Twenty disastrous years of decline

St Asaph Ordinations 1997. The deluded Abp Alwyn Rice Jones said the devil had been at work when the measure originally fell!     Photo: Church in Wales

Women priests in the Church in Wales who protest that they want nothing more than to be treated equally with men will be celebrating their difference in the six Anglican Cathedrals across Wales on 7 January, 2017 in special Eucharists of adulation.

Preachers partial to their persuasion have been chosen to provide the adulation they desire as 'trailblazers' in the church while ignoring plummeting attendance figures. After 20 years of women priests the number of worshippers who regularly attend Church in Wales services has fallen to around 0.8% of the population of Wales and continues to fall year by year, a perverse measure of success.

St Deiniol’s Women Only logo. CinW

The church has become accustomed to animal blessings and celebrating LGBTi+ Eucharists. Next it is 'women priests' day. The idea of a simultaneous service was put forward by the St Deiniol’s Group, an informal group of senior lay and ordained women from across the Church in Wales. Reading the remarks of women clergy in press reports it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the church is simply a vehicle for feminist ambitions dressed up as religion.

The Archdeacon of Llandaff, Peggy Jackson, who convenes the exclusive St Deiniol’s Group said: "The Church in Wales has every reason to celebrate and be grateful for the ministry of these first women priests. They have brought rich and diverse gifts into the sacramental life of the Church, and have inspired many women since to offer themselves for public ministry".

It is difficult to see how Cafe style worship, Pet and other animal blessing services, Messy church and the like have 'brought rich and diverse gifts into the sacramental life of the Church'. Such services may have inspired many women to offer themselves for public ministry but for their own reward among dwindling, ageing congregations in which many cradle Anglicans, too old to change allegiance, feel captive.

The duplicitous Archdeacon has done everything in her power to wipe out opposition to her secular view of the church. She stymied any opportunity for alternative sacramental provision in a Code of Practice designed for exclusion while pretending to be inclusive.

Ministry used to be about others, not self, but that has changed. It is about self-advancement at the expense of others. In the following video, self-proclaimed activist Dr Una Kroll talks about her supposed call to priesthood in the Anglican Church and why she abandoned it to become a Roman Catholic.

It is easy to understand how people with little or no understanding of theology might be moved by Kroll's self-justification but a counter view on Christmas Day 2010 by another woman doctor, a Roman Catholic lawyer and theologian quietly counters the self-centred delusions of women claiming to have been called by God.

The author of Bread Not Stones, Dr Una Kroll had a "dramatic and unconventional journey to Rome"

Six years later she [Kroll] recognises “how essential [conversion] was for me.” She explains it thus: “It was not until I came to be enclosed” in the Catholic Church – making it impossible for me to carry out the public ministry of a woman priest in the Church of England – that I understood that confinement within this anchorage not of my making could ultimately lead to freedom.” Indeed, she discovered that she could point towards the mystery of unconditional love “without insisting that my views were right and everyone else’s wrong.” [My emphasis - Ed.]

I vividly recall the misery Dr Kroll and those of her persuasion caused many devout Anglicans who could not accept that feminism trumped faith. Hard for lay people, it was a desperate situation for many clergy, the more so if they were supporting families. Many priests followed their conscience (the Cost of Conscience) and left the Anglican church but others stayed to become zealous converts to the liberal cause, compromising their faith and leading others astray.

Determined to justify their defection many priests have become fellow-travellers of feminists imported by trendy bishops to enhance their liberal credentials. Some are accommodating but others take joy from belittling anyone who in conscience remains faithful to the historic faith of the Anglican Communion.

Many Anglicans have simply given up as each new trend has taken its toll. Consultations have been ignored when the results have not been to the liking of the bench of bishops resulting in unwelcome change being forced on church members. Anglicanism has left them stranded as the church accepts every secular fad in a vain attempt to be more relevant to society. As they become more liberal their tolerance of others who fail to adopt the whims of the new order are excluded and overlooked by trendy, so-called bishops of the church. 

The women celebrating their own success are not typical of Anglican women. Writing for The Conservative Woman, Kathy Gyngell's view is that women clergy will be the death of the Church of England: The Church of England tests my loyalty sorely. My local church clergy ‘team’ is almost entirely feminised. In my neck of the woods, there is literally no escaping them, or their dumbed down approach to their ‘calling’.  To a woman they appear to be labouring under the impression they are running a Sunday school. That is how we are treated. Full article here.

Feminising the Church continues. Jesus said, "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven' ". Regarding Jesus' words as sexist, Women and the Church (WATCH) prefer "Our Mother who art in heaven" as though the Saviour had no idea what He was talking about. And it spreads. How about clergy having Christmas Day off for more family time? (here). - Here am I, Send me, but only on my terms - if I am available.

If you still don't get it, this video sums up New Anglicanism.

As the Rev Dr Peter Mullen succinctly put it in his blog, All Things Considered, And the word was made trash.

The last word comes from His Honour Philip Price QC, husband of the Revd Canon Mari Price, former Hon. Chaplain at Archbishop Barry Morgan's Llandaff Cathedral. Judge Price is retiring as Chair of the Standing Committee of the Church in Wales after 11 years’ service. He sums up the politically correct attitude of a church hierarchy that has become completely divorced from the reality of their situation.

