God's will to save. Let no-one say that the doctrine of election by the sovereign will and mercy of God, mysterious as it is, makes either evangelism or faith unnecessary. The opposite is the case. It is only because of God's gracious will to save that evangelism has any hope of success and faith becomes possible. The preaching of the gospel is the very means that God has appointed by which he delivers from blindness and bondage those whom he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world, sets them free to believe in Jesus, and so causes his will to be done. --- From "The Message of Ephesians" John R. W. Stott Paul the persuader. Paul's presentation of the gospel was serious, well reasoned and persuasive. Because he believed the gospel to be true, he was not afraid to engage the minds of his hearers. He did not simply proclaim his message in a 'take it or leave it' fashion; instead, he marshalled arguments to support and demonstrate his case. He was seeking to convince in order to convert, and in fact, as Luke makes plain, many were 'persuaded'. Luke indicates, moreover, that this was Paul's method even in Corinth. What he renounced in Corinth (see 1 Cor. 1 - 2) was the wisdom of the world, not the wisdom of God, and the rhetoric of Greeks, not the use of arguments. Arguments of course are no substitute for the work of the Holy Spirit. But then trust in the Holy Spirit is no substitute for arguments either. We must never set them over against each other as alternatives. No, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and he brings people to faith in Jesus not in spite of the evidence, but because of the evidence, when he opens their minds to attend to it. ---From "The Message of Acts" by John R.W. Stott

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
10/23/2009

It was a climactic week in the life of the Anglican Communion. We have not seen anything like it in decades, perhaps centuries. (A special digest was posted earlier this week).

The Roman Catholic Church unveiled a proposal hoping to reunite all traditional elements within the Anglican Communion that still feel a deep connection with Rome and with the Catholic faith -- and they are willing to take considerable pains to make those Anglicans feel comfortable when they "come over to Rome."

It took everybody by surprise especially and including the Archbishop of Canterbury who clearly was blindsided by the Vatican's actions. It was a deeply embarrassing moment, but many believe he is fiddling while the Anglican Communion burns. So the Pope jumped in to rescue those traditionalists waving on the balcony looking for an escape ladder.

It is both a nightmare and an occasion for clarity. On the dark side, it has been a culmination of the bad actions of the North American Episcopal Church - the consecration of a homoerotic bishop, a denigration of sound doctrine (a denial by PB Jefferts Schori that personal salvation was necessary), the ordination of women to the priesthood, and now the inevitable ordination of women to the episcopacy in the Church of England - that finally brought swift action from the Vatican.

The Pope drove his Popemobile around his own liberal apparatiks, like cardinal Kasper, giving the work of announcing the move to his trusted Cardinal Levada.

The Pope's actions more or less said that 35-years of ARCIC talks between Anglicans and Catholics is going nowhere. Beyond the pale innovations have only isolated The Episcopal Church except in a handful of liberal Anglican minds. The Pope acted swiftly and made a bold and dramatic move, stunning the ecclesiastical world with his announcement.

It will take months to absorb exactly what it all means. To date there are more questions than answers.

VOL announces a new category at its website www.virtueonline.org We have called it "Swimming the Tiber" and it will be devoted solely to this momentous and historic decision by the Vatican. We believe it deserves a fuller treatment than simply "regular" news. The action of the Vatican has changed the landscape of the Anglican Communion. Going forward it impacts the Anglican realignment and much more. We hope you will come back to the website regularly for the latest update from around the world as the news and commentary comes in.

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In the ongoing statistical decline of The Episcopal Church, brought about by the actions in 2003 to ordain a known non-celibate homosexual to the priesthood, VOL is forced to ask just how accurate are the diocesan figures for 2008 compared to 2007. The national church claims the overall drop was about 3%, but VOL believes that the drop is far higher because of inaccurate reporting figures from some dioceses.

For example, the DIOCESE OF WESTERN NEW YORK under Bishop Michael Garrison claims an ASA figure of 4,452 in 2008 down from 4,627 in 2007, a drop of 175. This completely ignores the parish of St Bartholomew's Anglican Church in Tonawanda (one of the largest in the whole state of NY), which left with more than 900 members. VOL wrote extensively about this at the time. http://tinyurl.com/yzlndvd After St. Bartholomew's left and moved into their own building, Garrison renamed the church. Virtually everyone left with Fr. Art Ward. A parish of about 30 remained. If one takes into account the real loss of 900, the ASA figure for 2008 would be closer to 3500, substantially less than what was reported by the bishop. As the bishop has no vision for growth, no evangelism that will draw people in, it is hard not to imagine at that rate of decline, with aging parishioners and dwindling financial resources, that within five years the diocese will be forced to juncture with another diocese.

