" ... we must speak Christianity with a clear content and an emphasis on truth in contrast to what is not true, equally we must practice truth ... We must practice the truth even when it is costly. We must practice it when it involves church affiliation or evangelistic cooperation. There is a difference between having a public discussion with a liberal theologian and inviting him to pray in our program." --- The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century by Francis Schaeffer

The finality of Scripture. Just as the Old Testament canon is closed because it witnesses prophetically to Christ, and Christ has come; so the New Testament canon is closed because it witnesses historically to Christ, and Christ has come. The finality of Scripture is thus due to - is, indeed, one aspect of - the finality of Jesus Christ. --- From 'Jesus Christ Our Teacher and Lord', in "Guidelines", ed. J. I. Packer

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
November 5, 2010

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori lent her view to the wider church this past week when she spoke at the 173rd Convention of the Diocese of Western New York, urging the audience to lose the term "national church" after listing the 16 nations where TEC has active dioceses.

This blatant attempt to give TEC, which is slowly but surely sinking into the sunset, an international flavor with its own foreign cast of characters, is about as laughable as a banana republic announcing it has a nuclear arsenal. Some of these offshore dioceses are little bigger than a gay bar in Boise, Idaho.

Here is the list.

11 Foreign dioceses in 16 countries: Total Membership: 163,356. ASA: 40,095

After eliminating Ecuador-Litoral with 891 ASA, Venezuela with an ASA of 489, Taiwan with 680 and Micronesia with an ASA of 130, all that is left are Haiti with 16,631, Puerto Rico with 2,342 and Honduras 12,340 as the largest stakeholders. (These are 2007 figures. Things have gotten much worse since then.) With Haiti devastated by an earthquake recently, it is hard to know how many in truth are still worshiping Episcopalians on that island. The total combined churches in Europe which includes Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Kazakhstan is 1,320. There are individual TEC parishes bigger than this. Who is TEC trying to kid?

Every time the TEC Presiding Bishop meets with her fellow primates, she has to announce the fact that she has 16 overseas dioceses. You had better take notice. Ironically, former PB Frank Griswold never did that, that I can recall, but with TEC on the line with orthodox primates who will be a no show next January in Dublin, it doesn't hurt her cause to remind Rowan Williams that she can muster 40,000 Episcopal troops ready to sweep in and start her own little communion.

*****

The saga of Dan Martins, bishop-elect for the Diocese of Springfield, got a whole lot more interesting this week. I wrote last week that the vultures are gathering and the long knives are out for Fr. Martins with Bishop Jerry Lamb of the Diocese of San Joaquin saying he has grave concerns about Martins' fitness to be the next Springfield bishop. He wrote a a letter to all TEC bishops and Standing Committees telling them that Martins lacks what he calls "suitability" for the job and he hopes they will withhold consents.

It got more interesting this week when ten priests, including George Werner, past president of the House of Deputies, came out in favor of Martins getting the job. This is very interesting because none of these people are orthodox in faith and morals (though personally they might be). They toe the Episcopal party line and you would think they would be happy to see Martins go down in flames. Not so. They think Martins will not take the diocese out of TEC even though he is orthodox in faith and morals. They want him elected.

Another group calling themselves Concerned Laity of Diocese (CLSD) announced they are in favor of Martins getting elected. This group is not altogether conservative, either. In an Open Letter to the Standing Committee Members and Bishops with Jurisdiction, they wrote, "CLSD wants all in the church, especially members of Standing Committees and Bishops with jurisdiction, to know that while Father Martins may not have been the first choice of all of our members, he was very near the top of everyone's list of preferred candidates, and we strongly urge you to provide Father Martins with the necessary consents. CLSD has been assured in writing by Bishop-elect Martins that he will not take the Diocese out of The Episcopal Church."

So, the ultra-liberal Bishop Lamb won't necessarily have the final say. If other bishops read that at least two other liberal groups want Martins elected, perhaps Martins has a shot at it after all. Here's hoping. Ironically, this public politicking did not happen as much when Mark Lawrence was running for bishop of South Carolina. My how times have changed. Martins has written his own piece simply titled CONSENT which you can read in today's digest.

