About one in sixty people worships with the Church of England on an average Sunday. This is projected to drop to less than one in 600 by 2050. The average age of a British Anglican worshipper was 37 in 1980, but is expected to rise to 67 by 2050. --- The London Times November 27, 2009

"We must protect and promote marriage. We must not abandon the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage and the complementarity of the sexes - a truth that is evident to right reason and recognized as such by the major cultures of the world." --- Roman Catholic Bishops of NJ

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
December 3, 2009

This past summer the Episcopal Church gave the go-ahead with the passage of two resolutions to allow same-sex unions as well as church liturgies to solemnize those occasions.

It was therefore only a matter of time before bishops started telling their priests to go ahead and perform these ceremonies. In total about 50 dioceses have said they will either approve or have approved rites for same sex blessings.

The latest prelate to do so is the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, bishop of Massachusetts. This week the ultra-liberal, orthodox hating Episcopal bishop gave permission for his priests in the Eastern half of Massachusetts to officiate at same-sex weddings.

The decision was immediately welcomed by advocates of gay rights in the Episcopal Church, who have chafed at local rules that allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, but not sign the documents that would solemnize their marriages. Well, now they can.

Julia Duin, religion writer for "The Washington Times", says that Washington Bishop John B. Chane will likely follow in Shaw's footsteps. "Chane has been vocal in his disagreement with the local Catholic archdiocese on this issue, so look for an announcement any day now."

Duin reports that the Washington diocese unofficially has allowed same-sex ceremonies for years, and she covered such an event in June 2004 overseen by Bishop Chane himself. "That was the premiere event for the diocese's new (at the time) same-sex wedding liturgy, which I suspect is getting dusted off as we speak."

The decision is likely to exacerbate tensions in the Episcopal Church and among Global South leaders of the Anglican Communion. A Covenant, now in its third draft, has about as much chance of drawing the Anglican Communion together as real estate property values skyrocketing in Florida.

"The time has come," Shaw said in a telephone interview. "It's time for us to offer to gay and lesbian people the same sacrament of fidelity that we offer to the heterosexual world."

Right, and expect the Anglican Primate of Nigeria to send him a congratulatory note and a box of chocolates wrapped in pink ribbons. You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald says Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told him that he must renounce his orders as a bishop of the Episcopal Church because of his ministry in Canada. The former Bishop of Alaska and Assistant Bishop of Navajoland is now serving as the Anglican Church of Canada's National Indigenous Bishop. Bishop MacDonald told "The Living Church" he was "shocked and surprised" by the Presiding Bishop's remarks on his ministry, adding that he has "written to her asking for clarification."

"I had never heard at all that this would be seen as a de facto renunciation of my orders." The question of Bishop MacDonald's orders arose after the Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman, SSC, wrote to Bishop Jefferts Schori saying that he wished to serve as a bishop in the Diocese of Bolivia.

She responded to Bishop Ackerman saying that "as you know there is no provision for transferring a bishop to another province," and releasing him from his orders as a bishop of the Episcopal Church. Technically he was kicked out of TEC and lost his medical insurance. He had to get a job with medical to cover himself and his wife. He is not yet 65 so he cannot collect Medicare.

The PB won't answer any questions about all this, so consider the following. When the mostly orthodox press questioned the handling of Bishop Ackerman's case it sent up a red flag at 815 2nd Avenue in New York which is that Mrs. Jefferts Schori had better be an equal opportunity offender. Schori realizing she would have a real PR problem if she was inconsistent decided to let MacDonald go. You cannot have one law for the Medes and another for the Persians, or, in Episcopal terms you cannot have one set of canons for orthodox bishops like Ackerman and another set for liberals like MacDonald.

Now VOL is glad that a liberal like MacDonald got a taste of the bitter medicine Mrs. Jefferts Schori dishes out to orthodox bishops like Ackerman, Bob Duncan, Jack Iker et al. Now he will find out what it is like when She Who Must Be Obeyed demands full obedience and compliance.