His misplaced confidence is contrary to the evidence of decline presented to the Governing Body over many years but ignored by the like-minded as a minor item on their agenda. He said,

 “It has been a great privilege to have worked with so many gifted and committed people on the Governing Body over the years and to have been part of an era which brought many changes to the Church in Wales. For me, the most significant of these changes has been women’s ministry – first as priests and now as bishops. I am glad to have been associated with that cause during the critical years and delighted to see it come to fruition this year with the election of our first woman bishop. That’s a terrific milestone and one which I am confident will enable the Church to grow in strength as it serves the people of Wales.”

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful 2017

Adoration of the Shepherds by Friar Juan Bautista Maíno (1569 –  1649)

From the angel Gabriel:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38 (KJV)

Happy Christmas!

Not a real Christian

An early Christmas for the Archbishop of Wales with all candles lit.             Source: Church in Wales

In his last Christmas message before he is forced to retire on age grounds the Archbishop of Wales has taken the opportunity to ridicule the President-elect of the United States for not being a real Christian "since Christians were people who built bridges, not walls". 

Dr Morgan was referring to an observation by Pope Francis but the irony of his comment will not be lost on readers who came to the conclusion many years ago that Dr Morgan has been anything but a bridge builder in his own, depleted church.

Previously trailed to little avail on Twitter you can read Dr Morgan's Christmas message here. 

"All are welcome" to attend Llandaff Cathedral on Christmas Day at 11am when  the Archbishop is preaching. There should be plenty of room.

Mixed message

In his 'Thought For The Day' radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4, HRH The Prince of Wales warned about the growing danger of religious persecution. Full marks for that. Unfortunately he finished his message by including the oppressor with the oppressed.

In his video message for Aid to the Church in Need (above) he includes graphic details of the sort of persecution being experienced. For example, Christians are being driven en masse out of lands described in the Bible. Possibly there could be no Christians in Iraq within 5 years. 

The aggressors are in the news daily yet the Prince of Wales compares the fleeing of the Holy Family to escape violent persecution with the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina because "he too was seeking the freedom for himself and his followers to worship".

This so-called 'persecution' is described in Muhammad's Biography: Persecution in Mecca (here). 

Looking at a non-partisan source a different picture emerges:

"According to Muslim historians, the Meccans were actually quite tolerant of Muhammad preaching his new religion. Mecca was an open society where different religions were respected.  Polytheists, Jews and Christians lived and worshipped side-by-side, especially during the holy months, when pagan pilgrims would travel long distances from beyond the city to perform their rituals at the Kaaba.

Muhammad brought on the resentment of the local people not by preaching Islam, but by breaking with Meccan tradition and cursing other religions". 

1400 years later "Christians are being driven en masse out of lands described in the Bible"!

The Religion of Peace strikes again, and again, and again...

Police stand in front of the truck which ploughed last night into a crowded Christmas market
in the German capital Berlin. (Reuters)

Cairo,  Ankara, now Berlin. Just three of the many Islamic terror attacks in the last 30 Days. They have continued for 1,400 years.

The Religion of Peace in their own words.

No more excuses please.

Postscript [21.12.2016]

From Christian Concern. A Community in denial?

He doesn't get it

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid has accepted what Dame Louise Casey said in her Report about some sections of society not accepting British values such as tolerance.

Javid said that people could not play a "positive role" in British public life unless they accepted basic values which include democracy, equality and freedom of speech. That is true.

That these three basic values are contrary to the ideology of those claiming to be suffering most because they are not allowed to do as they please in their host country appears to have escaped him. Sharia is preferred to democracy, equality is an alien concept and free speech is a one-way vehicle.

There are diverse views within groups as illustrated by the Muslim housemates in the previous entry. Many public servants may be sufficiently relaxed or ill-informed about their faith allowing them to accept the idea of a British values oath. They are not the problem. It is those who are prepared to follow their supremacist ideology to the letter with the promise of salvation if they die in the process.

The idea is well intentioned. It is based an typical British values which requires a sacred Oath to be sworn or an affirmation to be made. If the values expressed in the sacred book of choice are alien to British values the idea is dead before it starts.

What is needed is a proper evaluation of an ideology which expects others to accept that it is a religion of peace but regards any questioning or perceived criticism as Islamophobia.

Better understanding is the key. A comparison with traditional Christian values on which our culture is based is paramount but politicians and religious leaders shrink from the challenge as they ignore the Great Commission and validate other faiths to the detriment of Christianity.

The kafir

"The Koran says that the Kafir may be deceived, plotted against, hated, enslaved, mocked, tortured and worse. The word is usually translated as “unbeliever” but this translation is wrong. The word “unbeliever” is logically and emotionally neutral, whereas, Kafir is the most abusive, prejudiced and hateful word in any language." - Bill Warner, Political Islam

There have been widely differing reactions to the recent BBC2 two-part documentary Muslims Like Us from "genuinely excellent" to "a wake-up call for Islamophobes everywhere". As the BBC put it, the BBC documentary gets "mixed reviews". For me the program was irritating. It should be a wake-up call, not for 'Islamophobes' but for a reality that was presented only to be written off as extremism

This is how a Telegraph reporter put it:
...what made Muslims Like Us so compelling was that Haqq [the so-called 'extremist'] was an oddball sideshow. What this programme did was shed light on a section of society systematically vilified for the actions of its Haqq-like loony fringe. Far more interesting were the doubts and dilemmas that faced the other housemates.

