Lowlights September 2018

This tweet sums up the Highlights of latest meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales

There has been an increase in mid-week attendance with an extra 0.03% of the population who do not attend church on Sundays.

By contrast the average Sunday attendance by people over 18 continues to plummet. Down another 3% on 2016 figures to 27,359 representing 0.8% of the population of Wales. Attendance by those under 18 was down by 7%.

Baptisms were down by 10%, Confirmations down by a massive 36% and Weddings down by 8%.

Not regarded as sufficiently important to warrant an agenda item of its own despite concerns previously expressed the Membership and Finances Report 2017 was hidden away in presented as part of Bishop Andy’s presentation on the Evangelism, Pioneering Ministry and Growth report.

He said he was "encouraged by two of its statistics: the increase in attendance at midweek services, which suggested that new kinds of Christian gathering were bearing fruit; and the gentle increase in young people aged under 17 – 'That mustn’t be a fitful figure, but a normal investment in young people to hear the good news,' he said."

If it doesn't bear fruit and quickly the future for the Church in Wales is grim.

In good faith and bad

A row has broken out in the diocese of Oxford because, horror of horrors, an advert for a new vicar at St Barnabas and St Paul with St Thomas the Martyr Parish specifies that it is seeking a male priest.

This is entirely within the rules adopted when the Church of England agreed to ordain women but of course rules are there to be broken now that feminists in the Church have what they always wanted - control.

According to an Oxford Mail report the advert provoked outrage in the community with one councillor 'slamming the church' for being 'too cowardly' to confront misogyny, presumably unaware that many women are more opposed to the ordination of women than are men and are suffering the consequences of effectively being excommunicated, a matter of complete indifference to the type of women who are calling the shots in the Church.

Showing her apparent ignorance of the workings of the Church, Labour city councillor for West Oxford Susanna Pressel said she was 'shocked and appalled' and asked: "What century are they living in?" She went on: “They have several excellent women church wardens who do most of the work. It’s profoundly insulting to regard them as not good enough to be paid for what they do. It’s such a pity that the government has exempted churches from the legislation that enforces equal opportunities in every other organisation of any size.

“The Church of England has the power to prescribe equal opportunities within their churches, but they are too cowardly to confront these dinosaurs and to challenge their misogyny."

It is not clear whether Cllr Pressel ever darkens the door step of a church other than perhaps in connection with her civic duties but in any event her understanding of the roles of vicar and churchwardens appear to be strictly limited.

Her support on the other hand for the 20th anniversary of the Oxford International Women’s Festival may explain her outrage. The theme was 'Pioneering and Inspirational' women.

Following on from the outrageous protests at the appointment of the Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Rev Philip North, to become Bishop of Sheffield, this is yet another case of feminists bashing the church regardless of the facts and agreed procedures.

It was no surprise to read, therefore, that Emma Percy, chair of  the feminist pressure group Women and the Church (WATCH) said that she would like the church to be in a place where ‘people don’t worry about or have to specify the gender of their priest’ although she was kind enough to stress that she ‘respected’ the parish’s decision.

In England and in Wales women cried, begged and cajoled, promising to abide by agreements made but the ink was hardly dry before the wrecking began.

It is interesting to read in hindsight a WATCH paper written by the then canon F A Jackson, now archdeacon of Llandaff having been imported by the former archbishop of Wales to drive forward his secularisation of the Church in Wales.

The intention is clear. Despite claims to the contrary, there is no room for traditional Anglicanism in today's church. This from a woman who was welcomed by the Anglican church at a difficult time in her life only to do her damndest to punish men and women who do not share her self-centred approach to Anglicanism. In doing so the spiritual lives of many who were faithful Anglicans long before Jackson took to religion have been ruined.

One of the brightest stars in the Church in Wales, a traditionalist Anglican who towered above the bench, was told “There is no place for you in this church”. By contrast one of the many men he inspired to become ordained has risen to the top having bowed to Barry Morgan's secularist agenda.

Traditional Anglicans in the Church of England have, for the time being, access to alternative  episcopal oversight, something denied Anglicans in Wales where a 'brood of vipers' pretended to care but clearly did not.

The Code of Practice claimed "The Church in Wales therefore remains committed to enabling all its members to flourish within its life and structures as accepted and valued".  They reneged on the agreement to provide acceptable pastoral and sacramental oversight for traditionalists by refusing to re-appoint a Provincial Assistant Bishop and have forbidden other bishops to cross the border to support them.

