Replacement theory is a deceitful tool used by generations of fear-mongering, power-seeking politicians of every kind. Study history! 100s of examples. Hitler used it to delude people into becoming Nazis. Haman used it to steal political power. (Read book of Esther) It's not new. -- Rick Warren

If there is any part of creation outside of God's sovereignty, then God is simply not sovereign. If God is not sovereign, then God is not God. If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God's sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled." --- R.C. Sproul

Call it what you will. But interpreting the Bible to suit the times is heresy whatever the weaselly explanations of woke churchmen. Accordingly, within the worldwide Anglican community, it led to the establishment of GAFCON (the Global Anglican Futures Conference) in 2008. And, recently, within Australia, under the auspices of GAFCON, to the (breakaway) "Diocese of the Southern Cross." -- Peter Smith in the Quadrant

"Churches do not grow by becoming like society and attracting people, but by becoming like Jesus and converting people." -- AncientBriton Blog

Christian humanism is the antidote to Christian nationalism --- David Brooks.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
October 14, 2022

THE BIG NEWS broke on Monday when it was revealed (and VOL broke the story), that the new Dean of Canterbury cathedral, one David Monteith, Dean of Leicester is living in a homoerotic relationship with another David, David Hamilton, a counselling therapist working in palliative and bereavement care.
The British soften the language by calling it a same-sex civil partnership, sipping tea with pinkies raised, complete with scones dripping with jam and clotted cream.

Will this not perplex and shock millions of faithful Anglicans across the globe? The cathedral is claimed by the Church of England Establishment to be the mother church of the Anglican Communion, an iconic landmark founded in 597 AD. It is a World Heritage Site unlike any other, having seen some of the most important events in Western Europe including the murder and subsequent martyrdom of Thomas Becket, and the English Reformation.

"I'm delighted by David's appointment as Dean of Canterbury. He has been an exceptional Dean of Leicester -- and his deep faith and spirituality, creativity, and profound sense of service will be a gift to Canterbury Cathedral and all the communities it serves," said the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Whoa. Did this royal appointment get the approval of the queen? Did the Archbishop of Canterbury know about this ahead of the Lambeth Conference and if so, did he deliberately conceal it from the 650 bishops present? Inquiring minds want to know.

What would the GSFA bishops have said about the spiritual seat of the Anglican Communion now inhabited by a sodomite and his partner! Oh God, say it ain't so.

I attended a Sunday service at the cathedral at the conclusion of the Lambeth Conference, before returning to the US. It was a theatrical production complete with beautiful music, smells and bells, befitting a broadly Anglo-Catholic tradition, with women surrounding the altar, accompanied by a totally forgettable sermon. I was told the previous Dean had a male partner he lived with, but it was never made public. In the case of the two Davids, it is all out of the closet...with the blessing of all concerned, with not a peep of disapproval from either evangelical or Anglo Catholic bishops in the Church of England. A sad commentary, indeed.

An astute observer of Welby's duplicity had this to say; "From his own appointment as Archbishop onwards he has been nothing less than a cunning fox of an operator: hinting, apologizing, diverting; concealing, nudging, manipulating; and then closing in on his objective with scandalous appointments and equating the heretical with the biblical at Lambeth 22. His self-presentation as a humble guy who was greatly surprised to find himself picked from obscurity to become Archbishop of Canterbury always concealed a steely determination and skin like a rhinoceros."

Can the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) not see where all this is going, as they do mental gymnastics looking for a third way, trying to stay in the CofE with their integrity and heterosexual undies on?

You can read the full story here: https://virtueonline.org/new-dean-canterbury-same-sex-civil-partnership

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Archbishop Welby travelled to Australia this week in a whistlestop tour. He is continuing his global apology tour, this time to the aboriginal peoples, in the land of down under. Acknowledging the Stolen Generations, he compared the situation to Canada's First Nations people whom he had visited earlier in the year.