"The ministry of Mark McDonald is an example, but as his position becomes permanent, his loyalty will have to be to the Anglican Church of Canada, rather than The Episcopal Church, and recognition of his renunciation of orders in this Church will be necessary," wrote Jefferts Schori. Bishop MacDonald apparently does not see it that way.

*****

The DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES will decide who will be their next Suffragan bishop this weekend. Ballot results will be posted starting Friday, December 4. This diocese has, among their choices, a homosexual and a lesbian which, if either one wins, will have Jefferts Schori trying to explain to Archbishop Rowan Williams if she intends to lay hands on said person. If this happens, then a hoped for Covenant is history. Of course Williams is still reeling from the Pope's offer to traditionalist Anglicans so this might just be another offshore wind in trying to hold the whole Anglican ship together. One can hardly blame Global South bishops if they throw up their hands and wonder why they bother with all the nonsense coming out of the West. We shall see.

*****

The DIOCESE OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA met for its 88th annual convention and heard Bishop G. Porter Taylor urge his people to "Engage. Collaborate. Transform." Then he said this: "Let me give you some good news that may not sound so good at first but in time will. We are never getting back to where we were. There isn't a magic pill we can take that will make all the turbulence go away. As the Israelites discovered, even when you get home, you are not at the same home because the world doesn't stand still; the Holy Spirit blows whether we like it or not." The convention was shortened by a day due to economic restraint. The convention gathering at Kanuga Conference Center reflected a region impacted by the downturn, including the adoption of a flat budget for 2010.

*****

Bishop Peter Beckwith of the DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD (IL) has formally announced his retirement effective Feb. 1st, 2010. This will be a great loss to what remains of Episcopal Orthodoxy in TEC and it is VOL's opinion that a search for his replacement will be ugly in the extreme. There is presently no Suffragan or designated successor in that diocese so just how this cookie will crumble is anybody's guess, but one thing VOL guarantees: it won't be pleasant. The laity are more orthodox than the clergy, so it is Mexican standoff in the voting by orders.

*****

In La Crescenta, California, the sanctuary at St. Luke's of the Mountains Church in recent years regularly hosted about 150 worshipers for weekly services, but a change occurred when the diocese won a lawsuit to retain the property. Fourteen visitors came to the church for a brief service last Sunday, a month after the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles retook the property from the renamed St. Luke's Anglican Church, which broke from the diocese three years ago.

The Rev. Bryan Jones tried to put the best spin on things and said that while the turnout was light with some members traveling ahead of Thanksgiving, the congregation is hoping to slowly grow and rebuild. One unhappy departee opined, "May the grounds be cursed under the wolf in sheep's clothing, the Right Rev. J. Jon Bruno. May they then have to sell it to a real Christian group for pennies on the dollar." Fr. Rob Holman of the renamed St. Luke's Anglican Church was more charitable saying, "We wish all God's blessing upon those who worship there now."

*****

The DIOCESE OF LOUISIANA will hold its election for a new bishop on December 5 at its diocesan convention. No queers among the candidates, but there is only one solidly orthodox brother in the mix of six. The election will take place at Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans. The one known solidly orthodox candidate is the Bishop of North Dakota, Michael Smith. He has been assisting in the diocese following the announcement that Bishop Charles Jenkins said he would resign as he has been suffering from PTSS following Katrina.

*****

Anglo-Catholic rector flips to Rome. Ft. Worth Bishop Jack Iker told his diocese that Fr. Joshua Whitfield has resigned as rector of St. Gregory's Church in Mansfield in order to pursue ordination in the Roman Catholic Church under the Pastoral Provision. He and his wife, Alison, will be received by Bishop Kevin Vann on Saturday. Canon Charles Hough will take the Sunday services at the parish until an interim priest is secured.

*****

The MANHATTAN DECLARATION is on a roll. The unprecedented pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-religious freedom Manhattan Declaration, unveiled in a press conference last Friday, has already been signed by over 230,000 individuals in less than a week, and the numbers are continuing to rise by the second. The full text of the story is available at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112607.html Invite all of the friends on your e-mail lists to go to www.manhattandeclaration.org, read the Declaration (that's most important) and sign it.

