The Study of Theology. Intellectual exploration. The fact that God has revealed himself in Christ and in Scripture does not rule out intellectual exploration. The theologian is no more inhibited from theological research because God has revealed himself in Scripture than the scientist is inhibited from scientific research because God has revealed himself in nature. Both are limited to the data (which, to oversimplify, are nature on the one hand, Scripture on the other), but within the limits that the data themselves impose, the Creator encourages us to use our minds freely and creatively. --- From 'Truth, Heresy and Discipline in the Church', "Christianity Today"

It is sometimes said that you can make the Bible teach anything you like. I quite agree! You "can" make the Bible teach anything you like - if you are unscrupulous enough! But if we are scrupulous in using proper canons of interpretation (for example, looking for the natural, the original, and the general meaning), far from our being free to manipulate Scripture, we find that Scripture controls us. And theology becomes what it should always be, the result of applying to the text of Scripture the ordinary rules of grammar and logic. --- From 'Jesus Christ Our Teacher and Lord', in Guidelines", ed. J. I. Packer

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
May 2, 2008

The Anglican Communion is in the first stages of divorce according to the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Most. Rev. Gregory Venables, this past week in Vancouver, BC Canada. It was a profound statement in the life of Anglicanism in Canada. It was also an historic and climactic moment, which saw two bishops, Donald Harvey and Malcolm Harding, along with, 30 priests and four deacons licensed to preach the gospel making disciples for the kingdom. One by one, this godly group of men and women has made their way out of the Anglican Church of Canada, described by Bishop Donald Harvey as "doctrinally impure", into a new freedom to preach the Word of God unhindered by a dying and decadent church. The price has been enormous. Litigation, lost properties, bad press, public opprobrium from liberal bishops who have the ear of power brokers and the media followed by scorn and derision. It's been a long drawn out battle with no sign of it ending any time soon.

Now under the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) as it is called, an Anglican ship is under full sail. She has left the harbor with a new crew on board, free and unfettered to proclaim the Good News to all who will hear. With Network parishes in three dioceses across the country, there is plenty of room for growth. They have the backing and support of one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, the Rev. Dr. J.I. Packer.

I attended this conference where I met a lot of old friends and made new ones. I was delighted by the ethnic and cultural diversity of this group. More than 20 percent present were Chinese Canadians - evangelical Anglicans who are starting and growing churches. This is no longer a white man's Anglican club. There is a vibrant cross-cultural diverse group of biblically faithful, evangelically driven men women and youth who are ready to step out and start a new Anglican Church in Canada. It is small at the moment, but growth is assured.

Ironically, just as the conference ended, the DIOCESE OF ATHABASCA of The Anglican Church of Canada through its archbishop, The Most Rev. John R. Clarke, issued a letter supporting the ANiC's actions while confirming his diocese's commitment to the Canadian church and the Anglican Communion. Its synod passed a motion supporting churches that have left the Anglican Church of Canada and criticized bishops who have gone to court over property issues. Clarke's support of the ANiC was stunning in its breadth and depth coming at the end of the ANiC conference. The resolution said: "BE IT RESOLVED that the Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca inform the parishes and the bishops who have joined the Anglican Network in Canada and the Province of the Southern Cone that we are in full communion with them." The Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca also expressed its displeasure with bishops from other dioceses unwilling to support the ANiC.

A source told VOL that by resorting to the civil courts so readily, the bishops of those (liberal) dioceses with dissident parishes and clergy have displayed so visibly that, to them, the issue is power, not the will of God. None of the churches that have associated themselves with the ANiC and the Southern Cone have taken their decisions lightly. Also, all of these churches have by their decisions stayed within the Anglican Communion. Conflicts over property should be settled with prayerful negotiation considering the best interests for all parties involved.

Fifteen churches, including 10 former Anglican Church of Canada parishes, have joined the network, which is opposed to the blessing of same-sex unions, among other issues. Since they have left the Canadian church, they have allied themselves with the Southern Cone, an Anglican province that includes southern South America, and its primate, Archbishop Gregory Venables. None of the 33 congregations in the diocese of Athabasca, which encompasses the northern half of Alberta, are members of the network and none have voted to leave the Canadian church.

I have written a number of stories on this event. They are all in today's digest. Included among them is the powerful statement from the Rev. Dr. Chris Sugden of Anglican Mainstream who gave a brilliant speech on the state of affairs in the Anglican Communion. My own interview with Archbishop Gregory Venables is, I believe, worth reading as is a story I wrote on Dr. Packer. They both had some very timely and pertinent things to say about the state of the communion as well.

