Hate Sin. Sin and departure from God, are the true reasons why people are everywhere laboring and heavy-laden. Sin is the universal disease which infects the whole earth. Sin brought in thorns and thistles at the beginning, and obliged man to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. Sin is the reason why the "whole creation groans and travails in pain," and the "foundations of the earth are out of course." (Rom. 8:22; Psalm 82:5.) Sin is the cause of all the burdens which now press down mankind. Most people know it not, and weary themselves in vain to explain the state of things around them. But sin is the great root and foundation of all sorrow, whatever proud man may think. How much people ought to hate sin. --- Bishop J.C. Ryle

The most flagrant non-churchgoers used to abide a church's tax exemption because of the service they rightly believed the church offered the community. The church is now seen as devoid of metaphysical value, and therefore, the only benefit it can give is through taxes on the dollars donated to it and the property it owns. –-- Alan Sears, president and CEO of the Alliance Defense Fund (www.telladf.org).

Nature fulfilled. Conversion, although supernatural in origin, is natural in its effects. It does not distrust nature, but fulfils it, for it puts me where I belong. It relates me to God, to man and to history. It enables me to answer the most basic of all human questions, 'Who am I?' and to say, 'In Christ I am a son of God. In Christ I am united to all the redeemed people of God, past, present and future. In Christ I discover my identity. In Christ I find my feet. In Christ I come home.' --- From "The Message of Galatians" (The Bible Speaks Today series) by John R. W. Stott

All over the Western world basic freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience are being undermined, eroded, and trampled underfoot. With most of the West engaged in this war against faith, family and life, our only choice - if we must flee - is to go to the developing world where it may be much easier to live with Christian values and convictions. The West, it seems, is descending into a new dark ages. May God have mercy on it - and on us. --- Bill Muehlenberg from his "As a New Dark Age Descends Upon the West"

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
July 7, 2011

It should be clear by now that the theological liberalism that has dominated our age undermines religious faith, much as secular liberalism, intended to improve society, will end up bankrupting it. It has taken two centuries to go from Friedrich Schleiermacher, a German theologian and philosopher known as the "Father of Modern Liberal Theology", to sodomy in the 21st century with devastating consequences.

The downward spiral continued this week with five out of six New York Episcopal bishops saying they would embrace gay marriage. The sixth said he wouldn't. Concerning the matter of the legislation passed by the State of New York endorsing the civil union/marriage of persons of the same gender, Bishop William Love of the Diocese of Albany has clearly forbidden any priest, canonically resident or licensed by the Diocese of Albany, to take part in any so-called marriage or other ceremony of blessing same-sex unions. Bishop Love sent out a Pastoral Letter to all clergy of the Diocese of Albany, the Standing Committee, other bishops of Episcopal Dioceses in the State of New York and officers of the Episcopal Church (National) of the position of the Diocese of Albany. Bishop Love is supported by the overwhelming body of clergy and laity of the Diocese of Albany. See Canon 16.1 passed by the Convention of the Diocese several years ago. A layman declared, "I am proud to be a member of the Diocese of Albany".

*****

On July 1 it became official. PB Katharine Jefferts Schori now has metropolitan some might say dictatorial powers that allow her to override diocesan canons. It is a brute abrogation of power that makes a mockery of inclusivity and diversity.

The changes to ECUSA's disciplinary canons (Title IV) now go into effect at the national level. Among other things, Canon IV.17.3 of the new Title IV establishes a Disciplinary Board for Bishops. So, who will be first?

Canon lawyer Allan Haley commented on her new powers, "What has this exercise in imagination taught us? That the more things change, the more they remain the same. As in the armed forces, so with the Episcopal Church (USA): disciplinary proceedings are mainly for use against the lower echelons who are relatively powerless in the total structure. Those at the very top have little to fear from all the built-in protections, which ensure that only the people who share the power with them (or who, in the case of the Presiding Bishop, are actually under her power more than ever, with the adoption of the new Title IV) have a role in deciding their fate." You can read his full expose of what all this means in today's digest.

The real question is, how soon she will move against South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence? And will he be the first of many bishops she will move against?

*****

When news broke this week that Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori had received into the Episcopal Church a known pedarist priest from the Roman Catholic Church in 2004 when she was Bishop of Nevada, all hell broke loose.

One bishop who was particularly incensed was Bishop Paul Marshall of the Diocese of Bethlehem who blasted the Presiding Bishop saying in bold language, "Now let's be serious. When 815-level lawyers threaten and cajole diocesan bishops not to reveal multiple sex-abuse cover-ups at the highest level lest former leaders be embarrassed, what can we expect, and why do we look down on the RCC?