*****

A coalition of British Anglican organizations that supports the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the life of the church wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Church of Sweden Archbishop Anders Wejryd expressing its "dismay" that the Church of England was not officially represented at the recent consecration of lesbian priest Eva Brunne as bishop of Stockholm.

"We do understand that, as the Church of England has not yet finalized plans for the ordination of women as bishops -- though we hope and pray that will happen soon -- it might not have been possible for an Anglican bishop to have laid hands on the ordinands as part of the consecration," the LGBT Anglican Coalition said in its Nov. 23 letter. "But that should not have prevented a bishop from attending and representing the Archbishop of Canterbury at the consecration..." Brunne, who was consecrated alongside Bishop Tuulikki Koivunen Bylund of Härnösand on Nov. 8 in Uppsala, became the first openly gay female bishop in any Christian denomination.

On hearing the news in Sweden, a wag in Canada sent the following: "I told Florence, that if she doesn't smarten up and treat me better, I'm going to go to Sweden, get a sex change, marry a lesbian with a baby, and get myself elected a Lutheran Bishop. I love that old popular tune: I want a girl just like the girl that married dear old mom."

*****

The EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM has announced that one of its institutions, Christ School in Nazareth, is expanding to serve the needs of the Palestinian youth in the city, at the request of the Ministry of Education of Israel. The addition of eight classrooms to the upper school program "reduces overcrowding and allows for added enrollment from the waiting list," according to a press release from the diocese.

The school has been at the center of a legal dispute after the former diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, claimed ownership of the property immediately after his retirement on March 31, 2007.

In early 2008, the Israeli High Court ruled in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and ordered the former bishop and all founding members of the Amouta society, which had been established a few days before El-Assal retired, to refrain from entering or managing the school and collecting pupils' fees.

The school, which El-Assal had named "Bishop Riah Educational Campus" in honor of himself, has since been restored to "Christ School." One of 37 institutions run by the Jerusalem diocese, the school serves more than 1,600 students from Christian and Muslim families. Source: ENS.

*****

The Dublin sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church could finish off Catholic Ireland, says Damian Thompson of "The Telegraph". The abuse in the Dublin archdiocese will make the Catholic Church even more loathed in Ireland than it already is, he said.

"The greatest scandal, of course, lies in the acts perpetrated by wicked clergy against the innocent. But it's the secrecy and deceit of the Church authorities that resonates most with me. For, although I was educated by Irish brothers, I can honestly say that I've never experienced clerical pedophilia, or even met a priest or brother who was to my knowledge a classic pedophile. But I have encountered, many times, the arrogance of senior clergy who believe that almost anything can be kept secret from the laity if it might 'damage the good name of the Church' (ie, inconvenience or embarrass them). And I associate the worst abuses of power with the mean-spirited Jansenism of the Irish Church and the Irish clerical diaspora."

*****

The Daily Telegraph reported that the Family and Parenting Institute has warned that the traditional nuclear family in England has irretrievably broken down to such an extent that it will soon become normal for children to be raised by relations other than their parents.

According to the Institute, the main causes of family breakdown are divorce and growing pressures on women to gain paid employment.

According to a speech by Dr Katherine Rake, the organization's new chief executive, rising divorce rates, fewer marriages and the growth of civil partnerships mean that the traditional family model is no longer "the norm" and Government efforts to rescue it are futile.

Almost half of children are now born outside marriage, against only one in 10 a generation ago. The report also highlights forecasts that 70 per cent of mothers will be working by next year, with an almost 40 per cent rise in the number of single mothers also in employment since the early 1990s.

*****

VOL's UK readers may be aware that the STL Christian book wholesaler and the Wesley Owen Christian bookshop chain are quite possibly going into bankruptcy after some supposed whizz kid brothers were going to "save" the SPCK chain of Christian bookshops, a few years ago. Instead, according to Louis Hemmings, an online bookseller, they managed to destroy decades and possibly in some cases, centuries of worthy (even if critics say, sometime bumbling) Christian bookshops in the UK. All in all, the UK could be down 60+ Christian bookshops between those two chain failures.

