Reforming the Church. The church's failings. We need to get the failures of the church on our conscience, to feel the offence to Christ and to the world which these failures are, to weep over the credibility gap between the church's talk and the church's walk, to repent of our readiness to excuse and even condone our failures, and to determine to do something about it. I wonder if anything is more urgent today, for the honour of Christ and for the spread of the gospel, than what the church should be, and should be seen to be, what by God's purpose and Christ's achievement it already is -- a single new humanity, a model of human community, a family of reconciled brothers and sisters who love their Father and love each other, the evident dwelling place of God by his Spirit. Only then will the world believe in Christ as Peacemaker. Only then will God receive the glory due to his name. ---- From "The Message of Ephesians" (The Bible Speaks Today) John R.W. Stott

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is a very surprising thing-a thing to be marveled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know that it is to me even to this day the greatest wonder that I ever heard of, that God should ever justify me. I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin, apart from His almighty love. I know by a full assurance that I am justified by faith which is in Christ Jesus, and treated as if I had been perfectly just, and made an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ; and yet by nature I must take my place among the most sinful. I, who am altogether undeserving, am treated as if I had been deserving. I am loved with as much love as if I had always been godly, whereas aforetime I was ungodly. Who can help being astonished at this? Gratitude for such favor stands dressed in robes of wonder. --- C.H. Spurgeon

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
August 7, 2009

The Archbishop of Canterbury's proposal for a "two-track" Anglican Communion is a theological disaster. Beyond this, it is almost certainly unworkable. The reason for this is simple -- both sides in this controversy see the question of homosexuality as both unavoidable and fundamental. Both sides see the question as far too important to remain unsettled. Neither side can accept the permanent disagreement of the other.

It took a Baptist, Dr. Albert Mohler, to see the situation in the Anglican Communion with clarity. While Anglican academics and theologians, bishops and priests parse the Windsor report, analyze (to death) the Ridley-Cambridge Covenant, and weasel around the truth that pansexuality is abominable in the eyes of God, Mohler recognized that the Anglican Communion is on a disaster course with history.

To make matters worse, this week liberals in the Church of England declared war on conservatives including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

Condemning as "flawed" Dr Williams's recent declaration that the way forward lay in a "twin-track" Anglican Communion, liberals revealed plans to bring in same-sex blessings and homosexual ordinations in England, as has happened in the Episcopal Church in the US. Their strategy will be to attempt to win the General Synod, the Church's governing body currently dominated by evangelicals, over to the liberal cause. The opportunity will come next year when the quinquennial elections for a new synod are due.

Liberals from organizations such as Inclusive Church, set up and led by Giles Fraser, the new canon chancellor of St Paul's, and the long-established Modern Churchpeople's Union, will attempt to win key seats throughout the Church's 44 dioceses in what looks likely to be the hardest fought election since the synod came into being in 1970 and which could turn into a battle for the soul of the established Church.

There you have it. Is it the end of the road for the Anglican Communion? Will the British habit of muddling through in the name of Anglican comprehensiveness still prevail? Will Rowan Williams, in some Atlas like pose, manage to hold it altogether?

An insider who does have close links with Durham Bishop Tom Wright told VOL that Wright has been desperate for Rowan to come out against the TEC. "This is indeed a change of heart on Tom's part. I think the last resolutions in GenCon convinced him of what we have all felt for a long time. I gather the next CofE Synod will debate and surely pass establishing relations with the new North American province."

Wright's tension comes from offering an olive branch to the remaining orthodox (and fellow travelers) in TEC who still apparently call themselves Windsor Bishops while brokering AC-NA officially into the Anglican Communion. Apparently Wright and Bob Duncan are in touch, so who knows where all this is going.

An observer noted that the ABC is coming out with the right noises, but that he is not doing so for biblical reasons. "He has now turned against the gay position not because he is persuaded that it is not in accordance with God's will but because he is persuaded that it will break up the Communion. It is for prudential, not doctrinal, reasons that he seems to have acted as he has. He followed appeasement of TEC for so long, and now that that proves impossible he retreats to the two tier Communion. He will do almost anything to keep some semblance of unity in the Communion. I guess he thinks that is what he is paid for."

There are some, however, who believe the Communion is coming apart whether we like it or not. GAFCON, AC-NA and FCA are the beginnings of a new Anglican superstructure. Old and fading Western Anglicanism is on the ropes waiting for a TKO. The vibrant Global South is rising up, shucking off centuries of colonial Anglicanism with a fresh and lively gospel of redemption and salvation even as the West withers and dies, wrapped in used ecclesiastical and moral condoms, the off scouring of its own moral decadence.

