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| AB Antje Jackelén PB Jefferts Schori Ven Peggy Jackson |
From beliefnet:
“On July 8, 2012, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached her brand of post-Christian religion while masquerading as a Christian bishop,” reported convention attendee Dr. Sarah Frances Ives. “She mocked most of the crucial doctrines of the Christian faith, including the God of creation, the Incarnation, and the Trinity. She accomplishes this through her demeaning use of rhetoric. She taunts the Lord by the use of the name ‘Big Man’ and then points her finger at everyone listening and tells them that they have ‘missed the boat.’
“Jefferts Schori then proclaims that she has the answer for this. We all need the ‘act of crossing boundaries’ to become God after which our hands become a ‘sacrament of mission.’ In this sermon, Jefferts Schori continued her mission of destroying the Christian faith through her rhetorical device of dismissive ridicule". Read the whole sad story here.
In Sweden the appointment of Antje Jackelén as Archbishop of the Church of Sweden has prompted one of the church’s most pre-eminent theologians, Professor Eva Hamberg, to leave her post as a member of the church’s theological council in protest against bishop Antje Jackelén’s failure to stand behind the Church of Sweden’s profession of faith. In a number of interviews Professor Hamberg has expressed her disappointment that 'not even the top leader of the church' will clearly profess a Christian faith but wavers between Jesus and Muhammed. Professor Hamberg has also renounced her position as priest and her membership of the church.
Antje Jackelén was appointed Archbishop as predicted here because she is a woman: "Powerful lobbying groups within the church have long argued that the new archbishop must be a woman so Jackelén’s sex has been an advantage". Her motto is ”God is greater” translated from the Arabic "Allahu akbar", the cry of Muslim extremists as they butcher the innocent. Critics claim that the scene was prepared for the Antje Jackelén 'from the beginning' and that she has not been subjected to a proper vetting process.
When candidates were asked if they thought Jesus presented a truer picture of God than Muhammed she could not choose between the two. The report continues: It is not only Jackelén’s motto and her unwillingness to put Jesus ahead of Muhammed that has evoked strong feelings among many committed Christians. During the pre-appointment questioning, the new archbishop also said that the Church of Sweden has more in common with other religions than with other Christian churches, that the Virgin Birth must be understood metaphorically, that hell doesn’t exist and that the Biblical texts should not be taken as truth. The full sad story here.
In England Jackelén's appointment has sparked a row. Not so much about her suitability to lead a Christian church but the implication that gender was the issue, something pounced on by the Rev Miranda Threlfall-Holmes in her blog about "Christianity, History, Feminism" with particular emphasis on the later. The Rev Sally Hitchiner Kicked off with her tweet: "Antje Jackelen elected Sweden's first woman archbishop - Come on England: the Swedes are decades ahead again!" Never mind the quality! If someone else does it we should do it too and should have done it first. That was the response here and here to the news that the Church in Wales voted in favour of women bishops.
The appointment of Antje Jackelén made it crystal clear that the major imperative was to appoint a woman. There was less concerned about her beliefs. As the Rev Peter Ould wrote in response to Sally Hitchiner's tweet: Are you not slightly concerned she denies parts of the Creed? Is that OK because she's XX? Perhaps those making the appointment were influenced by anything goes in today's liberal church, particularly in the example of TEC.
The liberal Church of England is desperate to see women bishops at any cost. This was the reaction of the Archdeacon of Llandaff after she was "shocked" by the General Synod vote in November. She said:
“I feel saddened that the Synod lay members revealed themselves badly out of touch with the feelings of ordinary people, inside the Church and beyond. It gave a quite wrong message about the Church’s attitude to women in all walks of society, appearing to deny women’s ability to hold positions of leadership and authority, and imply that they should be content with discrimination and subordinate status.”
The Archdeacon proposed the amendment to the Bishops' Bill in Wales which denied faithful Anglicans a statutory right to continue as loyal Anglicans in the Church in Wales. Peggy Jackson is an intelligent woman, a chartered accountant and a pilot but she is unable, or is unwilling, to see the difference between people of faith who take the teaching of Christ more seriously than the opinions of people in the street. We do not deny "women’s ability to hold positions of leadership and authority" or "imply that they should be content with discrimination and subordinate status." (Interview here).
I can understand her feelings after being deserted by her husband when she said, “I was at a low in my life, I thought I would give the Church a go and I found the most wonderful welcome. I was feeling desperate and it was a lifeline at a very black time.”
Of course it is all about gender with some women serving their own interests above all else. However embittered some may feel they should be able to see that it is a very black time for many cradle Anglicans. They know the tide has turned but it is not a feminine trait to abandon others. All that is asked is a lifeline.
When candidates were asked if they thought Jesus presented a truer picture of God than Muhammed she could not choose between the two. The report continues: It is not only Jackelén’s motto and her unwillingness to put Jesus ahead of Muhammed that has evoked strong feelings among many committed Christians. During the pre-appointment questioning, the new archbishop also said that the Church of Sweden has more in common with other religions than with other Christian churches, that the Virgin Birth must be understood metaphorically, that hell doesn’t exist and that the Biblical texts should not be taken as truth. The full sad story here.
In England Jackelén's appointment has sparked a row. Not so much about her suitability to lead a Christian church but the implication that gender was the issue, something pounced on by the Rev Miranda Threlfall-Holmes in her blog about "Christianity, History, Feminism" with particular emphasis on the later. The Rev Sally Hitchiner Kicked off with her tweet: "Antje Jackelen elected Sweden's first woman archbishop - Come on England: the Swedes are decades ahead again!" Never mind the quality! If someone else does it we should do it too and should have done it first. That was the response here and here to the news that the Church in Wales voted in favour of women bishops.
