Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
July 27, 2007

The numbers grow almost weekly.

Another Lambeth boycott threat has loomed, this time from none other than the mother ship herself. Up to 60 per cent of the Church of England's bishops might boycott Lambeth, according to one of the church's most senior bishops, reports the "London Times."

"The Church of Ireland Gazette," on its front page has the Bishop of Winchester, the Right Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, warning that six in ten of Church of England bishops might snub the Lambeth conference in Canterbury next year.

VirtueOnline has documented that as many as 250 bishops in the entire Anglican Communion are prepared to boycott Lambeth should Dr Williams go ahead with his invitations to the US and Canadian bishops who consecrated Gene Robinson and who have sanctioned same-sex blessings.

"Great efforts are being made to forestall any kind of Lambeth boycott. There is more than a hint of desperation coming out of it all. The Lambeth Conference is of course an instrument of unity, or communion now I think. It would be a disaster were it to become a symbol of disunity. Were it to be the mark of fragmentation of the communion for future historians", writes Ruth Gledhill of The Times.

A Church of England (CofE) bishop admits that bishops who want to boycott might be 'constrained' by their loyalty to Dr Williams. In all probability, they will in their end be constrained also be constrained by their loyalty to the Church.

As the Global South leaders said in London last week, now is a 'critical time' for the Communion. It will be surprising if everyone does in the end turns up for it. The deadline for responses to invites is next Tuesday, two months before the critical TEC bishops' meeting in September. The only thing that will be more surprising than a unified Lambeth will be a decision from the September meeting that somehow averts a split.

And to add salt to an already open wound, The Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu weighed in on the issue and warned conservatives not to boycott Lambeth. He said that Dr. Williams expects those who attend Lambeth to abide by the decision-making processes of the Anglican Communion.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury is very clear that he still reserves the right to withdraw the invitations and that those who are invited are accepting the Windsor process and accepting the process about the covenant."

"But in another sentence, he said that attending Lambeth is not also a test of orthodoxy.

Sources say that Sentamu does not speak for the Archbishop of Canterbury who is on sabbatical until September. These are his own thoughts. You can read the full story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/ysrf9m

BUT Damian Thompson, editor-in-chief of the "Catholic Herald", (whom "The Church Times" once described him as a "blood-crazed ferret") wrote that it is all over for the Anglican Communion. "The Anglican "Communion" - you need inverted commas these days because it's not in communion with itself - is destroying the Church of England. Either the C of E cuts its ties with the crazy, gay-obsessed churches of the former colonies or it splinters into disestablished sects, which would be a tragedy for England. The Lambeth Conference should be the occasion at which the ex-Communion formally dissolves itself. Rowan Williams, currently on "study leave", is finished. He should extend his studies indefinitely, because his authority is broken. I guess Sentamu is the obvious candidate to take over; he certainly wants the job."

Whether you agree with Thompson or not, he does make an excellent point when he writes, "we don't really need new covenants and structures -- we need folks to actually fulfill the vows and commitments they have already made and which in themselves are actually quite sufficient."

Episcopal Church Invitees to Lambeth have 'til Jul 31 to send in their RSVP. Mrs. Schori advised all invitees to send in their RSVPs, but said they could always change their minds later!

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LIBERAL Episcopal dioceses have found a way to stave off the inevitable decline of their dioceses - sell off properties they take from Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholic priests and sell them to whomever. Then they and use the money to keep their dioceses afloat, keep their understanding of mission alive and to promote the church's liberal agenda. They also need the money to sue even more Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic priests.

In the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Bishop Charles E. Bennison is selling off closed parishes left and right and then dumping the money into the general pot so he can use the money to run the diocese. Bennison would like to use this money to go after Good Shepherd and All Saints but first he must survive a jury trial this fall in Norristown, PA in Fr. Moyer's lawsuit against him. Perhaps the money (and more) may have to be used to pay a judgment against Bennison. Or perhaps Bennison will have to pay it himself. That depends on whether the Standing Committee finally decides to separate itself from Bennison in the Moyer matter.

Documents coming into the hands of VirtueOnline reveal that Bennison has sold St. Aidan's, Cheltenham for a cool $1 million and that's just for openers. Also on the chopping block is Atonement, Morton; St. James, Aston and All Saints, Crescentville may go. The Church of the Annunciation is under Canon III.15. and land around the cathedral in Philadelphia is being sold to make offices of the Diocese and the Cathedral and with the rest going for condominiums.

The DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER recently sold off a parish to the Episcopal Charismatic Church (CEEC) for a cool $475,000 in Irondequoit, NY. Trinity Communion Church has moved into the former All Saints Episcopal Church building, living proof that a church doesn't have to die because of perceived location problems, but because of the failure to proclaim a clear gospel. Independent Evangelical churches are buying theologically bankrupt Episcopal churches and continuing on quite nicely thank you.

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EPISCOPAL CATHEDRALS face uncertain futures. In the DIOCESE OF WESTERN MICHIGAN, the Cathedral of Christ the King in Portage, Michigan went on the chopping block and was sold because of declining attendance for less than it cost to build. They held their last worship services on July 22.The building was sold to a non-denominational congregation which will move in beginning in September. Then St. Mark's Cathedral atop Capitol Hill, in Seattle in the DIOCESE OF OLYMPIA announced that it was laying off staff because of declining income and budget cuts. Now comes word from the DIOCESE OF WEST TENNESSEE in Memphis that St. Mary's Episcopal Church cathedral is down to a Sunday attendance of 18 and looks empty and will fire staff to due to a shrinking and aging congregation. The operating budget has been reduced, causing Karen Barfield, canon for Community Ministries to lose her church job. The bishop is adamant that the cathedral isn't shuttering up or shutting down because it has a large endowment, but with so few attending the question remains, how long can he keep the doors open.

One incensed VOL reader who lives in Memphis wrote the following: "There is no excuse for this ...CB Baker (former dean) ran everybody off with whatever his message was. Now it is not in the best part of downtown but they have a guard or two and the parking lot is gated with an iron fence. But downtown is BOOMING with people moving in. There is another Episcopal Church downtown that is full on Sunday...Calvary. But you would think that what few people we have left in the diocese somebody would have some family ties to the Cathedral. It is inexcusable and pathetic. They could at least beat on some doors or send out a mailer. My oldest sister goes to the Cathedral in downtown Nashville and it is packed each and every Sunday. My parish, St. John's is doing very well in midtown." The Cathedral Church of our Saviour in Philadelphia in the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA draws an average Sunday attendance of less than 30 largely elderly folk. The good news is that when Spong comes to visit and preach most of them don't understand a word he is talking about and leave shaking their heads. Bennison usually has a beatific grin all over his face, which means he doesn't understand why people don't buy Spong's nonsense.

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EPISCOPALIANISM AND BUDDHISM. In the growing world of Episcopal syncretism the Fall 2007 issue of the Diocese of Massachusetts' Catalog of Learning Events, both the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE - Bishop Tom Shaw's home) and General Theological Seminary are offering courses that mingle Christianity and Buddhism together. Here is what the SSJE is offering: "Healing Touch. Courses are being led by Br. Jonathan Maury and Patricia Warren. Ms. Warren is a noted Christian healer who has traveled the world studying and teaching Buddhist, Sikh and Christian methods of healing for the past twenty years." And from the Center for Christian Spirituality at General Theological Seminary comes this: "One Week Intensive: Contemplative Practice and Religious Reflection in Buddhism and Christianity. With growing interest in meditation and contemplative prayer experiences and due to our increasingly pluralist society, Christians have become more and more familiar with the valuable insights and practices of Buddhism. This course combines theory and practice of contemplation from both faith traditions. Students learn various Buddhist meditations and spiritual practices and how they could be integrated into an ongoing Christian life."

First it was a woman priest announcing she had become a Muslim while attempting to retain her Episcopal orders. Now it is Buddhism. Is there an Episcopal/Buddhist priest in the making? We'll let you know as soon as we hear.

Another group called the Ruah Spirituality Institute, in Mass will celebrate Sufi Rumi's 800th Birthday. There will be two special presentations of music, the dancing of dervishes and inspiring readings from the works of a 13th century Sufi mystic. Each program will close with a traditional Zikr ceremony. You will recall that Frank Griswold, former PB saw the Sufi as a source of spiritual inspiration and invited Bishop Charles Bennison to meet him on a plain to resolve diocesan problems. The problems remain.

