Religion and morality. In the history of mankind, although this is a shameful thing to confess, religion and morality have been more often divorced than married. --- From "The Message of 2 Timothy" John R.W. Stott

'... our neighbours as ourselves ...' It is sometimes claimed that the command to love our neighbours as ourselves is implicitly a requirement to love ourselves as well as our neighbours. But this is not so. One can say this with assurance, partly because Jesus spoke of the first and second commandment, without mentioning a third; partly because *agape* is selfless love which cannot be turned in on the self, and partly because according to Scripture self-love is the essence of sin. Instead, we are to affirm all of ourselves which stems from the creation, while denying all of ourselves which stems from the fall. What the second commandment requires is that we love our neighbours as much as we do in fact (sinners as we are) love ourselves. ---From "The Message of Romans" --- Excerpted from "Authentic Christianity" John R.W. Stott

The Devil and His Duties in Church. The devil, no doubt, is everywhere. That malicious spirit is unwearied in his efforts to do us harm. He is ever watching for our halting, and seeking occasion to destroy our souls. But nowhere perhaps is the devil so active as in a congregation of Gospel-hearers. Nowhere does he labor so hard to stop the progress of that which is good, and to prevent men and women being saved. From him come wandering thoughts and roving imaginations–listless minds and dull memories–sleepy eyes and fidgety nerves–weary ears and distracted attention. In all these things Satan has a great hand. People wonder where these things come from, and marvel how it is that they find sermons so dull, and remember them so badly. They forget the parable of the sower. They forget the devil. --- J.C. Ryle

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
March 25, 2011

To sodomize or not to sodomize, that is no longer the question. The question is how shall we bless those who do while believing God has changed his mind about human sexual behavior. He is now willing to pander to a handful of pansexual Episcopalians bent on turning the Episcopal Church into a second rate version of La Cage aux Folles.

This past week the House of Deputies (HOD) met with members of the SCLM - SoCiety of Loonies and pathogenic Microbes aka Standing Commission of Liturgy and Music -- to view literally hundreds of rites from Episcopal whiners wanting, nay demanding, that same sex blessings be (g)ratified by the Church.

The gathering at the Hilton Atlanta was variously described as "unprecedented" and "historic". They gathered in Georgia's capitol city to help develop liturgical resources for same-gender blessings to present to next year's General Convention in Indianapolis in 2012.

Only twice before has the House of Deputies met outside of a scheduled General Convention - once in 1821 and again in 1969. Both times the HOD meetings were in conjunction with the House of Bishops and were convened as Special General Conventions with powers to create policy and amend canons.

The Episcopal House of Hypocrisy spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on this gabfest that was met with revulsion by the Global South. To add insult to injury, a congregational research report from Congregational and Diocesan Ministries by C. Kirk Hadaway on the Episcopal Church, that came out at the same time these folk were meeting in Atlanta, revealed that the ordination of gay priests or bishops was the most frequently mentioned source of conflict in the church. Incredibly, this gang just added to the incendiary by throwing in rites for a handful of LGBTQ folk you will never meet unless you hit a gay bar in Atlanta or a sodomite parish in the Diocese of Newark. Far from uniting and bringing Episcopalians together, this will only drive them further apart.

SCLM planners said they were heedful to make sure the various theological discussions were rooted in Scripture while carefully attending to the history of Tradition and undergirding the entire weekend in liturgical prayer.

This begs the question, what Scripture? Does anybody really believe that David and Jonathan or Jesus and John (the beloved disciple) were performing sexually on each other? Of course I forgot there ARE Episcopalians who have twisted Scripture into believing they did.

Of course this gang smothered it in the barbecue sauce of high-sounding language like this, "We are looking at how same-gender relationships can be supported by the progressive understanding of the Christian faith by looking at the sacramental character of covenantal relationships; the Trinitarian imprint of covenantal life; and the eschatological vision inspired and evoked by covenantal relationships leading toward the hoped for Gospel promise of union with God-in-Christ." Oh please.

Thad Bennett, the Canon for Ministry Development and Deployment for the Diocese of Vermont and a SCLM task group co-chair, explained that the teaching process is an opportunity to engage people in conversation. Of course "conversation" in TEC means "we talk and talk and talk till you (fundamentalists) agree with us".

The Diocese of Vermont's Chancellor Tom Little spelled out the complicated legal and canonical issues surrounding same-gender relationships and blessings. Don't worry, they will overcome them by changing the canons. He went on to make clear that the church's Act of Blessing was a fundamental act of religious freedom supported by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Fundamentally the blessing of a relationship is the exercise of religious faith, whereas the solemnizing of a marriage is an official act of a member of the clergy as an agent of the state," he delineated. "The First Amendment recognizes the difference between the two and protects the former." However, the Vermont attorney feels that clergy who perform blessings only, devoid of the "language of marriage", are not in violation of Prayer Book rubrics, church canons or civil law.