But Welby got slammed for his ignorance of the aboriginal situation in a hard-hitting piece by Mark Powell, a local Presbyterian historian who wrote, "So, according to the British Archbishop, racial reconciliation is more "unifying" than the Bible's teaching on same-sex marriage or the ordination of gay priests? Dr. Welby is also mistaken though as to the historical reality surrounding his own denomination's ministry to Australia's indigenous peoples.

"Rather than being the government lackey for perpetuating systemic racism, the Anglican Church of Australia -- alongside every other Christian denomination -- was at the forefront of defending the rights and protections of Aboriginals. For example, as far back as 1920, the Church Missionary Society had asked the Australian government to set aside the whole of Groote Eylandt as an Aboriginal reserve."

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/ten-things-archbishop-canterbury-should-know-about-australias-stolen-generations

The archbishop is reported to be "saddened and disappointed" by the refusal of the conservative diocese of Sydney to recognize the episcopal status of the Archbishop of Perth, the Most Rev. Kay Goldsworthy, the most senior female leader in the Australian Church.

Speaking during the Perth leg of his two-week Australian visit, Welby said that it was hurtful to Archbishop Goldsworthy and other women who believed themselves called and whom the Church had recognized as called. "We just have to work our way steadily forward with this," he said. Archbishop and Mrs. Welby later dined with the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev. Kanishka Raffel, and his wife during a visit to Sydney. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/archbishop-canterbury-australia-church-shamed-past-and-present-divisions

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There has been worldwide press coverage of the decision of the Bishop of Hereford, Richard Jackson, not to give permission for the Revd Mpho Tutu van Furth, the daughter of late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to officiate at the funeral in Shropshire of her godfather, Martin Kenyon, because of her being in a same-sex marriage. Understandably, she was very upset about the decision. According to the BBC, she said: 'It's incredibly sad ... It feels like a bureaucratic response with maybe a lack of compassion. It seemed really churlish and hurtful.' However, the bishop of Hereford, apparently, made the right decision.

Equally understandably, those campaigning in favor of the Church of England agreeing to celebrate same-sex marriages were also very critical of the decision, but the decision was properly made in accordance with the law of the Church of England? You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/why-bishop-hereford-made-right-decision

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The Anglican Church of Canada's primate Linda Nicholls has come out in public support of assisted suicide, in violation of the sixth commandment "thou shalt not kill."

A report in the Anglican Journal said the church should continue to focus on providing pastoral care to people who are considering Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), not on opposing the law, said Nicholls.

Bill C-7, passed in March 2021 opened up the option for patients whose deaths are not imminent--and, as of next March, the option for those suffering only from mental disorders--to seek MAID, attracting some controversy.

As the Journal reported, some advocates for the rights of people with disabilities have criticized it on the grounds that it offers death as a replacement for adequate care. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/anglican-church-canada-archbishop-supports-assisted-suicide

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An ACNA parish in Indianapolis called The Table has discerned a call to leave the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and join the Episcopal Church.

"After a process of discernment lasting more than a year, last week our members voted 44-4 to disaffiliate with the ACNA and pursue affiliation with the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, led by Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows," said Fr. Ben Sternke on behalf of the Leadership Team which includes two co-rectors, Spencer Ruark and Matt Tebbe.

The Table is a parish in the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO) led by Bishop Todd Hunter.

"We sensed there was better alignment for The Table within the Episcopal Church (and especially the Diocese of Indianapolis) than there was within the ACNA, specifically as it relates to:
• Our commitment to resisting patriarchy and empowering women to fully lead in the church (ACNA prohibits women from being bishops).
• Our commitment to social and racial justice, standing in solidarity with marginalized oppressed communities and working for liberation for all.
• Our commitment to cultivating a resilient, non-reactive, non-anxious Christianity.
• Our commitment to practicing a generous "big tent" spirituality rooted in the deep well of the Anglican tradition. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/indianapolis-acna-parish-table-flees-episcopal-church

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The former 12th Bishop of South Carolina, C. Fitzsimmons Allison has resigned his bishopric in The Episcopal Church and has joined the Anglican Church in North America. Allison, 95, is the oldest living bishop in the Episcopal Church and its most orthodox.

