) primary concerns was the "spiritual and moral health" of the diocese. "If there is any truth to this concern, I must confess that what I witnessed was a confirmation that it doesn't really matter who serves as the 'ecclesiastical authority' of this diocese. The sickness is pervasive and is doesn't appear to be any better now than under Bishop Bennison."

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LAITY Lead the Way in Southeast Convocation. Worship, prayer, planning and fellowship -- these are the ingredients that some 200 to 250 fellow Common Cause Anglicans, from a dozen southeastern states, will combine to create a binding relationship in joint mission and ministry among partnership congregations throughout the region. The three-day conference is scheduled for April 17–19 at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Logansville, GA., about 30 miles east of Atlanta. Anglican Communion Network and Common Cause moderator Bishop Robert Duncan will be keynote speaker. He will present participants with the broad vision of the Common Cause Partnership, while Jenny Noyes, Anglican Communion Network Director of Evangelism, will follow with testimonies about the growing number of cooperative grass roots initiatives forming across the country among Common Cause Anglicans. Other featured Bishops include Alex Dickson, John Rodgers, and David Anderson, Bishop-designate William Ilgenfritz and other Common Cause leaders will lead a panel discussion on God's work being accomplished through the gathering - or "clustering" - of Anglican congregations all over the United States.

Speaking of the coming event, Southeast Convocation Dean, the Rev. Jim McCaslin, noted that "This is really exciting stuff, lay people, led by the Holy Spirit, coming together to strengthen and multiply their efforts in living out the Gospel." McCaslin pointed to other efforts around the country where fellow Anglicans, whatever their Common Cause affiliation, are joining in mission and ministry, heeding, McCaslin said, it was "the call of God" to rebuild His church from the bottom up. McCaslin added that this working together in mission and ministry is fulfilling "God's Cause that He gave us in Common to take the saving Good News of Jesus to a lost and hurting world." Additional conference details and registration information are available at: www.regonline.com/195695.

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Confused about who is and who is not a CONTINUING ANGLICAN? Thousands of Anglicans are. Recently the lady PB of TEC used the expression "Continuing Episcopalians" for the reconstituted diocese in San Joaquin. This term was used first by the 1977 seceders from the Episcopal Church who came to be known as "continuing Anglicans" seeking to establish The Continuing Anglican Church. Dr. Peter Toon of the Anglican Prayer Book Society recalls that the Dissidents in TEC in 1999 under the name of AACOM (Association of Anglican Parishes in Mission) sent "A Petition to Orthodox Bishops of the Anglican Communion for Protection....." asking these Bishops to help either reform TEC or help set up a new Church in USA. Here are their words, "the replacement of ECUSA within a continuing Episcopal Church as the province of the Anglican Communion in the United States." I guess it is a matter of what is being CONTINUED to earn the title Continuing Church.

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On April 20, 2008, the Church of the Holy Communion in Dallas, Texas, will host an information forum about the Common Cause Partnership. All those in the North Texas area who are interested in the CCP can hear the Rt. Rev. Dr. Bill Atwood speak on the issue. Reformed Episcopal Church Bishop Ray Sutton and ACN Bishop Jack Iker will also speak. Details can be found at www.holycommuniondallas.org or contact Cathy at 972 248 6505 or at cathy@hollycommuniondallas.org.

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From the DIOCESE OF OTTAWA comes this news. The Rev. Linda Fisher-Privitera (married to Melissa Hausman under Massachusetts law, and originally from that TEC diocese) has been given a full appointment by Ottawa's relatively new bishop, John Chapman. You may recall that when these two first moved to Ottawa a couple of years ago - Melissa is a PoliSci professor at Carleton University -- there was a kerfuffle because former Bishop Peter Coffin (now bishop of the Canadian Forces) granted her permission to officiate. He protested that this was customary for priests coming from another jurisdiction (mind you this was before bishops started showing up from the Southern Cone), that it was purely honorary, she wasn't being paid, given an official position etc. Of course, this initial step was part of a classic example of incrementalism. After having enjoyed visibility at St. John the Evangelist under Garth Bulmer, as well as elsewhere in the diocese, she now has her own parish. Wrote a VOL reader, "one can only pray that the orthodox parishes that haven't yet separated from this godless diocese will now see its clear and intentional direction, and the spiritual danger of maintaining a pretense of Christian fellowship with Chapman and company."