Sam Candler, the dean of the local Atlanta cathedral, is worried that the "historic meeting" will just become lost among all the other meetings and gatherings going on within The Episcopal Church. He needn't worry. So long as Louie Crew, Susan Russell, Gene Robinson and Mary Glasspool have life and breath, it will always be on the front burner.

Only one lone voice was heard on record, during this "historic event", questioning the wisdom of The Episcopal Church's lock-stepped march towards assimilating and embracing the American culture rather than be a beacon of truth and light in a sin-darkened world.

One cynical Episcopal blogger got the drift writing, "For years, the LGBT activists in The Episcopal Church and other mainline denominations and their supporters and enablers have exhorted us to 'Holy Listening.' Those of us of a cynical bent translated that as 'Listen to us again and again and again until you agree or we defeat you.'"

The cynics were right. The chair of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, Ruth Meyers declared, "Our purpose is not to debate whether to develop these resources; we had that debate in 2009."

The thing is there have been debates after debates in The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion concerning same-sex blessings. And the answer, time and again, was "no", particularly at Lambeth '98. The LGBT would not stop pushing and debating. Now that the answer is finally "Yes" in a heretical corner of the Communion, the time for debate is suddenly over.

So much for "Holy Listening."

This is the modus operandi of the libchurch gay activist crowd. When discussion and contention results in an answer they do not like, they do not have the grace to pause and consider that their church is not ready to go further in the direction they desire in unity. No, they rend the unity (not to mention the orthodoxy) of the church by pushing their agenda again and again at every opportunity. Thus, those exhortations to Holy Listening through the years were pious deceptions.

*****

A congregational research report from Congregational and Diocesan Ministries by C. Kirk Hadaway on the Episcopal Church, completed in March of 2011, reveals that two-thirds of all Episcopal parishes are in financial trouble. More than half (52.4 percent) of all Episcopal congregations have an average attendance of 70 or fewer persons in 2009, as compared with 50.7 percent in 2007. The median Episcopal congregation has 66 persons at Sunday worship in 2009, compared to 72 in 2006 and 77 in 2003.

Ironically, in the summary of Episcopal Church findings from the 2010 survey, only 43 percent of respondents strongly agreed that their congregation "wants to grow" while another 46 percent just agreed with the statement. In the 2005 survey, 58% of the congregation strongly agreed with the statement, Hadaway told Episcopal News Service, adding that the question was not asked in 2008.

"Wanting to grow is related to growth, but does not ensure growth," Hadaway wrote in the 2010 survey summary. "However, not caring about growth nearly ensures decline."

The average size congregation also hit new lows. Despite all the talk of diversity and inclusivity in TEC 86% of all congregations are white with 70% aged over 50. Then came the big revelation, the ordination of gay priests or bishops was the most frequently mentioned source of conflict in the church. How ironic. Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori is running around America telling anyone who will listen that the issue of gays in the church (and the hierarchy) is almost dead and people have moved on. No, they haven't. They are quietly fighting over it and people are leaving the church.

*****

In Philadelphia this week, yet another court battle got underway (will they ever end?), This time it is between the Diocese of PA and the traditionalist priest Fr. David Moyer of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, PA. Attorney Mary Kohart told Judge Stanley Ott that the diocese and its bishop just want Moyer gone with the vestry removed so life can return to normal in that parish. She pointed out that Moyer is now a bishop in another Anglican jurisdiction (TAC) not recognized by TEC or the Anglican Communion (Archbishop of Canterbury). Moyer's lawyers pushed the property issue and got a continuance to allow the National Church to appear (in 30 days) to hammer out property issues and defend the fact that the Episcopal Church is not hierarchical in nature.

It is hard to imagine how Moyer can win. When Moyer fought Bishop Charles Bennison on doctrinal grounds as an Episcopal priest, VOL was solidly behind him as were many around the world. When he jumped ship against the advice of many persons, including not a few orthodox Episcopal bishops, and joined The Traditional Anglican Communion and Archbishop John Hepworth where, for his newfound loyalty, he got a purple shirt, things started going downhill for the Anglo-Catholic priest. When he was deposed and and he lost his lawsuit against Bennison, he sued his lawyer for malpractice. Then he withdrew his complaint with prejudice to avoid having to testify again under oath. For many, this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We will see how the final chapters play out in the next couple of months.