"On paper, we are a one-strike church, but in reality, too many people have walked. 815 (national church headquarters) refused comment on this story with principled-sounding obfuscation, which essentially tells it all, doesn't it? There is no more transparency at 815 than previously, as some commentators know to their pain."

So will Bishop Marshall be the canary in the mine that blows the whistle on Jefferts Schori and the power elites at 815 2nd Avenue? You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

Another Episcopal parish bites the dust. In El Paso, Texas, this week at the former St. Francis on the Hill its rector, the Rev. Canon Dr. Felix Orji, and his flock of 400 parishioners left the parish property to the Bishop of the Rio Grande Michael Vono in an amicable enough way and headed off down the road to a new location on El Paso's west side.

Everyone is putting the best front on it, but the reality is the congregation lost its property. In return, Vono gets an empty church he can never fill with gay substitute priests or pansexual parishioners. They moved. He lost.

The truly good news is that the Anglican Province of Nigeria will ordain Father Orji as a bishop and send him back to the US to be a missionary. Vono won't like that one little bit...having an evangelical African bishop in his own backyard.

St. James' Episcopal Church in Penn Hills, PA returned to TEC this week after an unresolved fight with the Episcopal diocese over the property. Liberal Episcopal blogger Lionel Deimel could not help but notice that on the first Sunday only a handful who were all ringers turned up. "The congregation numbered about 10, and included no one from the recently relocated congregation," he observed. Anyone wanna buy a church? Nice location, not visible from highway, surrounded by trees, very quiet. Add Jacuzzi. Would make a nice (inclusive) guesthouse.

*****

The formation of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) finally caught the attention of Lambeth Palace this week. The deep thinkers there issued the following statement lashing out (in a typically understated British fashion) at the new mission.

"The creation of an 'Anglican Mission in England' prompts concern for a number of reasons. "It is not at all clear how the proposed panel of bishops relate to the proper oversight of the diocesan bishops of the Church of England. Nor is there any definition of what the issues are that might be thought to justify appeal to such a panel rather than the use of normal procedures.

"Furthermore, the ordination of three English candidates to the diaconate in Kenya with a view to service in England is problematic. It is not clear what process of recognized scrutiny and formation has taken place and how, in the absence of Letters Dimissory (the relevant formal letters from the sponsoring bishop), they have come to be recommended as candidates for ordination by the authorities of another province."

All this has overtones of what took place more than a decade ago here when Chuck Murphy started AMIA. The same old arguments are now being revisited. There are some differences. The AMiE says it will stay in the CofE, but for how long? Evangelicals in the CofE are a large body. If they shift their loyalties away from their diocese to the AMiE and towards GAFCON/FCA, what will the CofE look like years from now? Unlike the small numbers of Anglo-Catholics who have fled the CofE for Rome, evangelicals in England fill the seminaries and hold the key to the CofE's future.

AMIE leaders later fired back at Lambeth's charges and defended the ordinations saying that half the serving clergy of the Church of England will retire in the next ten years, a little acknowledged fact with no apparent strategy to address it. Meanwhile, there are delayed candidates offering, parishes willing to sponsor them, and others eager to receive their ministry. There are also congregations wishing to remain within the Church, but not receiving recognition, as well as missional church plants that need authorization. Many senior clergy are concerned about the quality of ministry that may be available in the future.

"AMIE has come about precisely in order to retain within the Church of England those who share passion for gospel mission and wish to minister within this Church despite some problematic issues," said Paul Perkin, Chair of the AMiE steering committee.

"Significant challenges face those called to minister in England at this time. Its ordained clergy need oversight and encouragement from those who believe in their work and ministry and who will walk with them step by step both theologically and missiologically. Such encouragement has been given by the Primates Council of GAFCON," he argued.

"Episcopal collegiality within England needs to be matched by both Episcopal collegiality with the wider Anglican Communion and Episcopal integrity in upholding and teaching the truth of the Christian faith as found in the Scriptures." You can their full statements in today's digest.

****

As Western Protestantism collapses, we will see increasing signs of theological and moral decay. The United Church of Christ banished 'God the Father' preferring 'to leave that more open for different expressions of the Trinity.'