*****

Four Retired Bishops blasted new arbitrary canons established by Jefferts Schori and the national church The four bishops include C. FitzSimons Allison, Alex D. Dickson, Alden M. Hathaway and G. Edward Haynsworth. They say that radical new canons were passed at General Convention in 2009 to go into effect in July, 2011 giving bishops (and the presiding bishop) unprecedented and virtually unlimited powers that replace the historic restraints and checks on arbitrary authority and reduce the role of laity in church discipline.

"They greatly increase the number and nature of clergy offenses, while dramatically inflating the role of bishops, not only in initiating, but effectively controlling, the outcome of disciplinary decisions. The central and historic role of the Standing Committee (made up of elected laity and clergy, without the bishop) has served in these cases as a grand jury deciding whether the facts do, or do not, merit a trial. The Standing Committee's role has been removed. These new canons will give bishops (and the presiding bishop) authority to depose clergy (and bishops) without an adequate trial." You can read their full letter in today's digest.

*****

As the culmination of a six-year engagement with the Windsor process, including eight town hall meetings, two previous diocesan resolutions and paragraph by paragraph discussions on all four drafts of the Anglican Communion Covenant at clergy and minister conferences, the Annual Convention of the Diocese of North Dakota adopted the following resolution last Saturday by a 73-42 vote:

"Resolved, The Diocese of North Dakota affirms the principles of the Anglican Communion Covenant, as an expression of the interdependence of autonomous national churches who wish to continue in full communion while remaining in dialog over issues about which there are significantly different understandings, and urges the General Convention to prayerfully consider ratification of the Covenant."

+Michael Smith

P.S. One quarter of our newly elected GC deputation is Native American; one quarter will still be under the age of 30 in 2012.

*****

Things are so desperate financially in the Diocese of Pennsylvania that the disgraced Charles Bennison is charging $75.00 per person to attend the 227th Diocesan Convention this Saturday. To my knowledge, a fee has never before been required to attend a diocesan convention, especially one as lame as this one. Among the important news items is one calling on Bennison to resign...yet again. Hardly the first time, but it does indicate that at least one deanery - Merion, and a number of co-sponsors - wants him gone. A better strategy in the event that resolution fails is to pass a resolution declaring the see of Pennsylvania vacant thus paving the way for a new bishop. On the other hand Mrs. Jefferts Schori could exercise her new found powers and fire Bennison.

In other news, perhaps more pertinent, the diocese faces a financial crisis that, according to Bennison, "threatens to undercut the vital ministries which define our corporate mission and identity. We are now at the point where there is nothing left to cut that is not absolutely essential to our most vital ministries. Yet despite this reality we are again facing the possibility of a significant shortfall of pledges."

And you have to cough up $75.00 to hear this and the news that the diocese is on a continued decline now that Bennison is back. Don't waste your money. Bennison, it should be noted, is deep-sixing the sale of Camp Wapiti.

For sheer hubris, catch this line from Bennison, "May our 227th Convention mark a "great turning point" in our life as a diocese "contemporary" to the aching spiritual and material needs of the world Jesus Christ calls us to serve." Right. With his "gospel" you could close the diocese down and no one would miss it.

*****

In what can only be described as a despicable act, unholy and worthy perhaps of a Charles Bennison, the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland last Sunday sent in a priest to celebrate an unscheduled Service of Holy Communion at Calvary Episcopal Church. This decision on the part of the Diocese was made following the parish's overwhelming vote to disassociate with The Episcopal Church and begin the conversion process to Roman Catholicism.

The diocese didn't just send any man. They sent in a homosexual priest to stick it in their faces saying, in effect, "We are in control."

The Rev. Jesse Leon Anthony Parker, rector at St. John's-in-the-Village, celebrated a 9 am Eucharist wedging his service in between Mount Calvary's scheduled 8 am Low Mass and 10 am Solemn High Mass. Only a handful of loyal Episcopalians attended the impromptu service. Most were ringers.