There is word that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori might attempt to establish a TEC beachhead in the UK, adding to her 16 dioceses in order to create her own little communion...right under the nose of Rowan Williams. After all if the Nigerians, Ugandans, Kenyans and Rwandans can do it on American soil, why can't she establish her own little ecclesiastical authority right in the heart of London?. You will recall the 16 flags that flew at GC2006 and her oft-repeated introduction in Jamaica when introducing herself...reeling off the 16 dioceses in her possession, a signal to Rowan Williams that she had power of her own, if she chose to use it.

We are in battle, waging spiritual warfare, but it is one that will be won or lost based on the authority of Holy Scripture, nothing more or less than that. God's word can never be compromised, not for a second. We know who ultimately wins. It won't be the men in $1,000.00 suits carrying amicus briefs in their hands.

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The ink was barely dry on GC2009 resolution D025 when two dioceses in The Episcopal Church this week ratcheted up the high stakes game by announcing that two lesbians and a homosexual were offering themselves as bishop material in the Dioceses of Minnesota and Los Angeles. Could one be more in the face at Rowan Williams than that? Apparently not. Resolution B033 is clearly on the dust heap as a "restraint" along with Jefferts Schori's letter to Williams and the Global South that the resolution was merely descriptive, not prescriptive.

And what if one of the three homosexuals is actually elected? Will she pull a Griswold and tell the Primates she would never consecrate another homosexual? Three weeks later will she go ahead and do it, just like Griswold did in 2003 anointing Gene Robinson as the next Bishop of New Hampshire? Will she deliver the line, "well I have no control over what dioceses do, that's a local matter, I must do what I must do." Funny thing, that argument doesn't apply to property issues. TEC has allocated $4 million to lawsuits this year while dumping evangelism, worship and mission portfolios.

Now you know why AC-NA exists.

*****

The beat goes on with lawsuits despite all the fine talk of diversity and inclusivity. Christ Church, Savannah, one of the most famous historic churches in America, faces a court day on August 14. VOL asks all its readers to pray for the Rev. Marc Robertson, his vestry and friends. You can read that story in today's digest.

*****

The actions of GC2009 did not go unnoticed around the globe. The Rt. Rev. Bethlehem Nopece, Bishop of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, said, "blessings of same-sex unions and the ordination of practicing homosexual clergy are inconsistent with the Word of God written. It is theologically uninformed, incoherent with the wider church, endorsing schism in the Anglican Communion and threatens ecumenical fellowship and relations." General Convention's adoption of resolutions D025 and C056 is a "deliberate defiance of the wider body of the Anglican Communion."

"On the issues of homosexuality, we continue to journey on until all people come to the obedience of faith (Rom.15:18)," Bishop Nopece said. "The nation of South Africa must not be deceived; God will bless us only when we seek after righteousness."

*****

In Fresno, California, this week, attorneys for Bishop John-David Schofield, who has been deposed by the Episcopal Church, say they plan to appeal a judge's ruling recognizing another bishop as the head of the Diocese of San Joaquin. Episcopal leaders ousted Bishop Schofield last year, after he led his conservative congregation to secede from the national church in 2007 and join with the Province of the Southern Cone. Jerry Lamb, previously bishop of the Diocese of Northern California, was later "elected" to head the diocese. Earlier this month, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled that Lamb officially heads the diocese. Attorneys plan to file their appeal later this month. A trial is set to begin early next year to decide who controls the diocese's properties.

*****

The Rt. Rev. Bavi Edna "Nedi" Rivera, 63, has announced she will retire as Bishop Suffragan of Olympia at the end of January. While saying that she has done what she was called to do in the diocese, she did note that budget concerns also played a role in her discernment. "There have been funds for the Diocese of Olympia to pay me when I was needed in this diocese," she wrote. "The income budget for 2010 brings a new reality that makes these other longings come into clearer focus." The diocese announced in late July that its School of Ministry and Theology would not operate during the coming year due to budget cuts and a need to redefine its mission. Rivera once made the statement that she wouldn't marry any straight folk until homosexuals were allowed to marry.

