Remember you are dust and to dust you will return. Turn from sin and be faithful to Christ. Souce: Twitter
Pot, kettle and black were three words that sprang immediately to mind on reading this tweet from the archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Andrew John.
"Turn from sin and be faithful to Christ"!
The archbishop cannot be unaware of the reaction of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) to the Church of England's decision to follow the Church in Wales and allow clergy to bless couples in same-sex marriages "contrary to the faith and order of the orthodox provinces of the communion whose people constitute the majority in the global flock."
If the bishops of the Church in Wales were to take their archbishop's advice, that would indeed be a significant start to Lent.
Trainee priest Calvin Robinson Source: Mail Online
The MailOnline reports that despite spending more than £20,000 of parishioners’ money on sending him to study theology at at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, Calvin Robinson was blocked from becoming a priest in the Church of England by a white bishop for saying that Britain is not a racist country.
Lecturing him about racism in the church, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, told Calvin, "As a white woman I can tell you that the Church IS institutionally racist."
They had been discussing the Church’s race policy, which Calvin had been vocally objecting to for some time. The bishop could not understand that as a black man, he simply did not share her – and the Church hierarchy’s – view on this contentious issue.
He says, "The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has proclaimed that the Church of England is ‘deeply institutionally racist’ and called for ‘radical and decisive’ action. Last year an Anti-Racism Task Force recommended using quotas to boost the number of black and ethnic-minority senior clergy, introducing salaried ‘racial justice officers’ in all 42 dioceses and launching ‘racial justice Sunday’ once a year."
Calvin said that he fundamentally disagreed with this approach, which is based on a faith in divisive Left-wing Critical Race Theory, instead of the teachings of Christ. I believe it is divisive and offensive.
The Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev Jonathan Baker, told Calvin that there had been ‘a lot of turbulence’ over some of the views he had expressed online and on TV. It was no secret that senior figures in the Church disliked him.
Calvin said, "I am after all a traditionalist – which means I do not believe in the ordination of women – and I have never been afraid to voice my criticism of the Church’s drift away from what I, and many of its parishioners, think are its core values. I did not expect everyone to agree with me, but what I did expect is the right to express my own opinions. I had always been taught that the Church of England was a broad church."
Emails obtained via data-protection rules revealed that bishops at the very top of the Church of England had been closely scrutinising Calvin's public comments: ‘His political agenda is I guess what you would call libertarian – anti-woke, anti-identity politics, Covid-sceptical,’ the Bishop of Fulham wrote in one email. ‘His tweets get him into trouble sometimes and there have been complaints to the Bishop of London that he shouldn’t be ordained.’
Calvin was to be ordained as a deacon with a part-time role as assistant curate at St Alban’s Church in Holborn, central London. In February the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev Jonathan Baker, told him the role was ‘likely to prove problematic, and would not lead to a fruitful or happy formation for you in your early years in ordained ministry’. He offered to reduce his media work but was told he would still not be able to take up the proposed role because ‘that moment had passed’.
At a meeting with Calvin, Bishop Mullally insisted the decision was not about his politics, but because his ‘presence’ on social media and TV ‘is often divisive and brings disunity’.
Presumably the bishop of London has not noticed the ever present Gogglebox star, the Rev Kate Bottley on TV and elsewhere along with countless clergy who constantly tweet their trivia on Twitter.
Kate is described on Wikipedia as "a Church of England priest in North Nottinghamshire, a role which she combines with her other roles of journalist, media presenter and reality television star. She appears frequently on British radio and television as well as in newspapers."
As Calvin pointed out, it’s not just issues of race and gender.
It seems the Church will affirm any liberal progressive secular view, but clamp down on conservative views, either political or theological.
"If you defend family values, the sanctity of marriage, all human life being sacred, or the fact that God made us male and female, you will face opprobrium" he said.
"Something has gone wrong. The established Church is entering apostasy, and the faithful masses in the congregations and the hard-working clergy deserve better."
Exactly!
Postscript [01.06.2022]
From Twitter: Cancelled by Woke Church of England - Calvin Robinson
The penalty for keeping the faith. Welcome to the club!
