The Feminist Church of England

Members of the National Liturgical Dance Network getting ready for the Installation of The Right Reverend Libby Lane               Source: Twitter @PeterOuld

A few days ago the Rev Peter Ould tweeted: "Good God, there's a National Liturgical Dance Network."

The next picture helps to explain why. The installation of the Rt Rev Libby Lane as the eighth Bishop of Derby in fancy hat and what appears to be a Hindu garland. Without these details one might be forgiven for thinking the occasion some sort of religious parody.

The Right Reverend Libby Lane replaces the Right Reverend Dr Alastair Redfern, who retired in August                                                                Source: BBC

The Church of England has been celebrating 25 yrs of women priests or their Silver Jubilee as Women and the Church [Affirming * Challenging * Transforming] like to put it:

"Starting on March 12th  this year, and lasting over three months, more than a thousand women will be celebrating a Silver Jubilee: the 25th anniversary of their ordination to the priesthood in the Church of England. Bristol Cathedral led the way, with 32 deacons ordained priest, and the following week three ordinations took place in Sheffield diocese on the 15th, 16th and 17th March, when twenty-five women were ordained as priests, and ordinations continued in other dioceses through April, May and June."

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been on the receiving end for his contribution in this "Welby’s woes with women" clip from The Times (£):

"The Archbishop of Canterbury is in a spot of bother with women clergy. Justin Welby, is throwing a garden party on July 1 to celebrate 25 years of female ordination but the invitation has not gone down well. Guests are asked to be at Lambeth Palace at 11am on a Monday — a stretch for northern vicars.

“Perhaps Welby thinks the clergy have no Sunday commitments so they can spend the day travelling,” says the Rev Janet Fife, from Whitby. Also, the dress code is unusual for female priests: it calls for lounge suits."

Lambeth Palace held a service celebrating 25 years of female priests in the Church of England back in March. Also, there is a Photo exhibition celebrates 25 years of female priests covered by the Guardian. What is not mentioned is the underhand work to sideline the agreement that enabled feminism to flourish in the Church.

Much of the women's movement success has been playing with words such as equality and love often appealing to the wider public for support of their secular views.

"'Christianity as default is gone': the rise of a non-Christian Europe" was the headline in a Guardian article last year:
"In the UK, only 7% of young adults identify as Anglican, fewer than the 10% who categorise themselves as Catholic. Young Muslims, at 6%, are on the brink of overtaking those who consider themselves part of the country’s established church."

In 2017 the BBC reported on a survey that suggested "more than half in UK are non-religious." In a Synod debate Justin Welby called for "radical new inclusion", part of the journey from women's ordination to LGBT inclusion and same sex marriage to transgender services.

 One would have thought that the Anglican Church could take the hint about the direction in which it is going. That it does not illustrates the extent to which blind revisionists lead the blind.

A public consultation to be held in York on next Archbishop:

"The public can play a part in the selection of the next Archbishop of York when a public consultation meeting takes place in York next month.
"The current Archbishop, Dr John Sentamu, is to retire in June next year and a successor needs to be appointed.
"A meeting to discuss the requirements for the role will take place at The Belfrey Hall off Stonegate from 7.30pm to 9.00pm on Monday June 17, with everyone welcome.
"People will be able to meet the Prime Minister’s appointments secretary, Edward Chaplin, and the Archbishops’ secretary for appointments, Caroline Boddington, and comment on the needs of the post and the qualities required.
"Organisers say views expressed at the meeting form part of a wider consultation which will feed into the Crown Nominations Commission.
"This will in turn recommend a name to the Prime Minister to submit to The Queen."

More than half the people in the UK are non-religious. In fact, even within the Church feminism has taken over from religion. Given people's ignorance of the religious faith it would not be surprising if someone were to suggest that a Muslim should be the next Archbishop of York in the spirit of interfaith friendship.

I wonder if anyone thought of looking to 1 Timothy 3:

"The saying is sure:[a] whoever aspires to the office of bishop[b] desires a noble task. 2 Now a bishop[c] must be above reproach, married only once,[d] temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way— 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil."

The post-Christian US Episcopal Church celebrated 40 years of women in the priesthood in 2014. It adopted the same 'inclusive' agenda advocated by Justin Welby.