*****

A daring Baltic ban on gay propaganda has erupted in Lithuania. A new law in that country aims to protect minors from information that could be harmful to them. Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and Lithuania's parliament found energy this month not only for budget cuts to keep a financial crisis at bay but also for a strong stand on family values which challenges the status quo in the European Union and sparked an uproar in the international community. Lawmakers in the Baltic nation's 141-member chamber on July 14 voted 89-6 to adopt a Law on the Protection of Minors, which limits the propagation of information that could be harmful to young people. Alongside with things graphic violence, instructions on how to make explosives, presentation of drug use in a positive light and pornography, the law also restricts information "which promotes homosexual, bisexual, and polygamous relations."

Accusations of "homophobia" and "human rights" violations were swift to arrive. Amnesty International rushed out a condemnation, saying the legislation was "part of a growing climate of intimidation and discrimination in Lithuania against lesbians, gay men and bisexual and transgender people" and "denies the right to freedom of expression and deprives students of access to the support and protection they may need." Sweden, which currently holds the EU rotating presidency, also weighed in. Its ambassador raised the issue during the new Lithuanian president's first meeting with the diplomatic community, lamenting that the law equated homosexuality with violence and drugs as social ills. While the local media has echoed outcries by gay rights groups, the Lithuanian public largely sides with Kubilius and his government on this matter. They resent the international pressures that go against their common sense.

*****

The FELLOWSHIP OF CONFESSING ANGLICANS is holding a rally in Southern Africa featuring guest speaker Dr. Vinay Samuel. The FCA is not another organization. FCA was called forth by GAFCON. "GAFCON is defined by its centre and not by any boundaries. It is a fellowship of people who affirm the centre of orthodox faith as expressed in the Jerusalem Statement. Some who are uncertain whether they are in or out might be finding boundaries which were never intended by those who have taken the initiative to launch this fellowship," said Samuel. The Title for this gathering is "Be Faithful". "We are commissioned to fully express what we believe we should be and offer to the Christian community in Southern Africa. Be faithful - this is our calling as Anglican Christians today. The Scriptures exhort us to remain faithful to the faith 'once for all delivered to the saints', to the Lordship of Christ and hence to apostolic teaching and practice." They will meet September 3 at St. John's Church in Walmer Port Elizabeth.

*****

Is it time for Rome to rescue Anglo-Catholics trapped in the wreckage of the Church of England? Yes says Telegraph columnist Damian Thompson.

But what form should the reception of former Anglicans take? There is no easy answer to this question, just as there was no easy way to incorporate Eastern Orthodox dissidents into the Roman communion at various points in the Church's history (though it happened). Whenever Catholic-minded members of other Churches or denominations break away from the mainstream, the Vatican finds itself tangled up in arguments: about Holy Orders, corporate versus individual reception, married priests and Rites of worship. It can take many decades, if not centuries, for things to settle down. But the long-term benefits can be remarkable, as the recent foundation of arguably the world's most exciting Catholic university by the Eastern-Rite Church in Ukraine demonstrates.

The main thing is not to miss a heaven-sent opportunity. You can read the full story in today's digest.

*****

In Kigali, Rwanda, hundreds of Christians from Rwanda and beyond recently thronged at Amahoro indoor stadium to attend a four-day international convention organized by the Anglican Church of Rwanda. The Kigali diocese was also visited by senior clerics including Archbishops and Bishops from East Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, South Africa and from the Anglican Mission of the Americas in the United States. The convention, whose theme was "A new heart, a new spirit for an individual", focused on the "healing of people's hearts" that were shattered by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In his remarks, Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of the Anglican Church of Rwanda called upon Africans and Rwandans, in particular, to have a heart of forgiveness even to those who should not be forgiven. "It's high time Rwandans and Africans in general put on the garments of forgiveness and love if we are to experience rapid development," he advised.

*****

HUMAN RIGHTS activist Baroness Caroline Cox has called on Christians to get involved in politics. Speaking at the Keswick Convention in Cumbria recently, she said politics is no longer, "a glorious well-respected arena in which to work." Commenting on the recent scandals brought to light by the expenses scandal, the Baroness said it was a good time for Christians to make a difference. She added that "A very precious legacy of parliamentary democracy. Parliament has got a bad name - all the more reason to go into it and change it."

Baroness Cox was deputy speaker of the House of Lords from 1985-2000. She founded the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) in 2003 which aims to provide lasting change through aid and advocacy for those around the world suffering from oppression and persecution and often neglected by international media. The Keswick convention is a well established evangelical conference based on Bible teachings begun in 1875.