Ven Cherry Vann, bishop elect of Monmouth Source: Church in Wales
From a Diocese of Monmouth job advert appearing in the Church Times:
"Do you want local churches to flourish?
"Monmouth Ministry Area is looking for 2 Ministry Area Leaders to share Ministry Area Leadership for the whole area and each to be incumbent of a group of parishes within it. One incumbency has a more urban base.
"The whole area has18 churches (6 looked after by House for Duty priests) A team of 13 active retired priests and a Reader Focal Ministers in most churches."
There are some sad average Sunday attendance figures in the Monmouth Ministry Area Profile which no doubt account for the advert headline. Granted they serve many small rural communities but with ageing congregations it is difficult to see how these churches are to flourish.
The average Sunday attendance figures are:
The Monmouth Town Group: Mitchel Troy 18, Monmouth Priory Church 51,Overmonnow 46, Rockfield 8, Wonastow 6.
The Llandogo and Tintern Group: Llandogo with Whitebrook 42, Tintern 7 (Estimated)
The problem extends beyond the Church in Wales. The Mail Online reports that a typical Anglican congregation in England numbered just 27 worshippers last year. "Over a decade congregations fell by 15 per cent, church marriages by a third, and fewer than one in ten babies were baptised."
Churchgoing is becoming increasingly unpopular. Why?
Responding (@18.27) to a LBC questioner in my previous entry Justin Welby said he was "deeply, deeply sorry" that "the Church has historically been deeply intolerant, with society as a whole, but the Church has no excuse. Jesus said to someone caught, someone dragged up in front of Him, 'those without sin cast the first stone' and we shouldn't be throwing stones" as if to imply that Jesus condoned sin.
The Christian message would have been much clearer if Welby had quoted Jesus when asked by the woman caught in adultery: "Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
Biblical teaching has become so selective that for many people sin has been abolished so there is no need for redemption.
Welby also said: "People have to realise the reality of people's lives. The reason he is a Christian is because God came into the middle of the complexity, he didn't simplify it, he embraced it. It's what we need to do".
Hate the sin but love the sinner has become love the sinner so never mind the sin implying that Christ died on the Cross in vain.
Churches cannot be expected to flourish by surrendering the faith of Christ crucified to a 'do-as-you-please' society.
Archbishop of Wales, John Davies Source: Brecon & Radnor Express
From the Brecon & Radnor Express: "In his message for St David’s Day, the Archbishop of Wales, John Davies urged his followers to follow the example of St David to make our society strong, robust and caring."
A comment which sums up what has gone wrong with Anglicanism.
Followers of the former Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan, now lead the Church in Wales.
Followers of Christ have been left to fall by the wayside.
In his St David's Day message the archbishop talks of society, not the Kingdom of Heaven.
Following the example of the bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy, John Davies quotes from the life of St David:
"Community, commitment and concern are things that can make our society strong, robust and caring, and that an ability to live in harmony alongside those with whom we might have significant differences mark us out as decent, honourable, people."
The archbishop has overlooked the fact that the bench of bishops would be ruled out of being "decent, honourable, people" since they have no time for anyone who follows Christ not them.
Transgender people are to be encouraged to become priests in a new diversity drive launched by bishops.
In a move likely to drive more Anglicans from the Church, the notion of a biological man who self-identifies as a woman standing at the altar is topped only by a biological woman standing there self identifying as a man in the person of Christ.
It cannot get any worse when bishops turn tragedy into mockery. No wonder Anglicanism is in crisis.
Preparing for ordination to the Deaconate by fasting with Muslims CinW
Tomorrow, Church in Wales ordinand Sara Roberts will spend the day at Bangor Islamic Centre, before joining with the Iftar, the meal which Muslims share to break/end their day time fast during Ramadan, according to a Diocesan press release from Bangor.
If her face looks familiar she previously appeared on this blog as a member of the Diocese of Bangor’s new LGBT+ Chaplaincy Team. You have to wonder what the local Imam makes of that given Islam's absolute rejection of homosexuality.
Presumably the bishop of Bangor is content with this arrangement which makes it all the more worrying. Perhaps the Dean of Bangor facilitated the visit given her Muslim links. But the Iftar is not a first. Archbishop Justin Welby has already been 'honoured' in joining Muslims breaking their daily Ramadan fast.
