Thursday, 8 March 2018

Sexuality, tolerance and institutional inclusion


 Changing attitude in St Davids Diocese                                            Pub talk in Llandaff                                   Source: Church in Wales


By accident or design 'sexuality, tolerance and institutional inclusion' were some of the 'hot topics' under discussion when young people were invited to ‘Grill the Bishops’ in a Cardiff pub this week. Sexuality not spirituality was the first word in the diocesan press release.

Asked about the way forward for the church on the LGBT issue, Bishop June said, “The way forward is that the church gets past the issues that it is struggling over and embraces marrying couples in church of whatever sexuality.”

The event was organised jointly by the Revd Becca Stevens, young vocations advisor for Monmouth Diocese and the Revd Wendy Tayler of Llandaff Diocese. There is an amusing link from the Monmouth Vocations site to a series of photographs on Facebook showing June's dominant use of the microhone although Richard did have to manage his wine glass, no doubt conscious of 1 Timothy 3:3. Looking through the photographs I was left wondering if +Richard was there as her minder or was ♀June mentoring him on the 'inclusive' Church in Wales.

There was nothing amusing about an earlier diocesan press release in which the bishop of St Davids rejoices in her Presidency of a new group aimed at "offering a ministry of welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians" which has been launched in St Davids Diocese, Changing Attitude Transnewid Cymru (CATAC). 

That is despite the presence of numerous gay people in the church who, far from being unwelcome, are in many senior positions.

"It asserts that there is integrity in being both Christian and gay and that, for many people, it is a God-given reality, not a sin or sickness, and that LGBT people offer evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. In her address to the group’s inaugural Eucharist in St Patrick’s Church, Pennar, near Pembroke Dock,  group President bishop Joanna Penberthy suggested it "seeks a re-evaluation of Scripture and tradition". She said:

“After 2000 years, we are still learning how to work out our Christian faith. We are learning to cope with changing attitudes. Love is patient, it is kind, not envious or boastful, arrogant or rude. (St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians). “Let us be able to express what we think in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 13 
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal…". In other words, anything is acceptable in love.

But there is no love outside full inclusion of LGBT people. Outsiders are not even permitted an opnion.

Prior to her 'secret' baptism, Gavin Ashenden wrote in his blog entry 'Meghan Markle, Justin Welby & The Use And Abuse Of Baptism':  "The Reich Church of our day has given way not over race but over gender, not to a fascist culture but to the new-Marxist values and concepts, peddled and enforced by universities, schools, state agencies, the police, and more recently the judiciary.

 "The neo-Marxist or cultural Marxist agenda sets itself not only against Judaeo-Christian revelation and values, but goes further to set itself against free speech."

Neo-Marxism or cultural Marxism is described by Bishop Ashenden in Anglican Unscripted #374 [@ 9.12] as a process beginning with feminism which presents as equality and fairness and then moves on to gay marriage because of the notion of equal treatment and re-imagining gender which moves on to the whole trans movement. 

The Christian Post reports that Queen's University in Belfast has denied a Christian ministry's request to screen a new documentary featuring the testimonies of people who have left homosexuality. An exact reason why it couldn't show the documentary at Queen's Film Theatre was not given but the university's response "suggests that the film doesn't match its idea of inclusivity".

Given her endorsement of CATAC (Changing Attitude Transnewid Cymru), a national organisation working towards the full inclusion of LGBT people in the life of the Anglican Communion, the bishop of St Davids would agree with that. So by implication would the bench of bishops.

It was reported after the appointment of bishop Joanna Penberthy that her election was a "stitch up". Indeed, her name was being circulated widely as the next bishop of St Davids long before her 'election' despite her inability to communicate in Welsh, the first language of many in her diocese.

Both she and June Osborne had known track records of using the church to push their feminist, LGBT agenda. The bishops who appointed them are complicit because they must have been aware of this. They should all pack their bags and take their neo/cultural Marxism with them.

Postscript [09.03.2018]

There is more propaganda from the bishop of St Davids using the sanctity of St Davids Cathedral to promote feminism in the church dressed up as equality in another press release 'International Women’s Day: The Bishop & the Suffragette'.

One hundred and ten years after suffragettes Emmeline Pankhurst, Annie Kenney and Mary Blathwayt signed the Visitor's Book much has changed. Read how much in 'Feminists reign supreme – men are the new second sex' by By Kathy Gyngell in The Conservative Woman which illustrates how out of touch ♀Joanna is.

She stopped short of referring to the promiscuous lesbian love trysts of the suffragette leaders. An opportunity lost in her promotion of Changing Attitude Transnewid Cymru.

17 comments:

  1. Be Aware. If you are interested in finding out more about CATAC online you will have to put in the whole title—Changing Attitudes Transnewid Cymru. If you just write CATAC into the search engine you will four pages with details about foster feeding bottle kits, nipples, teats, cat beds and heated igloos, among other products. CATAC is also a place in Peru, a sort of gypsum, the Canadian Astronomical Society and the Centre for Applied Theatre and Active Culture. I hope this helps.
    Anglican Misfit

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    1. Looking at the photographs above, nipples and teats is just about right!