After 45 years of women in the priesthood the Episcopal Church is near collapse!

Election of a new Bishop of Monmouth announced

It has been reported in the South Wales Argus that the process to elect a new Bishop of Monmouth will commence in September, 2019.

Members of the Electoral College will meet from Tuesday, September 17 to elect a new bishop.

In an email sent out by the Diocese of Monmouth, the Archbishop of Wales, John Davies, said: "The Electoral College for electing a successor to Bishop Richard will begin to meet in the cathedral from Tuesday, September 17.

The Argus reporter adds: "In January parishioners spoke to us about what they said were their serious concerns about what was going on within the Diocese of Monmouth after Bishop Pain had been absent from work since July 2018.

"In March some parishioners warned that they were planning to withhold parish shares until their concerns were answered and added their belief that those who raised the grievances had 'refused' meditation."

Other sources suggested that such stories were part of a campaign by the bishop's supporters against those who had raised legitimate grievances under normal Church in Wales procedures.

The length of the bishop's absence resulted in factions developing to the detriment of the diocese.

The Archbishop of Wales was aware of the issues and was actively engaged in a formal process of mediation to resolve them. He said, “For reasons of confidentiality, and out of respect for those concerned in the ongoing mediation process, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

This served only to add to speculation and encourage the spread of rumours and innuendo implied in press coverage.

The diocese needs to move on from this unhappy event without recriminations.

God forbid that another decision passes to the bench of bishops.

Preparing for government!

The Lib Dems are cock a hoop after the European election results. Their leader Vince Cable is convinced that "there was now a UK 'majority to stay' in the EU." 

But hang on a minute. The pro-European party Change UK called for a second referendum in which it would campaign to remain in the EU. They won no seats with 3.4% of the vote while the Lib Dems won 16 with 20.3% of the vote. The Brexit party won 29 with 31.6% of the vote.

Although the Brexit party is the clear winner, other parties have been adding their votes together to suggest the remainers were the winners despite the Lib Dem, Change UK disparity.

TV interviews tend to confirm what I have heard in conversation. The Tory party needed a kicking. Corbyn was seen as a complete disaster so it was take your pick. Most opted for the Brexit party. For others it was a lucky dip, or anyone but ...

In 1981 David Steel, leader of the Liberal party, told party members to go back to their constituencies and prepare for government after a temporary success. In the following general election they won just 23 seats.

In one sense the EU vote was a second referendum. The majority voted OUT however the minor parties like to turn the results to their advantage. 

'We are being told what to think'

From Christian Concern:

"A Church of England primary school has taken the unprecedented step of allowing a child to transition from a boy to a girl in the school without informing parents until the day of the transition or putting policies and procedures in place. A rare audio recording has also revealed how the school brought in controversial trans lobby group Mermaids to train staff and governors. The content of the training is deeply disturbing and we will share more soon.

The Christian Legal Centre is supporting the courageous Rev. John Parker who resigned as a governor after his concerns were ignored and silenced.

Andrea Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'This is not an isolated case and we are going to see more like it if nothing is done.

'Parents have a right to know if and when this ideological movement is in their schools and being taught as fact.

'I believe a real threat is posed to schools from organisations such as Mermaids. They implement a new ideological tyranny – and any disagreement is at best silenced, and at worst, punished.

‘The number of children confused about their sex and gender and seeking treatment is escalating and it is our children who are suffering. In imposing this ideology, we are not being kind but cruel. It is time for this to stop.

'The Church of England has one million children in its care. This is a serious God-given duty which the Church is failing at.

'It has invited the new state ideology into the classroom and it has lost confidence in its own message of what it means to be human. The Church needs to act before it is too late.' "

See also, 'Vicar resigns after being 'silenced' over a Church of England school's plan to keep an eight-year-old pupil's sex change a secret from parents' and 'Trans charity 'twisted truth' when training teachers' here.

Postscripts [28.05.2019]

1. Petition from change.org to stop Mermaids delivering training sessions to the police, schools and all public services.

"Mermaids is a Transgender Lobby group that specialises in giving information about Transgender children. They have been noted to spread regressive gender stereotypes and misinformation about the 2010 Equality Act; and they reinforce debunked statistics about suicide rates.