As the church embraces Islam I am reminded of an earlier departure from accepted norms when a deacon down South proudly described herself as "Reiki Master, Feng Shui practitioner, Crystal Healer and Deacon".
No doubt these people have the best of intentions but for the Church? I am sure Ms Roberts means well but one has to wonder about the selection process for ordination in the Church on Wales. Islam and Christianity are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to beliefs.
Ms Roberts said, “There are many reasons why I am doing this: to show solidarity to our Muslim neighbours, to share in this powerful testament to faith, to contemplate my approaching ordination and what it means and to explore more deeply the relationship between food, prayer and connection to the Divine." What testament to faith? Islam or Christianity?
The problem is that Islam denies Christ died on the cross. Under Sharia Christians are given the options of convert to Islam, pay the dhimmi jizya tax or die. As pleasant as her Muslim neighbours may be, that is what they are taught. As they grow in numbers their demands increase. If the diocese of Bangor needs any proof they should just look beyond our borders at Islamic states abroad.
One hopes that Ms Roberts will feel able to preach the Gospel without fear of offending her Muslim friends. Christ died on the cross. He is the only way to the Father
My 'In tray' this morning contained a recommended tweet, #Rio2016. Above is the lead 'photo'.
'Christ the Redeemer' is, for some, "the ultimate religious symbol", for others, an "irresistible tourist attraction". Read about the construction of this modern wonder of the world here.
As celebrity cults continue to be pumped out by the media with the BBC frequently taking the lead, questions have been asked about why the BBC 'ignores Olympian Usain Bolt's commitment to Christ': "Usain Bolt is a Bible-believing, God-honoring, Jesus-worshipping Christian. But not a whisper from the BBC; not a word of explanation of the real significance of these 'moments to himself.'"
By contrast Mo Fara's Muslim prayers on the track are a constant reminder of his faith before displaying his characteristic 'M' symbol on his head.
Many interpretations will be applied to the changed Rio image of Christ, all detracting from the primary image of Christ the Redeemer but few today will care if Christians are offended by it.
The Olympic movement strives to strengthen its ideals by condemning the Egyptian judo star who refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent after being beaten and there was widespread praise for the Olympic spirit when New Zealand and American runners helped each other during their race after collision.
If the BBC and the rest of the media displayed similar standards Christians would have less cause for concern.
The "Blood and Water" Witness to Jesus Christ (1 John 5:6) To understand the point being made by the use of this phrase, it will be helpful to examine the use of "water" and "blood" in the Gospel and the epistles of John. While water is mentioned in the epistles only here, several significant references to it are found in the Gospel. The Baptist baptizes with water (1:26, 31, 33), as does Jesus (3:22; 4:1-2), and the water symbolizes cleansing. Jesus changes water set aside for the Jewish rites of purification to wine (2:1-12). He speaks of the necessity to be born of "water and the Spirit" (3:5-8), where "water and Spirit" probably connotes one idea, namely, cleansing by the Holy Spirit (compare Ezek 36:25-27). Thus water also symbolizes the gift of the Spirit (4:13-14; 7:37-39) given by the risen Jesus. Together these references stress the idea of purifying, and particularly the purifying effected by the Spirit of God... Read on
"British citizens are right to fear mass migration" Source: Express/Getty
Over the past week the media was full of the Archbishop of Canterbury's claim that "British citizens have a right to 'fear' the migrant crisis". The Telegraph put it more bluntly: "For the many millions of Britons who have seen their country changed irrevocably in recent years, his words are too little, too late".
Archbishop Justin Welby said that many Britons had a genuine and justified fear of mass immigration. In fragile communities particularly there was a genuine fear about housing, jobs and access to health services.
Important as these matters are there is a more fundamental concern, that of social cohesion which requires co-operation but for Muslim communities this is only on their terms. As they increase in strength they demand increasing privileges for themselves on religious grounds regardless of the impact on others. Immigrant Muslims do not leave the perils of their ideology behind them, they bring them with them, adding to the demands for special treatment.
