Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
12/19/2007

Four dioceses will hold their annual conventions in the next few weeks to decide their future in The Episcopal Church. What they decide will, in all probability, seal the fate of orthodoxy in the Episcopal Church which many now believe is broken beyond repair.

The DIOCESE OF QUINCY will make its choice this weekend. The DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH will make its choice in two weeks. The DIOCESE OF FT. WORTH meets November 16 and 17 while the DIOCESE OF SAN JOAQUIN will finalize its choice in December.

It will be a bad couple of months for Mrs. Katharine Jefferts Schori, her liberal acolytes and legal honchos who are anxious to spill as much ecclesiastical blood all over the courtroom floor while fattening their bank balances in the cause of a theologically and morally failed denomination.

All the dioceses know what to expect. No decision made will be done without knowledge of the pain and consequences that will surely follow.

Even though the Diocese of Quincy precedes the formation of The Episcopal Church according to Bishop Keith Ackerman, significant and profound opposition over property is expected. This diocese, with 23 churches and missions, is entering uncharted waters. A departure - or claimed departure - will land both sides in court over the question of whether a diocese can take its institutions, property and endowments with it. The national church says a diocese holds these things in trust for TEC. Not so, says the diocese. You can read the full story in today's digest.

The second diocese to weigh its future is the DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH. In pre-Convention Reports & Resolutions, the diocese said The Episcopal Church has declared itself autonomous. The Episcopal Church has refused to provide the mechanism for sufficient theological differentiation for Dioceses like Pittsburgh, says one resolution.

The Episcopal Church has no authority over its dioceses, Pittsburgh claims. The Executive Council is given no constitutional or canonical authority to overrule the constitutional decisions of a Diocese. There is no national executive department. The role of the Presiding Bishop is principally ceremonial or gathering. There is no National Court that has jurisdiction over a Diocese, only a Court for the Trial of a Bishop and Provincial Courts of Review (Clergy Discipline). Attempts at several General Conventions to establish such a Court have been rejected. The Constitution and Canons are silent on the matter of a Diocese disaffiliating.

Furthermore, three parishes of the Diocese of Pittsburgh existed before the founding of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and prior to the creation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, says the diocese. They will have their First Constitutional Reading November 2-3, 2007. A Second Reading will occur later in November.

The fight has been draining to all, says Duncan. "Two different trajectories are unmistakably clear. All of us need to get back to the mission as we understand it. Continuing to invest energies in the battle, or in control of one another, is a scandal to the world and odious to our God."

The Diocese of Ft. Worth meets later in November while the Diocese of San Joaquin meets for the second time in December to determine what many predict will be their swan song with the Episcopal Church.

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In the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA the Rectors and Senior Wardens of seven parishes of the Diocese of Central Florida and two church planters met with Bishop John W. Howe and representatives of the Diocese to discuss leaving the Diocese and the TEC. Each parish will now enter a process of conversation and negotiation with the Diocese based on its particular circumstances. Bishop Howe reiterated his commitment to provide pastoral care both to those who leave and to those who wish to remain.

One is the largest parish in the Diocese of Central Florida, Holy Trinity, Vero Beach, FL under the leadership of the Rev. Loren Coyle.

The Rev. Geoff Chapman of St. Stephen's, Sewickley, the largest parish In the DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH, said his parish voted this week to pull out of TEC. Ironically, both pullouts are in evangelical dioceses. Bishop John W. Howe has made it clear, however, that he will not allow priests and parishes to leave with their properties. Bishop Bob Duncan has not made a similar declaration. It will be interesting to see what Mrs. Jefferts Schori has to say about two cardinal parishes wanting out with their properties, and, specifically, how much she can arm twist bishops so that they don't try to take their properties with them. Bishop Jeffrey Steenson of the Diocese of the Rio Grande told VOL that he got an earful from David Booth Beers when he let the pro-cathedral go in El Paso. The diocese came out $2 million ahead on that deal!

Of course the big lie by Mrs. Jefferts Schori and her liberal bishops is that the number of parishes leaving TEC is small and does not reflect the big picture. This lie is getting harder and harder to swallow. Even if a diocese manages to retain the property, it still looses anywhere from 85 to 97 percent of the congregation. It is a pyrrhic victory to claim that no loss has occurred. Loss of people means loss of income to the diocese. This is where it really hurts. Where the lie really shows up is in Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) which reveals that the loss now runs to 700 a week. Some months ago, VOL predicted that figure could well rise to a 1,000 a week (property or no property). The departures of these large parishes proves just that. We will see a groundswell of fleeing parishes over the coming months as the new ecclesiastical structure recently announced in Pittsburgh takes shape. With whole dioceses leaving, the Episcopal Church will be nothing more than a collection of small, spiritually lifeless parishes living off dead men's money, with millions going to legal costs and retired priests living off their pensions. They will be running stagnant parishes that cannot afford a priest, while the parish Columbarium kicks into high gear.