Bishop Allison is known for his role in the Anglican realignment, which led to his participation in the controversial consecration in 2000 of two bishops opposed to the blessing of same-sex unions by the Episcopal Church, that took place in Singapore. He resides in Georgetown, South Carolina, where he serves as a retired bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina in the Anglican Church in North America since 2017. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/former-south-carolina-episcopal-bishop-has-resigned-and-joined-acna

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The Church in Wales is a sinking ship, according to AncientBriton blogger. "As 'Jolly June' Osborne, Bishop of Llandaff prepares to sail off into the sunset on retirement she leaves behind a trail of discontent. There will be few tears spilt over her departure but many on the wreckage she leaves behind," he writes.

"Thumbing her nose to scripture and tradition she has already set the scene for her successor by hastily installing a dean of her choice rather than letting the new bishop make the appointment. The new dean is a priest living openly in a same-sex partnership who was involved in some discontent over his involvement in the Percy affair during his time at Oxford."

He should fit in well, not only in the diocese, but in the province which is foundering on the rocks of secularism following a string of political appointments. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/wales-sinking-ship

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The British prime minister's interest in moving the United Kingdom's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has ignited sharp criticism from global religious leaders, echoing the uproar in 2017 over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Liz Truss reportedly discussed the potential relocation of the British embassy with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting last month. British authorities confirmed "a review of the current location" would be conducted.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby issued a statement to the British newspaper Jewish News expressing concern "about the potential impact of moving the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before a negotiated settlement between Palestinians and Israelis has been reached." Welby's office said he is "in touch with Christian leaders in the Holy Land and continues to pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

The leaders of 13 Christian denominations in Jerusalem, including Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum, released a letter Oct. 10 raising their objections to the latest developments: "The very act of reviewing the placement of the British embassy not only suggests that negotiated agreements regarding Jerusalem and the West Bank have already resolved the ongoing disputes between the involved parties - when in fact they have not - but also implies that no such negotiations are needed: that the continuing military occupation of those territories and the unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem are both acceptable." -- Source ENS

***

IN Australia, Christians are having to choose between their church or their job.

A Rubicon has been crossed in Australia. For the first time, someone has lost their job not because of something they said or did, but because of the church they belong to.

Essendon AFL is an Australian rules football team. Based in Melbourne, it has a membership of over 80,000 and is a major player in what is a large and lucrative sport in Australia.

This week it appointed a local businessman, Andrew Thorburn, as its chief executive. He lasted one day in the job and the story is best summed up by the Herald Sun headline, "Essendon's chief executive Andrew Thorburn has stepped down after shock link to church was revealed."

Notice the language. This was a 'shock link' -- not to a strip club, not to a gambling syndicate, not to a drugs scandal -- they would barely have raised an eyebrow. This was a shock link to a church.

This was not even a link to 'controversial' social media posts (aka Israel Folau). The new CEO was forced out not because of anything he said or did, but simply because he is linked to a mainstream Christian church which teaches the Bible -- he is the chairman of their board.

***

The Living Church reported on an alleged $1.4 Million fraud from the Pa. Clergy Assurance Fund. The largest of many checks to John Miller, allegedly duplicating death-benefit payments. The executive director of one of the oldest Episcopal organizations in America allegedly treated its coffers as his personal piggy bank for years, misappropriating more than $1.4 million intended for the widows and orphans of Episcopal clergy in Pennsylvania, according to a forensic accounting report. John A. Miller worked at the Clergy Assurance Fund (CAF) from 2001 until earlier this year, serving most recently as treasurer and executive director. The fund was founded in 1769 as The Widows Corporation, to provide financial support to the families of deceased Episcopal clergy. The fund had more than $80 million in assets in 2021, according to its annual report. You can read more here: https://livingchurch.org/

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NEW RESEARCH FROM PEW shows rapidly rising numbers of the religiously unaffiliated in the United States, and scholars forecast various scenarios for the religious landscape in the future. An underreported aspect about those who check "none" on a religious survey is this: many who don't belong to an organized religion or consider themselves members of a church, mosque, or synagogue still believe in God, see themselves as "spiritual," and pray or engage in other spiritual practices.