"They are a lobbying group not an impartial advisory body and are not being held accountable for the misinformation they spread. They have no place training  employees of the state such as teachers and police officers. Mermaids should no longer be allowed to run training for public servants."

You can sign here.

2. An Analysis of the Mermaids Press Statement
by Transgender Trend. Parents questioning the Trans narrative.

Caption corner 25 May 2019

Back to basics. Mass at S. de Compostela   Source #LlandaffInSantiago

As usual captions will appear under Comments.

Church in Wales takes a back seat

Three faiths and more                                                                     Source: BBC

A tweet from the Church in Wales contributor to the BBC documentary series Young, Welsh, & Pretty Religious, no doubt forgetting that pride is one of the seven deadly sins: "I'm proud to have had the opportunity to share a platform with @SaharAlFaifi in the making of #YoungWelshAndPrettyReligious. #MoreInCommon"

Sahar Al-Faifi responded with: "I am honoured to share it with you too father Ross ... God bless you :)". That would be her god not his. Job done.

Not to be outdone @LeanneWood for Plaid Cymru "congratulated the young Welsh people featured in the @BBCOne  programme #YoungWelshAndPrettyReligious - in particular work of anti-Islamophobia activist @SaharAlFaifi."

‏

Perhaps with an eye on voting intentions Plaid Cymru "adopted @RunnymedeTrust definition of Islamophobia and want to see people of colour and religion that face 'daily abuse' protected. As if to prove the point, in the first episode of the documentary the victim card is played but only at face value. There is more to follow in episode 2, hopefully with hard facts rather than opinion.

The UK government rejects racial definition of 'Islamophobia' , a catch all invention designed to ensure that Islam has protection not enjoyed by other beliefs but the protection campaign continues.

Unfortunately for him his pride earned the Church in Wales curate only a bit part in the first episode but he was up against Krishnas, pagans, Jews and Muslims, an anti anti-Islamophobia campaigner and a fashion designer for Muslim women's clothing. Evangelical Christians had a better showing due to their increasing numbers. 

The series introduction explains that three quarters of the 1,000,000 under 30's in Wales are not religious. Since the year 2000 religious belief has halved but as some beliefs are plummeting others are rising, doubling, trebling their following. 

"Since the millennium the number of Muslims has doubled to over 50,000 and is the fastest growing religion in Wales. [The average adult Sunday attendance in 2017 was 27,359.] In this century Muslim and Hindu numbers have risen in Wales but Christian numbers have plummeted. Out of a population of 3,000,000 people less than 1% regularly attend Church and if the current decline continues Christians will be a minority in Wales by 2050." 

In the next episode a Hare Krishna monk pays a visit to his parents, we meet bisexual Christian Will and Sahar "faces religious intolerance head on".  I can hardly wait.

Ashamed of the Gospel

 'Dhimmi Bishop' Source: 24/6 Mag                       St Paul’s Cathedral hosts iftar celebration in London     Source: Twitter @anglicanink

Former midwife, now Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, DBE, defers to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn, in St Paul's Cathedral where "different faiths and none" gathered to celebrate an interfaith iftar.

The bishop also covered her head with a hijab-like garment at a secular meeting at Regent’s Park Mosque in London. Perhaps surprisingly she did not tuck her pectoral cross into her cassock for fear of causing further offence to Muslims who find the symbol of salvation offensive.

It could be worse. In fact it was at a Durham Church which offered to cover crosses while hosting Muslim prayers.

The Vicar, Lissa Scott, has been described as a “liberal” who uses “gimmicks like Café Church to offer a gospel-less diet of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”

Whilst it is understable that simple good manners might indicate a particular course of action out of courtesy and respect for the faith of others it has become a one-way traffic.

Rebel Priest Jules Gomes, wrote: "A parish church in the Diocese of Durham has been criticised for 'being ashamed of the gospel' after saying it would cover crosses and other sacred images in order to host Islamic prayers and an Iftar meal for the local Muslim community. The Church of St Matthew and St Luke, Darlington, also agreed to provide separate worship space so men and women could offer segregated worship."

As another blogger commented, "Is this repugnant surrender of female church leaders to a misogynist creed really what 'interfaith' understanding has come to?"