Coverage of Archbishop Welby's intervention by the BBC included video clips of schools in which there were no indigenous white children in sight, confirming earlier reports that in more than 200 schools nine in ten pupils do not speak English as their mother tongue and that 14 different languages including Pahari, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Somali, Polish, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Portuguese, Arabic, Spanish and Pashto, are spoken in some schools, increasing the pressure on scarce resources.
In another BBC video in which descendants of immigrant families featured, the problem of integration rather than immigration was identified without mentioning the biggest problem, the formation of Islamic enclaves where Muslims live according to their own imported laws. In January 2013, Manchester University statistician Ludi Simpson analyzed official data from the 2011 census and found that native white Britons are already a minority in Leicester (45%), Luton (45%) and Slough (35%). He also forecast that they would be a minority in Birmingham by 2019, nearly a decade earlier than the previous estimate.
Despite the glaring problem of integration, Church and State tend to regard Islam as just another religion which has been hijacked by a few fundamentalists. These 'terrorists', (Islamists) plan terror attacks around the world including attacks on those they regard as bad Muslims. Ironically the attackers are 'good' Muslims in their ideology because they are following their prophet's example, believing that slaughter of the innocent to be God's will. As they maim and kill their defenceless victims they cry 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greater).
Ignoring the facts that Christians and Jews are being specifically targeted, misguided clerics encourage the spread of Islam in this country. The evidence for the Muslim invasion is broadcast daily. Archbishop Welby says proclaiming the Gospel is “integral to being a Christian” so why the softly, softly approach to Islam when the only answer to the world's problem is to expose the ideology for what it is, one of supremacy regardless of the consequences.
"Western policies of multiculturalism are founded on the principle that immigration should not discriminate on the basis of nationality, creed, race or any other distinguishing feature among people. Yet such refusal to take account of the differences and oppositions that are essential to human nature mean that well-intentioned Western immigration programs are setting up the rivalries and conflicts of the future."
There are fundamental differences between Christians and Muslims which cannot be dismissed. Why, after the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, would the Angel Gabriel confide in Muhammad that it was all a load of baloney and that God's real purpose was to crush everyone who did not conform to a warlord's modus operandi?
Diluting the faith is not the answer, it is a matter of conversion. Doubting clerics should read 'Christ has revolutionised my life' here.
Postscript [16.03.2016]
THE GENOCIDE OF CHRISTIANS. Petition to recognise the genocide of Christians and other minorities. Please read and sign here.
At their meeting later this month the Governing Body (GB) of the Church in Wales (HT LNYD blog here) will discuss Assisted Dying and the Archbishop's current hobbyhorse, Same-sex Marriage - or the assisted killing of the Church in Wales as she has been handed down.
Mimicking the previous ruse used for admitting women to the Episcopate, cosy chats are being organised to discuss the blatantly loaded scenario:
"A couple of the same sex come to worship in your parish. After a period of attendance, and enthusiastic participation in church life, they enquire if their relationship can be blessed. How can the Church in Wales respond to same sex couples – theologically and pastorally?"
The Archbishop should know better than most how many gay couples are already in his Church with his blessing and have been worshiping without impediment for many years.
Yes, indeed, pity about the church! This photo appeared in the Telegraph last November above an article headed, 'Women bishops: a failure of leadership'. It makes interesting reading going over it again in the light of more recent comments about forcing through legislation for the consecration of women bishops. The author wrote: "How, though, can the Church of England move forward? As a body, we seem to have been quite slow in learning that diversity, disagreement and differences cannot simply be managed into consensus. The political, synodical or managerial solutions that have been proffered so far have singularly failed to inspire and galvanise most of the debaters. And the public, understandably, has switched off in droves.
In my parish it is not the public who have switched off in droves. Most were never switched on. It is the congregations who have switched off. The daily Masses were well attended before the ordination of women. The parish clergy were always present save for some other more urgent reason but no longer. The few services which survive may have one or two in the congregation or none at all leading to cancellation and the likelihood of more closures. All this at a time when women are said to be enriching the life of the church. The women priests we have had in the parish have been popular enough but the priesthood is not a popularity contest. On a social level women priests may satisfy a need but that need is basically secular, a sort of social work for the better off based on a chat over coffee on an occasional Sunday.