This is a typical misconception which is explained in this US video:

For readers who did not see the documentary the most relevant part can be seen starting at about 27.00 mins in on the BBC iPlayer. Haqq, the so-called 'extremist', says it as it is according to the book. He was aghast on learning that a housemate with whom he was in conversation was a Shia.

Pushed into saying what the problem was he defined his fellow housemate as a "five star, Grade A, 'Kuffar'." His response explains many of the problems witnessed on the world stage with Muslims attacking other Muslims when they are not attacking other religions.

They justify their jihad by portraying Christians as aggressors. Islamists claim that they are fighting to regain lands which they say are legitimately theirs. In the process they are wiping out Christianity in the Middle East and obliterating remnants of ancient civilizations, anything that fails to support their spurious claims.

The Crusades are used as examples of aggression despite the fact that they were fought to liberate Holy sites from the aggressors. This second video graphically illustrates the true extent of Jihad versus the Crusades:

There was a turning point in 1683 when "the Ottoman Turks ceased to be a menace to the Christian world". What was not accomplished by military means then is now being accomplished by masquerading as the 'Religion of Peace' despite all the evidence to the contrary. Any perceived criticism or questioning of Islam is immediately attacked as Islamophobic. The headline in the Mail Online is a good example: 'My religion isn't something for you to watch for banter': Controversial BBC documentary Muslims Like Us is slammed by viewers on Twitter for reducing Islam to a 'reality show'.

According to the Mail Online report the Muslim Council of Britain praised the show, saying that 'it goes some way to dispel the myth that Muslims are any different to everyday people'. True, the group was diverse but that should not be used to conceal the fact that the so-called extremist Haqq follows the book. As such, in Islam he is the good Muslim.

The West's laissez-faire attitude has resulted in the uncontrolled spread of Islam. In the UK the number of Muslims has doubled in just over a decade as a result of soaring immigration and high birth rates. It is not surprising then that the most common baby boys' name in England and Wales today is Muhammad or one of its variants.

Muslims are being welcomed in the West. Polygamy added to high birth rates is expanding their numbers. In some parts of London almost half the population is now Islamic. If current trends continue the areas could become majority Muslim areas within ten years. Meanwhile there have been recent reports of Christians being killed and Christian churches attacked in Egypt (here and here). Islamic persecution continues around the globe.

In terms of their mixed views, the housemates may appear 'no different to everyday people' but as a survey here indicates, most Muslims in the UK have radically different attitudes to the rest of us:

 Many British Muslims do not share the values of their non-Muslim compatriots and say they want to lead separate lives under Islamic Sharia law. 

More than 100,000 British Muslims sympathize with suicide bombers and people who commit other terrorist acts. Moreover, only one in three British Muslims (34%) would contact the police if they believed that somebody close to them had become involved with jihadists.

To Haqq and the 'Religion of Peace' we are simply the kafir.

Beyond belief

'Retiring' Archbishop Barry Morgan      Source: Wales Online

A fawning article in Wales Online "Archbishop Barry Morgan on love, bereavement and Christmas hope" affords the Archbishop more credit than he is due. It conceals the sense of loss experienced by many members of the Church in Wales as the direct result of Dr Morgan's actions and inaction.

The article continues: "Archbishop Barry Morgan is preparing for his last Christmas as leader of the Church in Wales and his first without his beloved wife, Hilary. Throughout his ministry he has sought to comfort people who have faced loss and illness, and now he is sharing his experiences of bereavement in the hope that it will help others."

The story ignores the needless pain Dr Morgan has inflicted on others, a sense of loss that either he fails to understand or chooses to ignore. Many believe the latter. He could have retired years ago but he chose to stay at the helm, leading the Church in Wales into the wilderness as his heretical mentor, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, did for TEC.

Loss is a terrible thing and can be heartbreaking but loss resulting from the deliberate actions of supposed Christian leaders is inexcusable. That is the situation many members of TEC have found themselves in. A situation that is being repeated in the Church in Wales simply because as 'loyal Anglicans', they are unable in conscience to depart from the traditional Apostolic faith of the Holy Catholic Church. As priest and bishop it is Dr Morgan's duty to comfort people who have faced loss so to cause that sense of loss is unforgivable.

The lives of regular churchgoers often revolve around the church. Their religious and social lives are intertwined. When ostracised there is a vacuum. That is the position in which many church members have found themselves. The attitude of the Archbishop and the Bench is one of take it or leave or look elsewhere. Alternative provision as in the Church of England for anyone who does not subscribe to Dr Morgan's liberal agenda would be in his words, over his dead body. There is no comfort in that.

Campaigners for the ordination of women and some gay Christians love to protest that they have been persecuted but little if anything is heard about church members, often cradle Anglicans, who have been excluded for maintaining their historic belief in the Apostolic Church.  In my own experience supposedly devout Anglicans have refused to share the Peace and refused to speak because their liberal cause has been rejected. How very liberal!

Some 'traditionalists' have battled on in such circumstances while others have succumbed under the pressure of their harsh treatment and left the church. Although deprived of spiritual support many have found the experience liberating. Little surprise then that regular Sunday attendance in the Church in Wales has dropped to less than 1% of the population and continues to fall.