Consequently Anglo Catholicism in Wales has been virtually eliminated. If by some miracle there were a change of heart there is hardly anything left of the Anglican church itself as it crumbles into obscurity leaving the architects of its demise to sit out their retirement on their un-earned pensions.

The media along with ill-informed outsiders continue to use secular values to attack Christianity from a position of ignorance while protecting political ideologies which would bridle free speech. For Christians and Anglicans in particular the outlook is grim.

Many were surprised at the choice of words used by the former Archbishop of Canterbury in reaction to the lost vote in 2012. In a speech to the General Synod he said, "The failure of the vote in the house of laity...had made the church's governing body appear "wilfully blind" to the priorities of secular society before adding that "the ultimate credibility of the Church does not depend on the goodwill of the wider public. We would not be Christian believers in divine revelation if we held that."

The Church of England, as represented by those in authority, is no longer blind to the priorities of secular society. Hence the mess we are in which is clear for all to see except the wilfully, spiritually blind.

Caption corner 27 September 2018

Peace Mala. The Archbishop of Wales with supporters @StDavidsNeath.                                                              Source: Twitter @WelshMuslims

As usual publishable captions will appear under 'Comments'.

A breath of fresh air

PIC FROM CATERS NEWS – A lesbian couple have had a DIY baby after
 using a syringe full of their gay best friends sperm to get pregnant. 

At last, some sense from bishops. Not from the Church of England and certainly not from the completely secularised bishops of the Church in Wales but from bishops in France.

From a report in Crux:  The French bishops said "proposals to extend fertility treatments to lesbian couples and single women would harm society by removing fatherhood from the lives of children.

"In an eight-page statement published Sept. 20, the bishops predicted that liberalization of the law also would lead to the social acceptance of surrogacy, the rise of eugenics and the notion that children were commodities to please adults.

"Could we collectively accept that man is considered a mere supplier of genetic materials and that human procreation is thus akin to manufacturing? it asked."

Male influence is on the wane. Primary education is dominated by female teachers. Your GP is increasingly likely to be female. Since the ordination of women the parish priest is likely to be female with an increasing number of female bishops, many of whom enthusiastically wave the rainbow flag.

The victims are fatherless children who are purposefully denied the wholeness of human creation.

Anglican bishops take note. Do not be conformed to this self-centred view of the world.

The hypocrisy of it

The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd John Davies, makes the case for changing the Church in
Wales’s position on same-sex relationships at the recent meeting of its Governing Body, in Lampeter
Source: Church Times/Picture credit Church in Wales

From Church Times

Addressing their Governing Body the Archbishop of Wales claimed that the status quo on same-sex relationships was unsustainable.

"For him and the bench, it was simply a question of 'justice', he said. 'We have people in our congregations in committed same-sex relationships who can be baptised, confirmed, admitted to holy communion, and even be ordained in the case of civil partnerships. To say to them that, when it comes to formally affirming [and] recognising your relationship in some form, we can’t do that, and you must retreat into the shadows at the moment. . . I don’t think it’s any longer fair or sustainable'."

The bench have traditionalists in their congregations who have been baptised, confirmed and admitted to holy communion but they are also committed to the teaching of Christ through scripture and tradition.

They have been rejected so are unlikely to be ordained despite pledges in the Code of Practice.

That is unsustainable by normal standards but acceptable in the Church in Wales.

The stench of hypocrisy is overwhelming.

Viewed from the outside: The Church in Wales is dead.

At position 3.30 in the above video, the decision of the Church in Wales to find a way to introduce gay marriage is discussed.

Described along with the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Brazilian Church as "the least healthy Anglican churches in the world in terms of growth, membership and viability", the Church in Wales was said to be "drowning fast". Coincidental  or not, all three along with the US Episcopal Church were said to have led the charge on gay marriage.

The treatment of conservative elements by the hierarchy in Wales, particularly under former archbishop Barry Morgan, comes in for particular criticism: Traditionalists have been demonised as 'evil' or 'mentally deluded' for not thinking the same way as the bench.

It is a "dreadful environment" for traditionalists in the province of Wales says the Rev George Conger. They no longer want to raise their heads above the ridge because they are going to get their head chopped off.

Described in the video as a fertile mission field because "the faith is still there", the possibility of revival in Wales has been stymied  by the refusal of Church in Wales bishops to allow AMIE and other conservative elements to cross the border.

That was no barrier to the woman bishop invited to celebrate the Eucharist at Llandaff Cathedral even before women bishops were legal in the Church in Wales.

