Governing Body Highlight

 

There was one highlight at this month's meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales. That was the presentation at agendum 16 Open Doors – supporting the persecuted Church.

My readers will have been here before. There have been various entries highlighting Christian persecution around the world, for example,  What it means for others to be a Christian.

How Christians suffer for their faith can be seen in an earlier 2022 video from Open Doors.

Many Christians are prepared to die for their faith while others call on the love of Jesus to justify Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DIE) which dilutes their faith. The contrast could not be more stark.

Postscripts [07.09.2024]

1. From The Christian Post - Five companies that are scaling back DEI, LGBT advocacy

2. From Anglican Futures - Will the Church in Wales be extinct in 15 years? "...it appears the Bishops of the Church in Wales seem determined to drive the church over the precipice."

Church of England follows Wales into the wilderness

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron blesses
the Revd Lee Taylor and his civil partner, Fabiano da Silva Duarte.
Source: Church Times

From Premier Christian News: 

"The Church of England has moved closer to offering standalone services for the blessing of same-sex couples. Members of the Church’s legislative body have backed proposals to trial the specific services from 2025 as part of the Living in Love and Faith process.

"The services are set to begin in 2025 as part of a three-year trial, pending the provision of 'pastoral reassurance' which would allow clergy and congregations opposed to the new arrangements to be overseen by like-minded bishops." Details here.

So the Church of England is following the Church in Wales in which a couple received the first same-sex  blessing in 2021.

 Commented at the time: "On Monday 6 September, the Church in Wales voted to allow its clergy to bless same-sex ‘marriages’ and civil partnerships. This was not entirely unexpected given the decline of Christian doctrine and ethics within the Church in Wales in recent years." - The Church in Wales abandons the Christian faith.

It has also abandoned those Anglicans who strive to keep the Christian faith.

Discrimination and violence against women

 

An ideology that permits the behaviour described above has no place in civilised society yet its adherents are courted by politicians to gain their support. Even supposedly Christian leaders fall into the same trap.

The goal of Islam is to take over the entire world because they believe that Muslims have a right given by their God, Allah, to "take over the lands of the inferior non-Muslim nations where infidels do not believe in Islam and refuse to worship Allah."

The fate of the West in Muslim eyes has already been made clear. 

How can anyone who enjoys their freedom vote for supporters of such an ideology?

Postscript  08.07.2024

The Islamist threat to the West explained by a Palestinian ex-militant.

Christians surrendering to Islam

The Islamic Grand Iftar celebrated recently at Bristol Cathedral 
Source: X (formerly Twitter)

The organisers of the Islamic Grand Iftar in Bristol Cathedral last week claimed it shows unity. 

The reality is different as witnessed here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here among many other references to be found on X (formerly Twitter) and news outlets.

There is no reciprocity. No concessions to those Islam regards as infidels and dhimmis yet Muslims are allowed to pray in Christian churches which are then regarded by them as mosques in which to pray that there is no god but Allah. 

What hope is there for Christianity in this country when the Churches surrender to Islam in this absurd one-way traffic!

Postscript [10.04.2024]

Adhan (Call to Prayer) in Buckingham Palace. What next? 

Blind guide

The Archbishop of Wales enjoying the Cardiff Iftar Source: X (Twitter)

Posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Archbishop Andrew John:

"What a delight to attend the Cardiff #Iftar organised by the Bangladesh Chamber of Trade. We  have much to celebrate and learn from each other."

The archbishop certainly has much to learn. He could do no better than start by watching this video from Dr Gavin Ashenden: 

A simple Google search shows that 'Iftar' is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of adhan, the call to prayer declaring that there is no God but Allah. Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe that the Qur'an was sent down from heaven "as a guidance for men and women, a declaration of direction, and a means of salvation."

If archbishop John believes in Christian salvation he should be familiar with Jesus' declaration in John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

However well intentioned, such gestures as made by the archbishop are a one-way traffic which help endorse a political ideology that regards Christians as infidels to be persecuted for their witness to Christ.

Whilst it is true that the majority of Muslims live peacefully, it takes only a few to stir up trouble and wreak havoc by those who follow the Qur'an literally. 

The Islamic State group have already claimed responsibility for recent atrocities in Russia and in Afghanistan. See also here and here. 

Similar events have been perpetrated in Great Britain by members of the so called religion of peace.

While it is understandable that politicians are eager not to offend Muslim voters it is inexcusable that some Christian leaders appear not to believe their own Bible.

Church in Wales excesses

The Catholic Church in Wales                 Dioceses                       The Anglican Church in Wales

The Archbishop of Cardiff, the Most Rev Mark O’Toole, who is also the Bishop of Menevia, has announced that he wants to merge two of the three Catholic dioceses in Wales which would result in just two dioceses covering the whole of Wales, one in the North and one in the South.

According to Wikipedia the estimated Catholic population of the Diocese of Menevia is 26,266 out of a total population of 788,550 (3.3%). Googling indicates that the Catholic population in the Archdiocese of Cardiff was 132,450 in 2021.

