Bangor farce moves to Monmouth diocese

Church in Wales bishops                                                                                                                   Source: Church in Wales

1 Timothy 3

"Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money."

On 29th of July the Church in Wales Bangor charade moves to the diocese of Monmouth, the see of the second most senior bishop after the bishop of St Asaph, for the election of the 15th Archbishop of Wales.

Concerns have been expressed over the venue for the election but that the pantomime takes place in Monmouth appears curiously appropriate give the obsession of the bench with sex and same sex marriage and firsts. The bishop of Monmouth is a partnered lesbian who uses the Holy Eucharist to promote her sexual preference under the banner Beware! Our God welcomes all.

All, that is, who share the views of the bench. Believers in biblical orthodoxy are not welcome. There is no longer a pretense of twin integrities. Those promises were broken years ago.  

Despite the elaborate electoral college procedure, Buggins' turn usually prevails but given the advancing age of the three most senior bishops who knows.

The choice beyond Buggins' turn is lamentable. It could have been avoided had the bishop of Bangor not delayed his retirement until after the new archbishop is appointed but there is no transparency, only rumour and speculation indicating self interest rather than the interests of the Church. 

Given their penchant for 'firsts', the second most senior bishop, the bishop of Monmouth, would as archbishop give the bench two more firsts but a very long way from those of the past when firsts were in Theology,

Postscript 29.07.2025

 

New Archbishop of Wales to be chosen amid cathedral concerns BBC News

Equal marriage!

Secure: Ben Bradshaw and his civil partner Neal Dalgleish.
Mr Bradshaw has drawn the ire of gay rights campaigners by
 opposing gay marriage  Source: Mail Online

When Ben Bradshaw was the first MP to enter into a civil partnership he argued that 'Britain doesn't need gay marriage'.

The son of an Anglican priest, he is now following the Gadarene bishops of the Church of England and the fallen bishops of the Church in Wales pushing for so called 'equal' marriage. 

Marriage is between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others and for life. Supporters of 'equal' marriage are using secular equalities legislation to suggest that those who believe in orthodox teaching on marriage do not believe in equality and discriminate against them. This was Bradshaw's approach.

From Hansard Volume 726: debated on Tuesday 24 January 2023-

"(Urgent Question): To ask the Second Church Estates Commissioner if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of Church of England bishops on equal marriage in the Church of England."

Mr Bradshaw asked the Second Church Estates Commissioner if he "Will he explain to Parliament how continuing to discriminate against lesbian and gay Anglicans in England is compatible with the unique duty of the established Church to serve everyone?

Presumably the MP for Exeter is unaware or simply ignores the plight of the many Anglicans who are no longer served by the established Church because they believe in the orthodox teaching of the majority of Anglicans throughout the world.

The same could be said of the member for Rhondda, ex-Anglican priest, Sir Chris Bryant who claimed in an emotional speech that 'There is an awful lot of pain'. 

Indeed there is, particularly in Wales where orthodox believers have been abandoned by their Church.

Sir Chris spoke of a Churchwarden who had lovingly cared for the church and had fallen in love with someone of the same sex but could not be married in the place to which the warden's life had been devoted.

Perhaps the member for Rhondda could spare a similar thought for all those orthodox Anglicans, many of whom have been benefactors and hard workers who maintained their churches only to find themselves excluded by secularists who are using the Church to satisfy their own desires.  

This is the trajectory of the Church of England under the 'guidance' of its most senior bishops as seen by Anglican Ink:

The Archbishop of Canterbury was assailed outside Lambeth Palace last night by gay activists who denounced his leadership of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith process. He complained of getting “flak” from opponents of the Church of England’s decision to allow the blessing of same-sex partnerships while Global South archbishops warn that the adoption of gay blessings would lead to the removal of Welby as leader of the Anglican world. 

Gay sex not a sin, Archbishop of York says, if blessed by the CofE.

Homosexuals must no longer be chaste in order to lead godly lives, Bishop of London says.