*****

Could the Presiding Bishop of THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH face Presentment? There is a memo circulating among the House of Bishops regarding a possible presentment against Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori. A number of bishops believe she has crossed the line and should be tossed out. A legal Presentment Memorandum Against Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori has been laid out by the Anglican Communion Institute which can be reviewed here or in today's digest: http://anglicancommunioninstitute.com/content/view/138/1/

So what are the real odds of her being presented against? The answer is simple. None. This was tried once before. A number of clergy and laity in the Diocese of Pennsylvania tried to bring charges against former PB Ed Browning to no effect. There is not a chance that the liberal run Title IV Review Committee would even entertain such a notion and the HOB would toss it out in a moment if it got to that point. This is all whistling in the wind.

While it is clear that she violated the canons in the "depositions" of Bishops Schofield and Cox- but as with scripture, the review committee will not pay attention to what the canons say. It is like Alice in Wonderland with the Red Queen saying, "Sentence first, verdict later."

*****

IN OHIO this week, Bolivia Bishop Frank Lyons presided over the ordination of five former deacons who are expected to plant new churches for the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). Bishop Roger Ames, the local leader of orthodox Anglicans who have broken away from the Episcopal Church, said the ordination of five priests is "a sign of new life" in the American church of the Anglican Communion. "It's another step in increasing the reality of another Anglican jurisdiction. These men are the fruit of the realignment of the Anglican Communion in America," said Bishop Ames. Ames is also rector at St. Luke's Anglican Church, 565 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Fairlawn, OH, where the ordination took place. You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

GENE ROBINSON is in England and is on TV every day, being interviewed by one network after another, whining about how dreadful everyone is who declines to accept uncritically his narcissistic self-appraisal, which at times verges on messianic delusion. There are daily newspaper interviews, adverts for his book, and it's only May 1, writes a VOL reader. "And it's still ten more weeks to Lambeth! Does he not have a diocese to run?"

While in England, Robinson said this, "If the Church of England got rid of gay clergy it would collapse." He claims the CofE would come close to demise if it was forced to manage without gay clergy. If he is right, then perhaps it ought to close. God will never honor sinful behavior. Never. You will never grow a church that cannot distinguish itself from the culture. You will also not grow a church without a gospel that is different from the world's "gospel". Perhaps it is why the C of E is largely irrelevant to the Global South and only has 2 million adherents in a nation of 60 million. Nigeria has 25 million evangelical Anglicans and is growing at a fast clip. The C of E is dying. The Church of England Synod doesn't seem to spot the elephant in the sanctuary. They are worrying over whether women ought to be bishops while the vast majority of Brits walk by the doors of emptying parishes that will, in the course of time, close their doors forever.

Poor Gene. Sister Mary Clara, reports from St Mary's Church, Putney, that Robinson has been denied permission to celebrate the Eucharist or to preach during his visits to England in the coming months. Bishop Robinson said he had written to the Archbishop of Canterbury requesting permission, and had received notification by e-mail that his request had been refused.

I have written a story on the hypocrisy of Robinson because of his refusal to attend a symposium where reparative therapy is discussed. He doesn't want to attend in case it gives credence to the fact that he might be wrong. Robinson will be at Lambeth where he can scream and shout and know that if anybody dares to oppose his narcissistic behavior he can shout homophobia through a microphone. But apparently one person won't be there. Sir Ian McKellen has said he has no intention of going to Lambeth. Gene will be alone...well almost.

*****

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, discussed his hopes for the Lambeth Conference this week and called on all Anglicans to pray for Lambeth in a seven-and-a-half minute video, which you can see in today's digest. The "Better Bishops" video, whose alliterative qualities mimic Country Life's popular "better butter" advertisements on British television, speaks to the cause of some of the divisions within the church, and follows upon Archbishop Williams' concern for stronger clerical formation and closer cooperation among the bishops of the Anglican Communion. Ironically, he made no mention of whether or not he was withdrawing his invitation to those who cannot support the Windsor Report, the Anglican Covenant process or those who consecrated Gene Robinson. Another non- news story?

*****

IN AUSTRALIA, the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr. Philip Freier, announced the appointment of the Rev. Canon Barbara Darling as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Melbourne. She is currently the vicar of the parish of St James', Dandenong. Darling, 60, is the second woman to be made a bishop in Australia, following the recent appointment of Archdeacon Kay Goldsworthy as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Perth. Darling will be consecrated as a bishop on May 31 in St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne. Australian Anglo-Catholics are naturally upset by this move as it alienates them and most evangelical Anglicans from the increasingly liberal Anglican province.

*****

WOMEN BISHOPS in the C of E. The Catholic Group in General Synod and Forward in Faith warmly welcomed the publication of the Manchester Report's Legislative Drafting Group. "We are pleased to note that the Report appears to have addressed most, if not all, of the issues which we raised with the Group and that it seems, among the several possible ways forward described, to include proposals which those unable to receive the ordination of women as bishops could in good conscience embrace."