*****

Question: What's the difference between PA Bishop Charles Bennison and Muammar Gaddafi? Both are narcissists and sociopaths. One thinks he's God and wants to rule the Middle East. The other rules his diocese like he thinks he's God. You would have thought that Bennison, who still has the charge of conduct unbecoming hanging over his head, would have just a little bit of humility now that he is back on the job where he is still hated and despised by everyone who has to work with and for him.

Not a chance. Now he has started all over again. In the latest round between the bishop and the diocese, a fight is brewing between Bennison and Diocesan leaders over the Maryland-based Camp Wapiti, a youth camp purchased by Bennison for over $9 million before he was deposed.

Diocesan leaders want it sold because there is no money to run it and a diocesan resolution in 2008 gives them the authority to do so. Bennison is fighting to keep the multi-million dollar property so he took it off the market. Diocesan leaders are furious because the only way it can be funded is off the backs of closing parishes that can be sold. Bennison doesn't care. This is his legacy. So the Diocesan leaders are seeking an amendment to the canons to overrule Bennison. They have an offer of $6.6 million for the property. They have to pay back a $3 million bank loan by the end of the year and no one knows where the money is coming from. You can read the full story in today's digest.

What all this says is that a man who looks at himself in the mirror each day and puts on his silly face smile that is cross between Robert Schuller and and the Dalai Lama gets to destroy a diocese and no one, not even Katharine Jefferts Schori, can stop him. Is this a great church or what?

*****

Lionel Deimel, a lay liberal Episcopalian in the faux Diocese of Pittsburgh, has put out a paper this week saying why the Anglican Covenant should be rejected. It can be read it here. http://tinyurl.com/4dpp4z3

This is one of those rare occasions when he has it more right than wrong, at least that is what AMiA Bishop John Rodgers thinks. "I write to agree with Mr. Deimel. The reason is both clear and obvious. The present state of the proposed Communion Covenant is too weak for the orthodox, as the GAFCON Primates have made clear, and too strong for the revisionists as Mr. Deimel rightly makes clear. Subterfuge is no answer, and besides we have that already.

"By now the very phrase "Communion Covenant" has become so distasteful to many that perhaps we need something different and more descriptive, built around an expanded Jerusalem Declaration with a conciliar pattern. It could be called "The Council of Confessing Global Anglicans". It could take place within the present Anglican Communion with all of its ambiguities and dysfunction, which we hope will one day be resolved. Those Anglican provinces that wished to could sign it and enjoy a life of mutual interdependence in life and mission. Those Anglican provinces not signing it would need to request and be granted specific permission to enter the provinces of the Council in order to carry out programs as would be seen as acceptable to all concerned. We would not want to encourage stealth evangelistic revisionism."

The churches of the Anglican Communion are being asked to adopt an Anglican covenant, an idea proposed in the 2004 Windsor Report. Over a period of several years, a particular covenant was developed, achieving its so-called final form in December 2009.

To date, only three provinces, Mexico, West Indies, and Myanmar, have actually approved the Covenant. Although the agreement is not universally popular, it has not yet been rejected by any province that has formally considered it. What The Episcopal Church should do with the Covenant will be considered by the 2012 General Convention.

It is by no means certain that the Covenant will be either adopted or rejected by that assembly, but abridging or amending the Covenant is not an allowed option. Unfortunately, the Anglican Covenant is a bad idea, badly implemented. Arguably, it is neither Anglican nor a covenant. The notion that such a pact is desirable is based on faulty assumptions, and the Covenant has been promoted out of mean-spirited motives.

The proposed agreement has the potential to cause a fatal division in the Anglican Communion, whether or not it is adopted by a majority of its churches. Its potential for harming our own church is significant, and our ability to evade injury may be limited. VOL could not agree more.

*****

It was a great day for the diocese as the Rev. Daniel Hayden Martins was consecrated 11th bishop of Springfield, Illinois, in what promises to be a positive new beginning for the diocese.

"It was wonderful. The spirit was just very, very good and positive, and there was a strong sense of 'now we can move forward,'" said the Rev. Christopher Ashmore, president of the diocesan standing committee.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was chief consecrator at the celebration at the First United Methodist Church of Springfield, attended by about 800 well-wishers. Co-consecrators included two former Springfield diocesan bishops: the Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith, who retired in February 2010 after 18 years, and his predecessor, the Rt. Rev. Donald Maynard Hultstrand (1982-1991).

Other co-consecrators were: Edward S. Little II of Northern Indiana; Russell E. Jacobus of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; and Gregory K. Kerr-Wilson of Qu'Appelle, Anglican Church of Canada, Ashmore reported.