Are you looking for a good used book? Write Louis Hemmings here: louis@samovarbooks.com FACEBOOK link: http://en-gb.facebook.com/louis.hemmings

*****

A somewhat irate VOL reader wrote to ask, what is holding traditional Anglicans back from seeking unity with the Orthodox? "We can join the ancient catholic church without having to give in to the false teachings of Rome." See this link: http://www.westernorthodox.com/

*****

The CHURCH OF ENGLAND is in decline with the situation worsening with each passing year. Just how bad is it really? Thoughtful evangelical commentator John Richardson (The Ugley Vicar blog) offers up this explanation, "There are, however, two schools of thought as to why this situation has come about and continues to worsen. The official line is that this is essentially a matter recruitment. The Times quotes a typical (though anonymous) church spokesman saying that the bigger pressure is the really quite encouraging number of ordinations is not as big as the number of those retiring.

"But this is slightly misleading, for the 'encouraging number' of ordinands includes an increasing proportion of part-timers. Moreover, when the difference between part and full-time clergy is taken into account, a significant demographic variation emerges. Amongst the part-timers, a disproportionate number are female, over forty, training on part-time courses. Amongst the full-timers, a disproportionate number are male, under forty, and training on full-time courses at evangelical colleges." You can read the story in today's digest. You can also read Richardson's full take here: http://ugleyvicar.blogspot.com/2009/11/cofe-and-its-clergy-decline-is-not.html

*****

The European Union has compelled the British government to remove religious freedom exemptions from an anti-discrimination bill. The move will forbid church bodies from declining to employ homosexual staff. The National Secular Society had argued that the exemptions went further than was permitted under an EU directive and created "illegal discrimination against homosexuals," the Observer reports.

*****

CANADA. Anglican Orphans. There has been talk in recent weeks about organizing "Anglican orphans" - orthodox Anglicans who are in liberal parishes or dioceses. If you want to organize a local group of "orphans" under the Anglican Network in Canada banner, these are the steps that need to be taken.

1) Contact your local ANiC Archdeacon. Their contact information can be found at: http://www.anglicannetwork.ca/team.htm 2) Form a loosely associated group meeting in a home, for prayer, bible study, discernment, etc. 3) This could grow into a project which is on the ANIC radar in Burlington headquarters. 4) Which could grow into a plant which has clergy albeit not necessarily all the time and scheduled services 5) Which could grow into an ANIC church even if small.

Your local Archdeacon must be involved in this process, if you want to use the Anglican Network in Canada name. If you are interested in contacting other Anglican orphans, send an email to the blog contact page with "orphans" in the subject line. http://www.anglicannetwork.ca/

*****

From AUSTRALIA comes word that The Anglican Church League commends the leadership of the Anglican Network in Canada on its godly response to the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court.

"We remain committed to supporting the faithful men and women of the four congregations (St John's Shaughnessy, St Matthew's Abbotsford, St Matthias & St Luke West 49th Vancouver, and Good Shepherd Church East 19th Vancouver) who have suffered over the past months and now face a measure of uncertainty about the future.

"Throughout this ordeal it has been apparent to those who have been watching around the world that these four congregations are facing persecution for their steadfast resolve to remain true to the word of God. In this they have shown themselves to be faithful Disciples of Christ and true heirs of the Anglican heritage of Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley and others.

We have been encouraged by their graciousness amidst extraordinary provocation and by their refusal to surrender biblical principles for the sake of an illusory peace. With or without their buildings they are the blessed people of God who by their example are blessing others.

The ACL Council encourages all its members to continue in prayer for these four congregations, and in particular those who serve them in leadership, at this difficult time."

The letter was signed by Mark D Thompson, ACL President.

*****

John Warren Cooke, a former speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and the last son of a Confederate veteran to sit in the General Assembly, died Saturday at Palace Green, his home. The 94-year-old Mathews native, born when his father was 76, was the son of the Rev. Giles Buckner Cooke, an Episcopal priest who served on the personal staff of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee during the Civil War, and Katharine Grosh Cooke.