In the 'inclusive' Church in Wales you are welcome only if you are allied to the prevailing culture. Within a generation, says Conger, the Church in Wales will be gone. It is even less healthy than the Church of England which has twenty years to pull out of the nosedive. The Church in Wales has even less time. 

"The faith is still there but the leadership and institutions have failed. The Church in Wales is a dead church."

Murder but no revolution.

I dislike the phrase 'loved ones' but their fate sums up an impending catastrophe.

All those Parish and daughter churches so lovingly cared for by worshippers who lie buried in churchyards, perhaps to be joined by those for whom the penny has still to drop. Their graves will become overgrown with no-one to care for them as the churches close and are sold or left to decay.

Nobody in the liberal Church in Wales seems to care beyond short term gain. Ambition, gratification and relativism are all that matter.

A sad end to Anglicanism in Wales. Nobody will be tried for their crime, not in this life, but you have to wonder if the bishops believe in another life anyway. 

Yesterday's man

It doesn't say much for the new Archbishop of Wales when the old is invited to share his destructive views with Bangor clergy school.

Barry Morgan of all people! Wrecker in chief of the Church in Wales with his radical policies spouting a load of old cobblers.

He persists in perpetuating the myth that the clergy have to do everything - apart from working together.

There are some clergy who pull above their weight but there are others who are bone idle. I could give him a few names.

In reality hard working, conscientious clergy have simply had enough of politics. Many of the more able have jumped ship leaving Ministry Areas in Wales in a sorry state. Who better to blame than long suffering laity for supposedly leaving it all to the clergy.

Morgan should realise that many of the problems have been caused by forcing out hard working laity leaving the Church of Wales on the verge of collapse.

He doesn't give a damn for them, nor do the increasing numbers of senior staff left in charge while area cooperatives struggle to survive with inadequate pastoral support.

When he retired he pledged that he would not interfere. Another broken promise.

Sad, deluded and failure are three words that spring to mind.

The faithless face of feminism in the Anglican Church

Bishop Rachel Treweek has said the Church of England should not call God 'he'
Source: Express/GettyImages

Christianity is about Christ. For feminists Christianity is about using Christ to promote their own agenda which distorts the nature of love and equality to accommodate their self promoting views on faith and religion.

The Express reports: 'God is NOT a man: First female bishop says calling God “He” is a growing problem'.

It may be a growing problem for bishop Treweek and her trendy feminist supporters but not for the majority of Christians or for Christ Himself who taught His disciples to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...

Hallowed means nothing to these Entryists who lacked the integrity to form their own church. Instead they have politicised Western Anglicanism. They have mercilessly used the Anglican Church as a playing field on which only they can win.

So deep has the rot become that they have the support of limp bishops who have sacrificed spirituality on the altar of secularism.

In 2015 the BBC News Magazine published an article Why is God not female? The question keeps coming back. As with the ordination of woman and same sex marriage in church, the arguments are constantly regurgitated, pressing people outside the church who have no understanding of the theological implications of their actions to force change  inside the church.

Is it any surprise that people get fed up, leaving the Church in crisis as only 2% of young adults identify as C of E.

The Church in Wales too has become a leaking bucket, rusted by feminists. Their duplicity in getting the Governing Body to agree a Code of Practice which furthered the feminist cause while shutting out many faithful, cradle Anglicans can be judged by its fruits. The two women bishops appointed have proved to be a complete waste of spiritual space as they constantly drive forward their feminist agenda.

The ugly face of feminism in the church owes much of its success to Women and the Church (WATCH).

From my entry Women in the Church:

"Women bishops would humanise the priesthood" said the then Archbishop of Canterbury in 2011. Dr Rowan Williams warned the Church hierarchy to prepare for the “culture change” that would come with the “full inclusion” of women. Not the full inclusion the Archbishop would have expected. Instead it is inclusion to the exclusion of anyone with views not in accord with Women and the Church (WATCH) and their fellow travellers as highlighted by the "Sheffield controversy".

A culture change indeed. and not for the better so far as mother Church is concerned.

Caption corner 15 September 2018

Jay Z talking with Reverend June Osborne and some of the local Salisbury Cathedral choristers
 before the Russian visitors    Source: tumblr

As usual publishable captions will appear as comments.

Queen wins

Three bishops from the same class in St Michael's College, Llandaff          Source: Church in Wales

In a previous entry From hat trick to three card trick I wrote the bishops' consultation on same sex marriage ... is akin to the classic three card trick, otherwise known as 'find the queen', designed to win regardless.