In his book Vatican published in 1986 Malachi Martin writes:
"It's a democratic sounding thing to say that everyone is free to believe anything he chooses. But according to Catholic doctrine, you are never free to choose error, and certainly not to teach it, no matter how much you pant after acceptance. The Sacraments of our faith and our faith itself are, in our belief, channels of real, honest to goodness grace. And grace is a real thing. A real connection between God and ourselves. A direct avenue between us and Him. If you choose error, you opt away from grace. And without grace, the validity of the Sacraments and the attraction of faith itself disappears. To the degree that happens I think men will not feel the pull to the priesthood exerted by the Holy Spirit that you and I did and still do. And I think ordinary people will see little reason to come to a Church that turns away from grace, that is not a source of grace."
So back to the Telegraph; the article continued: "What is needed, I think, is better and inspiring theological leadership (not just clearer or louder) that will lift the debate into a different dimension. This was lacking on the floor of the Synod debate on Tuesday. And its more general absence from the Church quickly leads to rather pedestrian debates about the rights of groups and individuals, how they compete and conflict, and how to find compromise."
Where is that better and inspiring leadership? Our spiritual guides have ignored agreed process and drawn into their discussions determined women to deliberate on foregone conclusions with bishops who, in general, hold their positions because of their slavish adherence to current fashion. They regard their small corner as 'the church' when in fact they are but a tiny minority which presumes to condemn faithful Anglicans as 'small interest groups' when, in fact, their interest is the universal, catholic Church, not one small corner.
But as Malachi Martin put it: "It is still Christ's Church we serve and if it is we have His guarantee that it
will go on, it has survived attacks from within and from without many times
before. But the crucifixion of His Church like the crucifixion of Christ
Himself will serve His purpose in the end. Should we ask to be spared when He
did not spare Himself? Or like Peter who felt unworthy to be crucified as his
Lord was, and like the Christians we are, should we not offer our work and our
sufferings to be made a part of His?"
The latest 'act of leadership' comes from The Church of England's most senior civil servant who has warned that it cannot afford another "train crash" over the issue of female bishops when the matter is discussed at the General Synod next month. The arrogance of Mr Fittall is that he bids us to do his thing rather than His.
Palm Sunday sees the start of Christ's journey to the cross. He was not alone in being crucified then and He is not alone now. A few days ago we witnessed the inaugurations of two of the most significant church leaders, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, both of whom have taken up the cross in their own distinctive styles. Also in an 'historic first' after nearly 1,000 years, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople attended the inauguration of Pope Francis. Few are called to be priest and bishop, fewer still to be Patriarch or Pope but all Christ's disciples are called to take up their cross.
With humility and reconciliation giving each other the space we need to live and worship according to conscience we may yet all be one.
As a child I was taught that Anger, or Wrath (Latin, ira), also known as "rage", was one of the seven deadly sins. It is described in Wikipedia as "inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. Wrath, in its purest form, presents with self-destructiveness, violence, and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries. Wrath may persist long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead. Feelings of anger can manifest in different ways, including impatience, revenge, and vigilantism. Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self-interest, although one can of course be wrathful for selfish reasons, such as jealousy (closely related to the sin of envy). Dante described vengeance as "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite". In its original form, the sin of anger also encompassed anger pointed internally as well as externally. Thus suicide was deemed as the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of hatred directed inwardly, a final rejection of God's gifts."
I see that the Diocese of Lichfield is to hold an open Women Bishops meeting, announced here, at the express wish of the four bishops of the diocese in the wake of the defeated legislation at General Synod last November. Standing orders will be suspended so that non-members can "speak and express their own views about two key issues: 1)What we can do in this diocese to help General Synod pass legislation that enables women to be consecrated as bishops – as has already been agreed in principle – while acknowledging and respecting those who oppose the change. 2)What steps we need to take to recover the credibility of synodical governance." Widespread anger has already been reported by the House of Bishops without rebuke so it is no surprise that the Synod will also consider this motion: “Hodnet Deanery: 1)is shocked and angry about the General Synod vote which prevented the consecration of Women Bishops. 2)Reaffirms our strong conviction that it is God’s will that women be ordained as bishops in the Church of England. 3)Calls on the House of Bishops to explore, as a matter of great urgency, every possible avenue to effect the will of the Church on this issue.” What is it about this current generation that after two thousand years of apparent ignorance they think they know God's will above all who have gone before including the Apostles and even Christ Himself? They don't. The Anglican church here and in the US is being taken over by self-promoting clerics who have no interest other than self advancement. If any have a right to anger it is those who remain true to the faith butvengeanceis mine saith the Lord!