'Equality' is replacing theology. God help us all.

Postscript [28.01.2023]

 #comeoutforlove... as the Actress said to the Bishop.

 In this instance the actress is a political activist, atheist and humanist who came out as a lesbian in 1994. Just the person to have the archbishop's ear. 

Queering the Church in Wales

"Celebrating Faith, Hope & Love - An Open Table celebration of communion
with OTN Patron Bishop Cherry Vann "  Source: Twitter            

In a tweet from the Diocese of St Asaph applicants are invited to join the bishops of St Asaph & Monmouth for a special 'Open Table' event in November hosted by the LGBTQIA+ Chaplaincy in the Church In Wales Diocese of St Asaph.

In the illustration above the holy sacrifice of the Mass is merged into LGBT rainbow colours as if to emphasis the bishops' recent victory at Governing Body which approved the blessing of same sex unions.

Open Table issues its invitation to 'come as you are' to a 'Communion service led by Right Revd Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph', a 'Reflection by Right Revd Cherry Vann, Bishop of Monmouth, Patron of Open Table Network' which will  be 'Followed by a simple lunch, conversation and a chance to meet the Bishops'.

Bishop Cameron proposed the motion at Governing Body to allow blessings of same sex unions. In doing so he led Anglicans astray using unorthodox, poor theology which speaks volumes of the unanimous vote of the bishops and two thirds majority of clergy who voted in favour of the motion. 

The event is 'Supported by the Open Table Network, a growing partnership of Christian worship communities which welcome and affirm people who are: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, & Asexual (LGBTQIA) + our families, friends and all our allies'.

Other Church in Wales worshippers are left out in the cold. 

If you keep the faith as a traditional Anglican or, more recently, as an evangelical you have to "find accommodation as best they can" as the Ven Peggy Jackson put it with all the charity she could muster.

What is the driving force behind queering the Church in Wales? It has become the Great Commission in reverse, driving out the many to welcome the few who interpret the bible as they please to achieve their own ends. 

One clue may be in the same-sex extracurricular activities in the St Michael's class of 1984 from which three students were to go on to comprise 50% of the bench of bishops. A bench that would later go on to appoint two LBGTQIA+ campaigning women as bishops followed by a partnered lesbian who is to share a reflection at the Open Table event. 

That is not to point the finger at anyone, rather it is to query whether such non-biblical practices became accepted as normal behaviour at theological college.

Whatever the reason, the current position is beyond parody when LGBTQIA+ people and their supporters are courted as the faithful. 

CinW bishops have lost all credibility. 

Another 'BLM' bishop

Rt Revd Mark Tanner has been confirmed as the new Bishop of Chester.         Source: CheshireLive

The new Bishop of Chester has announced that he is a supporter of Black Lives Matter.

That should go down well with Stephen Cottrell the new Archbishop of York who also came out as a Black Lives Matter supporter while declaring that Jesus was a black man.

From the Telegraph (£):
"BLM happily self-identifies as a neo-Marxist movement with various far left objectives, including defunding the police (an evolution of the Panther position of public open-carry to control the police), to dismantling capitalism and the patriarchal system, disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure, seeking reparations from slavery to redistribute wealth and via various offshoot appeals, to raise money to bail black prisoners awaiting trial. The notion of seizing control of the apportionment of capital, dismantling the frameworks of society and neutralising and undermining law enforcement are not just Marxist, but anarchic."

There are more worrying facts from Alexander Boot about the BLM affiliate, Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) in his blog.

Assuming that 'going along to get on' aspirants in the Church of England understand what they are supporting this is another worrying development for orthodoxy.

Postscript [26.07.2020]

From Twitter: "The leader of Oxford Black Lives Matter Sasha calls for a black militia, compares the police to the KKK and calls for a revolution."

Previously on Twitter: "Oxford Black Lives Matter leader Sasha uses racial slurs and threats of violence to abuse a black man."

Will the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Chester reconsider their support for the BLM movement? I doubt it.