Postscript [26.05.2019]

The bishop of Bangor has tweeted:
"Last night Dean Kathy Jones led a group of us to the shared meal in Bangor's mosque in this season of Ramadan. We were welcomed and the hospitality was so generous. We can listen and learn when we make time for each other."

Monmouth and St Albans joined in. What would they have learnt from their hosts? It is unlikely that they would have referred to the impassioned address in London by the Rt Rev Bashar Warda who said that Iraq's Christians now faced extinction after 1,400 years of persecution. They certainly would not have referred to the "approximately 270 million non-believers who died over the last 1,400 years for the glory of political Islam."

How is it that Church in Wales bishops can readily engage with a supremacist political ideology that contradicts Christian beliefs and regards women as inferior to men but are unwilling to engage with orthodox Anglicans?

Rounding off Compostela

Llandaff clergy dancing the pilgrim dance after the final Eucharist of their clergy school in Santiago de Compostela                      Source: Twitter @Gould2Jan

Jolly June rounded off the Llandaff clergy school in Santiago de Compostela with the tweet: "Michael Sadgrove teaches about pilgrimage and the brilliant story of the Emmaus Road -seeing with hope. Are we dealers in hope?"

Hope for what?

Chief cheerleader among pilgrim commentators was Pilgrimprogress who looked forward to spending even more money on clergy schools making them annual events.

In a comment on Llandaff clergy school off to a flying start Pilgrimprogress wrote: "Happy to support them and hope they make it an annual event. I note that Michael Sadgrove is leading them in teaching - he's an amazing speaker and they are sure to receive some great input. I recommend his writings.

Later the Cardiff University Anglican Chaplain added a similar tweet: "It has been an absolute delight to have @MichaelSadgrove with us at our clergy school delivering three very thoughtful morning addresses. Like a good meal, you might not remember all that you have been fed, but you certainly know that you have been well fed!"

Amazing speaker he may be but what he has been feeding in some of his writings, particularly on his blog Woolgathering in North East of England, is a million miles from the doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church.

In a gushing endorsement of women's ordination The Ordination of Women as Priests - 25 Years On he wrote: "But I knew on that day that this was a ceremony that would not just live on bathed in a kind of generalised afterglow. I knew that it would be unforgettable in its detail as well. Such as singing 'Be still for the Spirit of the Lord is moving in this place' and, for once, truly recognising that she was."

If 'she' were the only reference to the spirit of the age one might put it down academic argument but it happens to be part of "his friend" June Osborne's revisionist theology, an inclusive church leading to same sex marriage in church

The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the CofE   Source: Twitter

On his Twitter account Sadgrove pledges his support for the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the CofE and for the Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain who launched a campaign for the rights of LGBTQ Christians claiming that his same-sex marriage cost him his ministry.

In a previous comment on Llandaff clergy school off to a flying start Berty wrote of the absurdity of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: "Also odd that clergy of a reformed protestant church who sign up to the 39 Articles should go on pilgrimage to a major ‘Romanish’ shrine which is only open during its rebuilding work for pilgrims to venerate the relics of St James? Is that not contrary to Article XXII?

In another blog entry A Day of Wisdom Sadgrove wrote: "I've just got back from leading a study day for clergy and readers in Llandaff Diocese where my friend June Osborne is bishop. They had asked me to reflect with them on wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible with the tasks of leadership, ministry and preaching in the church today especially in mind."

The whole episode is so incongruous and a colossal waste of money when the study days could have been held in Llandaff as Sadgrove did last year when speaking about leadership.

To cap it all Michael Sadgrove tweeted: "At the conference dinner last night, @BishopJuno is given a standing ovation by her clergy. So well deserved. But remarkable all the same."

Remarkable indeed but as Pilgrimage Fatigue quipped in Caption corner: "What you need to do is engineer a standing ovation at the end of the conference dinner. That'll have them all eating out of my hand."

You can read what Michael Sadgrove thought of the jolly in his glowing blog entry A Pilgrimage to Santiago.

Caption corner 16 May 2019

Llandaff  pilgrims, Cardiff Airport        Source: Twitter #LlandaffInSantiago 

As usual captions will appear as comments.