The hypocrisy of it all

Bishop-elect of St Davids                     Archbishop Morgan                  Archdeacon of Llandaff

The Changing Attitude gay propaganda film 'All One in Christ' was premiered in St Asaph Cathedral on Tuesday evening. Defying the logic of observation and current practice it pleads for 'inclusion & equality'.

Showing her support for inclusion and equality along with the bishop-elect of St Davids is the architect of exclusion in Wales, the Archdeacon of Llandaff, the Ven Peggy Jackson who has done more than most, apart from Archbishop Barry Morgan, to exclude faithful Anglicans who in common with the vast majority of Anglicans are unable in conscience to accept their understanding of scripture and tradition.

What is it about late converts that they cannot tolerate cradle Anglicans? They claim to have heard God calling them. So did Muhammad and Joseph Smith!

The Host

St Augustine's church Rumney, Cardiff                                                                                                                               Source: Twitter @CATACymru . Jul 17

There was a time in the Church in Wales when the the Host had nothing to to do with advancing secular causes. Male and female, gay and straight went to church as the Body of Christ even if in many parts.

Today the Church in Wales 'hosts' secular minority causes such as feminism and homosexuality from St Asaph in the North to Rumney in the South. The latest group to have their cause taken up by the secular elite known in Wales as the bench of bishops is Changing Attitude Trawsnewid Agwedd Cymru. Their goal, "full inclusion & equality of opportunity for LGBTQIA people in the Church in Wales & the Anglican Communion".

Given the prominence of gays in the church, 'inclusion & equality' has to be taken to mean dominance since their very presence at all levels proves that they are anything but excluded. The Archbishop of Wales is so keen on advancing the homosexual cause that he hoped that he would be able to consecrate a gay bishop before consecrating a woman bishop.

So absurd has this campaign become that while cancer sufferers have to beg for treatment which costs 43 pence, the Government chooses to offer gay men a daily pill costing £400 a month to support their life style.

As a gay recipient put it, "I've seen the panic on the face of previous boyfriends when they are awaiting their [HIV test] results - it's a huge fear and it affects everything you do. To be able to have sex without having that fear hanging over you all the time is huge."

"Changing history in the church!"                                                  Source: Twitter @FlintshirePride 

Welcome to the gay church of Wales - unless you are in the minority struggling to keep the faith. 

There is no 'inclusion & equality' for you.

Postscript [11.12.2016]

Readers clicking on the 'hosts' link in paragraph 2 will note that viewing the Iris Prize documentary All One in Christ is now confined to a private audience. An extract can be seen in a BBC clip here.

Given the purpose of the film was to educate people about the way gay people have been "ostracised and mistreated because of their sexuality" the exercise seems to have lost its point. As Dr Morgan put it, "I hope this powerful film will bring home to all the scale of the damage done and ultimately help change attitudes within the church." This farce indicates that his starting point should be with the Bench.

Oath of British values

Moderate Muslims?                                                                                                                             Source: Communities Digital News

"I know that for some, the content of this review will be hard to read, and I have

wrestled with what to put in and what to leave out, particularly because I know that

putting some communities under the spotlight – particularly communities in which 

there are high concentrations of Muslims of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage – will

add to the pressure that they already feel. However, I am convinced that it is only by

fully acknowledging what is happening that we can set about resolving these

problems and eventually relieve this pressure." - The Casey Review

The Casey Review is a review into "opportunity and integration" by Dame Louise Casey DBE CB. The above quote is from the Forward to her report. As ever the "pressure" indicates concern only for Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage communities, the politically correct attitude which rendered the police and social services impotent while British Girls were raped by Muslim Gangs on 'Industrial Scale'.

Watching the BBC News at Six this evening it was telling that ethnic minorities who were interviewed saw no problems when asked about integration. Only an indigenous white couple, now in a minority, admitted that the situation was worse than it had ever been. Predictably Muslims are already complaining that the Report is divisive, a victimisation ploy currently being used by the gay community and previously by Women and the Church (WATCH) to achieve their aims to the detriment of others.

The report shows that there were an estimated 65.1 million people living in the United Kingdom in June 2015, with the population having risen by 4.1 million between 2001 and 2011. More than half of this growth was due to immigration. [1.15]

Among faith groups the number of people identifying themselves as Muslim grew most significantly, by 1.2 million people. This 72% increase is higher than for any other religious group and Muslims make up the largest non-Christian religious population in the UK at 2.8 million in total, compared with 0.8m Hindus, 0.4m Sikhs, 0.3m Jews and 0.3m Buddhists.

The Guardian typifies the problem in their account of the Report: 'Louise Casey's integration plan is behind the times' going on to say that "It was odd for the government’s tsar to focus so relentlessly on Muslims, and her aggression is likely to be counterproductive". Is the author blind to what is going on all around the world?

Because most Muslims live relatively peacefully in Great Britain and claim to be peace loving it is easy to be taken in, especially if one has been brought up in the Christian spirit of 'love thy neighbour'. Evidence that Islam is at the root of the integration problem is ignored. Witness ISIS in the Middle East, now spreading to Europe and the UK, Boko Haram in Africa and numerous other Islamic organisations elsewhere in addition to the legalised  oppression of non-Muslims in Islamic states such as in Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia where there is no religious freedom.