The appointment of Antje Jackelén made it crystal clear that the major imperative was to appoint a woman. There was less concerned about her beliefs. As the Rev Peter Ould wrote in response to Sally Hitchiner's tweet: Are you not slightly concerned she denies parts of the Creed? Is that OK because she's XX? Perhaps those making the appointment were influenced by anything goes in today's liberal church, particularly in the example of TEC.
The liberal Church of England is desperate to see women bishops at any cost. This was the reaction of the Archdeacon of Llandaff after she was "shocked" by the General Synod vote in November. She said:
“I feel saddened that the Synod lay members revealed themselves badly out of touch with the feelings of ordinary people, inside the Church and beyond. It gave a quite wrong message about the Church’s attitude to women in all walks of society, appearing to deny women’s ability to hold positions of leadership and authority, and imply that they should be content with discrimination and subordinate status.”
The Archdeacon proposed the amendment to the Bishops' Bill in Wales which denied faithful Anglicans a statutory right to continue as loyal Anglicans in the Church in Wales. Peggy Jackson is an intelligent woman, a chartered accountant and a pilot but she is unable, or is unwilling, to see the difference between people of faith who take the teaching of Christ more seriously than the opinions of people in the street. We do not deny "women’s ability to hold positions of leadership and authority" or "imply that they should be content with discrimination and subordinate status." (Interview here).
I can understand her feelings after being deserted by her husband when she said, “I was at a low in my life, I thought I would give the Church a go and I found the most wonderful welcome. I was feeling desperate and it was a lifeline at a very black time.”
Of course it is all about gender with some women serving their own interests above all else. However embittered some may feel they should be able to see that it is a very black time for many cradle Anglicans. They know the tide has turned but it is not a feminine trait to abandon others. All that is asked is a lifeline.
And will it happen in these islands? But more importantly will anybody notice or care?
ReplyDeleteAha! Now I know what the Third Fatima Prophecy is all about!
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating how liberalism masquerades as the 'light' of God's reason. I am sure that Satan's favourite sin is the arrogance of human reason and its subsequent dilution (and abandonment) of Holy Scripture in order to achieve it. The Liberal Church has finally reached that heretical position of saying: 'Father - this is your opinion and we are giving it to you.'
Mrs Jefferts-Schori's term of office comes to an end soon. Perhaps the Church in Wales can offer her a Diocese and fulfil all the wildest dreams of the femi-nazis on this side of the Pond, now that she has successfully laid waste to the Episcopal Church?
ReplyDeleteI don't know about a Diocese just yet, but there's an empty Deanery in Llandaff going spare at the moment, the only problem is that one hears that it is now being spruced up for valuation and prepared for sale. Having disposed of the previous (and inconvenient) post holder a couple of weeks ago, perhaps that's how Peggy the chartered accountant & Pilot is going to fund the post of 'Deputy Assistant Virger' on the 'casual' basis of a 'zero hours' contract? Any betting that the men of the Cathedral Choir will be next, reduced to 'casual' labour, performing at just one or two 'special' occasions a month also on 'zero hours' contracts? The organist and his assistants might be wise to dust off their CVs too.
DeleteThat begs the question why does Llandaff need a cathedral? What goes on there is a total irrelevance as far as the wider diocese is concerned. As for that old fashioned guff about the cathedral being where the bishop’s throne is located, we might as well give the poor chap a commode on the Green. He can sit there and utter as much tosh as he likes with the same outcome as all of his other pronouncements – no one gives a fig for anything he says or does anyway. At least the episcopal commode would cost less to keep going than his current cathedral.
DeleteHave you seen the latest RB press release? It's priceless.
Delete"Finance:What's faith got to do with it?
Ethical Investment Conference-Putting your money where your conscience is the theme of a conference chaired by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon this weekend. Finance: What’s Faith Got To Do With It? will focus on the real value of money and the ethics of how and where we invest it. The free event on Saturday (Oct 26) is organised by the Church in Wales with Fair Trade Wales, the international fair trade finance organisation, Shared Interest, Cardiff Business School and the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR).
Bishop John said, “Investment is a hugely important part of the stewardship of the resources of the Church in Wales because the returns on our investments play a large part in enabling the Church to function. However, it can’t be investment in just any way, shape or form and simply for the best return – we believe that all our investments must be ethical and we have an Investment Policy which sets high standards for us and our investment fund managers. Investing ethically doesn’t just mean avoiding companies we disapprove of. We can use the influence our investments give us to ask difficult and probing questions and to press companies to raise their standards. Just as we want our direct spending to do the most good possible, so we want our investments and the power they give us to reflect our Christian principles of care for the wellbeing of people and of the environment, at home and abroad.”
Revd Carol Wardman, Bishops’ Adviser for Church and Society, writes: The Church in Wales, for example, aims to put its money where it will encourage responsible employment practices, conscientious corporate governance, environmental awareness, and the rights of individuals and communities in the areas where companies operate."
I haven't had such a good laugh since reading the Llandaffchester Chronicles.
His ++Insidiousness and Peggy the Chartered Accountant have obviously kept Bishop John and the Revd Wardman well away from the Llandaff organ appeal accounts and the "taxman will never know" general accounts not to mention the the cathedral employees whose basic "rights" to employment contracts have been ignored for years.
Will the last Christian leaving the Anglican Communion please turn the lights off? Thank you.
ReplyDelete