The message is clear but challenging in today's world. It is very easy to make excuses for not giving money to the beggar or taking in the needy. There are alternatives. The parable of The Good Samaritan illustrates the importance of being kind but letting experts deal with these perplexing issues, DG. "Lord, forgive me, the sinner!"
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
After man first set foot on the moon, mankind was left with the historic statement, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". Everyone understood that the statement was not intended to exclude women but to encompass all humanity in the technological advancement of mankind which has seen men and women astronauts venture into space, part of a sequence of small steps that led to Kennedy's vision of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth".
Around the same time people in the Anglican church were taking what were represented as small steps, not towards a giant leap for mankind, Christ did that, but in what now can be seen clearly as a secular policy in furtherance of gender politics in the church, a process which is about to destroy the faith of many Christians in the name of feminism, one which already has done for many. In my previous Blog entry I referred to a Guardianarticle by Andrew Brown. One paragraph continues to rankle:
"... there will be female bishops, as there are already female priests, and these will be treated exactly the same as male ones – except by the men who don't want to treat them equally and who believe that God has called them to undermine women's authority wherever it appears." [My emphasis.]
What was initially regarded as an honourable position in the Anglican Church, a church which assured traditionalists that they would continue to have a place, has been turned into one of having to suffer accusations of misogyny, prejudice, discrimination and, now, a "a belief that God has called them to undermine women's authority wherever it appears". How crass. God made man and woman in his own image, not hermaphrodites but both male and female, equal, neither superior nor inferior but with different roles in creation. Perhaps Mr Brown doesn't realise that both men and women, male and female, are equally opposed to the ordination of women priests and bishops, woman more vehemently in my experience but more prone to suffer in silence as they do not possess the strident streak exhibited by those who presume to speak for them as implied by the incorrectly named WATCH - Women and the Church. Women's authority does not depend on being a priest or a bishop. In Britain women are rightly employed at all levels in society, but 'authority' in the Anglican Church has become a banner used by people who have sold their souls to secularism in direct contradiction to Christ's example in choosing male Apostles, a tradition handed down in His Apostolic Church from a time when pagan priestesses were common.
The 'small' steps that turned deaconesses into deacons thus permitting their ordination as priests have now become that giant leap for the Church of England with the proposals before Synod to ordain women as successors to the Apostles in defiance of the wider Catholic and Orthodox Churches with whom we share our creed. To brand men andwomen who oppose this innovation and whose only desire is to keep the Apostolic faith as 'undermining women's authority' is as absurd as it is offensive.
A further drop in Church of England attendance has been reported. Average Sunday attendance fell from 944,400 in 2009 to 923,700 the following year, continuing the long-term downward trend. Hardly the result one might have expected after the church decided to make itself more relevant to society by becoming ever more secular.
In an unhelpful Blog article for the Guardian on the prospect of women bishops in the CofE, Andrew Brown writes: "The Church of England's fudge on female bishops is breathtaking". He concludeswith the comment: "It may be possible to fudge questions about the nature of a communion wafer in this way. But I don't think it will do for a matter of employment law." So the Body of Christ can be fudged but Its administration by the sacred ministry is something that should be determined by employment law! No wonder so many churches are for sale with plenty more to come as attendance dwindles.
The theme of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is 'We will be changed'. From the Churches Together site:
"Change is at the heart of our Christian faith. Saint Paul said that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, and we are called to live as children in the light.
The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012 comes to us from the churches in Poland, who have reflected upon their own experience as a nation, and in particular how, as a nation, they have been changed and transformed by the many upheavals of their history, and sustained by their faith.