Islam does not believe in democracy. Sharia rules. In this article a Muslim writer explains why Islam and democracy are incompatible. Nevertheless, political and religious leaders are still taken in, believing that "if we can just get Muslims to understand the democratic way of life, then all our problems will vanish".

To paraphrase a quote by former US presidential candidate Al Gore, "Once in control, however, all bets are off, because Islam takes over. It is the "controlling legal authority" for Muslims.

Given that the Islamic doctrine of taqiyya encourages Muslims "to lie" to achieve their goals an 'Oath of British values' can have no value.

In the following video the Chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools says that "as Muslims we have a right to bring up our children in accordance with our beliefs which have served us all the centuries well". He said that it is the parent's right to educate the child until he is old enough to decide for himself.

Some recent examples here and here illustrate that Islamic education is completely divorced from British values. At the end of the video clip the Association Chairman is forced to admit that, contrary to British values, the penalty for apostasy in Islam is death. There is no escape. Islam is Islam. No other values count.

Victims!

The bishop-elect of St Davids receiving Holy Communion from the Chaplain to the LGBT community in the Diocese of St Asaph.                     Source: BBC

"By far the most popular homophile tactic is the claim to victim status, which is a very powerful, almost paralyzing, weapon that gives them a distinct advantage in the public square." 

The six ways homosexual activists manipulate public opinion

A BBC report headed 'Church in Wales premieres sexuality acceptance film' includes a video clip showing the bishop-elect of St Davids receiving Holy Communion from the Chaplain to the LGBT community in the diocese of St Asaph, illustrating an inclusive church in which homosexual people are portrayed as victims.

In the Guardian report St Asaph Cathedral will host the screening of All One in Christ on 6 December. The 12-minute documentary is "critical" of the church’s approach to homosexuality. It tells the story of two former nuns who fell in love only to be ostracised by the church after their relationship was exposed.

That was forty years ago. Today, gay and lesbian clergy are very much in evidence from deacons to deans. There has yet to be an openly gay bishop but there have been plenty of rumours surrounding some of the bench sitters over the years so why such absurd claims?

If homosexuality is accepted on a par with heterosexuality there would be no need for people to come out. With two wives and two husbands raising children as 'family' units, acceptance as normal families is demanded. But it is not normal. It is part of the same sex marriage agenda which members of the Church in Wales rejected by a margin of 4:1 in St Davids diocese. 'Changing Attitude' explains the Archbishop's claim that Canon Penberthy is 'the best person to be a bishop'. Someone to carry on his mission after Dr Morgan retires in January 2017.

The claims are false. The real victims in the Church in Wales are those who have been ostracised for keeping the faith against the tide of secularism advanced by Barry and the bench sitters. That Canon Penberthy has been made bishop-elect of St Davids in such circumstances is a travesty from which the Church in Wales is unlikely to recover.

Barry's legacy

Source: Church in Wales

So it is game, set and match to Morgan. 

Barry's bench sitters dutifully welcome the latest and last bishop to be appointed under his patronage, Wales’ first woman bishop, the 129th Bishop of St Davids. "She was greeted with cheers and applause" after her election was confirmed at the "Sacred Synod". 

No price has been too high but while the Church in Wales dies the Ordinariate continues to grow. Perhaps Dr Morgan has done more for unity than he bargained for.

In Memoriam

Another female first, and another...

Rachel Treweek                                       Sorce: Christian Today

The bishop of Gloucester ('Journeying Together', although Dr Foster went there, never to return) is the first woman bishop to sit in the House of Lords. She chose to make her maiden speech in a debate on women's empowerment and representation in the UK. Speaking of equality rather than theology she concluded her message with "I hope that my words may have enabled us further to take note of the progress made in the UK in women’s representation and empowerment".

Such is her enthusiasm for representation and empowerment that according to her Parliamentary biography she has no 'member's focus' has not spoken since and has not asked or answered a written question in this parliamentary session, 2016-17. She is recorded as having voted once

Bishop Treweek is much more focused when it comes to LGBT issues. In another first the bishop of Gloucester is to preside at an LGBT Eucharist in January to "offer a safe space" to gay worshippers:

"The Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, will celebrate the ceremony set up by Inclusive Church, a LGBT-affirming network of Anglicans, the group reports. It is thought to be the first time a senior diocesan bishop has led an LGBT communion and prompted concern from conservative Anglicans. A spokeswoman for the Gloucester Diocese confirmed Treweek would preside and said: 'As part of Bishop Rachel's ministry she celebrates the Eucharist in many churches across her diocese, to worship will fellow Christians who are all loved and valued by God'."

In her maiden speech the bishop of Gloucester said, "Over the years, I added my voice to the debate to enable the consecration of women to the episcopate, and my starting point was always the firm conviction that all people are created equal in the image of God and called to use their gifts to the glory of God and for the flourishing of all people.

The mind boggles at the opportunity for Eucharistic 'firsts' for all manner of persuasions allowing them to flourish.

In Wales, a film All one in Christ about the experiences of LGBT+ people in church is to be premiered at St Asaph Cathedral in December. The film was made in response to an invitation from the bishops of the Church in Wales for church groups to get involved with the Iris Prize Outreach scheme. The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, will be part of a panel discussion following the premiere.