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While the Episcopal Church goes into decline there is good news on other fronts. The ANGLICAN COMMUNION NETWORK (ACN) will officially launch its Coach Certification Process this fall. Licensed by CoachNet International Ministries, the ACN will offer two opportunities for certification: the Ministry Leadership Coach Certification (MLCC) and the Church Planter Coach Certification. Coaching 101, a requirement for both certification options, will be presented at St. Stephen's Church, Sewickley, PA, Thursday evening and all day Friday, Sept. 20–21, 2007. The training is part of a cooperative effort between the ACN and the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. You can download a registration form for Coaching 101 at www.pgh.anglican.org/news/local/filesforposting/Coaching101reg.pdf. For more information, email bartling@pgh.anglican.org.

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TRINITY WALL STREET, the richest church in the world (they own 215 acres of Manhattan real estate), coughed up mega bucks to convene a group of 29 bishops from Anglican Communion provinces in Africa and their companions in the Episcopal Church "for a consultation to strengthen relationships, develop mission partnerships, and to discover new opportunities to bear witness to the Gospel," in Spain recently. Hosted by Iglesia Episcopal Reformada de España, "Walking to Emmaus: Discovering New Mission Perspectives in Changing Times" was held in El Escorial, Spain July 21 through July 26.

"Mission flourishes best through collaboration," said the Rev. Canon James G. Callaway, Jr., deputy for faith formation and development at Trinity Church. "This gathering provides an opportunity for people of shared faith and mutual responsibility to come together to further develop partnerships that address important needs in the world."

It's ironic that the Trinity should do this at a time when the whole Anglican Communion is coming unglued over the very definition of mission. TEC believes it's about Millennium Development Goals and the Global South believes it's about fulfilling the Great Commission. A press release would not say WHO the African bishops were and the media was not invited. Of course not. Heaven forbid that we should find out who the Africans were or those provinces and dioceses sympathetic to TEC. But you can be sure when Trinity throws money about, and it has plenty to throw around, people can be easily bought. Regrettably some of them will be our African brothers and sisters. VOL did find out who some of them were and you can read the full story here or in today's digest: http://tinyurl.com/2b8hu2

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THE REV. JOHN STOTT said farewell to more than 40 years of public ministry recently with appearances at Keswick in England. History will record that were it not for the single-handed (and single-minded) efforts of this one evangelical priest and his John Stott Ministries, the Church of England, already in bad shape, would be totally irrelevant in the life of that nation. Evangelicals (of all stripes) is are keeping the C of E afloat., and it is probably why many of them are sick of propping up the liberal wing of the CofE and want their own separate jurisdiction. Can't blame them really. Many evangelicals in the UK that I speak with , with whom I have spoken, say privately that Dr. Rowan Williams does not speak for them and his Affirming Catholicism is far too pro gay for their liking.

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The Rt. Rev. Anthony Priddis, BISHOP OF HEREFORD, England was attacked by homosexual rights campaigners last week after an employment tribunal ruled that he had unlawfully discriminated against a gay man, but he could never be accused of being narrow-minded. Two members of the parochial church council at St Mary's, Ross-on-Wye, have set up a porn website and organized orgies. Despite complaints from parishioners, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Priddis has refused to take action against Nick and Janet Nelson. Indeed, the couple was recently pictured in the Church Times alongside their curate, the Rev Sarah Jones, who underwent a sex-change operation. "The Nelsons have been married for over 25 years, which the bishop welcomes in an age when divorce is becoming increasingly common," says his spokesman. And so you think all the weird stuff happens in the U.S.? Not true, the British are just as wacky as we are.

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THE POPE'S recent blast that his church is the true church and the rest of us are just faux churches has deeply hurt one significant group - Anglo-Catholics. They have struggled for years to be recognized by Rome while holding on to their Anglican tradition. Apparently that is not on in the cards. Rome argues that if and when you cross the Tiber, an Anglican Use Rite awaits you, but not before you cross. Of course Evangelicals never had any expectations from Rome. They differ sharply over the sacraments, priesthood, even the nature of salvation, papal infallibility and more. Liberals were and always have been out of step with Rome despite ARCIC talks and endless hopes that one day we would all be one. The Orthodox churches have a special relationship with Rome, but Anglo-Catholics are the ones most hurt. VOL hopes to bring you a special report on this at a later date. VOL is talking with several Anglo-Catholic bishops about this. One person, an active layman at an Anglo-Catholic parish in Rosemont, PA has written a response. Dr. Stevens Heckscher's piece, "An Anglo-Catholic Ecclesiology for the 21st Century" can be read here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/2fovyt

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MY REPORT on the state of Sewanee: The University of the South brought this response from one VOL reader. "Your news about Sewanee is not a surprise. I've seen it coming. It has gone from being a conservative (mostly) men's college with high academic values to just another liberal, left-wing college for both sexes. It is a party school. It has always been a hard-drinking party school, but they kept it pretty much under wraps in the past.