Change is also at the heart of the ecumenical movement. When we pray for the unity of the church we are praying that the churches that we know and which are so familiar to us will change as they conform more closely to Christ. This is an exciting vision, but also a challenging one. Furthermore, when we pray for this transforming unity we are also praying for change in the world."
The upheavals in the Anglican church may have brought joy to some but for the church it has been a disaster with litigation and arguments about the nature of the priesthood, gay and lesbian ordination and same sex marriage which no doubt is now regarded as acceptable on the grounds that there is 'no theological objection', the Anglican justification for female ordination. These changes have had a wholly negative impact on the church when our aim should be unity with the Roman Catholic church from which we have become separated and the Orthodox Church.
If women in England and Wales are to be ordained bishops because of secular employment laws, then 'we will all be changed'. We will be changed but in the wrong direction, choosing Protestantism rather than the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy, the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of our baptism, driving us further than ever from church unity. As Synod members prepare to vote, they should not be influenced by secular employment laws but follow Christ's example and listen to His prayer that we all may be one.
" 'WOMEN have an important role to play in leading the Church in Wales', Archbishop Barry Morgan has said ahead of its governing body’s examination of the issue next year. Speaking to the Western Mail, Dr Morgan said he was holding on to the hope that the church will accept women bishops before he steps down. Proposals to enable women to enter the episcopate were backed in 2008 by bishops and laity in the governing body but failed by three votes to win the necessary two-thirds majority among clergy. A new vote will not be taken in April but the subject will be examined in detail." [Dec 26 2011]
Perhaps he is unfortunate in his choice of friends but the latest report in Virtue Online is a devastating critique of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori's ministry with the headline - 'Violent Images for God: She Describes the Son of God as a Hell's Angel "Gang Leader" and "Party Animal". Her lack of concern for all American Anglicans as well as for the wider Anglican Communion comes from her own deformed image of God. Everyone in the Episcopal Church and indeed the Anglican Communion has suffered because of her confused thinking.'
" 'WOMEN should be represented at all levels of the church', the most powerful Anglican in the US has said during a visit to Wales. A familiar ring but there's more: 'There has been remarkable women’s leadership throughout the church’s history. The apostle to the apostles, Mary Magdalene, who reports the resurrection for the first time, is a remarkable witness to women’s leadership in the early church. It’s clear that many of the early church communities were sheltered and led and supported by women. The church has elected to forget that in many instances" [Jul 2010]. Step up PB Jefferts Schori, the new Mary Magdalene, showing the church the way. In the Episcopal Church of the US it looks like the road to ruin.
Women in dog collars have done nothing to advance Christ's kingdom on earth as churches continue to empty. If the PB Jefferts Schori's Episcopal Church is an example of what is to come we may as well give up now.
Happy Epiphany!
Postscript Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams raises an eyebrow over the actions of his American flock. Report here.
Reflection in this season of Advent has led to hope, trust anddespair. Despair that the Anglican church many of us have known and loved is departing from the Universal Church, trust in the unity offered through the Ordinariate, and hope that if that journey is made, it is steered in accordance with Christ's example alone.
I came across the above icon in a Blog while reflecting on the 'One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church'. At first I was encouraged by what I found in the opening statement:
"Our Lord Jesus Christ, before his crucifixion, prayed to His heavenly Father asking that His disciples be one, just as He and His Father are one (John 17:20-23). This is the prayer of all true Christians. It is for this reason that we confess in our Creed that we believe “in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” in which we are saved."
Reading on led to despair. What followed was another story of division, the same division that disgraces the rest of the Universal Church furthering the cause of secularism by giving ammunition to detractors.