*****

The Presiding Bishop made a visit to the DIOCESE OF DALLAS where she attended St. Thomas' Church in Dallas to bless a new community garden. About 140 persons from the dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth, both orthodox dioceses, attended the blessing. Ft. Worth is one of several dioceses likely to consider leaving The Episcopal Church when their conventions are held this fall.

You should know that this parish is run by the Rev. Stephen Waller, an avowed homosexual and not a very nice person, at that. He has a very bad mouth. When the Rev. David Roseberry was moving his parish, Christ Church, Plano, out of the diocese to come under the Anglican Mission in America, Waller had some very nasty things to say about Roseberry. "There are lines in Scripture that seem to say homosexual acts are not so hot, but you know, there are lines of Scripture that say a lot of things are not so hot--divorce, for example. I don't think all truth is contained in Scripture and that the book on truth is closed. The way he sees it, the Bible teaches love and tolerance. How David Roseberry has lost sight of that is beyond him. My grasp of truth, I believe, is a bit wider than his is, and I don't know why his has to be so narrow. It's unfortunate. He's got a wonderful thing going, why does he have to f**k it up?" No word on why he was not disciplined by orthodox Bishop James Stanton for the use of this word alone.

While in the garden of earthly delights, Mrs. Jefferts Schori assured a questioner that a plan similar to the one employed in San Joaquin has already been prepared, if and when the DIOCESE OF FT. WORTH tries to leave TEC. "Have you been watching San Joaquin? They were not forgotten and now show dynamic signs of new life. You will not be forgotten, either."

A VOL reader wrote that, throughout much of the question-and-answer session, retired Bishop Sam B. Hulsey of Northwest Texas stood in the back of the parish hall. "Last January, Bishop Hulsey held an organizational meeting for clergy from the Diocese of Fort Worth, offering continuing care to those who wish to remain with The Episcopal Church, an action to which Bishop Jack Leo Iker of Fort Worth objected. Since then Bishop Hulsey has visited a handful of Fort Worth congregations."

AND then there was the plaintive cry of a person who wrote this to VOL:

The Episcopal Church: Goodbye Instead of Au Revoir
A heretic came to the Diocese of Dallas yesterday.

The woman who referred to Jesus of Nazareth as "our Mother", denied the authority of the Holy Scriptures saying that proclaiming belief in Jesus' sacrificial payment for salvation "puts God in a very small box", attempted to remove the canonical authority of a Bishop two days before his son died,, and has ordered parishes and dioceses who could not walk with her to be sued for the property that they themselves built and paid for, was not only allowed to come to a church in Dallas, she was welcomed by letter by Bishop Stanton.

I had hoped privately that my home parish of Christ Church's separation from the diocese of Dallas would be a temporary one, with Bishop Stanton taking the slow and methodical time to rally the faithful. His actions since that fateful day in July, 2006, tell me otherwise. At this moment, I fear that as much as I love the people of St. James-Dallas, as well as my wife's family and my beloved Goddaughter/niece at St. Peter's in McKinney, I may not be allowed to enter a parish of The Episcopal Church of the United States again and maintain a clear conscience.

My liberal friends will not understand my grief at this moment. My wife certainly will not. I must decide to either stay at Christ Church permanently, or perhaps return to the Baptist faith of my younger life. The option of "wait", has been taken from me. "Swimming the Tiber" to Rome has never been an option. Bishop Stanton has chosen whom he will follow.

He signed himself "crushed."

*****

THEOLOGIAN DR. PHILIP TURNER has proposed a way forward with a new Covenant. VOL offers a key paragraph from his lengthy analysis of the St. Andrew's draft. Here it is: "The way proposed by the St. Andrew's Draft and Windsor Report is that of common belief and practice expressed in common worship, common ministry, mutual support, and open hospitality, all sustained by the practice of mutual subjection expressed by forbearance and restraint over time within a conciliar polity. This way is the way that indeed pervades the witness of the New Testament, but it is a way that cannot prevail through time unless commonly understood and commonly supported." If you want to read his full text click here: http://covenant-communion.com/?p=708

*****

In WALES, the Bishop of St David's resigned this week. After weeks of pressure and speculation, Bishop Carl Cooper has finally stepped down. A statement from the Church in Wales, "The Bishop of St David's, the Right Rev Carl Cooper, has resigned. He has apologized for any of his actions that have caused offence and made it impossible for him to continue his ministry as Bishop of St David's. The Archbishop and the Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales have accepted the resignation as being in the best interests of the diocese and the Church in Wales at this time." A VOL reader wrote, "So nothing there about the speculation concerning his chaplain and press officer, the Rev. Mandy Williams Potter. I am told that people locally are asking, if there was nothing going on, why has he stepped down? And if there was something going on, why don't they come clean and admit it?"