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In other Canadian news, the DIOCESE OF MONTREAL'S Christ Church Cathedral "'acknowledged"' the director of music's civil union. Patrick Wedd, director of music at in Montreal, and Rob Wells, a clinical research specialist for a pharmaceutical company, got married. A notary presided over the ceremony held at their home. It was attended by about 30 people, including eight Anglican priests. The service at Christ Church Cathedral included what the music director later described "a nice acknowledgement" of the marriage. The acknowledgement was designed to conform with Bishop Clarke's decision not to permit priests in the diocese to bless marriages, including same-sex marriages, already solemnized in civil ceremonies. The synod of the Diocese of Montreal voted last fall to ask the bishop to permit such blessings under certain circumstances, but the bishop said he would not do so, at least for the time being.

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WALES: Welsh Synod Rejects Women Bishops. The General Synod of the Church in Wales rejected a motion to permit the consecration of women as Bishops. As legislation, the motion required a 2/3rd majority from each of the three houses of the Synod - Bishops, Clergy and Laity. The vote passed in the houses of Bishops and Laity but failed to secure a 2/3rds majority in the house of clergy as 18 voted against and 27 in favor (60% rather than 66.6%). No doubt this matter will be brought back in a few years when the opponents have been whittled away. It is notable that with 40% of the clergy against there are no Bishops who voted against suggesting that the process of appointment of Bishops discriminates against opponents, said David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society.

Commenting on the Governing Body of the Church in Wales' decision on the Bill to enable women to be ordained as bishops, the Reverend Alan Rabjohns, Chairman of Credo Cymru / Forward in Faith Wales, said today: "The extraordinary scenes at Lampeter yesterday have left many people reeling. Those in favor of the Bill must have thought that they had achieved their objective when the amendment recommended by the Select Committee, which said that pastoral care for those unable to accept the provision would be provided by an assistant bishop was lost. But the substantive motion on the Bill in its final form was lost by three votes in the house of clergy and only four votes prevented it from failing in the house of laity, too."

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A report in the Church of England newspaper that bishops have been granted new powers to insist that fresh expressions of church can continue even if a parish is against them. "Fresh expressions" of church and other mission-based communities have been granted further grounding within the Church of England after new legislation was incorporated into Canon Law this week. The code of practice of the Bishop's mission orders was passed at General Synod in February, but has now been given Royal Assent. The orders mean that a bishop has the final say over new initiatives. The legislation means, for example, that if a parish gains a new priest who does not agree with a current fresh expression, the bishop has the authority to insist that it carries on. The Bishop's endorsement also means he must accept that the fresh expression is to operate within the Church of England or, in some cases, accepting that the initiative works within a partnership including the Church of England.

Stephen Croft, Archbishop's Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions, welcomed the new legislation. "The aim is to give legal recognition to fresh expressions of church and communities founded through mission." Synod member Stephen Trott also insisted it was a good thing for the church's mission. "It will enable fresh expressions to take their place as a recognised and natural way of doing church." He claimed that such parallel initiatives would not create complications or tensions within the diocese. "The orders have been very carefully designed to work alongside the parish system which is the only place objections might come from," he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in 2005 described the new orders as a "principled and careful loosening of structures".

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And from the PROVINCE OF NIGERIA comes word that the church has elected 20 new bishops. The church is growing so fast that it can barely keep up with the strength of new converts. One source told VOL that Pentecostals are also making big inroads into the country and presenting something of a challenge to the continued growth of the Nigerian Anglican Church. The Episcopal Synod of the Church of Nigeria, which was held in St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral Uruagu,-Nnewi, Anambra state, also elected the Venerable Alloysius Agbo to the See of Nsukka, that will be vacant in June and transferred the Rt. Revd Gabriel Akinbiyi, Bishop of Offa Diocese, to the See of Akoko.

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UH HUH. In yet another example of the Episcopal Organization's (is it really a church at this point) creeping Unitarianization, the Episcopal Church's chief liturgical officer, the Rev. Clayton Morris, explains the Eucharist: "Why does the church gather around a table with food and drink in its primary act of worship? Because God calls the church to a ministry of reconciliation. The church is called to restore the dignity of creation. It is all about feeding and being fed. It is all about making certain that all God's children are safe, whole and nourished. The ritual breaking of bread in the midst of the assembly reminds us of our task while it embodies its reality." Wrote one VOL reader; "Sign me up. Who wouldn't want to get up early on one of their days off to participate in some pseudo-spiritual left-wing bread ritual? Especially since my friends and I, AKA "the assembly," can "restore the dignity of creation" at just about any local pub over Stoli shots and a big-backside plate of Buffalo wings whenever the mood strikes us." Indeed.