Thought for the day

Bishop June  prepares for a stroll in Santiago de Compostela  Source: Twitter      Bishop Joanna prepares for Christian Aid Week at GB   Source: Church in  Wales 

Wales’ bishops have joined in the call to support mums in Sierra Leone this Christian Aid Week (12-18th May 2019) and to draw attention to the stark reality that women in Sierra Leone are 150 times more likely to die in childbirth than those in the UK.

This year’s Christian Aid Week campaign draws attention to the high maternal death rate in Sierra Leone – the most dangerous place to become a mum. 10 women die giving birth every day and one in nine babies do not reach their fifth birthday. An estimated 15,000 mothers have died during childbirth since the Ebola crisis in 2014.

£300 could provide a delivery bed for a new health centre giving mums a safe place to deliver their babies. A sum of £60 raised could buy a starter kit for community health workers, which includes a bicycle, torch, rain coat and rain boots. Just £15 could buy a stethoscope or a bucket of paint for a community health clinic.

Bishop Joanna Penberthy (pictured right) said, “This is a such an important appeal. In the UK we take good antenatal care and medical support in childbirth for granted. As someone who almost died giving birth, I know first-hand how important it is to have all the right help and care in place. In supporting Christian Aid’s work, we can make a difference. Please give today.” (Press release here)

The Bishop of Llandaff is taking time out with all her clergy during Christian Aid week for a compulsory clergy school in Santiago de Compostela.

How many lives may have been saved in Sierra Leone this Christian Aid Week if the Llandaff clergy school had been held in Llandaff and the savings donated to the Appeal?

James 2:14-17

Llandaff clergy school off to a flying start

The Llandaff Diocese of the Church in Wales  is embarking on an 'ambitious' Year of Pilgrimage to 'reinvigorate its work and worship' as part of the Church’s 2020 centenary celebrations.

The 2019 clergy school is being held during Christian Aid Week in Santiago de Compostela, the location of the shrine of St James the Apostle, to 'train and equip priests to teach and lead pilgrimages in their own communities'.

In a novel twist the school suggests a cunning plan designed to demonstrate how not to organise a pilgrimage, even by plane, when the main attraction, the pilgrimage Cathedral, is closed for renovation. Brilliant!

As a bonus the 'misunderstood' Archdeacon of Llandaff may provide her personal insight on how not to do things after her failed attempt to hoodwink the Governing Body into believing that female ordinands in the Church in Wales are persecuted by the few surviving traditionalists.

Follow on Twitter: #LlandaffInSantiago

Hostility

Ven Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, Archdeacon of Portsdown                               Source: Premiere

The Ven Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, Archdeacon of Portsdown, is one of three new women bishops appointed on the same day last week bringing the total number of women bishops in the Church of England to 22, four years after Rt Rev Libby Lane was named Bishop of Stockport in the Diocese of Chester.

Dr Grenfell was appointed Bishop of Stepney, which covers Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets.

One of her first utterances following preferment sounds like another female cleric playing the victim card to hide the truth about the ordination of women. 

Islington's first female bishop said "she feels the pressure not to 'mess up' as she talked about her years spent building relationships with churches that are 'hostile' to women’s ministry."

Churches are not hostile to women's ministry, only to their standing at the Altar in persona Christi. Women do not have to be ordained to have a ministry.

The secular press constantly implies unfairness by referring to employment practice and equality of opportunity without any knowledge of the Church.

Writing about a "Sydney reverend", from ABC Newcastle News: "If you are a woman with hopes of becoming a priest within the Anglican Church of Australia there are a number of dioceses across the country that will allow you to climb the ranks and hold this leadership position." Commenting "Reverend Sawyer" said "there is more work to be done to achieve equality among church leaders."

Unusually there is an explanation of the problem from Archdeacon of Women's Ministry, Kara Hartley, who believes women have plenty of opportunities within the Anglican Church: "It comes down to our understanding that the leadership of priests and bishops in the church is given over to men, it's a reading of theological understanding, a reading of the Bible and so we continue to hold to that," she said.

Kara said she cannot predict what will happen in the future but there is no appetite for this to change. "That doesn't lessen or create inequality between men and women and I think that's an important distinction to make — we don't see a rising through ranks of church life as somehow making people more or less equal," she said.