Even its overall membership figures are skewed. Recent figures (now in the Red Book) show that in 2008 the diocese had 12,809, whereas in 2007 it was 13,233 down a mere 424. Yet at the diocesan website the bishop claims "approximately 16,000 adult communicants worshipping in 63 different congregations spread across the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming at the western edge of New York State." Where is the truth here?

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On the upside, "Seed and Harvest" magazine, the official organ of TRINITY SCHOOL FOR MINISTRY reveals a school on the upswing following a long hiatus in which little happened. The new President, Dean Terry announced the school has 33 new full-time residential students, four on the new STM degree program and two on the revised MA in Mission. Thirty new students have joined part-time and online. There are six new DMin students. "The campus is buzzing with energy," said Terry.

Board chairman Wicks Stephens said that Trinity reached 72% of its fund-raising goal. The faculty stabilized with no new faculty added or faculty departing. The future saw promised growth with the razing of dilapidated warehouses behind the seminary allowing Trinity to grow. The seminary's website was re-tooled and enhanced by seminary staff, saving the seminary significant costs.

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Bishop Dabney Smith of the DIOCESE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA has not deposed a number of priests in his diocese who have fled his jurisdiction. In a generous action, he has allowed them to move to the Diocese of the Southern Cone, VOL was told. A reader said their parish table was empty at convention and rumors flew. To date, the bishop has not acted against them. "Other Churches are watching what we did and how this flies."

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A "Focus on Ministry" conference in New York, to be held from Tuesday afternoon, October 27 to Thursday evening, October 29, will see distinguished historian/theologian the Rev. Dr. Ashley Null lead delegates through historical theology, allowing them to "stand on the shoulders of giants". He was recently lecturing at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. Regrettably, the Rev. Dr. Gavin McGrath could not come because of visa issues. Replacing him is the Rev Jonathan Juckes, Rector of Kirk Ella in East Yorkshire, who will give expository preaching sessions. He has served at major Anglican evangelical parishes in England (Sevenoaks, St. Helen's, Bishopsgate) and was on the staff of the Proclamation Trust, an organization dedicated to promoting expository preaching. If you would like to attend this conference please call or write John Mason, Rector, Christ Church New York City Phone: 212-593-3124 www.christchurchnyc.com

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The ANGLICAN LAITY FELLOWSHIP and The American Anglican Council of Washington, D.C. invites you to A CONFERENCE FOR THE LAITY, Should we stay in the Episcopal Church? What is God calling you to do? This event will be held Saturday November 7, 2009, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (Registration at 9:30 am). SPEAKERS and TOPICS include David Virtue, Virtue Online, Historical Record and Current Status; The Rev. Stephen Arpee Anglican Church of N.A.; The Rev. Charles Alley, Ph.D. Communion Partners; Mary McReynolds, Atty, AAC board, Church Property Litigation; David Bickel, Pres. AACW, The Covenant, CC Option, Discernment and Adol Qwen-Williams, ALF Board, ALF Actions.

Place: St.. Joseph's Valley Farm, 10307 Keysville Road, Emmitsburg, MD 21727 Cost: $45 includes catered luncheon Please make checks payable to St. Joseph's Valley Farm, LLC RSVP by Tuesday, Nov. 3 Reservations call 301-447-3361 Or U.S. Mail, or e-mail: Anglicanlay@yahoo.com

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If you haven't signed up for the 10th annual ANGLICAN MISSION WINTER CONFERENCE, now is the time to do it. The AMiA will celebrate a decade of growth with top flight speakers including Todd Hunter, Mark Batterson, Philip Jones, David Kinnaman and, of course, Bishop Chuck Murphy. This year's conference will be held January 27-30 in Greensboro, NC at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel. Register Online: www.theamia.org/winter/2010info

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The hatred of orthodoxy by some bishops should, from time to time, be noted and observed. A VOL reader wrote to say that after L.A. BISHOP J. JON BRUNO was elected bishop, all references to the ALPHA course were removed from the Diocese of L.A. website; also, the books were no longer available from their book store. Even old newsletters from his predecessor Bishop Fred Borsch had the ALPHA notes removed. "I was senior warden at St. John's in Laverne, CA, at the time when I asked the Vicar Larry Hunter why we don't teach Alpha any more. He responded it was too English and didn't fit the California lifestyle. I suspect Bruno ordered everyone in the diocese to stop any Alpha training. I recall Bruno came to a men's breakfast one Saturday morning and stated, 'He was out kicking ass for Jesus'. In 'that day' I suspect he may be the one getting kicked."