Current Church in Wales attendance figures are a matter of speculation since they are no longer reported but the latest membership  figure for the whole of Wales published in Wikipedia was 45,759 in 2016 compared with 91,247 in 1996. The average Sunday attendance of Anglicans over 18 in 2016 had fallen to 26,110.

Ignoring the recommendations in the 2012 Church in Wales Review, the ever shrinking Anglican Church in Wales still maintains six dioceses with six diocesan bishops, deans, numerous archdeacons and a growing army of administrators to assist the bishops.

Church in Wales bishops are out of control. They have abandoned the Christian faith for the excesses of secularism and have left many faithful Anglicans with no sacramental or pastoral provision. 

A wicked end to a once great Church.

'By their deeds you will know them'

Source: The New Humanitarian

 

While the Gaza/Israel conflict has dominated the news an estimated population of around 120,000 Armenian Christians have been expelled from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh. In an act described as Cultural Genocide, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world has been destroyed.

It has been estimated that in the birthplace of Christianity, Christians now make up approximately 5% of the Middle Eastern population, down from 20% in the early 20th century.

Meanwhile Islam continues to expand. Cultural jihad has resulted in thousands of Muslims importing their ideology into the Western world. The consequences of multi-culturalism rather than assimilation  can be observed most spectacularly in France where Islam is now "the most practiced 'religion'."

Demonstrations in support of Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation by many Western Countries, have been witnessed in many major cities including Paris, Vienna, New York and in London where, at Speaker's Corner, Islamic ideology is made clear for all to hear while adherents do as they please. 

Civic and religious leaders in the West must take their share of  responsibility for this situation. For decades they have accepted assurances that Islam is a religion of peace without question.

Caught in the middle are the innocent. Among them those massacred by Hamas in Israel and the multi-faith civilians trapped in Gaza. 

God help them.

Lowlights: GB September 2023

Governing Body voting                                              Source: Church in Wales

The Church in Wales goes green is the main message to come out of the meeting of the Governing Body (GB) earlier this month.

Attendance may be in crisis but was not mentioned, apart from a brief reference to decline in one of the reports. That is despite the GB's guiding notes which state:

"Every year, a report on the current membership and finance statistics of the Church in Wales is presented to the meeting. This covers key information such as: church attendance, the level of financial giving towards the work of the church, details of what parishes are spending their money on."

Session Three was about 'Priorities, Growth and Resilience'. One of the items covered in discussion groups was "What stops us from growing?"

The Church in Wales, like the Church of England, The Episcopal Church in the US and others have become self-centred rather than God centred, using the name of Jesus as a passport to earthly desires. - Jesus loves me, therefore I do as I please.

The secularisation of the Church in Wales was made obvious by the archbishop of Wales when he commented on the recently announced 'historic appointments of Canons at Bangor Cathedral'. 

He said, "It is a real joy to be able to announce the appointment of eight new Canons to the Cathedral, five Honorary Canons and three Foundation Canons. .... Together they bring with them an enormous breadth of skills and experience to their new roles, enabling the Cathedral’s common life and witness to be a place where all can come and experience faith, hope and love. Each of these new Canons has been invited in recognition of the significant contribution they have made, and continue to make, within their field of expertise, and I invite you to join with me in praying for them as they take up their new positions and responsibilities."

The Canon Preacher's experience of the Anglican Church is short. He was ordained Deacon in 2021 after becoming an Anglican in 2020 but more importantly for the archbishop he becomes the "first gay, black Canon to serve in a Church in Wales Cathedral, a pioneering moment that highlights its commitment to diversity and inclusivity." 

Just the sort of experience the Church Wales has come to value above all else. But there is more.

'Glastonbury priest'         Sourcee: CinW

A new priest welcomed to the diocese of St Asaph by bishop Gregory is "part way through a professional doctorate exploring better ways for neo-Pagans and Christians to have open conversations about faith." 

 She should receive a good welcome from the Peace Mala while the Church in Wales struggles with its identity.

As the decline of the Church continues more senior executives are hired. The latest is a Director of Mission and Strategy on a salary of up to £70,000 p.a.

On the plus side, perhaps the archbishop of Wales feels better able to cope with his workload having sanctioned all these appointments. 

Last year he felt the need for someone to share the leadership of his Bangor diocese with while serving as Archbishop of Wales as if that were an onerous task. He appointed an assistant bishop who has since been appointed bishop of Llandaff with no replacement assistant bishop. Perhaps he discovered that he is not that busy after all being responsible for the souls of less than 1% of the population of Wales.

What about the souls of Anglicans in Wales? Pew sitters have been led astray by their bishops while others have simply been abandoned in the shift to secularism.

A timely reminder of the dire situation Anglicans in the Church in Wales find themselves comes from Bishop Stuart Bell a former Church in Wales priest who was ordained as an Assistant Bishop in The Anglican Convocation in Europe in March after serving in the Church in Wales for 51 years.