Hey presto, the queen wins. Like loyal subjects, members of the Governing Body queued to speak of love and equality, apparently understanding neither. They swallowed what they had been fed and regurgitated the poisonous rubbish fed by the bench of bishops, unworthy of the office they hold for leading astray those in their care. The souls of the righteous being sacrificed by false prophets.

Archbishop John Davies told Premier Christian Radio: "There was a very significant majority in favour of us making a formal move ahead and discussing provision further".

The Church in Wales even published this deceptive tweet

Church members did not have a vote. A majority of bishop affirming members of the Governing Body perhaps but of the wider church?

So far as the membership of the Church in Wales is concerned its Governing Body has become an irrelevant tool of the bench.

As the 2012 Church in Wales Review observed, "We do not believe that the present system of elections to the Governing Body always results in a true reflection of church opinion.  At the moment there is very little knowledge for people to go on when making up their minds for whom to vote." (page 5)

Not that it would make a jot of difference when members decide on their own volition to vote on the basis of personal preference instead of on the expressed wishes of church members. 

The bench has now positioned itself so that it will be at odds with the rest of the Anglican Communion as the Scottish Episcopal Church discovered following their unilateral decision to allow same sex marriage in church.

Governing Body agreed that “It is pastorally unsustainable for the Church to make no formal provision for those in same-gender relationships.”

On what evidence? A bald statement that is in direct contradiction to the archbishop's keynote speech. "Play your part, great or small, in spreading the Gospel message,  urges Archbishop".

The gospel of the bench is not the gospel of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

The pretence of it being so has become widespread leading to the notion of an inclusive church in the living catholic tradition which may be translated as homosexual practices are affirmed here with the expectation of imminent blessings by the church. 

Affirming catholicism affirms that which should not be affirmed. It has little to do with the catholic faith as received. It claims catholicity while behaving contrary to the catholic faith with consenting clergy joining the Society of Catholic Priests, an 'Anglican society for men and women serving as Priests throughout the Anglican Communion'.

It is window dressing claiming allegiance to the catholic faith while acting contrary to it. 

The wider church is appalled at these deviations from the faith by churches which use self-governing arguments to adopt practices that are contrary to the gospel. 

Declining numbers demonstrate that they cannot deceive all of the people all of the time.

From Church in Wales Report on Membership and Finances 2017

"The rate of decline in average adult Sunday attendance between 2016 and 2017 is in line with the general annual trend since 2010":

Average Attendance - over 18 Sundays: 27,359 (2017)   28,185(2016)   - 826 (2017-2016)   - 3%

In 2006 the average weekly attendance aged over 18 was recorded at 39,490 showing a fall in adult attendance of 31%, almost one third in just over a decade.

At that rate of decline there will soon be no Anglican church to care pastorally or otherwise for anyone. 

What the archbishop was really saying in his keynote address is that the Church in Wales is in crisis. Parishes which had ample clergy now find that there are more churches than there are clergy to run them so the laity must pull their weight when the bishops do not as they play politics jeopardising the souls of their flock.

A clue to the way the bishops think is in the Conclusion to GB's Agendum 14

A Framework for Healthy and Joyful Mission in the Church in Wales
A Report to the Governing Body September 2018

+Andy Bangor:

"We believe that every person in our province has the right to hear the message of Jesus Christ in a way they understand. Our responsibility as a church is to play our part with God and other Christians so everyone can hear, engage with and respond to this message."

That will be the favoured group of the bench sorted but not everyone is in it, just a minority, so to hell with the rest.

The majority in the wider church will, of course, be aware that the bench of bishops have that the wrong way round.

Postscript [18.09.2018]

There are some relevant comments under an Anglican Ink article including this personal testimony:

"I cannot tell you how devastated I am at this lurch away from the Gospel. When it was discussed at a Parish level a few years ago, St David's was one of the more conservative dioceses and I was much encouraged by the 'traditional' views expressed by representatives from the Cathedral, but since then there has been a complete change of staff, reflecting a more liberal agenda."

In thy name!

Voting                                                                                                             Source: Church in Wales

Another sorry spectacle as the queering of the Church in Wales takes a significant step forward, moving towards same sex marriage in church after the vote at the Governing Body of the Church in Wales in the name of its members.

It was difficult to tell from #govbody tweeted comments whether there was a bias among the speakers or among the tweeters but the result was conclusive as revealed in this tweet after 4 hrs or so:

@Joelybarder
#govbody while realising the breadth of views, it's a deeply painful moment for conservatives as governing body votes 76-21 in favour of moving forward to structured pastoral provision for same-sex relationships, whatever the bishops decide that is.