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AUSTRALIA: Australia's largest and most conservative Anglican diocese has approved changes that would permit couples to marry in church, whether or not they are Christian. The change was passed at the Sydney synod making the diocese the 14th of the country's 23 to approve the reform that would allow an unbaptised Australian to be married in church provided he or she meets the basic standards for civil marriage: a union between a man and woman voluntarily entered into for life.

The change was first mooted at the Anglican general synod in 2007. It has since been put to the different dioceses for agreement and will go back to the national synod next year. Of 16 dioceses that have so far considered it, 13 have agreed, including Melbourne and Adelaide, with Sydney to follow tomorrow, breaching the halfway mark.

The reform drops the "faith requirement" promulgated in 1981 that requires at least one half of the couple be baptized into the Christian faith (not necessarily Anglican). Anglicans insist the change has nothing to do with the decline in popularity of the church marriage.

*****

Some NEW YORKERS may want to reconsider exclaiming "Thank God" when arriving at their destination subway station. Beginning next Monday, atheist organizations have purchased a month-long campaign that will place their posters in busy subway stations throughout Manhattan. Or at least that's what a coalition of eight atheist organizations are hoping, having purchased a month-long campaign that will place their posters in a dozen busy subway stations throughout Manhattan. The advertisements ask the question, written simply over an image of a blue sky with wispy white clouds: "A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?"

On October 26, a dozen bustling New York City subway stations will be adorned with the ads as "part of a coordinated multi-organizational advertising campaign designed to raise awareness about people who don't believe in a god", according to a statement from the group, the Big Apple Coalition of Reason. New York City's subway system is one of the busiest in the world with more than 5 million riders per day and more than 1.6 billion total passengers in 2008, according to the Metro Transit Authority.

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In Herndon, Virginia, the newly formed ANGLICAN DISTRICT OF THE NORTHEAST celebrated its first annual synod meeting recently at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich, N.Y. The Anglican District of the Northeast includes ten congregations throughout the region that are affiliated with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA).

"This was a very prayerful gathering of people who want to see the gospel of Jesus Christ spread in the souls of their brothers and sisters here in the northeastern United States," commented Bishop David Bena upon the conclusion of the Synod meeting. "I am honored to be their bishop and guide them in the years ahead." The Synod members ratified the Constitution of the new District and elected a Synod Council to meet quarterly to pray and plan. The congregations also took a stance that every church is called to plant a church. Most of the time was devoted to worship, studying the atonement of Christ and the early Christian communities, and getting to know one another spiritually. The congregations in CANA's Northeast District include Bishop Seabury Church in Groton, Conn., Christ Anglican Church in East Haven, Conn., Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Bristol, Conn., St. George's Anglican Church in Helmetta, N.J., St. Andrew's Church in Vestal, N.Y., Holy Trinity Church in Syracuse, N.Y., Anglican Community Church in Batavia, N.Y., St. Andrew's in Vestal, NY, Good Shepherd Anglican in Harrisburg, Pa., and associate member Tremont Congregational in Tremont, Maine. For more details about CANA and its member congregations, visit www.canaconvocation.org.

*****

In the Diocesan announcements in the DIOCESE OF HURON (SW Ontario), following a pleasant announcement of the wedding of a clergy person to his fiancee, was this: On Saturday October 17th, the Rev. Sylvia Brightwell and Pam Hill were married in a civil ceremony. Brightwell is the Honorary Assistant at Christ Church, London, Ontario. It is only a matter of time and the whole Canadian Anglican Church will broker in non-celibate gay priests and approve same-sex rites. We all know where this is going. No real surprise. Bit by bit, the old standards are whittled away.

*****

The loss of some $23 million in the national church budget of the EPISCOPAL CHURCH CENTER has prompted rethinking and a new structure for the denomination. TEC headquarters announced that following deep budget cuts which caused personnel reductions and a re-focus of work operations, the staff of the Episcopal Church Center is gearing up for a new strategic model that is project-based and goal-oriented.

The new structure, calls for a Department of Mission, five program-based Mission Teams and two specialized ministries. Church in their ministries," Watt said. The $141 million budget for 2010-2012 adopted by General Convention called for cuts in most areas and results in staff reductions across program, canonical and corporate areas. Approximately 40 staff positions were either eliminated or reduced. "The changes brought about by General Convention 2009, although deeply challenging, are also an invitation to further the re-visioning and re-inventing begun two years ago," a spokesman said. "The journey is difficult, but we are working our way through the challenges and looking ahead."