Easter message

Bishop's Pride involvement 'fantastic'                                                                              Source: BBC

From the bishop of St Davids' Easter message:

 "Many of us this year will have lived through pain and suffering that we did not

choose and could hardly bear, knowing that God walks with us, but also hardly

knowing how that is supposed to help. Holy Week, Good Friday and Holy

Saturday remind us that we are called to endure." 

How true. Not just this year but every year since women were ordained in the Church in Wales.

Orthodox Anglicans did not choose to be cut off from their Church but Barry Morgan and his band led by his embittered Archdeacon Peggy Jackson saw to that.   

Each year absence from the Triduum reminds us most strongly of what we have to endure for our faith. 

The bishops welcome all manner of allegedly persecuted minorities while rejecting Anglicans who remain faithful to the orthodox teachings of the Church. The 'inclusive' church has no time for orthodoxy.

No doubt there will be further dollops of hypocrisy from other bishops.

As the Archbishop of Wales told anyone who was prepared to listen at the Swansea and Brecon Chrism Mass: "Because one act of compassion, one act of gentleness, of kindness, of mercy, of forgiveness, of love, from one person to another, changes someone’s life. And if someone’s life is changed then, as imperceptibly as it may be, the world is changed for the better.”

There is no sign of life changing compassion for abandoned Anglicans.

In Monmouth the bishop is still absent. For Holy Week and Easter they have instead a guest preacher, the 'married' gay priest, the Revd Canon Jeremy Davies, former Precentor of Salisbury Cathedral, the old stomping ground of the bishop of Llandaff June Osborne.

It is more of the same and not just for Easter!

Brood of vipers!

"To expect someone whose theological conviction does not enable him to receive the sacramental ministry of women routinely to turn up to a celebration of Holy Communion when he cannot discover in advance whether he will be able to receive Holy Communion seems to me to be asking too much."

The words of Sir William Fittall in response to a complaint by an orthodox Anglican who claimed he was being "marginalised" because he was forced to arrive at services  at Wakefield Cathedral without prior knowledge of whether there would be a male or female celebrant.

That will have a familiar ring for readers of this blog. In Welsh Primate abandons twin integrity I wrote:

" In his newly created role of Acting Dean of his own Cathedral, the dictatorial Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Llandaff, Dr Barry Morgan, has decreed that the Cathedral Office is not to publish the names of officiants at each of the Cathedral services. The intention is to put a further barrier in the way of those who, for theological reasons, are uncomfortable with a woman presiding at the altar. Rather than being able to plan ahead to avoid unfortunate pastoral situations, it would appear that the only way of knowing who is celebrating the Eucharist at Llandaff is to see who appears at the entrance procession. 

"This action again illustrates that there is nothing so intolerant as an arch-liberal. If this is the level of pastoral care shown by the Archbishop in his own Cathedral for those who are told they still have an honoured place in his Church, what hope is there for the rest of us? "

The Dean of Wakefield Cathedral argued that "Removing the names of those - male and female - who are to preside at a particular service helps to make the point that it is our offering of the Eucharist that is central, rather than the particular individual who is presiding."

In the Anglican Church orthodoxy has become a hindrance resulting in outright discrimination.

Transgenders are thought by the House of Bishops to deserve a special welcome service while LGBT Anglicans have their own chaplains and LGBT Masses, often with the Lord's Table draped in a rainbow flag.

Orthodox Anglicans have to fend for themselves, often having to take steps to avoid being trapped into embarrassing situations as in Wakefield Cathedral.

Yet women priests still complain. "Not everybody accepts us” sighs England's first female priest as she casually trots out more secular propaganda about equality: "Despite the many advancements in equality that the Church of England has seen in the past few years, there is always room for further progress. One should never sit on one’s laurels and while there are pockets of resistance, it’s nice to kind of think we’ll persevere until there aren't any, but that’s probably being unrealistic.”