Latest figures for the Church of England show that more than half the total of people recommended for training as clergy (54%) are women. Nearly a quarter (23%) of paid clergy in senior posts, Bishops, Cathedral Deans or Archdeacons were women in 2017, compared to 12% in 2012.

In the Church in Wales where a third of the diocesan bishops are women with early hopes of parity despite the dismal performance of the first two women bishops, the hostile Archdeacon of Llandaff, the Ven Peggy Jackson, claimed in a debate designed to rid the Church in Wales of 'traditionalist', orthodox Anglicans that women ordinands were treated badly. 

Expecting to be taken at face value, an ordinand rebutted Jackson’s claim that women had to suffer for their calling because their vocation was disputed and dismissed by traditionalists. He had spoken to every current female ordinand in the Church in Wales and reported that all had told him that they had never experienced discrimination claimed by Jackson.

This is where hostility exists in the Church. Despite all the promises, constant efforts are made to exclude traditionalists by any means possible, including deception.  

A sense of pressure, then. is not confined to women's ministry. If they are confident that they are right in their calling they should have the courage to be honest and present the facts, not emotive words such as hostility, prejudice, misogyny, etc, designed to influence supporters of their 'equality' campaign when they have little or no interest whatsoever in priestly ministry. 

Church in Wales Governing Body and Christian Aid

The Bishop of Monmouth at GB in 2017 (left) and the Bishop of Bangor (right), +Richard's cover for absence, in 2019     Source: Twitter #govbody

Christian Aid Week 12-18 May 2019

"This year’s Christian Aid Week focuses on standing together to help families weather future storms – #StandTogether."

What is truth?

This video is the subject of the 2016 'Featured Post' highlighted in the Right Hand Column: If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything. 

The presentation concludes that it should not be hard to tell a 5' 9" white guy that he is not a 6' 5" Chinese woman. But clearly it is. Why?

Three years on there are increasing reports of intimidation and exclusion for stating what previously would have been regarded as obvious.

Sexing at birth is a normal part of life. One's classification as male or female is duly recorded on one's birth certificate. With gender fluidity, people identifying as genderqueer or non-binary express feelings at variance with their birth classification which everyone else is expected to agree with regardless of any evidence to the contrary. Defying reason it is cultural Marxism gone mad.

So far the only 'men' who have had babies are women who have retained their wombs after transitioning but the success of womb transplants has led some to claim the breakthrough could open up pregnancy to all sexes.

While a tiny minority of people fall into this category the demands of the trendy left are having negative effects on free speech with charges of hate crime for voicing any contrary opinions or simply saying what previously would have been regarded as obvious.

Recently a leading tax expert was sacked by a Think tank for using 'offensive language' after she tweeted that 'men cannot change into women' in a transgender row. In an article and a series of more than 100 tweets she rallied against government proposals allowing people to self-identify as a particular gender.

Jordan Peterson, described as one of the "the greatest thinkers of our time", has been branded a racist, misogynist and an Islamophobe for warning against the dangers of "identity politics and raving ideologues because they are divisive and not grounded in reason or fact".

The government sacked its housing adviser Conservative philosopher Sir Roger Scruton after he appeared to repeat antisemitic statements and denied Islamophobia was a problem. His reported remarks had been taken out of context.

A Cambridge University social scientist Noah Carl has been dismissed after administrators appeared to capitulate to a mob of activists (students and academics) who mounted a campaign to have the scholar fired for “problematic” research. Not because his research is fraudulent or inaccurate, but because "there’s a risk it could lead indirectly to bad actors promoting views that could incite racial or religious hatred". It matters not whether the scholarship is true; the critical thing is whether it upsets people, Quillette reported.

Australian rugby star Israel Folau was pronounced guilty of a "high-level breach of Rugby Australia’s professional players' code of conduct" for expressing his Christian beliefs based on the Bible, eg,1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

Christian Concern has issued a Prayer Alert for Felix Ngole who was expelled from his social work course for saying on Facebook that homosexual practice and other behaviours are sinful. Christian Concern warn that "Court transcripts expose extent of threat to Christian freedoms".

Double standards prevail. The Saatchi Gallery covered up artworks after Muslim visitors' complaints while ‘The Holy Virgin Mary’ by Chris Ofili, an Africanised painting of the mother of Christ that rests on two big slabs of elephant dung was displayed in 1997 despite complaints.

When Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture in 2006 in which he explored the historical and philosophical differences between Islam and Christianity, and the relationship between violence and faith, he was forced to issue an apology in response to the angry reactions.

'Correct' knowledge or belief. What is truth today?

Dreams to reality

Rev. Mary Glasspool (right)  the second openly gay bishop elected in the US Episcopal Church. (AP)

"ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) -  Pope Francis said on Tuesday more study was needed on the role of women deacons in the early Christian Church, which eventually could affect decisions on the role of women today.

"Francis and his predecessors have ruled out allowing women to become priests. But advocates of women priests say a ruling that women in the early Church were ordained ministers might eventually make it easier for a future pope to study the possibility of women priests."

The movement for the ordination of women has a clear track record. Claim victimhood, gain support of secularists, substitute equality for theology, foot in the door, deacon, priest, bishop, LGBT rights, gay church, exclusion of orthodox Anglicans, decline and collapse. Queering the Church continues unabated.

From Another screw in the Anglican coffin (2011): "The slow death of the Anglican church looks set to continue. While the role of bishops and priests becomes ever further divorced from traditional religious reality congregations continue to haemorrhage."

The writing on the wall has been clear for some time.

Postscript [09.05.2019]

On the plane again
"Catholics would do well to pay greater attention to the programme which resulted in the ordination of women in the Church of England." - ignatius his conclave

Countdown to Compostela

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela                                                                                                                                                                    Source: aleteia.org

Reminder to all clergy and laity of the Diocese of Llandaff

Priests from more than 100 churches in Llandaff will be travelling to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain for their Clergy School which takes place from Monday, 13 May to Friday, 17th May, 2019. It will take the form of a pilgrimage

Much of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is closed due to renovation work as will be parishes in the diocese of Llandaff.

Clergy may wish to take a few extra Euros to purchase a guide book as a memento of what they have missed. Alternatively a free virtual tour of the pilgrimage Cathedral is available here, courtesy of turismo.gal.

The clergy school will provide a welcome break for exhausted clergy who have been unable to take time off after Easter.

Accommodation at Hospederia de San Martin de Pinario and charter flights are provided at diocesan expense but clergy are responsible for their own domestic arrangements.

During Lent the faithful should have been making Pipe-Cleaner Persons from 12 inch pipe cleaners as temporary cover for clergy pilgrims.

Some other points to consider:

Arrange for an idle parishioner to care for the vicarage cat(s).

Cancel the milk and any newspapers.

Check medication supplies; sick notes are to be avoided.

Currency for G&Ts and other clergy essentials.

Funerals should be deferred.

Priestly care for the poor, the sick, the needy and those in trouble must wait.

Bishop of Monmouth appointment

A tweet from Governing Body:

#govbody agreed that the right to appoint to the see of Monmouth will not pass to the bench of bishops until 31st October to give time for Monmouth diocese to have time to prepare properly for the Electoral College.

Time for reflection! 

No doubt there will be the usual calls for gender parity by adding a third woman bishop to the bench. 

The consequence of such a move would result in three women bishops in perpetuity in southern Wales, assuming that whenever a female bishop retires she would be replaced by another female bishop to maintain gender balance.

To break this undesirable cycle and provide a better balance for the future, a male bishop is preferable after two female appointments using subsequent appointments to provide a more even balance throughout the Province.

Given the Governing Body's resounding rejection of Archdeacon Peggy Jackson's motion which would have put an end to mutual flourishing, this is an opportune time to take note of the Archbishop's Presidential Address in which he urged members to be ready and willing to listen, "even to things you don’t want to hear...Take upon ourselves that yoke and to take up that cross", to "listen more particularly, listening to the voice of the Father; listening to the voice of the Teacher; listening to the voice of the Spirit; and listening to each other’s voices too."

The appointment of an orthodox bishop would help heal the divisions that have been created unnecessarily. Orthodox opinions need to be heard and balanced against current trends rather than dismissed as irrelevant as defined by the Jackson coterie.

That was the implication of the consultations held to discuss the appointment of women bishops in the Church of Wales. Diocesan meetings called to discuss the Code of Practice consistently called on the Bench of Bishops to provide a traditionalist bishop to minister to Anglicans who wished to retain the original Apostolic integrity of the Province.  