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As The Episcopal Church implodes, Mrs. Jefferts Schori heads to South Korea to play host to a worldwide Anglican peace conference to support peace initiatives and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. This is the foci of a worldwide Anglican peace conference November 14-20 where more than 150 Anglican leaders, ecumenical guests, and other participants will travel to South Korea for TOPIK (Towards Peace in Korea). The Presiding Bishop will preach at an opening Eucharist, which is expected to draw more than 400 worshippers. The forum will introduce and summarize Korean experiences of war and forgiveness, conflict and reconciliation, and explore ways to contribute to establishing a permanent peace in Northeast Asia. "This gathering promises to produce some lasting changes in the relationships with North Korea," Jefferts Schori said. "It seems especially timely given recent progress in talks with the North Korean government."

The irony of this should not be missed. The Episcopal Church is going up in flames utterly incapable of resolving its own internal conflict and failed reconciliation hopes, while it hopes to do what the US Government has not been able to do in 50 years on the Korean Peninsula!

Recently retired Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Robin Eames will attend TOPIK as special emissary of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, who has offered his full support for the conference. Eames, you will recall, was responsible for the failed Windsor Report which is now being openly flouted by both the American and Canadian churches.

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In the DIOCESE OF CALIFORNIA Clergy and lay delegates to convention in the Diocese of California will consider a resolution calling on Bishop Marc Handley Andrus to approve for trial use of three same-sex blessing rites endorsed by the diocesan Commission on Marriage and Blessing. Two years ago, the diocesan convention authorized creation of the Commission on Marriage and Blessing. The 13-member group has adapted three extant rites for use in the liturgical blessing of same-gender unions in the diocese. The group, whose mandate extends through October 2010, submitted a 48-page report, proposing that Bishop Andrus authorize those liturgies for trial use in the diocese.

"The Commission on Marriage and Blessing celebrates the intention of the Episcopal Diocese of California to support and bless both same-gender and heterosexual couples in godly relationship, while hoping for the day when 'marriage equality' will be the reality in our church and state," the group said in an introduction to the report.

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PAKISTANI BLOODBATH: Ruth Gledhill spoke by telephone to Pakistan's Bishop Azad Marshall in Lahore. He has recently been installed as Bishop of Iran. He believes it was unwise for the welcome parade to take place in the open as it did. A wiser alternative would have been some kind of stadium gathering, with speeches, and therefore better security.

There are about five million Christians in Pakistan, roughly 4 per cent of the population, a small but significant minority. Bishop Azad said: 'Benazir Bhutto is a very prominent political leader. What has happened is going to affect the whole country. We were very very sad to see that happen, I wish it had not happened. It is going to affect the lives of a lot of people.'

He said people had been hoping her return to Pakistan would signal a new era, a time of change. 'Of course that will still happen, but this act of terrorism and violence will also have a bearing. They should have organised things differently, for example, a big rally in a secure place. Politicians and activists were probably too excited that she was coming back after eight years. I hope the People's Party and others involved in the political arena understand that Pakistan for some reason has moved into a time when those who are pro-Taliban have become very active. They do not want to see any kind of secular government gain power.' Worrying times for all, I fear. http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2007/10/bishop-of-iran-.html#more

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IN CANADA, the Diocese of Ottawa announced this week that it will go ahead and allow local parishes to bless civil marriages between same-sex couples. This of course is in defiance of the Windsor Report, but that didn't stop Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, saying that he believes that "due process was followed" by the diocese when a majority of its synod members approved on Oct. 13 a motion asking its bishop to bless these unions. "I believe due process was followed with respect to the handling of this resolution. The outcome of the resolution is a reflection of the mind of the church local in this matter," Archbishop Hiltz told the Anglican Journal.

This diocese now follows that of the Diocese of New Westminster and its bishop Michael Ingham. Clearly Canadian Anglicans don't mind snubbing the minds of the Primates. Is it any wonder that realignment is now fully underway with Rowan Williams powerless to stop it? Many delegates at the meeting, as well as observers around the world, warned that the decision is likely to exacerbate the growing schism in the Worldwide Anglican Communion over the issue.

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IN ENGLAND this week, dozens of conservative parishes will start ordaining their own clergy in an open revolt against their bishops, if the Church of England continues its liberal drift, the Archbishop of Canterbury was warned.

Dr Rowan Williams was told that evangelicals would increasingly defy Church rules and their own bishops by parachuting in outsiders to carry out irregular ordinations of "orthodox" candidates.

The warning came from Reform, a 1,700-strong evangelical network, which is setting up structures to allow it to operate as a resistance movement within the Church. The Rev. Rod Thomas, Reform's chairman, said that members must prepare for "courageous action" as the Church becomes driven by an increasingly pro-gay agenda.