The bishops had already decided from the wording of their loaded statement “It is pastorally unsustainable for the Church to make no formal provision for those in same-gender relationships.”

No doubt the complaints about persecution will continue despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary as illustrated by the vote.

Provision for faithful Anglicans not moved by the zeitgeist is still a no-go area.

There is no suggestion from the bishops that the effective excommunication of faithful Anglicans is 'pastorally unsustainable'.

Update
Church in Wales Provincial press release graphic change already signals intent:

Source: Church in Wales

See also 'Archbishop John responds to the Governing Body's discussion today on formal provision for same sex relationships' on Facebook.

From hat trick to three card trick

Students at St Michael's College, Llandaff. Spot the three future 'bishops' of the Church in Wales?

In a provincial press release 'Bishops’ hat-trick' the Church in Wales announced: "Three clerics who were ordained on the same day in the same cathedral three decades ago are now all serving as bishops on the same Bench." 

One might be forgiven for thinking that was nothing to shout about given their record and ever shrinking attendance figures.

Reports of same sex attraction among some of the students at St Michael's College, Llandaff three decades ago make one wonder if such activities were observed by the three current occupants of the bench, thus influencing their thoughts on same sex marriage. 

A former Archbishop of Wales is on record as saying that his experience of the hurt felt by women at university led him to accept the ordination of women. 

The bishops' consultation on same sex marriage suggests a similar case of misplaced sympathy but their consultation rouse is akin to the classic three card trick, otherwise known as 'find the queen', designed to win regardless.

That is no way for bishops to behave.

The bishops of Swansea and Brecon, Monmouth and St Asaph

Building bridges

               Source: Church in Wales/ClipArtMag  

Following the Pride Cymru extravaganza which attracted a number of clerics from the Church in Wales, there has been more pride from 'The team' on Twitter:

St Augustine's @AugustineRumney 3 Sep 2018
We’re proud to be hosting @StTeilos for their inset day. Former pupil @rjmaidment presided @frjrconnell preached @David_T_Morris concelebrated at Mass with great singing from staff. @SchoolsLlandaff #teamteilo

Pride is an odd association for the church given that pride is one of the seven deadly sins. Perhaps 'The team' is so busy secularizing the church that sin is no longer a problem for them.

St Teilo's Church in Wales High School is in a Cardiff suburb at the heart of the Cyncoed Mission Area in the diocese of Monmouth. Described by the head teacher as an 'inclusive' school, their link with St Augustine's in Rumney, another Cardiff suburb, implies a degree of inclusivity beyond their normal school disability equality duty.

Its links with the 'inclusive' church of St Augustine's, Rumney give the appearance more of spreading the word as discerned by the gospel according to LGBT.

In a postscript to my entry The big lie, I reported that Bob Woods who was listed No. 36 of 46 on the The Pinc List 2018: The 40 most influential LGBT+ people in Wales had been promoting respect for difference:

"Bob has been a lifelong LGBT+ activist in both his personal and professional life....He has played a key voluntary role at St Teilo’s Church in Wales School in Llanedeyrn, promoting respect for difference. He has been an inspirational role model for young people which has given them the confidence to be frank about their sexuality and the confidence to say so in public and amongst their friends and family."

There is nothing new in children having same sex feeling and childhood crushes. Teachers should be able to deal with that without bringing in adults of a particular persuasion to give children "the confidence to be frank about their sexuality and the confidence to say so in public and amongst their friends and family". Where does such 'expertise' end?

Churches and schools may have had the best of intentions but the results have become dire.

So successful has the LGBT campaign been that LGB has become mainstream as witnessed by the rainbow flag flying over public buildings and even Anglican cathedrals. The 'T' part has become the latest 'oppressed minority' to claim persecution as transgender takes centre stage.

The LGBT promoting bishop of Llandaff has already done her bit by appointing the first transgender priest in the Church of England to be the priest in charge of St John's, Cardiff's civic church,

A recent BMJ article posed the question 'Why has there been a 240% increase in referrals to gender dysphoria clinics over the past five years?'

"Gender dysphoria, a condition described as 'strong, persistent feelings of identification with the opposite gender and discomfort with one's own assigned sex,' is quite common in young people today.

"The causes of gender dysphoria are 'complex' and 'not fully clear.' While many medical sites say gender dysphoria is caused by hormonal imbalances, some scholars believe the rise in gender fluidity is primarily a cultural phenomenon.