Don't assume the rise of the unaffiliated means the rise of secularism, as if atheists and agnostics will now become the norm in the United States. On the contrary, the rise of the unaffiliated points to another phenomenon: the rise of people who seek out spirituality in multiple ways and through multiple avenues. They're unaffiliated with an already established religion, but they may be forging a spiritual path of their own. And this path is radically personalized. You can read more here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/orthodoxy-intuitional-spiritualities/

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JOIN THE NEXT AAC FORMED CONFERENCE Sign up to attend the AAC Formed Conference October 21-22 at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Ft Worth, TX. There is still time to register for just $50! This conference will equip participants to share Jesus Christ in the current cultural context wisely and confidently through presentations, panel discussions, and audience Q&A. Speakers include the Rev. Dr. Hans Boersma, the Rev. Canon Dr. Phil Ashey, Adam MacLeod, Esq., Mr. Rich Baker, Esq., and Mrs. Georgette Forney. Learn more about the schedule, speakers, and how to register here: www.americananglican.org/formed.

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Climate change tops agenda at WCC Assembly, say Canadian delegates. The top concern of this year's World Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly was unquestionably climate change, says Canon Scott Sharman, the Anglican Church of Canada's animator for ecumenical and interfaith relations.

The assembly also released statements on issues of reconciliation and unity, the war between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Palestine. But Sharman says the amount of discussion on climate change, the way it cropped up throughout plenary sessions on other topics, like racism and Indigenous issues and even a march for environmental justice organized by delegates to the assembly, all served to stress one central theme. In the words of a statement the WCC delegates released on the meeting's last day, "We are running out of time. This Assembly is the last chance we have to act together to prevent the planet from becoming uninhabitable. In particular, no further delay is possible if we are to have any chance of staying within the safer limit of +1.5°C global warming and of avoiding vastly more catastrophic climate change."

Apparently, the saving of souls for all eternity no longer figures into Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." God's word is clearly not good enough.

***

Anglican Compass has a new Ministry President: The Rev. Dr. Peter Johnston. Peter is a graduate of Yale College (BA 2009), Yale Divinity School (MDiv 2014), and the University of Louisiana (PhD, expected 2022). A scholar of theology and poetry, he wrote his dissertation on John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost. Peter is the Founding Rector of Trinity Anglican Church in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Dean of the Louisiana Deanery in the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, serving under Bishop Clark WP Lowenfield. He lives near Lafayette with his wife Carla and their six children.

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WHY CHURCHES FAIL AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. I am now in my late 70s, seminary trained, somewhat theologically astute, at least I think I am, though you may choose to disagree. I have watched, prayed and been involved in churches both great and small, rich and poor, in four countries, with over half a century of experience, some of it in church planting, nurturing priests and pastors, doing evangelism and discipleship. I am first and foremost a theologically trained journalist and author watching from the sidelines as the church has stumbled and reeled, sometimes forward, often two steps back. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/why-churches-fail-and-what-you-can-do-about-it

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The Episcopal Church can't seem to get enough homosexual bishops. Every new diocesan election seems to have a homosexual or lesbian ready to offer their undying service to a dying church. In the Diocese of New York, Episcopal Coadjutor Bishop Andrew Dietsche announced his retirement and five candidates have stepped forward, offering to replace him. Dietsche has served there since 2013. The new bishop will be the diocese's 17th.

They are: two straight white males, married with children; one straight white female, married with children; one person of color, married with children and one married homosexual, a Mr. Steven Paulikas. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/diocese-new-york-sees-major-decline-even-it-seeks-new-bishop

In the Diocese of Connecticut, The Rev. Jeffrey Mello, a partnered homosexual, will assume the helm and be consecrated the 16th diocesan bishop of that diocese. He is the first openly gay bishop in the diocese. He succeeds Bishop Ian Douglas, who has led the diocese since 2010. Mello, is rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Brookline, Mass. This diocese was once host to The Episcopal Church's most famous charismatic Episcopal preacher, Everett "Terry" Fullam. Today, his parish lies fallow, a victim of the diocese's culture wars on sex.