Presumably the pockets of resistance she refers to are orthodox Anglicans such as the "nice woman" who is "not hostile" to her but just can’t accept that women can be priests so she wont accept communion from her, and the worshipper in Wakefield Cathedral forced to complain because of a wilful failure to honour the agreement that enabled women to be ordained in the Church of England.

In its 'Five Guiding Principles', the Church of England says it is "fully and unequivocally committed to all orders of ministry being open to all irrespective of gender". But the principles also state: "Those whose theological convictions mean they are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests continue to be within the spectrum of teaching and tradition of the Anglican Communion, so the church of England remains committed to enabling them to flourish"

With hindsight it appears that the revisionists had no intention of honouring the pledge intended to enable orthodox Anglicans to flourish.

In September 2018 a row broke out in the diocese of Oxford because an advert for a new vicar at St Barnabas and St Paul with St Thomas the Martyr Parish specified that it was seeking a male priest.

The Oxford Mail reported that the advert provoked outrage in the community with one councillor 'slamming the church' for being 'too cowardly' to confront misogyny.

In their pursuit of power Women in the Church have talked of equality rather than theology permitting false accusations of misogyny and discrimination in the Church.

The former Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan used similar tactics when he wrote of "discrimination in a church that believes there is 'no male or female' in Christ". He used one of the most misquoted verses in all of Scripture, in an attempt to hoodwink his readers.

He went further saying, "At the heart of the Christian gospel are values of integrity, justice, wholeness and inclusion". Values he and his brood have consciously neglected to apply to Anglicans who keep the faith as received.

Seeking to validate their dishonesty they claim that the Church has to be credible to outsiders. In doing so they have allowed feminism to take control and substituted sex for love as they scratch around in scripture looking for any reference they can take out of context to boost their cause.

The latest row over whether gay bishops attending the 2020 Lambeth Conference should bring their same-sex partners as guests illustrates how far Anglicans have moved away from the gospel. Nigel Evans MP said that he believes the rule could equate to workplace discrimination adding that "If it wasn't for the gays in the Church, the Church would crumble"!

Unable to distinguish between faith and secular fads, people outside no longer care what the Church has to say. The Anglican Church has successfully made itself 'more relevant' to society, losing the sense of otherness which had set her apart in the process.

The revisionists speak not for Christ but for themselves. They use their own interpretation of the gospel to support a preferred lifestyle while recruiting secular opinion to justify their cause.

The Dean of Wakefield Cathedral talked of the centrality of offering the Eucharist while the Acting of Dean of Llandaff, Archbishop Barry Morgan, wrote of sanctioning schism, threatening the unity of the church if he supported calls for a male bishop with jurisdiction for those who oppose the authority of a woman bishop.

The Holy Eucharist has become a weapon in support of claims that are not only unsupported by but condemned by most members of the Anglican Communion, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

Pilate asked the crowd whom he should release to them, Barabbas or Jesus? The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to chose Barabbas.

What is the choice offered today? The Gospel of Christ or crowd pleasing liberalism?

Bendable figures to replace Compostela 'pilgrims'

This photo of Hospederia San Martin Pinario is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Church in Wales Lent course has details on page 13 on how to make a Pipe-Cleaner Person from a 12 inch pipe cleaner. Clear instructions are available at How to Make Bendable Figures Using Pipe Cleaners.

The course booklet suggests that if one Pipe-Cleaner Person is made each week through Lent, it can become a ‘symbol’ of "how we would like to become a more generous people, how we would like to become more generous stewards of God’s creation, and how we seek to welcome others into our churches with a generosity of heart and spirit."

A generous welcome is constantly extended to allegedly 'marginalised' people, especially lesbian, bisexual, gay and transexual (LGBT) people which is somewhat of a puzzle since they have been happily worshipping with the rest of us for as long as I can recall.

By comparison any whiff of orthodoxy has become as welcome in many churches as something stepped in before entering.