Archbishop Barry Morgan and his bench sitters ignored pleas of the faithful and embarked on a strategy which resulted in Jackson's final assault on orthodoxy at Governing Body.

Taking over the reins after his new Dean of Llandaff, Janet Henderson, spectacularly resigned two months into post, Morgan decreed that the Cathedral Office was not to publish the names of officiants at each of the Cathedral services. His purpose was clear.

Twin integrities were anathema to Barry Morgan as was the appointment of the Provincial Assistant Bishop to provide sacramental assurance and pastoral care for those who in conscience could not receive the sacramental ministry of women in common with the majority of the world's 85 million Anglicans. 

Bishop David Thomas died broken hearted and much of the Church in Wales died with him.

Belatedly there is an opportunity to move forward in hope that the years of decline can be turned around. 

It is too good an opportunity to miss and certainly not one to be bungled.

Archdeacon Jackson's divisive motion beaten

Archdeacon of Llandaff with club

Tweets from Governing Body of the Church in Wales indicate that Peggy Jackson has failed in her latest bid to divide the Church in Wales.

Votes cast:

For               19
Against        63
Abstentions 20

Conscience is not dead.

She should now graciously drop her club and heed her Archbishop's advice:
listen to the voice of God, of the Teacher, of the Spirit and each other’s voices too.




Postscript [10.05.2019]

From Church Times:

Archbishop John Davies who abstained on the vote over the proposals said after the Governing Body meeting that, as far as he was concerned, there was no need to change the code of practice.

He rejected suggestions that the debate had exposed a lack of trust between various factions in the Church. The code of practice was purely in the hands of the bishops and could be torn up tomorrow should they so wish, he said, a situation that was bound to cause concern to traditionalists. “There is, perhaps, a lack of security”, he added.

Archdeacon Peggy Jackson insisted that it was not her intent to drive conservatives or Anglo-Catholics out of the Church. 'Anglican Unscripted' commentators [@ position 19] viewed it differently: having won the battle she was intent on shooting the prisoners.

Are you listening Archbishop?

Yoke with plough formed as a cross drawn by a pair of oxen                                                                                                                       Source: The Hans India

Using analogies of yoke and cross in his Presidential address to the Governing Body of the Church in Wales archbishop John Davies said  "Readiness and willingness to take upon ourselves that yoke and to take up that cross does however demand certain things of us. I referred, a few minutes ago, to an important process which I want to strongly commend to and urge upon you. It’s the process of listening; more particularly, listening to the voice of the Father; listening to the voice of the Teacher; listening to the voice of the Spirit; and listening to each other’s voices too." 

Following the plough drawn by yoked oxen inevitably results in trudging through piles of excrement, something Christians seeking the truth increasingly have to wade through. 

'Listening to each other's voices' in the Church in Wales has become a one-way communication system in which orthodox Christians are expected to hear the words of revisionists and accept them in good grace even if they contradict the voices of the Father, the Teacher and the Spirit.

This sounds very much like another softening up process, particularly when the archbishop adds:

"Readiness and willingness to demonstrate that respectful and gracious attentiveness of mind, soul and spirit, to the Father, to the Teacher, to the Spirit and to each other, may sometimes mean uncomfortably humbling ourselves by being attentive to and listening to things we don’t like and would rather not even hear; things with which we might disagree profoundly. There are almost certainly items on the agenda of this meeting which some of us will, undoubtedly, view in such ways. But hear about them we must, and be respectfully attentive to those who think differently, we must, shining upon them the light of the Father’s wisdom, the light of the Teacher’s love and the light of the Spirit’s grace."

In their Update from the Bench on Same Sex Relationships Statement the bench "pledge to keep listening, listening to everyone, listening for God."

The Governing Body will learn tomorrow what Church in Wales pledges are worth after Peggy Jackson's divisive motion is put to the vote.

If this is to be a new beginning, fine, but so far there has been no obvious humility on the part of the bench or their enforcer, the Archdeacon of Llandaff. A good start can be made by dropping Jackson's motion.

If it is to be more of the same - but faster, there is no hope for the Church in Wales.

Are you listening Archbishop?