"'I think it’s become a fashion', Camille Paglia said during a recent public interview. 'The transgender definition has become a convenient label for young people who may simply feel alienated culturally for other reasons'.

"Paglia, a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and one of the world’s foremost intellectuals, went on to suggest that gender fluidity is simply the new face of the counter-culture.

"'In the 1950s they might have become a beatnik', she said. 'In the 1960s they might have become a hippie and taken mind-expanding drugs'."

Paglia claims that "anyone who collaborates in an intrusion into a developing child's body and mind is guilty of child abuse, a crime against humanity because that child is not prepared to make such a decision."

From Outbreak: On Transgender Teens and Psychic Epidemics "a young person's coming out as transgender is often preceded by increased social media use and/or having one or more peers also come out as transgender. These factors suggest that social contagion may be contributing to the significant rise in the number of young people seeking treatment for gender dysphoria."

There is a world of difference in tolerance and what can be interpreted as promoting difference, something that previously was regarded simply as a passing phase.

The fear of being branded homophobic has muted discussion resulting in an explosion of 'inclusion' with devastating results. Read Is the Queer Reckoning upon Us? for an account of how countless people have lost their jobs, families, public reputation, homes, or incomes because they chose to defend God's design for sexuality rather than submit to the LGBT movement's demands.

The latest tweet from the inclusive church of St Augustine, Rumney promotes the diocesan Evangelism Fund Bid #lovewithoutlimit. That is the £10m fund to inspire new Welsh revival, a misnomer if ever there was one. Grants of between £250,000 and £3m will be available for diocesan projects which crucially, will focus on people rather than buildings. To be presented at the forthcoming meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales: 'Inclusive church – promoting an open and welcoming church at Rumney, Cardiff'.

Manna from heaven for the bench of bishops as bridges are built to aid them in their one-sided campaign for same sex marriage in church.

In his background paper on the subject the archbishop writes:

"As part of discharging our responsibility to lead the whole church in ways that are just, compassionate and caring, seeking to ensure that none suffers through our neglect, we have invited Bishop Mark to come and address the Governing Body about the process developed and adopted in Scotland. He will first address the Governing Body and, after lunch (during which informal discussion among members can take place), he will answer questions about that process and the current situation in Scotland. Bishop Mark will not debate the rightness or otherwise of same gender relationships, those relationships being blessed, or same-gender marriages being solemnised, but all comments from members will be noted.

"In the light of what takes place, members of Governing Body will then be asked to indicate whether they would support the Bishops in undertaking further work on the subject of same-gender relationships and how the Church in Wales could or should provide for them.  The Governing Body will participate in a private ballot, in which members will be asked to agree or not with the statement: “It is pastorally unsustainable for the Church to make no formal provision for those in same-gender relationships.”

"This is not a motion.  It will bind neither the Bench of Bishops nor the wider Church in Wales.  It will not change the doctrine and practice of the Church in Wales on marriage.  However, it will provide an important steer for the Bench in determining where to go next in exercising their ministry of leadership and pastoral care."

If the GB supports the statement the bench will have the all-clear to proceed full steam ahead to allow same sex marriage in church putting many clergy in an invidious position. If the statement is not supported the bench will come back until they get their way. That rouse has become a habit which needs to be addressed by GB.

The bishops of the  Church in Wales have no need to promote same sex marriage, particularly in church. As readers have commented under previous entries, homosexual members of the church have been quietly getting on with their lives for years without hindrance. Many still do while others insist on banging the drum demanding to be affirmed.

In 1967 the law was changed to allow two men to be in a relationship together without the fear of being arrested. Civil partnership legislation followed to ensure that un-married couples enjoyed the same protection as married couples. They can now be legally married.

That is the law. Faith is different. It is based on scripture and tradition. Sadly people whose faith does not in conscience permit them to accept secularisation of the church have been forced out leaving activists in control. Consequently we have bishops who show no understanding of the consequences of their actions driving the church to extinction while putting children in danger.

Children with no concept of gender are paraded in rainbow colours at Pride events as if they have made a conscious decision to support the LGBT campaign. Even babies are not exempt implying a predetermined lifestyle.

The bishops of the Church in Wales are participating in propaganda which is putting our children at risk. They must be stopped.

The Governing Body must wake up to what is being done in their name and return from politics to faith.