The only people in Wales created equal in the image of God but not allowed to flourish are those who remain faithful to the teaching and tradition of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. No appropriate sacramental and pastoral provision has been made for them.

Postscript [02.12.2016]

From the Guardian: "Film about nuns who fall in love to be shown in Welsh cathedral".

The archbishop, Dr Barry Morgan, said: “This film will not be easy watching for church members as it reminds us how people among us have been ostracised and mistreated because of their sexuality.

There are others who have been ostracised and mistreated because of their faith but that is no problem for Morgan and his bench sitters who have abandoned the faith for self-aggrandisement.

Sacred Synod?

Archbishop Barry Morgan                                 Source: Daily Post

The newspapers in Wales have been full of it since the naming of the bishop elect. For example, the Western Telegraph has: "Sacred Synod to confirm election of new Bishop of St Davids".

In reality there is nothing sacred about it other than that the event takes place at Evensong in a place of worship, Archbishop Barry Morgan's trouble prone Cathedral in Llandaff.

On video [@1.19] and in the press, the bishop elect constantly advances the feminist cause telling her audience how she has broken new ground in the Deaconate and in the Episcopate being "one of the first women" despite the fact that according to Dr Morgan her 'election' had nothing to do with her being a woman. He said she was the best person to be a bishop, presumably based on his criteria written to fit her profile. Given her inexperience at a senior level it is difficult to believe that there is no person better qualified. Chosen from a secret shortlist we are expected to accept Dr Morgan's word despite years of deception to ensure that he gets his own way from the ordination of women to his LGBT agenda to his same sex marriage ambitions.

If so sure of his ground why the precedent of the Archbishop's promotional video produced to convince viewers that the process was not another stitch up? Some analysis is called for.

Sacred:
devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated.
pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to secular or profane)

Secular:
of or relating to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal

profane:
characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious.

It is difficult to conceive that anyone other than a Morgan acolyte could consider the confirmation of the election of the new bishop of St Davids to be sacred. It has Barry Morgan's secular politics written all over it. Her name as the bishop elect had been circulating for months. She attended the Credo Cymru 'Conference to Preserve the Breadth of Anglicanism in Wales' when more deserving members were excluded. Interestingly the view from England after the event was that Anglo Catholicism in Wales is finished.

There were reports that the archbishop deferred entering hospital for essential surgery so that he could preside over the electoral college. A call for prayers in an ad clerum from the Bishop of St Asaph indicates that Dr Morgan has deferred treatment until December, thus enabling him to stage manage the synod as well as the 'election'. Nothing it seems is to be left to chance. No price is too high in ensuring that a woman bishop is in place before Dr Morgan retires, even the desolation of the Church in Wales. A relative minnow in the Anglican Communion and minute in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church but for the 1% or so of the population of Wales who still attend regularly it is still their church, nominally. The dwindling few have responded to calls over many years to give sacrificially while receiving nothing but politics in return. How will they feel when left with nothing but the bill?

Whilst the whole process reeks of cronyism I would be surprised if there were any objection to the election at the synod. Dr Morgan has successfully crushed all opposition in his re-modelling of the Church in Wales as a career opportunity for sycophants and a refuge for sexual licence.

Based on fifteen year's experience covering Church of England politics and witnessing the death throes of the Episcopal Church in the United States,  George Conger has been talking on Anglican Unscripted about the decline of the Church of England into a church that is "already all but dead". What he says can be applied equally, and more so, to the Church in Wales. When a bishop is elected, he says, the candidate loses his backbone to a process called collegiality, a well used weapon in Dr Morgan's armoury along with 'canonical obedience' when the Church in Wales has been anything but obedient to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

The installation of a woman bishop at Wales' most holy shrine is all about Women and the Church (WATCH). It is profane.

Postscript [30.11.2016]

BBC News: "First woman bishop appointment to be rubber-stamped". - Exactly!

Thanksgiving

The problem with belief

Iraqi soldiers putting the Cross back to where it belongs in Baghdeda and Karemlesh
after retaking the cities from ISIS.                                                Source: @AliAjeena 

In my previous entry I included a video of an Imam who claims that saying 'Merry Christmas' is worse than murder. One cannot doubt his sincerity in believing that God could not have been born on Christmas Day. It is contrary to his faith. If he understood that God came down from heaven and was made man to share our misery he would be better informed but as a Muslim he regards Jesus as no more than one in a line of prophets.

For Christians Jesus is the Incarnate Word, the 'Son of God'. Hence the condemnation of saying 'Merry Christmas'. For Muslims Muhammad is the last in a line of prophets from Abraham. He is the model of the perfect man whose life should be emulated as far as possible. An unlikely example some 1400 years later for one who married a child bride of nine, had many wives, and who is said to have personally beheaded between 700 and 900 opponents. Nevertheless he is the model for devout Muslims resulting in the barbarism witnessed today.

A recent BBC report, 'An extremist in the family', illustrates the agony of a mother, a convert to Islam, whose son became a jihadist. She said "Islam's part of our daily life. We pray and fast but beyond that, not a huge amount". Her son Rasheed had somehow fallen for the idea of the caliphate, "if you don’t do this journey you are not a believer, not a good Muslim".