In the past week I have found myself in discussions with people of various persuasions; atheist, Catholic and Anglican. In response to an atheist's question about the Holy Grail, a Catholic present explained about transubstantiation and appeared surprised by my agreement as if transubstantiation meant nothing to an Anglican. Then a traditionalist Anglo Catholic told me how he had been sidelined by the new wave of Anglicans in his church, showing no understanding of the catholic faith or reverence for the Sacrament. All this came in the wake of the controversy started by the Bishop of London about the new Roman Missal, commented on in the Catholic Herald by Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith and followed up by him with "Catholics are being deceived into attending non-Catholic services" when he wrote:
"If a Roman Catholic from France or Italy visits this unidentified church and sees that the Roman rite is seemingly in progress, they would not unnaturally assume that the church was a Roman Catholic Church, in communion with the Holy Father, wouldn’t they? But they would be mistaken. Such a church uses the Roman Missal, but is not a Roman Catholic church, and is not authorised to use the Roman Missal by the Bishop of the diocese (the Catholic bishop, I mean; the Anglican bishop has also forbidden it). Moreover the persons attempting to celebrate Mass are not recognised as priests by the Roman Catholic Church. In short, the visitor from France or Italy may see what looks like the Mass, but what is in fact not the Mass."
"Moreover the persons attempting to celebrate Mass are not recognised as priests by the Roman Catholic Church". Really? So what are non-Roman Catholics doing at the altar? 'Catholic' is not a trade mark belonging exclusively to the Roman Catholic Church. Like it or not, members of the Anglican church profess the same belief in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Also, the Orthodox Church claims to be the true church so who is to say that we are not partakers of the one bread? Priests who converted to Roman Catholicism have been know to comment that their former Anglican congregations often had more knowledge and understanding of the faith than many of the cradle Catholics in their new congregations who simply pop in to Mass and out again as quickly as possible, often on a Saturday evening thus avoiding any lengthy period of worship. I know many 'Catholics' who think nothing of going to an Anglican church to receive* the sacrament and I have seen Roman Catholic priests who, although they do not receive, cross themselves at the elevation.
As Christians united in baptism we all 'look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come'. Here and now in our own way, 'the people of the Lord' do as Jesus bade us unconstrained by earthly dogmas. Anglo Catholics do not kneel at the altarin vain. None of us knows the day or the hour but when the hour comes we can all say in good conscience, we received the Body and Blood of Christ by faith with thanksgiving.
* Read an Anglican priest's experience on Fr Mervyn's Blog here.
The Lord Bishop of Oxford has been looking at figures again. Not filling Church of England schools with Muslims this time but looking forward to having the first woman bishop in his county.
He said "I am delighted we have got to this stage. We have had women deacons and priests for the last 17 years and it’s absolutely logical if we have women as deacons and priests we should also be able to have them as bishops." Faith by numbers. The illogical agenda of modern bishops which has virtually destroyed the Anglican Church as we knew it has nothing to do with the faith of the early church, tiny, determined, believing in the example set by Christ. It spreads secularism in stages so that it looks perfectly natural. Natural because the church is viewed by most people from a secular perspective seeing people in the workplace with leaders dressed up to give them a stature they would not otherwise enjoy.
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
As Pope Benedict's visit to his German homeland draws to a close, this screen grab of Mass being celebrated in the Olympic Stadium illustrates how insignificant we appear from above. Despite that, the intensity of debate continues as we strive for unity. Lutherans in particular had been hoping for a gesture to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. The Pope acknowledged that there had been talk that his visit would produce an 'ecumenical gift' but said that it was a 'political misreading of faith and of ecumenism.' Emphasising the point he said, "A self-made faith is worthless. Faith is not something we work out intellectually and negotiate between us. It is the foundation for our lives."
Compare that statement with the report of his meeting with Orthodox Christians when Pope Benedict said, "the Orthodox are theologically closest to us; Catholics and Orthodox both have the same basic structure inherited from the ancient Church. So we may hope that the day is not too far away when we may once again celebrate the Eucharist together".
So where does the Anglican church stand? The position is neatly summed-up in this Blog but undeterred, the Anglican church has chosen relativism over unity. Depressing though it is, all is not lost. Closing his homily for electing the Supreme Pontiff, the then Cardinal Ratziger said, "At this time, however, let us above all pray insistently to the Lord that after his great gift of Pope John Paul II, he will once again give us a Pastor according to his own heart, a Pastor who will guide us to knowledge of Christ, to his love and to true joy. Amen." Unbeknown to him, that prayer was to be answered in Benedict XVI himself and in answer to Christ's prayer for unity the Ordinariate will be his legacy for Anglicans, hopefully to be followed by communion with the Orthodox church, God willing.