Bishops also attending the consecration included: Jeffrey D. Lee of Chicago; John Buchanan, provisional bishop of Quincy, Illinois; Wendell Gibbs of Michigan; Todd Ousley of Eastern Michigan; Wayne Smith of Missouri; Martin S. Field of West Missouri; Victor A. Scantlebury, assisting of Chicago; William G. Black, retired diocesan of Southern Ohio; Catherine M. Waynick of Indianapolis; William H. Love of Albany; Mark Lawrence of South Carolina; James Magness, bishop suffragan of federal ministries; Robert Fitzpatrick of Hawai'i; James Stanton of Dallas; and Scott Hayashi of Utah.

The Rev. Anthony F.M. Clavier, a fellow priest in the Diocese of Northern Indiana when Martins served there from May 2007 until December 2010, preached the consecration sermon. Clavier, onetime archbishop of what is now the Anglican Province of America, sometimes turned toward the gathered bishops when joking about the episcopate.

"Eric Mascall, one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, disliked the term 'apostolic succession,'" Clavier said. "It can mean that Anglican obsession with proving itself valid and authentic. It may also sound like genealogy, which my mother always said provided one with ancestors one would never invite to tea. Mascall always insisted that the term 'apostolic succession' is misleading. Rather, a new bishop is incorporated into the apostolic fellowship of the living and the 'dead.'"

Clavier invoked the Rt. Rev. Philander Chase, who became Bishop of Illinois before that diocese became part of General Convention, and who stressed "souls before structure."

This is probably one of those rare occasions where of the 20 bishops gathered there, the majority were orthodox and actually outnumbered liberal bishops.

*****

The Church of the Redeemer in Houston, Texas, is headed for demolition, according to information posted on its Facebook page. The congregation vacated the church after service on February 27th. A letter posted from senior warden Daniel Coleman declared the building is "no longer safe to occupy". The inner city parish, established during the late 1960s, was under the charismatic rector Graham Pulkingham. For several decades, it was a center for liturgically-based worship revival.

The closing of Redeemer did not go unnoticed by Washington-based writer Julia Duin who commented, "People there were furious at the diocese for literally planning to bring a wrecking ball to the place. The diocese says it cannot lay its hands on $10K to save it? Hello? There was quite the feeling when I was down there three weeks ago that once the parish asked the diocese for some help in fixing the air conditioning the diocese saw this as an open door and drove a truck through it. They did this big study, found all sorts of structural problems and said the church must be closed and destroyed. The smallish congregation that was left was aghast at that verdict. Unfortunately they had no rector who could defend them. Redeemer was an embarrassment, as are all things charismatic."

*****

A VOL reporter has related that for the last three years Sewanee: The University of the South has lost more admitted applicants to the University of Georgia than to any other institution. The university also loses significant numbers of applicants to the Universities of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tennessee at Knoxville, and Virginia. "More and more families are telling us that they are basing their decision on price," our reporter stated, adding that the tuition cut is based on "what the marketplace is telling us." Ya don't think it might have something to do with the very pro-gay "inclusive" stance the university is taking? Who wants their kids exposed to this sort of nonsense?

*****

A lady reader of VOL sent this note to me this week. "As one living in a city with a very high proportion of gays, I hear a lot of comments at church. First of all, 'the born with it' excuse is lame. If one is born with a defect heart one gets it operated on. Change is possible, to be sought. Last week at Bible study, one man said that the gay community was using the phrase 'Jesus was so gay' and gave the impression that we would be hearing that more often. He also said that 'John had been hanging around Jesus a lot.' I think that you may be hearing that, too."

*****

The Bishop of Western Nebraska Joe Burnett is leaving for greener pastures in the Diocese of Maryland on April 1.

A study of the statistics reveals a lot about what he is leaving behind and what he has not done. He sure picked a lousy year (2003) to become bishop of Nebraska. Here is the data for 2002 through 2009: 18.3% of Members were lost and ASA plunged 24%. Plate and Pledge dropped 13.5% (inflation adjusted).

Furthermore, infant baptisms declined by 15.8 percent and Marriages declined by a whopping 38.6 percent. A VOL statistician ranked the diocese at 70 of 95 considered. As for parish size and money, it looked bad. In 2009 with 42 of its 56 churches (75 percent) with ASA of 66 or less and with 46 of the 56 (82 percent) with Plate & Pledge of less than $150K this means that each "rich" church had almost 5 "poor" churches to help support. Even the cathedral in Omaha had only Plate & Pledge of $180K. Even worse, 24 of its 56 churches had Plate & Pledge of less than $25K in 2009. And Nebraska is not a poor State. For Income per Capita in 2008, it was number 25. There will be gala sendoff planned for +Burnett when he leaves.