In an interview with Dr Tony Rucinski of Coalition for Marriage (C4M), Bishop Bell said the Church in Wales’ 2021 decision to bless same-sex partnerships was "hugely significant". He told Dr Rucinski that "substantial" numbers have left the Church in Wales, following its decision to turn its back on the Bible and go with contemporary culture.

He rebuffed claims the Church’s move was compassionate, saying: "Justice and compassion are not rootless, they are rooted within truth and they are rooted within Christ and they are rooted within an authority that is completely unchanging."

The Bishop warned that we are being seriously misled by people whose hearts are set on "anarchy and nihilism". That voice is growing stronger by the day and is being promoted at government level and  by the media, he said.

He urged Christians and traditional marriage supporters to be absolutely resolute in the face of LGBT activists’ attempts to push the country into a state of "total gender confusion and sexual confusion".

Full details of the Christian Institute interview can be found here. 

The response of the Church in Wales was: Clergy told to keep breakaway bishop at arm’s length. "No ministers affiliated with the Anglican Convocation in Europe should exercise ministry or leadership in a Church in Wales context, unless the explicit written permission of the appropriate Church in Wales diocesan bishop has been given."

That came as little surprise to the many Anglicans abandoned by the handful of heretic bishops in the Church in Wales for keeping the faith as received in common with millions of Anglicans around the world.

This is the legacy handed on by a former bishop of Bangor, later archbishop, Barry Morgan who decreed after the retirement of Bishop David Thomas that there would be further alternative Episcopal oversight 'over his dead body'.

Now in comfortable retirement Morgan's legacy lives on. He continues to meddle in Church affairs showing no shame for leaving so many faithful Anglicans who had been in his care in a spiritual desert, a situation perpetuated by the bench of bishops to this day to their utter shame.

 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

The World's Greatest Classical Music Festival

Soprano Lise Davidsen and conductor Marin Alsop receive the audience's applause at the last night of the Proms 2023                                           Source: BBC

 

The Proms 2023 reached its rousing conclusion on Saturday night. There was the usual selection of music but comparatively little televised. 

For me the highlight of the season was Sir Simon Rattle’s final UK performance as Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra when he conducted Mahler’s valedictory ninth symphony. Poignant indeed, especially so for those of us who recall a young Simon Rattle setting out on his long and distinguished conducting career.

TV coverage was mainly confined to Friday and Sunday evenings, unlike the interminable coverage of soccer and cricket matches followed by endless analysis and punditry.

A curious aspect of their TV coverage was the inability of BBC to schedule performances in advance. The much anticipated televising of the National Youth Orchestra was not published until the last moment while Mahler's ninth was unexpectedly slotted in mid-week.  

One would have thought that the "greatest classical music festival" would have enjoyed far greater TV coverage but culture is not a word the BBC TV sits easily with as they concentrate on appealing to the masses.

On that score (no pun intended), wokery dominated the Last Night. The conductor, Marin Alsop proclaimed from the podium: "Tonight, marks the tenth anniversary of the day I became the first woman to conduct the Last Night Of the Proms. Which apparently is worthy of inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records!" 

She was aided in a feminist double act by Sandi Toksvig in the commentary box who continued the theme of female oppression with no sign of discomfort that all three in commentary box were women along with the conductor and soprano soloist.

The biggest cheer and prolonged applause was reserved for the BBC Singers , recently saved from oblivion after protest.

Perhaps another protest is due before the Proms share the fate of Christian programmes which been gradually shunted out of the main TV schedules.

Religion of peace remains silent on violence against Christians

The aftermath of an arson attack in Jaranwala                          Source: ACNUK

Aid to the Church in Need reports: "Mass exodus as mob burns churches and homes in Pakistan. Mosques incited violence, causing a sense of terror and uncertainty among Christians.

"Up to 15 church buildings have been attacked and hundreds of Christian homes destroyed after extremists went on the rampage in Pakistan."

The response reported by Reuters: "Pakistani police arrest two Christians accused of blasphemy."

I have yet to hear any condemnation of these attacks on innocent people and their property, in particular from the Swansea Mosque and Community Centre which recently received a Community Cohesion grant of £300k from the Welsh Government.

The Welsh First Minister has since instructed his Ministers to find £900m cuts in public services. 

Some cohesion!

Postscripts 

[19.08.2023]

In Pakistan Muslims are now desecrating the graves of Christians. 

https://twitter.com/CatholicArena/status/1692832406477103610

In Nigeria Killings of Christians ‘going on and on’, with no arrests made.

"The world is refusing to help those who are being persecuted." More here.

[21.08.2023]

Community Cohesion! 

Muslim harasses elderly Christian, tries to provoke a confrontation but it is worse in Muslim majority countries while critics of this sort of behaviour are accused of Islamophobia!