The Church of England is largely irrelevant to British life. A mere 2 million (out of 60 million) consider the church part of their life. The C of E is a pale reflection of a once proud and vigorous church. Latest figures show that followers of Islam now number 2 million in the UK. New laws being implemented are increasingly and stridently anti-Christian and intolerant of any talk about the dangers of sodomy both medically and spiritually.

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AT a disturbing theological level, N.T. Wright, a world-renowned New Testament scholar and bishop of Durham in the Church of England who has spent years studying the apostle Paul's writings, has offered a "fresh perspective" on Paul's theology. Among his conclusions is that "the discussions of justification in much of the history of the church-certainly since Augustine-got off on the wrong foot, at least in terms of understanding Paul-and they have stayed there ever since."

Wright's confidence that the church has gotten it wrong for 1,500 years, given his enormous influence, has set off warning bells for Christian leaders such as John Piper. If Wright's framework for interpreting the New Testament text and his understanding of justification find a home in the church, not only could the doctrine of justification be distorted for generations to come, but the New Testament writers' original intent could be silenced. So Piper is sounding a crucial warning to all Christians in his book, "The Future of Justification, A Response to Durham Bishop N. T. Wright" to exercise great caution regarding "fresh" interpretations of the Bible and to hold fast to the biblical view of justification.

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CHURCH OF ENGLAND Bishops are to be given the power to choose their deans, according to a report by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times. In one of the biggest shake-up to cathedral management for decades, diocesan bishops are for the first time to be given the power to choose the dean of their cathedrals. The change threatens to shift dramatically the balance of ecclesiastical power in dioceses, where Deans and Bishops jealously guard the privileges and responsibilities of their separate empires. Once installed, deans are, and will remain, masters of all they survey, particularly in the old-foundation cathedrals that did not develop from former parish churches. The change concerns the 27 cathedrals where Deans are presently appointed by the Crown. The present system, where the Prime Minister takes advice from his and the Archbishop of Canterbury's appointments secretaries before appointing a Dean, derives from the Church of England's status as the nation's established Church.

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IN THE CONTINUING CHURCH MOVEMENT there is movement a plenty. This week the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) meeting in Portsmouth, England, put out a statement authorized by Primate John Hepworth stating their intent to seek full union with Rome. The following statement was authorized by the TAC Primate: "The College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) met in Plenary Session in Portsmouth, England, in the first week of October 2007 and unanimously agreed to the text of a letter to the See of Rome seeking full, corporate, sacramental union. The letter was signed solemnly by all the College and en-trusted to the Primate and two bishops chosen by the College to be presented to the Holy See. The letter was cordially received at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Primate of the TAC has agreed that no member of the College will give interviews until the Holy See has considered the letter and responded."

CLOSER to home, The Rt. Rev. Wilson Garang and the Diocese of Aweil, who were at one time part of the Anglican Communion's Episcopal Church of the Sudan, were officially received into the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) during the ACC's Provincial Synod, meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, October 10-12, 2007. Bishop Garang and his Diocese were received from the Reformed Episcopal Church of the Sudan. The Diocese of Aweil has 85 clergymen, 150 parishes, and 15,000 people. The 39-year-old Bishop Garang was born an animist, but converted to Christianity as a refugee from the long-running civil war in Sudan. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1993 and consecrated a bishop in 2004. Bishop Garang is a strong missionary-oriented evangelist, having personally planted the 150 parishes in his Diocese.

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TWO CHURCH OF ENGLAND churches have banned yoga classes from their buildings, saying that the meditative exercise is not compatible with the "Christian ethos." One Hindu spokesperson said it was disappointing that such "medieval-like prejudice" is allowed to flourish in the 21st century. Leaders of Britain's Hindu community expressed disbelief and outrage to claims by two English church ministers that yoga should be banned after saying that the meditative exercise is a sham and not compatible with Christianity.

"I have written to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, about the reported actions of the two men," said Anil Bhanot, general secretary of the Hindu Council U.K. "These priests might appear to be advising Christians not to practice yoga because they believe it is based on a sham and a false philosophy. But what in effect they are saying is that Hinduism is a false religion."

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The upheaval in the Charismatic Episcopal Church continues. Last year, the denomination split with many going to Rome. In the latest move, the Patriarch's Council of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, meeting in Orlando recently, accepted the Most Reverend Randolph Adler's retirement as Primate and Patriarch of the ICCEC. Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines, as senior bishop of the Patriarch's Council, is expected to succeed him. He will assume the chairmanship of the Patriarch's Council until the election of the next Patriarch. The CEC claims 1,500 churches in Africa with 18 bishops.

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I have posted a number of stories from around the Anglican Communion including a number of analysis pieces as well. Please go to the website www.virtueonline.org for more stories as they are posted daily.

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David W. Virtue DD

PS. I am attempting a vacation with my wife and will resume a full writing schedule on my return. Thank you for your patience.