The Bible teaches that Marriage is sacred. If same sex marriage is permitted contrary to the official teaching of the Church in Wales as has been suggested by the Bishop of Bangor, a significant hurdle for LGBT people will be overcome leaving only a few inconvenient verses of Scripture to be revised or ignored as has become the custom of those who matter in the Church in Wales.

I have heard it suggested that generous stewards sitting in the pews who follow the Lent course could make pipe cleaner priests to substitute for their own clergy when they are away on June’s Santiago de Compostela jolly.

The bishop of Llandaff's generosity has been the focus of much attention in her desire to "train and equip priests to teach and lead pilgrimage in their own communities", something that could easily be achieved at minimal expense in the diocese of Llandaff drawing on the experience of clergy already well versed in leading pilgrimages.

Chartering an aircraft to fly all Llandaff's clergy to Santiago de Compostela is even more surprising since it is been reported that the Cathedral, the destination for Camino pilgrims, has been undergoing extensive renovations resulting in limited access and the suspension of the pilgrims' mass which may have been one of the few attractions of this compulsory jolly.

With no Camino walk and the main attraction in Santiago de Compostela closed for renovation, a few slides in a more accessible local venue should suffice instead of transporting all the diocesan clergy to Hospederia de San Martin de Pinario but that would lack the grandeur of a clergy school befitting the new breed of managers masquerading as bishops in the Church in Wales.

Might one suggest that a suitable posture for Lent bendable figures would be kneeling in prayer that the Church in Wales returns to orthodoxy before she fades into a distant memory of former glory.

Generosity, inheritance and openness

New Archbishop of Wales John Davies after his election in 2017                                                                                                                Source: Church in Wales

The maxim Actions speak louder than words is not one that can be readily associated with the Church in Wales when observing the actions of its bench of bishops.

A recent Provincial press release advised readers: Archbishop endorses new Lent course, Generosity and the inheritance of Lent.

The course is designed to encourage participants to share their stories and thoughts on generosity and inheritance in relation to a number of different topics including the environment, the economy, justice and peace, openness to others and neighbourhood. [My emphasis - Ed.]

There was no openness about the bishop of Monmouth's absence from duty until his absence was picked up by the media. Seven months later the bishop of Bangor is rumoured to be overseeing events in Monmouth but there has been no official statement other than that mediation is taking place.

In the real world that is mushroom management: keep in the dark and shovel in manure when necessary.

Contempt for the faithful runs deep. The Bench uses loaded questions and farcical consultations to get their way while claiming democratic decision making by the Governing Body. No generosity has been shown to orthodox Anglicans dismayed that faith handed down from the Apostles has been set aside to satisfy secular whims. 

Although Governing Body rejected same sex marriage proposals favoured by the Bench the bishop of Bangor has issued an Episcopal Letter, presumably with the blessing of his colleagues, which again comes out in favour of same sex marriage even after admitting it would be contrary to scripture.

Bishop Andy's proposals have been firmly rejected by Dr Martin Davie, a leading Anglican theologian who served until recently as theological adviser to the Church of England’s House of Bishops.

As for inheritance, scripture and tradition have been rejected in favour of  moving with the times. The bishop of Bangor ends his letter with: "This debate cannot be ignored but neither can it take place without wisdom, generosity and grace."

There is no wisdom in extending generosity to other faiths and none when Christianity is under threat. A member of the House of Lords has expressed fears that telling other people about the Christian faith could soon become a crime. Also, it is beyond reason when the traditional family comes under threat not only for our children but for the continuity of church life.

Speaking after his enthronement archbishop Davies said that he wanted to "refresh" the Church in Wales. "It is not business as usual", he said. 'Refresh' has been "more of the same - but speedier".

On the heels of so-called gender equality promotion came the LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy in St Asaph followed by the first transgender priest. Meanwhile the Bench have renewed their push for same sex marriage.

First impressions given by the newly appointed women bishops in the Church in Wales were that the main thrust of their ministries was the advancement of the LGBT aganda - see Barry's gay legacy. We have since had ageism and misandry in St Davids and profligacy in Llandaff.