Mount Calvary's rector, the Rev. Jason Catania said that it was "no surprise" that Fr. Parker showed up. The Diocese of Maryland communicated its intention to Fr. Catania beforehand.

Are there new depths that TEC revisionist bishops can plumb? Apparently. You can read the full story by VOL correspondent Mary Ann Mueller in today's digest.

*****

At a time when the Church of England is about to embark on a major discussion of the Anglican Covenant at its upcoming synod, a campaign against the Covenant is moving into high gear to sabotage it. On Nov. 3, an international coalition (all of four persons) says the covenant would constitute "unwarranted interference in the internal life of the member churches of the Anglican Communion, would narrow the acceptable range of belief and practice within Anglicanism, and would prevent further development of Anglican thought."

The coalition is made up of one Anglican in Canada, England, New Zealand and the United States. It has launched a website, called "No Anglican Covenant" providing resources "for Anglicans around the world to learn about the potential risks of the proposed Anglican Covenant."

"We believe that the majority of the clergy and laity in the Anglican Communion would not wish to endorse this document," said the Rev. Lesley Fellows, the coalition's moderator and a member of the Church of England. "Apart from church insiders, very few people are aware of the covenant. We want to encourage a wider discussion and to highlight the problems the covenant will cause."

The sole American, a layman from the Potemkin Diocese of Pittsburgh - Lionel Deimel, a computer consultant - believes they can sabotage the whole thing. A small handful of TEC dioceses have also signed on to it, but not the national church. Some Anglicans, including TEC's Presiding Bishop and the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, have raised concerns about the covenant being used as an instrument of control, particularly in section 4, which outlines a method for resolving disputes in the communion.

Two progressive U.K.-based Anglican groups, Inclusive Church and Modern Church, joined together in late October to campaign against the covenant, which they say is "an attempt by some leaders of the Anglican Communion to subordinate national churches to a centralized international authority, with power to forbid developments when another province objects."

The groups, which took out full-page anti-covenant ads in two U.K. religious newspapers, are campaigning ahead of the Church of England's General Synod, which on Nov. 24 will be asked to approve the covenant. Executive Council has predicted that any formal approval of the covenant by the Episcopal Church could not come until at least 2015 should endorsement require changes to the church's constitution.

The Anglican Church of Mexico, meeting in General Synod in June, became the first province formally to adopt the covenant. The Anglican Church of Southern Africa on Oct. 1 voted in favor of adopting the covenant, but that decision will need to be ratified by the next meeting of provincial synod in 2013.

However, VOL has been told that most of the orthodox Anglican primates of provinces of the Global South have not and will not sign on to it believing that whatever strictures there are will not be adhered to by the North American provinces of TEC and ACoC. They believe that the Jerusalem Declaration is more solidly and biblically based.

*****

The Anglican District of Virginia will vote to begin the process of becoming a diocese in the Anglican Church of North America. This requires that it pass a Constitution and Canons and elect its first bishop. A Constitutional Convention has been set for May 20-21, 2011 for these purposes. A committee of seven has been established to develop a slate of nominees for bishop. A slate of up to three candidates will stand for election as the new ADV diocesan Bishop immediately after the adoption of the new ADV governing documents at the Constitutional Convention.

The Bishop's Nominating Committee (BNC) has begun its work and is in the process of gathering names of potential candidates for bishop. The Bishop's Nominating Committee welcomes input from all members of ADV. Any names of potential candidates should be submitted by November 12. To communicate with the Committee, you may contact any of the seven members, or send e-mail to Jeffrey Cerar, co-chair at jcerar2@gmail.com.

*****

The Archbishop of Toronto, the Most Rev. Colin Johnson of the Anglican Church of Canada said he will begin granting permission to a limited number of parishes to bless same-gender unions. He issued pastoral guidelines this week to accommodate those in "stable committed same gender relationships" seeking a blessing of their commitment.