For Christians the mother is the good Muslim but for Islamists the real Muslim was her son. He was killed fighting for ISIS. This is the problem with belief. Blind obedience serves only the manipulators. Catholicism, particularly in Ireland, has learnt the hard way. Anglicanism, the middle way, has lost its way while Islam remains resolute against any other way. So much so that renouncing Islam is punishable by death.

In another video 'Wolves in Sheep's Clothing' the Imam who condemned people for saying Merry Christmas rails against the 'enemies of Islam'. He names Jews, Christians, Hindus and the secular, atheistic world at large who "disagree among themselves on everything except that Islam is a target and is to be removed from the world map". Finally he tells his audience that the real wolves in sheep's clothing are not Jews, Christians or Hindus but the Shia, a different Muslim sect.

Muslims believe that, unlike Moses and prophets who heard from God directly, Muhammad heard through an intermediary, Gabriel. In these revelations Allah changes his mind many times leaving followers with the problem of abrogation which results in taking the more recent (violent) verses in preference to earlier (peaceful) verses. Consequently the religion of peace in the Quran gives way to the sword:  "The later verses, known as the “Sword Verses” (9:5 and 9:29), were considered by Muslim scholars to have cancelled the previous verses mandating kindness and persuasion. Expansionist jihad became the explicit norm." 

By contrast with uncorroborated revelations received by Muhammad, Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of eight Old Testament prophesies. The probability of fulfilling all eight prophesies has been calculated as 1 x 1028 or 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. 

Jesus Christ came into the world not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil them. He made another prophecy which has been fulfilled: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." This prophecy could not be clearer but nevertheless, Muslims regard Muhammad as the last prophet without question. That is the problem. 

For years Islam has been treated as above criticism, validated for its pre-'Sword' verses about kindness and persuasion. But there is a glimmer of hope. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has come out and said "It's time to stop saying Isil has ‘nothing to do with Islam’".

It is ironic that people who have largely lost their Christian faith judge Islam from a traditional Christian perspective accepting what they are told about peaceful Islam while ignoring the evidence to the contrary which has been exhibited all around the world for hundreds of years. 'Christian Daily' explodes the peace loving myth in an article "Muslim migrants display 'pure hatred' of Christians". An Arabic translator who has been living in Germany for more than 20 years explains that Muslim migrants secretly despise Christians and believe that the country should be Islamised.

Muslims need to know about Christianity. They should be encouraged to question their own faith instead of attacking others and question the imposition of penalties for renouncing Islam contrary to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion".

A make believe Christmas message

This make believe advert from Amazon Prime has won considerable praise in some quarters. The Huffington Post for example has the headline "Amazon Prime Christmas Advert 2016: Powerful Film Depicts Friendship Between Vicar And Imam".

While the Vicar is a real Vicar, the 'Imam' is not an Imam. He is 'a devout Muslim' playing the part, perhaps under the Muslim doctrine of Taqiyya to advance the  cause of Islam to an unsuspecting audience accustomed to wishing each other 'A Merry Christmas!'

With all the Imams to choose from one can't help wondering why a real Imam did not take the part. Perhaps the answer is in this video: 

The Battle of the Somme ended one hundred years ago today. Eyewitness accounts here.

We will remember them.

Worldwide Persecution of Christians

A Guardian article sourced by data from Open Doors in July 2015 reported that "Converts from Islam have faced persecution in Egypt for many years, but until recently the indigenous Coptic Christians have largely been left alone. After the overthrow of the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, however, there was a sharp increase in attacks, with 65 churches, convents, Christian bookshops and schools attacked. There are fears these attacks will increase as radical Islamist groups gain power in the region."

Yesterday it was reported in Christian Daily that "Orthodox Coptic Christians thought that they would experience less discrimination from Muslims after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak five years ago, but the post-Arab Spring years have only seen the attacks against them rise."

Persecution of Christians is widespread in Muslim countries (details here) which makes it all the more extraordinary that Islam is being allowed to extend its influence in the Western World with shocking consequences for the victims of a culture which regards women as second class along with non-Muslims, or kafir. Worries have been expressed over the Government's desire to make the UK the centre for 'Sharia compliant' Islamic finance even though it is 'inherently discriminatory' against women and non-Muslims and about BBC plans to increase Muslim influence at the expense of Christianity, the foundation of British law and our culture.

With friends yesterday I found myself in conversation about the BBC's plans to downgrade Christian programming in favour of increased coverage for Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh faiths. The Director-General of the BBC, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, is reported to have said that he will increase the coverage of other faiths and could broadcast Friday prayers from a mosque along the lines of Songs of Praise because there have been complaints that the Corporation was ‘too Christian’. One can imagine how such complaints originate when different values are in evidence. 

It was put to me by a nominal Christian that the BBC should allow Friday prayers to be broadcast because 'Imams in the UK have explained that Islam means peace and love of others'. This is a well used tactic to hoodwink the ill-informed. If the BBC were to increase their coverage by taking a critical look at a religious ideology which encourages such deception while bringing death and destruction around the world, people would be better informed about Islamic ambitions for world dominance under Sharia.

The Open Doors Watch List consistently reports persecution, repression, killing Christians and destruction of their churches along with persecution of others such as the Yazidis, greatly adding to the refugee crisis. In some countries such as Saudi Arabia Christians must keep their faith completely secret. If not executed by the state, they risk becoming the victim of an honour killing by a family member because leaving Islam is regarded as a great disgrace. 