[28.08.2023]

"Pakistan's Jaranwala violence: Gov't must root out cause of anti-Christian attacks" - A Pakistani Christian living in Australia writes: "History tells us that in a few weeks, the media will forget about this incident, the Pakistani government will forget its promises, the money allocated for the persecuted Christians' support will magically vanish, and these hapless people whose lives have been turned upside down will all be forgotten.  Little by little, on their own, they will start to rebuild their lives in the hopes of a better future – somewhere, somehow."

[02.09.2023]

Kidnappings and Murders of Christians Escalate in Nigeria’s Extremist Crisis

Coronation thoughts

Their Majesties King George VI, Queen  Elizabeth II and King Charles III.  Source: Wikimedia Commons

I remember the shock of hearing that King George VI had died. It was a time of great sadness. 

Along with Prime Minister Winston Churchill the king set an example of fortitude which did much to encourage those of us huddled around the wireless listening to the endless WW2 news broadcasts, so many in fact that I wondered how the BBC would fill the airtime after the war. 

My lasting memories of Queen Elizabeth's coronation are of the Westminster Abbey entrance procession to Parry's, I was glad, and of Queen Sālote of Tonga shunning the rain, smiling and waving to the crowds from her open carriage in a procession of carriages with tops firmly closed.

Charles III's coronation will be different. It has been scaled down. Security is a greater risk but the processional route is much shorter. 

It will be a multi-faith occasion. I understand the motives but, as I mentioned in my previous entry, I doubt the wisdom of including believers of different faiths and none in what is essentially a Christian service.

On a more positive note, Pope Francis will be represented inside the abbey this time. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. the papal representative had to observe the ceremony from 'an especially-built stand outside Westminster Cathedral', because he was not allowed to enter a non-Catholic church.

Pope Francis has also sent a coronation gift, two shards of wood said to have come from the cross on which Christ was crucified. The shards have been incorporated in The Cross of Wales, a new processional cross presented by King Charles as a centenary gift to the Church in Wales.

An ironic choice since the bishops of the Church in Wales have abandoned the received faith of the Church in favour of secularism. 

The Pope's apparent obsession with taking the Catholic Church down the same path as the Anglican Church, deciding doctrine by committee, is not encouraging. He has only to look at the Church in Wales to see where that leads. Neither has the Church of England heeded the lesson, allowing revisionists to change Church beliefs for their own ends. 

They achieve this by introducing change gradually so that people become accustomed to it. It has happened in Church and State. A glaring example will be the crowning of Queen Camilla alongside King Charles. 

Much has changed since I heard of the death of King George VI. I can't imagine what the world will be like when Prince William is crowned, assuming the monarchy is not abolished.

Defender of the Faith!

Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol (Welsh for 'Start Singing, Start Praising') is a television series featuring congregational Christian singing in the Welsh language. The programmes "celebrate important festivals and dates in the Christian calendar" and place on film the celebration of important national and international occasions where the music is of a devotional and religious nature.

The edition on Sunday 16 April celebrated Ramadan. An odd combination given that in Islam "the content of the song should not be against the morals and teachings of Islam."

There was a rendition of Let there be peace on earth, perhaps a nod to the so-called religion of peace which occurs when all become Muslims through submission. "The fundamental problem is that the majority of otherwise peaceful and law-abiding Muslims are unwilling to acknowledge, much less to repudiate, the theological warrant for intolerance and violence embedded in their own religious texts."

Filmed at Atlantic College in South Wales, students were encouraged to fast so that they could take part in the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebration (the feast of fast-breaking). A student organiser said: "It's important because it unites us as a school community and as a Muslim community." Over half the students took part when Muslim prayers are offered. 

A Muslim chaplain emphasised "one thing that will be very important in the future is to have a full Welsh translation of the Quran. Some smaller chapters have been translated but a Welsh Quran would show that Islam is also a Welsh religion"!

Cultural jihad has the gullible falling over themselves to welcome other faiths while Christianity is under attack.

Just over a week ago the Chapter of Manchester Cathedral had to apologise for allowing the Muslim call to prayer to be made in the cathedral at an interfaith event. This was not an isolated incident among those who should know better. 

In the Holy Land Church leaders have spoken out about an increase in anti-Christian incidents including attacks on holy sites, schools and even funeral processions.

Persecution.Org reports: "44 People Killed in Jihadist Attack in Burkina Faso", adding to the growing number of Islamist terrorist attacks. See list of Islamist terrorist attacks.

The last thing Christians need is for the Sovereign and supreme governor of the Church of England to lapse like its bishops and turn his Christian coronation service into another multi-faith event which benefits other faiths to the detriment of our own.

Postscript [18.04.2023]

Over 50,000 Christians killed in Nigeria by Islamist extremists

    52,250 Nigerian Christians murdered since 2009      18,000 churches set on fire

"The attacks have led to mass forcible displacement. About 5 million Christians have been displaced and forced into Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps within Nigeria and refugee camps at regional and sub-regional borders, the Intersociety report says."