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What about a professor at a Mainline Protestant seminary who openly agrees with the Muslim view that Jesus was not divine but disagrees with Muslims who actually do believe in the Virgin Birth? This professor is the infamously radical ROSEMARY RADFORD RUETHER, herself a dissident Catholic. She has for years taught at United Methodist seminaries. She previously taught at United Methodist Garrett Seminary in Chicago, from which she mercifully retired. But now she is Visiting Professor of Feminist Theology at the United Methodist-affiliated Claremont School of Theology in California. No doubt seminarians who study under her will be highly effective, soul-winning pastors. Ha-ha-ha. Actually, it's hardly a laughing matter when parts of our churches actively promote views that deny Christ. Ruether is famous for her espousal of "Gaia," the idea that the earth is itself a living breathing organism and the equivalent of goddess. She is endlessly provocative. Recently she was featured at a church-hosted anti-Israel conference here in Washington, D.C. organized by Friends of Sabeel. She thinks that Israel and the United States are "genocidal," of course. This is thanks to the Bible whose Hebrew Scriptures, she believes, advocate genocide.

Noting that Muslims reject the Trinity, Ruether declared: "That is, in my view, a good idea." She went on to dismiss the uniqueness of Christ, saying that Jesus was made in the image of God "only in the sense everyone else is." Then she noted that Muslims "are pretty sure that Mary is a virgin, too - which is more than I believe." Read more here: http://www.theird.org/

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Watch this. Britain is at war with the gospel and with itself. The Government pushes gay rights agenda, marginalizing orthodox Christians and much more. It has taken a mere 10 years to undermine Britain's Christian heritage. This video tells all. Please forward it to your friends. It is a wake-up and warning to American Christians.

http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnnewsplayer/cbnplayer.swf?aid=9425

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Mystery surrounds the discovery of former archbishop's treasure in river outside Durham Cathedral. A fresh mystery is gripping Britain's religious community: Just how did a treasure trove of rare medallions and coins collected by a former archbishop of Canterbury end up at the bottom of the River Wear? The coins, medals, goblets and other religious items were found over the last few years by two divers, Gary and Trevor Bankhead, in the frigid, murky river waters that loop around Durham Cathedral, a Norman-style classic. Research shows many of the artifacts are linked to the late MICHAEL RAMSEY, a former archbishop of Canterbury with longtime ties to Durham, a city 280 miles (450 kilometers) north of London where he served as bishop and spent some of his retirement years before his death in 1988.Read more: http://tinyurl.com/yjtk6fu

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UGANDA: Bishop supports jail for homosexuals, opposes death. An Anglican Church leader in Uganda has rejected proposals that homosexuals should face the death penalty for sexual assault in some cases, but says that prison terms should remain as a deterrent.

"We want to state categorically that homosexuality is unacceptable," Anglican Bishop Stanley Ntagali of Masindi-Kitara diocese told Ecumenical News International in an interview.

The Ugandan parliament is currently discussing a proposed law which allows the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" involving assault against people under the age of 18 or those with disabilities.

"I think the death penalty is not acceptable," Ntagali said on October 21. "I think taking someone to jail for a period of time would be sufficient."

Homosexual acts are already a criminal offence in Uganda, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment. Source: Episcopal Life

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ERRATUM: In a news item in the last VIEWPOINTS, (10/20/2009) we mentioned that the Church of England would lose some $70 million in its "Bed Stuyvesant Town investment." VOL wrongly located this in Brooklyn when in fact it is located in Town/Peter Cooper Village, an upper middle class community located in Manhattan. The two are not related to each other. We regret the error.

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VirtueOnline is putting out the news at a rate faster than we have ever done before. Recent Vatican actions meant more reporting, more posting, more analysis and longer hours. We have more than 50 stories at the website www.virtueonline.org. There are too many to post in this digest. We now have a special category.

Reporters and those who support VOL are working longer hours with their time and talent to bring you the stories you read. We believe that reporters should be paid for their services. Please consider a tax deductible donation to keep this coming. VOL stories can now be read in 34 languages. Just go to the website www.virtueonline.org and click on the link GOOGLE TRANSLATE and select the language of your choice. Wait a few seconds and the entire website will come up in the language of your choice.

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In Christ,

David