Postscript [12.09.2018]

From REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE – SEPTEMBER 2018

Governing Body Worship Coordinator

"This meeting will be the last, as Worship Coordinator, for the Venerable Paul Mackness, Archdeacon of St Davids, who has resigned owing to his new responsibilities in the diocese....

"On the advice of the Bench of Bishops, the Committee appointed the Reverend John Connell for an initial three year period. He will operate the guidelines that have been agreed by the Committee, consulting with others as necessary, to develop a proactive way of delivering liturgical arrangements, working to achieve a balance of participants and language from across the dioceses."

Another bridge!

Caption corner 7 September 2018

Source: Twitter @StDavidsCath

As usual suggested captions will appear under 'Comments'. 

Church in Wales bench of bishops in renewed push for same sex marriage

FiF National Assembly 2013

Bishop of St Davids celebrating in the Pride Cymru faith tent

Forward in Faith (left)




       Backward in belief (right)









In biblical times priestesses were associated with pagan temples and fertility rites.

They and their sympathizers are now calling the tune in many churches, especially in Western Anglicanism.

Joining the homosexual obsessed bench of bishops which is hell bent on reflecting society rather than preaching the Gospel, the first woman bishop in the Church in Wales lost no time in identifying with LGBT campaigners. She was quickly followed by the second woman bishop who likewise flaunted her LGBT sympathies.

When the next vacancy arises the clamour will not  be for deeply spiritual man capable of steering the bench back on course but for parity resulting a half-and-half bench of women and men united in their desire to secularise the church.

The LGBT campaigning by the new women bishops made it clear where their main sympathies lay which explains their otherwise apparent lack of suitability for the office they hold, particularly so in the conservative Welsh speaking diocese of St Davids.

The same traits are evident in the Church of England and in the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC). Appointments have become managerial rather than spiritual. Consequently same sex marriage has become a recurrent theme in the Anglican Church as a new breed of bishops reflect rather than inform society about Christian beliefs and values.

The former Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan, failed to force through gay marriage but his successor ('more of the same— but faster') is hell bent on forcing through this secular policy which is alien to Christian belief and out of step with Anglican teaching.

So desperate is the bench to ram through their secular policy that the Primus of the SEC, Mark Strange, has been invited to speak at the next meeting of the Governing Body to be held 12-13 Sept 2018.  He made headlines by calling for gay marriage in church in 2015 resulting in the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, threatening to ban the SEC.

Bishop Strange said: “The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church voted to change its canon on marriage. This decision was ours to take as a self-governing province of the Anglican Communion."

Strange indeed that the will of the Anglican Communion to remain faithful to the teaching of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church can be pushed to one side by manipulating a synod which is often dominated by activists and sycophants resulting in decisions contrary to the will of the membership.

In Wales the bench has developed a strategy of using 'advisory' consultations to supplement the heavily loaded 'advice' received from the Doctrinal Commission of the Church in Wales. This works only in the bishops' favour. It rubber stamps their decision if favourable to them but ignores results which they regard as unfavourable.

This procedure, contrary to the wishes of the majority, led to the silencing of many faithful Anglicans who felt bound by their faith rather than by GB decisions which merely reflect the whims of society.

Little surprise, then, that the latest (2017) Church in Wales regular attendance figures show a further fall of 3% to 27,359 representing only 0.8% of the population of Wales. Confirmations are down a massive 36% reflecting the ill-thought through policy of  'Confirmation no longer required for Holy Communion thrust on the church by the bench'.

Planned giving has also fallen for the seventh consecutive year, despite individual members continuing to "give sacrificially". The average giving per Sunday attender in 2017 was £9.65 per week.

Agendum 9 to be discussed at the next meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales is
Same Gender Relationships (continued)
Question and answer session with the Most Reverend Mark Strange, Primus of Scotland followed by discussion. Background paper, together with a procedural note (Word doc).

The introduction to the background paper is a pathetic attempt to justify pushing LGBT politics to the fore. The archbishop concludes his preamble with "Among the challenging issues currently facing the Church and its Bishops is that of the pastoral care of those, both lay and ordained, who are in same-gender relationships or who have same-gender sexual orientation."

In other words, pandering to a minority which is over-represented in the church in comparison with the total population of the UK.

At this point it is worth remembering that the bench could not care less for loyal, often cradle, Anglicans who have striven through all the problems put in front of them to uphold the faith of the Church handed down through the ages.