This is not Dibley

Fowey Parish Church: Source Parish Website

From Mail Online: "‘Remind me, it is 2023, isn’t it?’: Why has the Cornish town Dawn French loves risked such an unholy row by refusing its own Vicar of Dibley?"

Yes, it is 2023  but the author of the Mail article headlined above appears unable or unwilling to separate fact from fiction. It is riddled with prejudice against those who follow traditional Christian teaching rather than the fad of the day.

Under the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 (No. 2) a Resolution may be made "That this parochial church council would not accept a woman as the minister who presides at or celebrates the Holy Communion or pronounces the Absolution in the parish."

That is the factual position.

The Vicar Of Dibley is a TV fantasy show but it is portrayed as reality by people with no religion of their own and feminists in the Church wishing to undermine fellow Anglicans who, on theological grounds, are unable to receive the sacramental ministry of women. 

Ignorance offers no hinderance.

Some comments from the Mail article:

'It appears the parish church representatives here are obviously bigots,' said one comment on a community Facebook page.

'You should hang your heads in shame, such a bad decision,' read another. 'Remind me, it is 2023 isn't it?'

Progressives resort to lies and false accusations because they can muster no valid arguments to defend their own position This is typified by the Chair of Women And The Church (WATCH) who endlessly protests on Twitter and elsewhere about so called discrimination, simply because others disagree with her misrepresentations.

In this Christian Institute video the question is asked Do Christians want to drown children who 'might turn out to be gay'? 

The video illustrates how LGBT activists Jayne Ozanne and Peter Tatchell think so while Archbishop Justin Welby appears to agree with them. 

Also present at the confrontation was Ben Bradshaw MP who yesterday introduced a ‘ten minute rule motion’ aimed at forcing the Church of England to conduct same-sex marriages. It was passed by the House of Commons without a vote. This was despite Bradshaw himself saying in 2013 that it was the “prerogative” of the C of E’s leadership to decide not to allow gay weddings.

Beth Rigby of Sky News peddled the same discrimination line when mixing unrelated issues in an interview with Archbishop Justin Welby after the Ozanne/Tatchell demonstration. In the interview the archbishop refers to 'equal marriage' which implicitly accepts the redefinition of Holy Matrimony as not being solely between one man and one woman for life. 

The concepts of mutual flourishing and twin integrities have been swept under the carpet under the guise of equality. Traditional beliefs are now classified as bigoted, homophobic discriminatory simply because progressives have no valid arguments to support their stance.

People not toeing the progressive line are shut down or removed. Witness Christian theology lecturer Dr Aaron Edwards who was sacked for misconduct and threatened with a counter-terrorism referral by a Methodist Bible college for allegedly “bringing the college into disrepute” on social media for a tweet on human sexuality that went viral.

On 19 February 2023, Dr Edwards posted: "Homosexuality is invading the Church. Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this b/c they’re busy apologising for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it’s true. This *is* a 'Gospel issue', by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour."

The Ordinariate has also succumbed to intimidation. The Rev Calvin Robinson, an orthodox Anglican deacon, fighting the culture wars on behalf of the Christian faith is being cancelled 'step by step, day by day'. 

Robinson has been cancelled by a group of Catholic choir singers and the Catholic clergy to whom they made an ultimatum. According to Church Militant, the English Ordinariate withdrew an invitation to broadcast Robinson's celebration of Easter on GB News after complaints allegedly initiated by members of the choir who disagreed with views expressed by the preacher.

This is progress?

"Can't see the problem"!

Former Second Church Estates Commissioner addressing the Commons
Original source: Mirror

Former Second Church Estates Commissioner, Sir Tony Baldry, attended the recent drag-queen gala at St James’s church, Piccadilly.

The Church Times reports that Sir Tony was one of the 300-strong audience who attended the event. 

Interviewed during the interval, he contrasted the event with the last time he had been in St James’s, for a debate between Theresa May and the Archbishop of York. He defended the drag evening: “It’s not hurting anyone, and making tons of money for the church. I just can’t see the problem.”

Sir Tony couldn't see the problem when he addressed the House of Commons back in 2012. Much was made of the Commissioner's buffoonery in sporting a male-only club tie while he was berating orthodox Christians for being sexist. He claimed that the Church of England's decision to reject the introduction of women bishops "makes it look like a sect".

It didn't then but is going that way. I wrote at the time "Sir Tony Baldry displays an unusual understanding of the word sect which in Christian terms means a group of people with somewhat different religious beliefs (typically regarded as heretical) from those of a larger group to which they belong.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) points out that having recently legitimised and incorporated into the Church’s liturgy the blessing of same sex unions, the Church of England has "departed from the historic faith passed down from the Apostles in the liturgies of the Church and her pastoral practice and disqualified herself from leading the Communion as the historic 'Mother' Church."

Sadly most of the Anglican bishops in Great Britain can't see the problem.

The Rector of St James's Church, Piccadilly, is the Revd Lucy Winkett, staunch promoter of the F word which is where the problem started.