*****

A Church of England vicar has been arrested as part of an investigation into bogus marriages. The Rev. Canon Dr John Magumba was arrested at his home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, as part of the UK Border Agency (UKBA) inquiry. The 58-year-old, originally from Uganda, is team vicar for three churches in south Rochdale. Dr. Magumba was taken into custody and released after questioning. He is currently suspended from duty. The investigation centers on ceremonies conducted at St Peter's in Newbold, St Luke's in Deeplish and St Mary's, Balderstone.

The agency has carried out dozens of investigations into sham marriages in the north west of England, but it is the first time a vicar has been arrested in the region. Sham marriages usually involve a non-European marrying an EU citizen to secure long-term residency, the right to work and the right to claim benefits in the UK.

*****

A Christian publisher in England says she had to cancel the launch of a book which claims Jesus can cure homosexuality because of a planned protest by gay rights activists. Eileen Mohr, who owns Crossbridge Books, said that a hotel in Worcester refused to host the launch after learning of the demonstration. Where is your brother? by Canadian author Marion Heath, being published in the UK, tells the story of a gay couple who split up when one has a "dramatic" religious experience. A "peaceful protest" was planned for Saturday's launch and was advertised online. Ms Mohr said it was an "attack on free speech", BBC News reports. "It's a novel, it's fiction and it isn't offensive because a lot of these men have been corrupted and led astray into their lifestyle," she said.

*****

From VOL's friend Frank Lockwood, a Bible belt blogger comes this word - megachurches keep growing. In 2000, the 100 largest churches in the United States all had average weekly attendance of 4,000 people or more. In 2010, only churches with average weekly attendance of 8,000 or more made the 100 largest churches list, according to megachurch researcher John N. Vaughan. About half the churches on the list (49 percent) are non-denominational. Sixteen percent are in the Los Angeles area, while 7 percent are in Dallas and 7 percent are in Houston. (Atlanta finishes fourth with 6 percent of the megachurches.)

*****

May Day occurs on May 1 and is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organized by the unions, communists, anarchists, and socialist groups. It is also the day that Elements of Anglican and Lutheran worship will mark celebrations of a decade of full communion relationships between the Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and, in Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

There will be simultaneous celebrations at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, New York, according to news releases from the Episcopal and Lutheran churches.

At St. Paul's, Bishop Susan Johnson, National Bishop of the Canadian Lutheran church, will preside and Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will preach. At Holy Trinity in Buffalo, Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson of the American Lutheran church will preside and Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Canadian Anglican church, will preach.

"Ten years is only a beginning, we are yet young in this work," Jefferts Schori said in a statement.

Like communism, which lasted 72 years, these denominations will not be around more than another 20 years. They are all dying the death of a thousands cuts.

*****

Roman Catholic Cardinal Keith O'Brien launched an attack on the British Government saying that Government aid to Pakistan should require a commitment to religious freedom for Christians. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland accused the British Government of pursuing an "anti- Christian" foreign policy by increasing its overseas aid to Pakistan. The cardinal said Government plans to double aid to the country to more than £445 million ($719 million) did not require any commitment to religious freedom for Christians.

The Cardinal said that conditions should be attached to any aid payments, requiring a definite commitment to protection for Christians and other religious minorities - including Shia Muslims.

Speaking at the launch of a report into the persecution of Christians worldwide, Cardinal O'Brien said: "I urge (UK Foreign Secretary) William Hague to obtain guarantees from foreign governments before they are given aid."

He noted the report highlights the "huge surge" in Christians fleeing persecution worldwide, with 75 per cent of all religious persecution taking place against Christians.

*****

The Episcopal Church would like you to wave sacramental eco-palms on Palm Sunday, April 17th. "To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. The point is, when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament; when we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration...in such desecration, we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want," goes a blurb from Central Control (815 2nd Ave. NY).

Actually I thought Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday, was the feast commemorating an event mentioned by all four Canonical Gospels - the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion to climax in the shed blood of Jesus for our sins. Apparently, we have now moved on to an eco-friendly Jesus dying on an eco-friendly cross for our less than eco friendly sins to be waved into Jerusalem with eco-friendly palm fronds.

The fronds are available through Eco-Palms. A number of denominations -- Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists -- are partnering to promote this opportunity to integrate faith-based values with the celebration of Palm Sunday. (So far this year, almost 100 Episcopal churches have ordered over 25,000 fronds.)

All Blessings,

David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
david@virtueonline.org