Islam is Islam. Many Muslims live peacefully, ignoring what is done in their name but the essential difference in the attitude of devout Muslims to non-Muslims is if they are in a minority rather than a majority. 

While Islam is allowed to flourish and more mosques are built in Britain and Europe, often financed through the Saudi Connection, Christianity is being systematically destroyed in the Middle East with attempts to obliterate all evidence of ancient pre-Islamic civilisations such as the Assyrians.

The persecution of Christians must be stopped. You can help by signing a petition against the BBC proposals here.

Postscript [18.11.2016]

"Donald Trump’s Pick For National Security Adviser Loves To Stoke Islamophobia" - Huffington Post:

Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser, has stoked Islamophobia by calling Islam a “cancer” and saying fear of it was “justified”. In August, Flynn said that Islam, which has around 1.6 billion followers around the world, was a “political ideology” that “hides behind being a religion.” He also described it as a “cancer” because terrorist groups instructed followers to “get into the bloodstream of the opposition.” He has tweeted that fearing Muslims is “rational.”

Doubters should look at the map. Non-Muslims living in Muslim countries know what fear is. The evidence speaks for itself. Are they are guilty of Islamophobia?

Islamic finance and persecution

"In response to customer demand, NatWest bank has launched its first mortgage product compliant with Islamic Shariah law. In accordance with Shariah law, the product will not charge interest." - NatWest Business Banking

'Sharia compliant' finance is not only permitted in Great Britain, it is encouraged by HM Government which is committed to making the UK the 'Western hub of Islamic finance'. This video by 'Christian Concern' explains that accommodating Sharia finance makes it hard to object to Sharia in family law or other areas even though it is 'inherently discriminatory' against women and non-Muslims. The aim of Islamic finance is to create a separate, rival financial system serving to prevent the integration of Muslims into Western societies [my emphasis - Ed.]. 

I was shocked to hear a prayer in the Intercessions at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance [@01:18:30] on Saturday night praying that Her Majesty, as Defender of the Faith, should 'protect the freedom of other faiths. Are our public servants and religious leaders ignorant of false prophets and the charge that we should "go and make disciples of all nations" in the knowledge as Christians that there is only one way to the Father? Do they not recognise the supremacist ideology in our midst that condemns to death apostates and beheads and crucifies people who refuse to convert to Islam?

Why should Her Majesty protect a faith based on a religious ideology that has no regard for other religious beliefs? Nissar Hussain converted from Islam to become a Christian in 1996. He has since faced aggressive behaviour and violence from members of the Muslim community where he lived in Bradford, reported here. There is graphic coverage in the MailOnline of the beating he received in 2015 after being targeted as a 'blasphemer' because he converted from Islam. He suffered a broken kneecap, a fractured forearm and concussion.

Despite evidence from the world over of the attitude of Islam to non-Muslims, leading Anglicans continue to pander to 'interfaith cohesion' interpreting the Quran in a way that some misinterpret the Bible to suit their own ends.

The hand of friendship offered by the Muslim Council of Wales in Great Britain is not mirrored in Muslim dominated countries. When Muslims form a majority churches are closed or destroyed and Christians are persecuted or killed. Peace in Islam means when everyone has been converted, if necessary by the sword.

It has been estimated by Open Doors International that 100 million Christians worldwide endure some sort of persecution each year with 7,100 Christians killed for their faith in 2015 alone. 

Encouraging and protecting the freedom of Islam is the last thing we need if we value our own freedom. Christians are the victims of 80% of all acts of religious discrimination in the world. Please find the time to watch the short documentary, Under Caesar's Sword (HT Anglican Mainstream).

Late News [14.11.2016]

From MailOnline:
BBC will increase religious coverage for Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs after it was slammed for being 'too CHRISTIAN'.

Postscript [15.11.2016]

Petition to Protect Christian programming and coverage at the BBC

Voice for Justice UK has organised a petition via CitizenGo calling on Her Majesty’s Government, and in particular Karen Bradley, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, to exercise due oversight of the BBC and to reject any attempt to downgrade Christian programming in favour of increased coverage for Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh faiths. The Director-General of the BBC, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, has said he will increase the coverage of other faiths and could broadcast Friday prayers from a mosque along the lines of Songs of Praise. He says he will do this because there have been complaints that the Corporation was ‘too Christian’.

In 2011 a survey conducted by the BBC itself found that of the 4,500 people approached, the overwhelming feeling was that the BBC was anti-Christian, and that the Christian faith was consistently misrepresented. In 2012, the then Director-General, Mark Thompson, himself admitted that Christianity was treated ‘less-sensitively’ than other religions. Since that time there have been numerous similar complaints of clear bias against Christianity, some coming from employees at the BBC themselves. Full report on Anglican mainstream here. You can sign the petition here.

Translation of the Dedication that appears in the entrance hall of Broadcasting House:

This Temple of the Arts and Muses is dedicated to Almighty God by the first Governors of Broadcasting House in the year 1931, Sir John Reith being Director-General. It is their prayer that good seed sown may bring forth a good harvest, that all things hostile to peace or purity may be banished from this house, and that the people, inclining their ear to whatsoever things are beautiful and honest and of good report, may tread the path of wisdom and uprightness.