Lambeth: Reply to an open letter to Justin Welby

The female bishops pose for their group portrait. Photo: Neil Turner/The Lambeth Conference                                                     Source: Episcopal News Service

Perhaps it is a generational thing but I have to admit that I am not a fan of Sandi Toksvig's brand of humour. Having watched bits of QI occasionally her success seems to me to be more to do with lesbianism than comedy. 

An admitted humanist Ms Toksvig has written a 'Dear Justin' letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury telling him of his mistakes at the Lambeth Conference. 

Before playing the usual victim card she writes: 
"So, you and your other religious pals got together at the Lambeth Conference and the main take away seems to be that gay sex is a sin. It was a sin in 1998 and you just wanted to make it clear in 2022 that no-one in you finely frocked gang has moved on from that. Seriously, with the state the world is in, that is what you wanted to focus on? You didn't have other more pressing matters like, I don't know, war or poverty?..."

What the LGBTQ+ lobby fails to understand is it is not about sex it is about marriage.

Civil Partnerships were created for same-sex couples who were not legally allowed to marry. They have legally recognized unions with rights similar to those of marriage. 

Having gained such acceptance the LGBTQ+ lobby are not satisfied. For them, marriage is the ultimate stamp of approval. For Christians marriage is the union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

But the activists stop at nothing. What we have is a re-run of the campaign for the ordination of women. Originally they campaigned for deaconesses to be ordained deacons. Step by step they succeeded in advancing to the priesthood and the episcopate using the same strategy of stealth and deception. 

The result of their efforts can be seen in the women only photograph taken at this year's Lambeth Conference. The number of women bishops attending has grown to 97 in 2022 from 11 in 1998. "We’ve increased exponentially," said Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry. So much for just wanting to be deacons.

Same sex relations are now characterised as 'Human Dignity', just one of the 'Calls' in the Lambeth Conference programme. The agenda includes much more but for bishops in the Church in Wales and other provinces that have decided by committee that same sex marriage is compatible with Christian teaching, it was the main item for them and they went to Lambeth determined to push their agenda regardless of the cost to the Anglican Communion.

Like TEC in the US the Scottish and Welsh provinces are comparatively wealthy but with steeply declining memberships. They are counted in thousands compared with much poorer, more orthodox provinces in the Global South where membership is counted in millions.

Many of the bishops from poorer areas came to Lambeth intent on upholding the sanctity of marriage. Much was done to thwart them but they continued to fight under Christ's banner as Christians promise in our baptism.

If the will of the Anglican Communion as a whole counted for anything the Welsh bishops and their like would be regarded as a tiny, unrepresentative minority and told where to go.

Instead, synodical processes are manipulated by liberal bishops to drive forward their own agendas. They influence public opinion by appealing to humanists and those who have no religion, increasing secular resentment then claim that the Church is out of step. It is not. They are.

This deception is exemplified by the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church who tweeted "Tonight I feel a burden lifted of what might happen at this conference and determined that we continue to be an example of diversity, an example of enabling people with differing opinions to remain part of the same Church... 'love means love' to use the latest catch phrase. Watch this video clip in which the primus claims that nobody is to be thrown out of the Communion and that there will be no sanctions for what people do. 

Complete garbage. 

Whilst pandering to the LGBTWQ+ lobby, thousands of Anglicans who identify with the traditional, orthodox faith, as in the Global South, have been left with no spiritual home. They have effectively been expelled whilst those continuing to attend services are made complicit.

Similarly the archbishop of Wales tweeted "I welcome this afternoon's #LambethCall affirming of the dignity of all people". He was quickly followed by affirming underlings.

If only these idiots could leave Christian marriage alone there would be no problem.

What it means for others to be a Christian

“The Lord has not forsaken me.” - Open Doors Revisits Nigerian Widow of Pastor killed by Fulani militants

"Over 340 million Christians suffer persecution and discrimination. They follow Jesus, no matter the cost. With your help, we're bringing them resources and hope. - Open Doors" 

From The Nigerian Voice: "3,462 Christians Hacked To Death By Nigerian Jihadists In 200 Days,3000 Abducted, 300 Churches And Ten Priests Attacked".

These are far away problems for Christians in the West where Anglican clergy share their joyous lives with others on Twitter. Life is 'lovely' in their little bubbles. Less so for others.

 

Speaker's Corner   Mail Online

An article in Spiked poses the question: "You can be stabbed for criticising Islam?"

"When are we going to talk about Hatun Tash? She’s the ex-Muslim and Christian evangelist who was allegedly slashed with a knife in broad daylight in Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park yesterday. And almost as shocking as the incident itself – as this horrific assault on a woman who was merely expressing her beliefs – has been the silence about it. There has been a trickle of press interest, but no big media splashes, no hashtag solidarity, no politicians expressing concerns that Britain seems to have become a country in which you criticise Islam at your peril. What is going on here?"

Mail Online reports: "Met Police are slammed for failing to catch knifeman five days after he stabbed Christian preacher, 39, in Charlie Hebdo T-shirt at Speaker's Corner in front of 30 witnesses in broad daylight."