The guidelines, he acknowledged, will not be welcomed by all, with some opposing it and others feeling it is not nearly enough. But he stressed that those who disagree with same-gender blessings and those in favor of it are both recognized and affirmed in the diocese.

******

The London Free Press in Ontario, Canada ran a front page story this week with three liberal ministers saying they are going to fight poverty in London's downtown. An irate orthodox Canadian Anglican wrote to VOL saying these three liberals have got it all wrong, backwards, and upside down.

"Everyone knows what is causing the poverty in Canada, it is the breakdown of the natural family of man, woman, and child. It is the prevalence of the illicit use of drugs and alcohol, and so it is these three things that are causing all of the trouble. I have not heard in many years, a sermon in the United or the Anglican church, where the natural family is promoted, where the traditional values are taught, and where the sermon touches on any aspect of Christian righteous living. London downtown is no worse now than it was twenty years ago. Throwing money at the problem will not work, we have to stop all of this common-law living, divorce, separation, unwed moms, intentional single moms, alternative lifestyles, street kids etc. etc. etc. It is the broken family that is causing the poverty."

*****

The Tenth Synod of the Province of the Southern Cone of America, meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1-5 November, 2010, has elected Bishop Hector "Tito" Zavala of Chile as its next Primate replacing Bishop Gregory Venables. Bishop Zavala becomes the province's first Primate of Chilean extraction. The role of Primate is a three year renewable term in the Cone. Bishop Venables is not retiring, but will maintain his present position as Bishop of Argentina and Northern Argentina.

In another closely followed vote, the possibility of allowing women's ordination to the priesthood in those dioceses that so affirmed to move ahead (local option) was turned down by the house of clergy; the other two houses voted in favor. The Province of the Southern Cone is comprised of the seven dioceses of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Northern Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

*****

In Stellenbosch, South Africa, a new Theological Institute was inaugurated just outside of Cape Town in order to provide a seminary-level platform for tertiary education and research that will be Bible-based, academically accented, and culturally relevant.

The Stellenbosch Theological Institute (STI) is the brain child of The Shofar Church and the Rev. Dean Hennie Swart, dean of Shofar Bible School for seven years. Shofar is a worldwide charismatic denomination. STI will work in conjunction with local evangelical Anglican leaders who believe a new theological institution is needed in South Africa to counter Western liberal influences which have made inroads into African Anglicanism.

More than 150 students, graduates and local leaders met on the Stellenbosch University campus to hear American evangelical sociologist Dr. Os Guinness set the tone for the inauguration, urging his audience to engage the culture and confront the larger issues facing modernity. Registration starts May 2011. Interested persons can get in touch with the Rev. Gavin Mitchell frgavin@gmail.com

*****

The French government is looking to the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe to assist in the treatment and resettling of Christians wounded in the Oct. 31 attack on the Syriac Catholic Church in Baghdad, Iraq, that left 58 people dead.

Europe Bishop Pierre Whalon said that he welcomes the initiative of the French government to work with the Association d'Entraide aux Minorités d'Orient (AEMO) to bring relief to the wounded Iraqi Christians.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office on Nov. 1 informed Whalon, who is president of AEMO, that "France will spare no effort to offer refuge and medical care to those victims who request it," according to a press release from the convocation. Eric Besson, France's minister of immigration, announced the initiative publicly.

The commitment follows French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner's Oct. 25 promise to empower AEMO to resettle more Iraqi Christians and members of other religious minorities whose lives are in danger because of their faith, the release said. [ENS Reports]

*****

Queen Elizabeth II will inaugurate the Church of England General Synod on November 23. Synod will debate the Big Society and the Anglican Communion Covenant. The Inauguration ceremony will follow the Eucharist in Westminster Abbey, at which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will preside and Dame Mary Tanner (a President of the World Council of Churches) will preach.

A source in London has told VOL that the upcoming Church of England Synod will be much more conservative than the previous three. "I am inclined to think that we have now captured the initiative, if not the majority. That can wait until 2015. It is likely that the Covenant will be approved, if only to provide a reference point for the Church of England itself."

*****

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