*****

The Bishop of Winchester, England has supported the retention of a "free speech" provision to the law on homophobic hatred. Bishop Michael Scott-Joynt's comments came in the House of Lords as peers succeeded in keeping the clause on the statute book. The defense to the homophobic hatred law was inserted into legislation when the Government ran out of time to overturn a defeat suffered in the House of Lords last year.

Bishop Scott-Joynt told peers that it is "manifestly wrong and wicked" that people are "attacked, beaten up and killed because others believe them to be homosexual or because they are homosexual". But he added: 'There is a very strong sense across quite a wide swathe not only of Christian opinion but of other opinion that the rights of those who hold the kind of views that this law would defend are seen as second-class.

"It is most important that people of all sorts can be assured that, whether they are on street corners, in mosques, churches or synagogues, or be they journalists, academics, comedians or whatever, they are free to express views with which others may strongly disagree and which question the currently dominant political orthodoxy in these matters."

*****

Now if you ever wonder if there is good news out there, consider this. A former Episcopal priest, Fr. Ian Montgomery moved to Peru after "retiring" and found a whole new avenue for his gifts. He and his wife learned Spanish and took off to Latin America. You can see what God is doing in this small but growing Mission San Andres. It is on the far north side of Lima. Hit these links: http://missionmeanderings.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/and-heaven-comes-down/ http://missionmeanderings.wordpress.com/

*****

In the DIOCESE OF OHIO at Trinity Cathedral, word reached VOL that the Trinity Commons Books and Gifts, formerly known as Sacred Path Books and Art, will close permanently at the end of 2009. The bookstore, a ministry of the Diocese of Ohio, has been part of the life of Trinity Commons since 1999. The diocese had been considering various strategic plans for the bookstore that has served both the diocese and the greater Cleveland community for the past four years. In the end, it decided closure was the only thing. Now you should know that the cathedral's dean is the Very Rev. Tracey Lind, an acknowledged lesbian living with her partner. She blames online buying and the economic downturn for the closure. She also aspires to be a bishop, but never made it to first base in a recent run in the Diocese of Chicago.

*****

Take a look at this video clip (mid page). Atheist Christopher Hitchens is challenged by a Christian thinker and loses. http://www.americanvision.com/collisionchristopherhitchensvsdouglaswilsondvd.aspx#piper

*****

The Archbishop of Canterbury's Advent message. On the eve of his visit to Copenhagen, Dr Williams urges us to focus our thoughts and prayers on the pressing environmental concerns of our world. The UN Climate Change Conference brings nations together to negotiate and hopefully agree on a new international agreement for tackling climate change. The Archbishop will be in Copenhagen to support the conference.

"One of the things that we ought to be able to ask ourselves in Advent is: 'What is it that we most deeply hope for?' One of the things I shall be doing during this Advent is going to Copenhagen to speak at the great gathering there which we'll be discussing environmental issues and governments' response internationally to them.

"I want to be there and I want the Church to be there, witnessing - not just to a political programme, not just to a damage limitation exercise which will minimize the evil results of our lifestyle - but witnessing to God's purpose and God's hope; witnessing to what God is about in creation; our own creation as well as the creation of the world around us."

So during this Advent, let your prayers be in that direction. http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2626

On YOU TUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qzidSm7Ugg&feature=player_embedded The Archbishop's Advent 2009 Message

*****

THE VATICAN on Thursday warned Italy's bishops against letting deserted churches be transformed into nightclubs if the decision was taken to sell the places of worship. Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican's new culture commissar, urged "the greatest caution" after announcing that Roman Catholic churches with few worshippers could be sold off. Ironic really when you consider that Mrs. Jefferts Schori is on record saying that she would sooner sell off Episcopal parishes for saloons rather than allow them to fall into the hands of faithful orthodox Anglicans.

*****

VOL invites its readers to consider an end of year contribution to VOL's worldwide outreach ministry to millions of readers in 145 countries.

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VOL's website is now available in 34 languages, our Global Anglican Theological Institute in 40 languages. We boldly go where others will not go. We write the stories, often heavily researched that no one else will even touch. So please, as the year closes consider a tax deductible donation to VOL.

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In Christ,

David