Christian Concern addresses the problem in "Speakers’ Corner stabbing: ‘Freedom of speech is already in danger’."

But where is the concern from the top? Instead, the Archbishop of Canterbury apologises for events in the past. 

Now the Church of England is to apologise for medieval expulsion of Jews: "Bishops confirm that an 'act of repentance' is being planned to atone for anti-Semitic church laws which led to the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290." 

In 2752, in the unlikely event that there will be a Church of England, perhaps the Archbishop of Canterbury will apologise for ignoring the plight of Christians in 2021!

A slave for her faith

 

Farah Shaheen (©Aid to the Church in Need).

I have regularly looked at the photo of this poor girl gazing through the camera because, stunned into inaction, the email from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has remained in my in-tray. 

What are her thoughts? What if she were my daughter, or yours?

Farah's story is appalling, best explained by this extract from the ACN email:

"The father of a 12-year-old Christian girl – kidnapped, raped, shackled hand and foot, and forced to work from dusk till dawn – has at last spoken out about her ordeal.

"When police rescued Farah Shaheen from the Faisalabad house of 45-year-old Khizar Ahmed Ali (Hayat) in December 2020, she was too traumatised to speak but, bit by bit, has revealed her harrowing five-month ordeal to her father, Asif Masih.

"In a statement to Aid to the Church in Need, Mr Masih said his daughter was attached to a chain and forced to work all day “as a slave” damaging her shackled hands and feet in the process.

"Mr Masih said: 'Farah has told me she was treated like a slave. She was forced to work all day, cleaning filth in a cattle yard. 24-7 she was attached to a chain.'

"Condemning Mr Ahmed for forcing Farah to marry him and convert to Islam, he said: “She was sexually assaulted by her abductor and raped multiple times by [his] landlords”."

Sadly this is not an isolated case. The email continues:

"Describing the mistreatment of girls from minority faith backgrounds as 'a cancer in our society', he said: “I beg you to demand that the Government stops this evil in its tracks and brings the culprits to justice.”

"Pakistan’s Movement for Solidarity and Peace estimates that up to 1,000 young Christian and Hindu females between 12 and 25 are abducted each year."

Another tragic report describes how 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz was bundled into a car at gunpoint by three men on 28th April 2020, in Medina Town, Pakistan.  She was filmed and photographed being raped, and was then forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her abductors, Mohamad Nakash Tariq, 30 years her senior.

A petition has been presented to Fiona Bruce, MP, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Religious Freedom or Belief asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to grant asylum for Maira Shahbaz and her family. In that regard Maira is luckier than most.

In 2019 the BBC reported Christian persecution 'at near genocide levels'. In 2021 little has changed.

Persecution of Christians Exacerbated by a Year of Covid-19 According to World Watch List 2021:

• Christians in numerous African and Asian nations have been refused coronavirus aid
  
  
• Islamic militants have exploited Covid-19 restrictions, increasing violence against Christians in sub-Saharan Africa by 30 per cent.
  
  
• Covid-19 has legitimised repression through increased surveillance by authoritarian governments such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
  
  
• Women have been especially vulnerable in Covid-imposed lockdowns, with psychological violence as well as kidnapping and forced conversions.

In another email ACN gives details of slaughter in Africa. Another highlights  Religious bias faced by Christians in Pakistan. In Myanmar displaced Christians have formed a village called 'Bethel' outside Yangon.

There are regular reports of attacks on Christians but not on action to curb them. 

In my entry The naivety of Christian leaders I wrote: Christian leaders would do well to heed the warning of bishop Michael Nazir-Ali who explained back in 2011 how Christianity has become almost extinct in the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, and Islam, the 'religion of peace', has became dominant in the Arab world.

Christianity is on the decline while Muslims are the world’s fastest-growing religious group.

It doesn't take much imagination to realise the fate of Christians when looking at counties in which they are already a minority. 

Call me madam!

Dr Mackereth says he lost his job doing assessments for the DWP because he believed using
transgendered pronouns were against his conscience (Picture: Christian Concern/BPM Media)

It has been widely reported that a Christian doctor was ‘sacked’ for refusing ‘to call any 6ft bearded man madam’:

"Dr David Mackereth, 56, claims the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) discriminated against his religious beliefs because he would not use pronouns relating to people’s ‘chosen’ sex. 

"The disability claim assessor has taken his case to an employment tribunal after allegedly being suspended from his post following a conversation with a manager at Birmingham’s Fiveways assessment centre in June 2018. 

"‘In truth, the argument between us arose not because of any realistic concerns over the rights and sensitivities of transgender individuals, but because of my refusal to make an abstract ideological pledge to call any six-feet tall bearded man “madam” on his whim,’ Dr Mackereth said in a statement."

The 'gender identity' crisis continues. 

An explanatory note appears below examples of gender pronouns on the "Transforming Education" site Trans Students Educational Resources:

There are no “male/female” or “man/woman” pronouns. All pronouns can be used for any gender and are gender neutral.