*****

The Episcopal Evangelical Assembly, (EEA), a group of Evangelical Episcopalians who believe they should stay in The Episcopal Church, will hold their next EEA meeting on September 11/12 at Virginia Theological Seminary. VTS has again made its facilities available to Evangelicals staying in the Episcopal Church. Michael Lawson, Archdeacon of Hampstead (London) and chairman of the Church of England Evangelical Council, will be their keynote speaker. He will describe his experiences helping Evangelicals minister and flourish successfully in an environment only a little less hostile to them than in TEC. For more information, go to http://canterburytrail.wordpress.com/episcopal-evangelical-assembly-september-2009/ Philip Wainwright is the TEC leader for this movement. Also speaking at the conference, on the theme "Of Babies and Bathwater", will be the Rev. Chuck Alley, Rector of St Matthew's, Richmond. The conference will begin at noon on Friday, September 11th, and end at noon Saturday September 12th. For those coming from out of town, arrangements have been made with the Days Inn on the Little River Turnpike for a special conference rate of $99 per night. Call 703-354-4950 and ask for the 'Evangelical Assembly' rate. To register now, e-mail evangelicalfellowship@earthlink.net

*****

The Episcopal Communications Office is imploding, VOL has learned. The following e-mail was sent to Episcopal "Communicators" across the country: The Episcopal Life Board of Governors has been in contact and conversation with Anne Rudig, director of communications, and Solange DeSantis, Episcopal Life editor, throughout this difficult time. Besides the Episcopal Life editor position, the graphic designer position in the Office of Communications is being eliminated, and two jobs in the Episcopal Life management office in Ambler, PA, are being eliminated. Tom Cahill, advertising manager, and Larry Moore, general manager, have been given the option of working from home and travelling to NYC weekly. The three full-time staff reporter positions, Matthew Davies (who also edits EL online), Mary Francis Schjonberg and Lynette Wilson are "safe." And all of the contract positions with EL and one part-time position are being honored at least through the end of 2009, although it is not clear what might happen after that.

*****

The American Psychological Association (APA) adopted a resolution this week urging mental health professionals to avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments. The decision rejects the hundred years' worth of research indicating the effectiveness and benefits of sexual reorientation therapy due to "serious design flaws."

The resolution also advises that parents, guardians, young people and their families avoid sexual orientation treatments that portray homosexuality as a mental illness and rather seek treatments "that provide accurate information on sexual orientation and sexuality, increase family and school support and reduce rejection of sexual minority youth."

The approval was made at the APA's annual convention with a 125-4 vote. At the convention, a task force presented a report that in part examined the efficacy of 'reparative therapy,' or sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). You can read Julia Duin's story in today's digest.

*****

Archbishop Rowan Williams to Pakistan: Protect Vulnerable Christians. Responding to deadly attacks last week by Muslims against Christians in the Diocese of Faisalabad in the Anglican Church of Pakistan, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has called on the government of Pakistan to assure citizens' protection and see that justice is done. Muslim extremists are blamed for fires set in Christian neighborhoods in two villages, July 30 and August 1, resulting in at least seven deaths and the destruction of more than 175 homes and two churches. In his August 4 statement, Archbishop Williams called the attacks "an abuse of real faith and an injury to its reputation as well as an outrage against common humanity. The whole country is injured and diminished by the violence that has occurred." The archbishop asserted that the small and vulnerable Christian minority in Pakistan is "disproportionately affected" by the draconian laws against blasphemy, which in recent years have frequently been abused in order to settle local and personal grievances. "I appeal to the government of Pakistan to spare no efforts, not only in seeing that justice is done in the wake of these terrible events, but also in continuing to build a society in which all faiths are honored and in which the most vulnerable can be assured of the protection of the law and the respect of their fellow citizens."

*****

VOL has just learned that Christ Church Plano, the AC-NA's largest parish under the rectorship of the Rev. David Roseberry, will ordain their first woman priest this year. The AC-NA is going through a period of open reception on the issue of women's ordination.

*****

VOL has a lineup of some of the best columnists in the Anglican Communion. Their thoughtful reflections can be found in today's digest. They draw from deep well springs. There is much to reflect on from these writers. Canon Gary L'Hommedieu writes on Justice as Ritualized Crisis, Are we going to war? by Peter Ould. Three orthodox TEC bishops, Mark Lawrence, Bruce MacPherson and Michael Smith give their views on GC2009. Attorney A. S. Haley says "Presiding Bishop Defies General Convention."

*****

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*****

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