In Monmouth there has been rumour and speculation. The latest twist is the rumour that the bishop of Bangor has been given oversight of Monmouth. Interestingly the Rev Caroline John has been employed as a hospital chaplain by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in jolly June's diocese.

If the bishop of Bangor were to be translated to Monmouth it would leave open the way to amalgamate Bangor with St Asaph, one of the few recommendations of the Harries Review [Section 15] which has yet to receive attention.

As the next senior bishop to the Archbishop and ten years younger, if Buggins turn comes around bishop Andy would be well placed to become the 14th Archbishop of Wales.

Church in Wales: Gay marriage bishop's letter

Bishop of Bangor, The Right Rev Andy John                                               Source: NorthWalesLive

Addressing challenges facing the church which was at a “low ebb” following a number of resignations in the Diocese of Bangor in 2015 the Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, said that the church needs to 'move with the times'.

That is what lies behind his Episcopal Letter in which he comes out firmly in favour of same sex marriage. 

Bishop Andy writes, "This is not the teaching of the Church at this moment but I believe it is fully in keeping with our faith and orthodoxy. I believe it will strengthen our witness to a world which longs to see justice and fairness for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation, and cannot understand how the Church is still wrestling with an issue that most people have accepted long ago.

"Any change to official Church teaching will require the consent of the Church in Wales through its Governing Body. I realize that not everyone will take the position outlined above - and there are good arguments for developing the Church’s teaching in other ways, for example by introducing a service of life vows or revisiting the question of blessing same sex unions. This debate cannot be ignored but neither can it take place without wisdom, generosity and grace. I pray that it will engage you in a new way this year and that you will pray and reflect on how we can be faithful to God and strengthen out witness to Christ’s redeeming love."

How very predictable. 

The bishop writes of the principle of developing our understanding of what constitutes "God’s will" as we consider issues where Church teaching has changed over time: "For example, no-one would argue today that God is anything other than implacably opposed to slavery and all forms of exploitation."

The bench of bishops are slaves. Slaves to the Zeitgeist, seeking loopholes to justify their perverse desires. They should return to orthodoxy and stop exploiting people who are supposedly in their care. 

Postscript [07.02.2019]

Response to the Bishop of Bangor regarding his letter concerning Same Sex Marriage

From The Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales (Thanks to SM for this link)

I don't care says Archbishop

Archbishop Justin Welby                                    Source: The Spectator

It is a sad time for orthodox Anglicans when archbishops don't care, adopting a mix and match approach to faith, driving Western Anglicanism into the mud as it becomes bogged down by secularism. And it is not just Canterbury. The Church in Wales and the Scottish Episcopal Church are in the same rut.

The US Episcopal Church (TEC) was allowed to become terminally infected by the spirit of the age before if wafted over the pond to infect the Church of England (CofE) and beyond, welcomed by impatient liberals as if it were the Holy Spirit rather than the Zeitgeist.

Interviewed for The Spectator the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, responded to claims that "one in ten Catholic priests is a former Anglican vicar by saying, "Who cares? I don’t mind about all that. Particularly if people go to Rome, which is such a source of inspiration."

Such an inspiration that after talking since the 1970s about possible reunion the CofE ignored pleas by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches and admitted female priests, blocking the road to unity.

Archbishops may not care but orthodox Anglicans do care. While Anglican priests cross the Tiber going to Rome, Catholic priests are travelling in the opposite direction. The numbers are likely to increase after Pope Francis told gay priests to "be celibate or leave the priesthood", thus further diluting Anglican orthodoxy as the CofE embraces homosexuality and same sex marriage.

Rev Dr Tina Beardsley: "Positive development"

 Next on the Anglican agenda is the CofE's welcoming of transgender people with calls for an Affirmation of Baptism service adapted to allow transgender Christians to celebrate their new sexual identity.

A step too far? The Church of England is facing opposition from more than 2,000 of its own clergy and office holders over new guidance on celebrating transgender ‘transitions’.