"Some nice identical twins from New Jersey who sang in the choir and played the carillon, etc. pointed out to me that the only green stained-glass figure in the entire chapel window pantheon was of Gaia, the Earth Goddess. They took down the flags of the states containing the dioceses which dioceses, which owned the University from the walls of the chapel a long time ago. Why? They were too militaristic and too southern. Several southern states' flags contain a small portion with the cross of St. Andrews which was, of course, a part of the flag of the Confederacy.

"All the southern traditions have been dropped, as far as I know. When I was in the military school (owned by the University) in the '40's we had to write themes on the heroes of the south...and the Civil War. We were marched to the monument of General Kirby-Smith every year for a memorial program.

"Now, I am told that both-sex dorms are the norm. Single sex dorms are the exception. Booze and hard drugs and wild sex predominate. No one in his right mind would let his child go to this school. It sounds like a scene out of the Harry Potter books...Hogwarts School."

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The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) has launched a new website. The interactive site features three primary sections geared toward specific audiences. "Experience the Anglican Mission" provides detailed information and connects those already affiliated with the Anglican Mission, those who have some knowledge and appreciation of the Anglican tradition as well as those who may be looking for a new church home.; "Mission Networks" offers detailed information about the Anglican Mission's unique network structure.; and Finally, "Explore the Anglican Mission" seeks to reach the unchurched or "seekers" and was designed intentionally as an evangelism tool with a significantly different look and feel. You can visit the Anglican Mission website at www.theamia.org.

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SAME-SEX SALVATION has hit the Lutheran Church. The Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, is pushing for abolition of celibacy requirements for gay and lesbian clergy. The ELCA is following hard on the heels of the Episcopal Church. You can read that story here or in today's digest. It has a good summary of what all the Protestant denominations are doing about same-sex issues. http://tinyurl.com/2nof24

LONG TIME Lutheran commentator Uwe Siemon-Netto, Ph.D., wrote VOL to say, "Please don't forget to mention that there is another Lutheran church body in the U.S., which is resolutely opposed to this kind of crap, and that's the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It has 2.5 million members, significantly more than The Episcopal Church. Then there is the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) that has other problems but is not into sodomy. It has 400,000 members."

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CHURCH OF ENGLAND STATISTICS. According to Anglican Mainstream, the Church of England yearbook for 2006 records the following figures for 2003:
Church Electoral Rolls (effectively membership rolls) show 1,235,000. Average weekly attendance 1,187,000
Average Sunday attendance 1,017,000
Usual Sunday attendance 901,000

And this in a nation of 60 million! The real question is, is the Church of England relevant any more to the life of the average Britisher? The bigger question is why should the Global South take any notice of what the CofE thinks about anything including its leader when they are growing by the tens of millions! An interesting footnote to this is that the senior pastor of UK's largest church is a Nigerian, the Rev. Matthew Ashimolowo!

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ARCHBISHOP Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the Anglican Archbishop of the Province of Kaduna and Bishop of Kaduna diocese, was installed as a Six Preacher at the cathedral in Canterbury during Evensong by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, and the Very Revd Robert Willis, the Dean of Canterbury. The appointment is for five years and may be renewed. Archbishop Idowu-Fearon replaces Canon Dr John Polkinghorne, who has retired as a Six Preacher. Recent Six Preachers include Bishop John Robinson and Prof A J Mason, the translator of many hymns.

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APOLOGIES. VirtueOnline apologizes to all its readers for the late delivery of the last digest to your e-mail boxes. We had significant problems with the host LISTSERV, which resulted in the delay. We are in the process of rectifying this. VirtueOnline's website www.virtueonline.org got hit with major pornography links this past week with some 130 front page stories being affected. We have removed them. If you see such links please don't hesitate to write and let us know. Thank you for your help.

It's the "silly season" for journalists as news tends to drop off during the summer months. Not so with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. This coming weekend will see your scribe in Bedford, Texas covering the Anglican Communion Network conference led by Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan. For a profile of this brave bishop you can read my story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/37pura

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All blessings,

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