The Diocese of Central Florida announced three candidates for next bishop to succeed Greg Brewer. All are apparently orthodox, all white males and all married to persons of the opposite sex. The question is what the winner will have to say about following the rules to allow homosexual marriages in accord with Resolution B012. Will he get the Charlie Holt treatment, and will he be sacrificed on the altar of diversity by the HOB and not get consents. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/central-florida-three-straight-white-males-toss-their-hats-ring-be-next-bishop

In the Diocese of Florida delegates have asked the diocese to postpone new bishop coadjutor election. A group of clergy and lay delegates set to participate in the Diocese of Florida's second attempt at a bishop coadjutor election have asked the diocese to postpone the vote, citing complaints about procedural details and an atmosphere of mistrust in the diocese.

Delegates are scheduled to gather at a special convention on Nov. 19 to elect a bishop who would eventually succeed retiring Diocesan Bishop Samuel Howard. It is the second time in a year that such a convention has been called; the election of the Rev. Charlie Holt on May 14 was nullified after the churchwide Court of Review found it was conducted improperly and Holt later withdrew his acceptance. Source ENS

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CULTURE WAR STORIES FOR YOUR INTEREST:

DETRANSITIONERS CAN NO LONGER BE IGNORED: https://virtueonline.org/detransitioners-can-no-longer-be-ignored

The Russian Orthodox patriarch betrays the gospel: https://virtueonline.org/russian-orthodox-patriarch-betrays-gospel

Study: More than 3/4 of Republican evangelicals want US declared a Christian nat... https://virtueonline.org/study-more-34-republican-evangelicals-want-us-declared-christian-nation

THE QUIET RISE OF LGBT INFLUENCE IN CHRISTIAN AND CONSERVATIVE CIRCLES: https://virtueonline.org/quiet-rise-lgbt-influence-christian-and-conservative-circles

Syncretism is one of the most brilliant strategies of the Evil One: https://virtueonline.org/syncretism-one-brilliant-strategies-evil-one-says-barna-research-founder

THEOLOGY AND HISTORY:

Catholic vs Protestant: The Dividing Line is Justificat... https://virtueonline.org/catholic-vs-protestant-dividing-line-justification-faith

A QUARTET OF REFORMED ANGLICANS: FIRM AND FORMER -- Par... https://virtueonline.org/quartet-reformed-anglicans-firm-and-former-part-four

TOWARD A CONFESSIONAL ANGLICANISM: https://virtueonline.org/toward-confessional-anglicanism

Why Churches Go Woke: They Deny The Sufficiency Of Scripture: https://virtueonline.org/why-churches-go-woke-they-deny-sufficiency-scripture

***

A NEW BOOK, jointly written by myself and former Episcopal layman Brad Hutt with input from canon lawyer Allan Haley, titled The Great Episcopal Church Robbery: 6,400 Congregation Properties Heisted by Radical Clergy is out, and I am offering it to readers for a tax-deductible donation of $30.00 or more. This book follows my earlier book THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH which is available to donors.

The Great Episcopal Church Robbery tells the story of the purposeful take-over and co-opting of the Episcopal Church by radical clergy. As active participants of this 45-year-old Episcopal church dispute, the co-authors witnessed Dioceses, parishes, and congregations struggle to maintain Biblical orthodoxy and keep their church property in the face of an aggressive Episcopate hell-bent on making the Episcopal church over in their own image by:
Ordaining women and homosexuals in violation of scripture.
Forcing churches to bless same sex marriages.

As the voice for Anglican orthodoxy - the Gospel is unequivocally central. We make no apologies for our views.

You can make a tax-deductible donation for the book and to keep the news coming to you. You can donate here by check, credit card or PAYPAL.

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David