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    2. I have been looking at the photographs L G and I see yet another own goal against the hapless CiW PR Department. Both photographs remind one of a "Piss up in a brewery".

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  2. The Bishop of St David showed lack of tolerance and lacked inclusiveness in her statement on st david day to the WAG. More typical left wing dismissing and ridiculing of those who disagree with her! Many people in Wales voted for Brexit for a wide range of reasons.....we are not all bigots! Inclusion does not just include issues the bench wish it too. I say again......6 left wing bishops do not represent the wide range of political views in the pew.
    The Bishop claims........
    In Wales, we are facing an uncertain future over which even our politicians in the Senedd and local government have a limited amount of control. As ever, it is the voices of suspicion and bigotry that shout the loudest.

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    1. Too right! I voted for a complete Brexit and have suffered no end of smarmy looks and wisecracks from colleagues. I have always said that a bench of bishops who always agree about everything, is unhealthy and will never produce any creative ideas. Peter and Paul were at each other's throat at times but out of such fervent zeal for the Church they produced phenomenal growth.

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  3. Right Danny, in truth it is completely the other way around those who believe the scriptures as understood by our forebears for generations are excluded and silenced. It is the promoters of sacralised secularism that shout the loudest.

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  4. Too true and very sad. However I fear in Wales it really is a complete take over. Putting a liberal female into the most evangelical diocese was a deliberate move. I sadly have come to the conclusion that as evangelicals we no longer have a home and must seek alternative ways forward. Hopefully the C Of E has enough massive evangelical parishes that they can keep the ship afloat. Awful for the many young evangelical clergy in Wales who have house and vocation tied together, that does not make jumping ship easy.
    It will be interesting to see what the Archbishop says at the EFCW meeting where he is speaking on the role of evangelicals in the CiW. I fear though that whatever he says makes no difference when we know the reality.
    Already clergy presumably can face prosecution for refusing a say prayers over a gay couple after a state marriage, after all is a legal CiW service. That move was brought in without any discussion or thought for those who don't agree. A friends of mine asked his bishop if he could go to prison for refusing to perform the service and was told that it had never been discussed or looked into!!

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    1. Interesting point Danny. Will they even create a conscience clause when CiW enact SSM?

      The fact is they want us to leave, they do not believe in unity or mutual flourishing. They really think by pandering to secular values will make the church more 'attractive' to those outside. Being as many of them only have a rudimentary training in theology, their doctrine of salvation and evangelism isn't biblical and based on marketing techniques and re-branding the church as 'all-inclusive'. Why they believe this when all liberal churches have been seen to collapse in membership is just ostrich-like imho.

      We are those 'unloving' dinosaurs that get in the way even though we believe what Christians have believed for the vast majority at all times and all places. They forget that the faithful will have a greater power to call upon for blessing and persecution will only make us thrive.

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  5. So depressing that the people who cried so loud for change now that they are in the ascendancy are brutal in entrenching their beliefs as hegemony. I may bump into you at the EFCW conference! Don't ask my identity as I don't feel safe coming out yet as a bible believer.

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  6. Those who want coffee at the conference remember you've been warned.

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  7. I suppose these comments make many feel better; meanwhile, nothing changes, nor will it until they become public. The hierarchy simply ignore the views expressed in the blog. Don't you sometimes despair AB at the futility of it all?
    Bob

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  8. Not at all Bob. When the money has run out and the over paid sychophants have done their worst this abandoned church will still have need of the faithful.

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    1. I will remind you again Watchman. The usual claim 'church law' does not exist in Wales, save only 'rules,'private/domestic law'. It is governed by its 'Constitution', or, 'By laws' = , "private/ domestic club rules" which have no coercive power outside its own jurisdiction. Neither have external influences any power to change without proof of breach or crime.

      Has 'Public Law' ruled that present or previous 'rules' to have been breached unconstitutionally, or, replaced unlawfully, rendering the former unrecognizable? According to distinguished Welsh silks on Morgan the Organs list of favorite lawyers, Lord Martin Thomas of Gresford, His Hon Michael Evans of Swansea, and Recorder Stuart Batcup their 'distinguished opinion ' is "No, we continue as we please."

      I suggest you investigate those in public office who moonlight for private gain. Is it lawful, under the guise of legitimacy, to impersonate a legal system for personal interest or private gain? Issues, (not grievances) of the past have to be brought into present perspective to combat the future. Deal with this issue, not only you rock the boat, but you capsize it.

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  9. We are as one Enforcer. Let us hope that when the inevitable occurs that the faithful will have taken to the lifeboats and are pulling for the shore whilst the rats go down with the ship that they are responsible for sinking.

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  10. Unfortunately Watchman, it is the rats who are usually first to leave a sinking ship. I make it 5 left then, with His Darkness gone recently.

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  11. With the exception of Gregorious Maxsimus enrolling in slimming world, I regret to inform you that the rats are usually the first to leave a sinking ship. Apologies for being a pain in the tonsils.

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