The UCC banished God "the Father" from its organizational documents. A report from Eric Anderson on the denomination's website confirmed that delegates to the UCC's "General Synod 28" agreed late Monday to a series of proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws. The vote was 613 in favor of the changes, 171 against and 10 abstaining.

The changes include a pointed deletion of a reference to God "as heavenly Father," which has been part of Christendom's description of the Trinity for millennia - the three persons of God being the heavenly Father, Christ the Son and Savior, and the Holy Ghost, the counselor and comforter.

According to renewal leader David Runnion-Bareford, "Rejecting God as Father in an age of fatherlessness is unthinkable. God acted toward us in amazing grace when He offered to be our Father through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ who offers us life in his name. This is not something we as humans made up in some other time. Rejecting our Father is act of arrogant rebellion in the name of cultural conformity that only further alienates members, churches, but more importantly God himself. We call the delegates to reject the change for God's sake."

The question is will TEC be far behind? TEC hates to be behind the eight ball on anything progressive and innovative. We await a General Convention resolution. Perhaps TEC's new trinity can be a bit more earthly say, Schori, Bonnie and Mary (Glasspool not the other one).

*****

If you thought former Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola was tough, take a look at the newly anointed Primate of the Anglican Province of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas Okoh who took a bold step forward this week and called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to pull out of the United Nations Organization, UNO, if it continues in its recognition of gay marriage in the guise of promoting fundamental human rights.

Addressing a human rights consultative forum in Abuja set to define the stance of the church on the issue of human rights and homosexuality, the archbishop described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing those championing homosexuality under the guise of human rights advocacy." Now you know why he won't sit down with Jefferts Schori (US) or Fred Hiltz (Canada). Could anything be clearer?

*****

Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi of the Anglican Church of Burundi on July 5 made an appeal to the U.K. government to restore its bilateral funding to Burundi, one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world.

The call came when he gave evidence at the International Development Select Committee's enquiry into the U.K. government's decision to end its bilateral aid program for Burundi and shut its Department for International Development (DfID) office in Bujumbura.

Ntahoturi backed his call for funding with a warning that the security in Bujumbura was difficult and the country risked slipping into conflict only two years after the final peace agreement was signed with the last remaining rebel movement. Ntahoturi traveled to the U.K. with the Anglican Alliance which brings together the development, relief and advocacy work of the Anglican family of churches and agencies.

When the U.K. closes its development office in Bujumbura next year, Burundi will be the only country in the Great Lakes and East Africa not receiving U.K. bilateral aid. The U.K. hopes Burundi will trade its way out of poverty through "TradeMark East Africa," an initiative to increase commerce between the countries of the region, part-funded by the British. The archbishop applauded the program but explained that trade, although vital, is no silver bullet. (ACNS)

*****

SURPRISE. Homosexual priest reinstated in Diocese of Toronto, screamed a headline this week. To coincide with Toronto's Pride Week, James Ferry has been reinstated as a priest in the Diocese of Toronto: 20 years ago he was dismissed because of his sexual activity with another man. Nowadays, of course, the only priests in danger of being suspended are evangelicals who are not prepared to compromise their principles - like J. I. Packer. Such is the march of progress in the Anglican Church of Canada.

The Rev. Jim Ferry's license as priest was reinstated by Archbishop Colin Johnson of the Diocese of Toronto, and he was appointed Honorary Assistant of Holy Trinity, Trinity Square. It has been 20 years since he was made an outcast by the previous Bishop of Toronto, Terence Finlay, for being in a same sex relationship. His outing and subsequent public trial in a Bishop's Court garnered worldwide media attention.

Jim's sermon "Pride and Prejudice" marked the opening of Toronto's Pride Week celebrations at Holy Trinity, and highlighted the Pride 2011 theme: You Belong. Of course he does, but four orthodox and evangelical parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster don't.

*****

Civil servants in Scotland can no longer use the word "homosexual", according to new guidance from the Scottish Government, because it is deemed offensive to gay men.

The guidance states: "It is not acceptable to use the word 'homosexual', this term is offensive to many people as it is the term that was used in law to make same sex relationships illegal." It advises those working on councils, health boards and quangos that they should use the word "gay" instead.

John Midgley, founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, noted, "The word homosexual to most people would be as inoffensive as heterosexual.

The new rules will be applied when civil servants question members of the public, customers, patients and staff about their sexuality.