It comes as no surprise that according to an analysis of CofE churchgoing in 2017 less than 50 people attend Sunday services at a typical English parish church and just one in ten babies is baptised into the Church of England.

Archbishop Welby accepts that the numbers are "challenging". From the Spectator article, "vocations are rising but weekday and Sunday services decreasing and the number of marriages and baptisms declining sharply. Perhaps the most startling statistic is that just 2 per cent of under-25s regard themselves as Anglican. ‘If you’re over 70, you’re eight times more likely to go to church than if you’re under 30,’ he says. ‘And I think that’s a huge challenge.’ I ask if he thinks rising secularism is also a challenge: that young people who go to church are seen not just as weird but as potential bigots and homophobes. It’s not a story he recognises."

No doubt the archbishop will welcome liberal minded Roman Catholic priests into his un-orthodox Anglican Church leaving orthodox Anglicans even more isolated. As conviction Anglicans they are unlikely to become Roman Catholics. Many have already left. Those who refuse to contemplate leaving 'their church' will be further compromised by sustaining an organisation that no longer shares the faith of the vast majority of Christians in the Anglican Communion

For those who are tempted to become Roman Catholics the writing is on the wall in the headline Papal advisers on female deacons hopeful for positive answer.

Rome has only to look to Canterbury for the dangers in that. As deacons in the Anglican Church justice demanded that they be allowed to become priests, then bishops, then cohabiting priests, then married priests, then married bishops. They call it progress but it is not Biblical.

Church in Wales in denial

Church in Wales bishops

The duplicity of Church in Wales bishops knows no bounds.

Responding to concerns expressed by Anglican Essentials Wales in the Church Times in advance of their inaugural conference in March, a spokesperson for the Church in Wales said that it was “committed to proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, and this includes both a call to personal faith and commitment, and bearing witness to God’s call to justice and peace in society.

“All major policy decisions are, and have been, taken either by its Governing Body, which is made up of elected representatives from across the Province, or in consultation with it. This is a fair and democratic process, representative of the whole church, and we believe it is the best place for people to express their views and seek to bring in change.

“We do not recognise the criticism expressed by Anglican Essentials Wales as a fair description of our common life.”

'Proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God' in the Church in Wales has become how the bishops presume to interpret the message.

In the interests of 'democracy' they have embraced “a thoroughly this-worldly message” instead of upholding orthodox faith and practice.

Far from representing 'the whole church' as claimed, traditional Anglicanism is not officially represented. In an appalling breach of faith, commitments given to secure the ordination of women were abandoned when Bishop David Thomas retired.

Faithful worshippers have been left with nothing while overtures continue to be made to high profile minority groups who claim to be persecuted while enjoying their privileged status with access to special chaplaincies.

Movements such as Mae Cymru claim to be "a group of people with a vision of the Church in Wales as a community of God’s people where, regardless of gender, justice and equality prevail". That is exclusively on their terms.

'Gender, justice and equality' have become twisted. Love is everything so everything is permissible. But it is not agape, it is Eros, blatant sexual licence that has little if anything to do with the Gospel message.

Sad to say the ordination of women has proved to be nothing to do with equality. It is about power. Feminist power. Feminists demand equality. Equality demands equality 'regardless of gender'.

In the Church in Wales that means parity regardless of suitability, embracing everything LGBT+, advocating transgenderism and working towards same sex marriage even though the innovation failed to win the necessary votes at the Governing Body of the Church in Wales.

The bench did not accept the 'democratic' decision against same sex marriage in church after a heavily weighted discussion in favour. Instead they decided that more work was needed to implement their decision, using their Governing Body as a tool, drawing participants into heresy. 

In my entry Another farcical Church in Wales 'consultation'? I outlined how the bench of bishops use consultations to cherry pick comments they find favourable while binning those which fail to accord with their predetermined agenda. Their idea of democracy.