They are regarded as a dispensable minority. The former archbishop, Barry Morgan, signalled his intention to sideline worshippers who did not accept his plan to turn the Church in Wales into a sex-obsessed shadow of its former self in his outright refusal to appoint a replacement Provincial Assistant Bishop after the highly respected bishop David Thomas retired. He died a broken man after the way he was treated by the bench.

Continuing his duplicitous statement the current archbishop writes:
"As for the ways in which the Church should care for them there is clear division about the leadership which the Bishops can or should properly offer. There are those who call upon us to give a lead and make a change.  There are others for whom any such change would be seen as anathema.  But both groups are valued parts of our Church family which the Bishops are called both to lead and care for pastorally. And those whose lives, faith and loves are at the centre of this particular matter are to be found in our congregations, they are members of our Christian family and some are certainly serving members of the Governing Body.  They are not, in other words, people on the outside, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ and in faith."

Having cast aside  the 'lives, faith and loves' of traditionalists, Davies is able to claim that "those whose lives, faith and loves are at the centre of this particular matter are to be found in our congregations, they are members of our Christian family and some are certainly serving members of the Governing Body."

That is despite the constant complaints that LGBT people are excluded!

In a one-sided statement of intent, the Primus of the SEC has been invited to address Governing Body. He has already revealed that he had been in love with a man - presumably the reason for his invitation to speak.

The SEC Primate represents a church in which the first woman bishop to be enthroned made it clear that she is not interested in restricting herself to "prayers, pews and parochial parish life". She is focused on "fighting for social justice, sexual equality". Like the bishop of Llandaff  she was also appointed by bishops keen to get their secular message across.

There is no mention in the archbishop's note of the major row which erupted with half the paid clergy in one region of SEC rebelling over the appointment of their new bishop.

Neither is it mentioned that one of the largest churches in Edinburgh has voted to split from the Scottish Episcopal Church amid tensions over its decision to become the first Anglican body in the UK to endorse gay marriage.

If anything, the Scottish example is one of schism brought about by same sex marriage and appointments being made to increase the clamour for it.

By contrast there is no representative from the Church of Ireland Bishops who said there is "little appetite" across the entire island to redefine marriage.

In that regard, one priest has had the courage to stick his head over the parapet and put down the question:
"Are the Bench of Bishops able to explain why a Primate whose province upholds (and has reaffirmed) the doctrine of marriage as currently outlined in our prayer book, such as the Church of Ireland, has not been invited to speak on their processes for welcoming the LGBT community in the Church whilst not permitting same sex marriages, in order to complement the invitation of the Rt. Rev. Mark Strange and add to these important discussions?"

Bravo! But a lone voice crying in the wilderness.

Many people are drawing the conclusion that despite outward appearances the majority of Western Anglican bishops must be gay or have gay tendencies but that does not explain the urge to allow same sex marriage in church. Same sex partnerships have equal rights so why marriage, particularly marriage in church?

The Commandment 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' includes sex outside marriage. By permitting same sex marriage in church, mission accomplished having already re-written scripture to justify homosexuality.

Bishops may have no regard for their own souls but that is no excuse for putting the souls of their flock in jeopardy.

They have no business changing church doctrine on the basis that "the decision was ours to take as a self-governing province of the Anglican Communion". That attitude serves only to destroy the Communion that binds Anglicans together.

The church needs to clear out these impostors before all is lost.

Postscript [03.09.2018]

From a Church in Wales Provincial press release: Governing Body meeting – September 12-13 2018

"Examples of how churches across Wales are reaching out and taking the Christian message to those around them will be seen in a film at the meeting of the Church’s Governing Body which takes places on September 12-13 at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

"The film features six evangelism projects, one from each of the Church’s dioceses, and will form part of a report on evangelism and church growth."

This is the contribution form the Diocese of Monmouth in a film that clearly scratches around for ideas but more importantly for the bench of bishops provides further propaganda designed to sway Governing Body members into voting in favour of their same sex marriage in church policy:
Inclusive church – promoting an open and welcoming church at Rumney, Cardiff

Bishop Andy John

"The film will be introduced by the Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, on Thursday morning (September 13). He says, 'We want to show the amazing work which churches all over the country are doing to take Christ’s message of love out to the communities around them. They are not stories we hear about in the news and neither are they reflected in our membership statistics. But they speak powerfully of lively and enthusiastic people, inspired by the love of God and a ‘can do’ approach that is making a difference and changing lives'.”

Actually Andy, when it comes to the church we hear about little else. Inclusive church, bonds with other faiths, regardless of their beliefs, but nothing about the thousands of faithful Anglicans the bench has displaced.