*****

GAFCON AND LAMBETH. Archbishop Greg Venables of the Southern Cone is going to Lambeth even though he said earlier that he would not. Also going to Lambeth is Ft. Worth Bishop Jack Leo Iker. Venables told VOL in Vancouver recently he was going because he wanted to be sure that the real inside word about what was going on would reach the press and not be spun by the official Lambeth press. "Someone's got to be there to talk to you about what is going on. I think someone has got to go and show their face and speak to the situation." Amen to that. Please note this does NOT signal any split in the ranks of GAFCON leadership. The GAFCON folk are totally united in their endeavors to raise an orthodox voice for the "faith once delivered" in the Middle East this summer.

*****

THE PROVINCE OF WEST AFRICA has come out with a statement condemning Western pansexuality. "We out rightly condemn and reject the unacceptable action of some of the members of the Communion in the blessing and formal acceptance of same-sex marriages and relationships, the appointment, election and ordination to ecclesiastical offices of those persons who openly admit and declare that they are homosexuals and lesbians (cf Romans 1:26-27)." You can read the full statement in today's digest.

*****

SNAP snaps at Mrs. Jefferts Schori and Episcopal DIOCESE OF MINNESOTA. Minnesota Episcopalian officials are letting an admitted, convicted, defrocked child-molesting minister lead retreats at one church facility, maybe more, according to SNAP officials. He'is also leading retreats in Texas, but Texas Episcopalian officials refuse to warn unsuspecting families. National Episcopalian officials are doing nothing to stop or fix this. In 1999, Lynn C. Bauman pled guilty to molesting an eight- year old boy at a retreat in Texas. (Prosecutors are convinced he molested others, "regularly went skinny-dipping with boys and sometimes slept with them," They questioned whether Bauman has accepted responsibility for his crimes.) The Bishop of Dallas defrocked him. Yet he is still scheduled to lead four retreats in the next few months, at least two are at an Episcopal facility in Minnesota. How can you help? Ask Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori to take action. Urge her to insist that church authorities not hire or use convicted child molesters in any leadership capacity. What's the bottom line? Why take this risk with children? Convicted child molesters should be able to attend church events, not lead church events. How do church officials excuse this recklessness? They claim that retreat attendees were told about Bauman's crimes. (But this was only promised recently, after considerable public pressure.) They claim kids don't attend the retreats. (But parents attend, and predators often befriend adults to gain access to their children.) They claim it's time to forgive Bauman. (We can forgive him, however, without helping him get closer to more vulnerable kids.) For more information write, SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) PO Box 6416, Chicago, IL 60680-6416 (312 455 1499, 314 566 9790)

*****

A VOL reader was looking for a place to stay in New York City the other day and found hotels beyond expensive. "It's springtime in New York!" said a reservation clerk. So our reader decided to look elsewhere and found the Episcopal owned and operated HOUSE OF THE REDEEMER on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The website says they have retreats and rooms, so she clicked on, and saw this: "Homosexuals welcome: Yes! Most of the rooms have shared baths."

*****

The Anglican Communion News Service announced the death of the former Bishop in Iran, The Rt. Revd Dehqani Tafti Hassan Barnaba. He was Bishop in Iran 1961-1990 and Confessor of the Faith. On April 29, 2008, he died peacefully at home in Oakham, - England, surrounded by his loving wife and daughters. His body will be received at Oakham Parish Church on May 13 at 7:30pm in preparation for Funeral Service at Winchester Cathedral on May 14 at 2:30pm.

*****

The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict in which, more often than not, Israel is painted as the bad boy in the Middle East political struggle, finds an ally in Melanie Phillips, a UK columnist with the Daily Mail. She has written a piece titled "Happy 60th birthday, Israel: well done for surviving."

This is an excellent read and something of a corrective to the largely pro-Arab stances taken by mainline American denominations including the Episcopal Church that is busy urging disinvestment as a way of shaming Israel into weakening its defenses for an uncertain future. You can read her analysis here: http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/features/643426/happy-60th-birthday-israel-well-done-for-surviving.thtml

*****

IT IS only weeks away until GAFCON bishops and leaders meet in the Middle East. An estimated 300 bishops are expected to show up with over a 1,000 in attendance. It is going to be a major statement on the state of Anglican affairs. VOL needs your support to attend this and the Lambeth Conference later in July.

Many of you have already given, but expenses are high as the dollar is very weak against most world currencies, especially the UK pound. In England recently, I tried to change $500.00 into pounds sterling at a nationwide bank. The teller sniffed at the currency in my hand and told me get it changed at the nearest Post Office!

Please consider a tax- deductible donation. You can make a donation through PAYPAL at VOL's website www.virtueonline.org or you can make a snail mail donation and send it to:

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All Blessings,

David W. Virtue DD