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Finally, in the latest round of Episcopal flatulence, Mrs. Jefferts Schori's Easter message must surely take the cake or is that cow poop. While making a passing reference to the resurrection she said this, "We cannot love our neighbors unless we care for the creation that supports all our earthly lives....When atmospheric warming, due in part to the methane output of the millions of cows we raise each year to produce hamburger, begins to slowly drown the island homes of our neighbors in the South Pacific, are we truly sharing good news?"

VOL has a recommendation. We suggest that the Archbishop of Canterbury write a stiff note to the Primate (the two-legged one) of Aotearoa/New Zealand and tell him that the NZ Govt. must ensure that New Zealand's 45 million sheep and some 5 million cows limit their ability to break wind to once a day in order to preserve the fragile ozone layer. If not, they should be slaughtered and tossed into Tasman Straits where they will make great shark food. A resolution should be put on the table at the upcoming Lambeth Conference right after Bishop Gene Robinson has made a public statement on the need for pansexual marriage. You can read Terry Mattingly's analysis of the PB's sermon in today's digest.

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JUST EXACTLY what is happening in cyber space? This note came from the Rev. Ron Ashford based in Auckland, New Zealand. "I suggest there is something strange and ungodly going on in cyber space in regard to some movements within the ACANZP, TEC and the Anglican Communion. A few years ago, Jenny Plane Te Paa, Principal of TE Rau Kahikatea, a constituent of the College of St. John the Evangelist in Auckland, New Zealand complained that e-mail and web pages had effectively circumvented the established media lines of communication set in place by authorities within the ACANZP, TEC, and the Anglican Communion. Ashford who runs a listserv called Anglicans ALL, wrote VOL to say that for well over a year Anglicans ALL, has suffered unusually high levels of spamming. "This spamming was used in an attempt to crash our in-box, and to thus prevent our sending out Anglicans ALL posts. More recently, sophisticated attacks have been waged against the commercial server which hosts our website, and then, a worm-like attack on our list-server engine finally brought that system to its knees. We are not alone! The following article describes a sophisticated cyber re-direction designed to benefit TEC." http://tinyurl.com/5ttzkr One might well recall: "Star Wars: Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back!" Then again, one might also recall "Star Wars: Episode 6: The Return of the Jedi", or "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King".

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Want to change a life this Mother's Day? Five Talents International is honoring the special women in the lives of our supporters. Five Talents will list the names of the extraordinary women being honored or remembered, as well as the names of their loved ones who have given a gift, on its Web site, www.fivetalents.org . These gifts will support the mission of Five Talents as a tribute to the mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and friends, who have played a significant role in the lives of our supporters. Five Talents' mission is to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by empowering the poor in developing countries using innovative savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development. Established in 1999, Five Talents has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that in turn employs at least six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women. For more information and to donate, visit www.fivetalents.org .

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Historian Dr. John Dickson sets out to discover what we can know for certain about the life of one of history's best known and most influential figures. In a captivating journey across the globe, Dr Dickson examines ancient documents and consults the world's most respected historians and scholars. Beginning with the Gnostic Gospels, he criss-crosses continents on a search back through time for the historical sources that reveal the real Jesus- A Search for The Christ Files. http://www.thechristfiles.com.au/

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DESIRING GOD. Don't Waste Your Life...What is The Essence of the Unwasted Life? What Is the Ultimate Aim of the Life That Truly Counts? Listen to a series of sermons by John A. Piper. I recommend these to VOL readers. In the busyness of your life take a few moments to listen to one of these fine audio tapes. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1149_dont_waste_your_life_session_1/

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VIRTUEONLINE is appealing for much needed funds for travel to both the GAFCON (Middle East) and LAMBETH (Canterbury) conferences in June and July.

Some of you may have received an online appeal with a much smaller number receiving a letter in the mail. If you have received duplicate requests, We apologize to you. Some of you have been faithfully supporting this ministry for several years and it is not our intention to deluge you with mail.

If you would like to make a tax- deductible donation to VIRTUEONLINE, to help defray the cost to attend both Amman/Jerusalem and Canterbury, you can do so by sending a snail mail check to:

VIRTUEONLINE
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Thank you for your support.

All blessings,

David W. Virtue DD
www.VirtueOnline.org