*****

If you are at all curious about what folk in your state believe, click on the following and see the %'s of different religions in your State and elsewhere...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/pew-religion-08/flash.htm

*****

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller has been ousted from Crystal Cathedral Ministries, the "Ocean County Register" reports. The truth is the Church should never be a family fiefdom. The Schuller family is reaping what it has sowed over decades. The cult of "possibility thinking" should be relegated to the trash heap. http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/03/2992010/rev-schuller-ousted-from-crystal.html

Schuller, 84, who began his ministry in an Orange, Calif., drive-in theater more than 50 years ago, was voted off the board of the Crystal Ministries, which has been plagued by financial problems and familial discord, according to the paper.

Schuller's son, who was forced from the board three years ago, says his father wanted to enlarge the board, a move that did not sit well with others. According to the paper, the church's financial travails, including a significant drop in donations and dwindling membership, culminated in its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The church still owes about $7.5 million to unsecured creditors, many of whom are vendors for the cathedral's "Glory of Christmas" pageant. According to a reorganization plan filed by the church last month, they have an offer from Irvine, Calif., developer, Greenlaw Partners LLC, to buy the core buildings for $46 million.

Sheila Schuller Coleman, his daughter, required choir members to sign a covenant acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

The older Schuller publicly lashed out at the contract saying everyone is welcome in the church. Phillip Johnson, the architect who constructed the cathedral's iconic glass sanctuary, was an openly gay man.

*****

Reaching London for Christ. It's happening. Check out this website. http://www.co-mission.org.uk/Group/Group.aspx?ID=159404

"If the gospel is once again to go forward with true spiritual power following the slow slide of the Church of England into the abyss, it will happen with these small but growing churches. We also note with the flag of GAFCON/FCA now firmly planted on English soil we may safely cry, 'The Africans are coming...the Africans are coming'...and they are coming with Bibles not guns or drugs."

*****

A Martian who visited modern America today might well think that half the population was homosexual - and the other half wished it were.

This is bizarre, especially when you look at the actual statistics which show that as few as 2% of the general population identify themselves as "gay."

Writing in May in USA Today, conservative radio host Michael Medved noted, "UCLA's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy offered a new estimate of homosexual identification: concluding that 1.7% of Americans say they're gay, and a slightly larger group (1.8%) identified as bisexual...."

Someone should tell Medved the havoc the gay lobby has perpetrated on The Episcopal Church.

*****

When evangelical leaders look at the United States of America, they do not see a country defined by the familiar Gallup Poll statistic stating that 92 percent of its citizens profess some kind of belief in God.

Nor do they see a land that is only 1.6 percent atheist and 2.4 percent agnostic, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. They do not see a land in which another 12.1 percent of the people do not embrace any one religion "in particular," but insist that "spirituality" plays some role in their lives.

In other words, they do not see a remarkably, if somewhat vaguely, religious nation -- especially in comparison with other modern industrialized lands.

No, when elite evangelicals see America today the word that comes to mind is "secular."

In fact, 92 percent of evangelical leaders from the United States who took part in a new Pew Forum survey said they are convinced that secularism is a "major threat" to the health of evangelical Christianity in their land, a threat even greater than materialism, consumerism and the rising tide of sex and violence in popular culture.

To read the full story click here: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/religion-faith062911/religion-faith062911/

*****

The Most Rev'd Dr Daniel Deng Bul Yak, Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Bishop of Juba says his country is on the mend. Trustees of Anglican International Development, the Rev David Holloway, Canon Dr Chris Sugden, and Sir Donald Curry of www.interanglicanaid.org wrote saying that God is to be thanked for the new nationhood being established on 9th July 2011 in the South and for the South Sudan's new membership in the Commonwealth.

"We are encouraging our supporting Anglican churches, both in the United Kingdom and around the world, to join with us in our prayers for God's blessing on the South Sudan.

"We are praying for a peaceful transition, good governance and, above all, the South's political leaders to be concerned for God's will to be done in the new nation for the good of the church and of all people."

*****

BOOKS: Summer reading 2011. I have put together a list of books for summer reading. I hope you will take a look at some of the suggestions. They range from high theology to Culture Wars, Anglican church history and some lighter fare. Click here for more: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=14599

*****

Dear VOL readers and friends,

My wife and I will be travelling to Turkey for a few days to see some of the cities where St. Paul preached the gospel and to hopefully visit the Isle of Patmos where St. John wrote the Book of the Revelation and to see the "Cave of the Apocalypse" on the Island. We believe that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and Sharia Law might make such a trip impossible again within our life time. There will be no digest next week. We will be travelling with a Philadelphia pastor and his wife and would value your prayers for our travels.

In Christ,

David