We also do not use “preferred pronouns” due to people generally not having a pronoun “preference” but simply having “pronouns.” Using “preferred” can accidentally insinuate that using the correct pronouns for someone is optional.

[image description: a chart of some gender pronouns by Trans Student Educational Resources. The columns are the “subjective, objective, possessive, and reflexive” part of each pronoun set and an example.

The first pronoun set is she, her, hers, and herself. The examples are “she is speaking. I listened to her. The backpack is hers.”

The second set is he, him, his, himself. The examples are “he is speaking. I listening to him. The backpack is his.”

The third set is (singular) they, them, theirs, themself. The examples are “they are speaking. I listened to them. The backpack is theirs.”

The fourth set is ze, hir or zir, hirs or zirs, hirself or zirself. If used it would be ze/hir/hirs/hirself or ze/zir/zirs/zirself. The graphic happened to combine them into one row. The examples included “ze is speaking. I listened to hir. The backpack is zirs.”

A note at the top reads “Please note these are not the only pronouns. There are an infinite number of pronouns as new ones emerge in our language. Always ask someone for their pronouns.

Got that? 

If not you are likely to be labelled phobic for not lapping up the latest trend even if the evidence before your eyes contradicts what you are instructed to believe.

 The situation has become so confusing that school pupils in Brighton were given pronoun stickers to "help" transgender children.

Concern is now being expressed over the "rocketing number" of children seeking to change sex. It has become a national scandal according to a powerful coalition of whistleblowers, academics and medical experts'.

Source: Daily Mail

The experts' concerns are laid bare in a forthcoming book of essays entitled Inventing Transgender Children And Young People. It challenges what it calls the 'dangerous' transgender ideology promoted in schools, universities, the NHS and other public institutions.

"Heather Brunskell-Evans, a former research fellow at King's College London, who co-edited the book, said that 30 years ago the thought of a child being born in the wrong body would have made no sense to the public.

"She added: 'Now the idea, which was invented by specialists in gender medicine and transgender activists, has become universally accepted.

"'But we are collectively arguing that this unquestioning acceptance poses a serious threat to children's well-being and safety. We hope through this book to bring the world's attention to the public scandal of transgendering children.'"

Next up, 'normalising paedophilia right in front of our eyes': 

"Follow the trajectory and it is not hard to see where we go next. Ten years ago, there was no such thing as "drag kids" or drag queen story hours. Leftists would have called you a paranoid lunatic had you predicted that such things would come to pass. Now both are utterly commonplace, yet leftists will insist that even though grown men in dresses like to hang out with little children at libraries, and adults like to go to gay bars to watch boys dance around in skirts and high heels, there is nothing sexual about any of it. Ten years from now, or maybe sooner, they will admit that it is sexual but insist that there is nothing wrong with a young boy and a grown man getting together, so long as it is consensual. You do not need to be Nostradamus to see this next step. It is right in front of us, clear as day." [H/T Anglican Mainstream]

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” 

— Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa

Postscript [17.07.2019]

Mail Online: Branded a 'bigot' for standing up for his Christian beliefs, Dr Mackereth who refused to call a 6ft bearded man 'madam' take it as a 'badge of honour'.


Postscript [21.07.2019]

Bishop Gavin Ashenden: "Have a look at what is actually taught in LGBT lessons in UK primary schools. Take the time to watch this so that you know what is really happening. It’s not what they said. It’s not what you thought."

How mad can mankind get?

 'Male and female he created them'                                              Source: Free Icons

A Scots lad, 17, was chucked out of his classroom by a furious teacher for claiming that there are ‘only two genders’, something that has been obvious to most for generations.

A former magistrate dismissed from the bench for his views on the adoption of children by gay couples has lost his appeal against the decision:
"Richard Page, from Headcorn, was struck off and later relieved from the post of non-executive director of the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust after a decision made on an adoption case in 2014. Mr Page, a Christian, dissented from the view of his colleagues on the bench when a same sex couple applied to adopt, saying that in his view it was in a child's best interests to be raised by a mother and a father."

Mr Page was expressing his view. He said, "This shows that we are now living in a deeply intolerant society which cannot stand any dissent from politically correct views - even from judges."

This article illustrates is how it has come about. From James Parker: You couldn’t make it up if you tried:

"I was present as a gay rights’ activist at conversations by leading gay strategists from the US and the UK that outlined over three decades ago what we are seeing transpire today.

"The strategic goal was that men and women with same-sex attraction should infiltrate and take leadership within key areas of society with the purpose of using their positions to bring about homosuperiority. Yes, you read that correctly. Not homonormativity or mere equality, but homosuperiority.

"These areas included the entertainment industry, mainstream media, education, politics, healthcare – especially psychology and psychiatry, the military, religion and finally sport."

God created mankind in his own image, male and female he created them. Procreation is not recreation. It is the nuts and bolts of creation.