Small wonder that the Church in Wales is in terminal decline. The latest press release shows that Wales' struggling rural churches look to tourism for survival. The churches will be fitted out with sleeping stalls and 'services built for cycling'. Services for the faithful are no longer required.

The Church in Wales has entered into dialogue with followers of Witchcraft, Atheism, Peace Mala, Hare Krishna, Sufi, Islam, Yungdrung Bön, Judaism and Druids. Only orthodox Anglicans are regarded as beyond the pale. Unworthy of consideration because they remain true to the historic Apostolic faith in common with Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

That is the 'fair and democratic process' of the Church in Wales.

The Church in Wales today

"Interfaith dialogue is not about telling everyone how great our angle on faith is and trying to convert them to it." - Bishop’s Officer for Interfaith Dialogue

It comes as no surprise that the Church in Wales is sinking fast when the Bishop’s Officer for Interfaith Dialogue in the archdiocese of Swansea and Brecon and the high profile vicar of St John's in Cardiff's city centre, the Rev Sarah Jones, express similar views which are contrary to biblical teaching: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" - Matthew 28:19.

 Perhaps ignorant of the fact that there is only one way to the Father, the Rev Sarah Jones told Wales Online, "I don’t believe in bashing people with the bible or telling them what they should believe".

From the Swansea and Brecon Interfaith page people can find information about many faiths and none. What they will not find is any reference to orthodox Anglicans, the only group excluded from the 'inclusive' Church in Wales.

Cop out?

Pope Francis and the devil                                                          Source: Twitter

As the sexual abuse crisis continues to haunt the Catholic Church Pope Francis blames the devil. 

He says the devil is alive and well and working overtime to undermine the Roman Catholic Church according to a report in Christian Today.

Too convenient? More here.

The Church is in a mess with Western Anglicanism on the brink and disunity in the Orthodox Church.

Does the Pope have a point?

Conform not to the world!

Here we go again. From Christian Today 'Bishop and senior clergyman join calls for Church of England to lose equalities exemptions':

"The Church of England should lose its protections under the Equalities Act that allow it to discriminate against people on the basis of their sexuality, a bishop and senior clergyman have said today. Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, and David Ison, the dean of St Paul's Cathedral, both backed Jeremy Pemberton, a gay priest who was blocked from being a hospital chaplain after marrying his partner. They are supporting the Ozanne Foundation, a charity launched on Monday campaigning against discrimination within religious institutions."

The episcopal rot which is leading to the demise of the US Episcopal Church spread rapidly to our shores as liberal clerics and laypersons saw an opportunity to use the church to legitimise their behaviour.

It has been reported that the 'Episcopal Church Prepares to Tighten Screws on Traditional Marriage Proponents', quoting Fr. Richard John Neuhaus’ law: “Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed.”

In supporting the Ozanne Foundation senior clergymen are simply conforming to the world without discernment. The Foundation slogan is 'We Believe in Just Love For All!' as if others do not. Failure to conform results in accusations of homophobia and more.

What people do in private is between them and God. It is not for others to judge but we have a right to stand firm in defence of holy matrimony which is between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others and for life.

Ozanne herself came out as gay to her friends and family. She then entered into a long term relationship with another woman, although they separated after five years together. Fidelity, it appears, is not included in 'Just Love For All'.

Who cares? Business manager bishops and senior clergy don't, leading others astray when they should be transformed. 

David Ison, dean of St Paul's Cathedral told Christian Today: 'We've got to come to terms with the reality of the world we're in and we're not doing that. That is why we're becoming disconnected from society. The church is becoming disconnected from society because it has nothing different to offer.

Bishop Bayes told Christian Today, "I hope for a future whereby people like Jeremy [Pemberton] can feel that their ministry can be exercised and that they can love the person they love freely".  Pemberton is a divorced father of five.

The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church has decided to permit same-sex marriage. The Church in Wales bench of bishops can hardly contain their eagerness despite the absence of a mandate.

Gone are the days when Anglican bishops acted like bishops.

Anglicans unchurched

Readers of this blog will notice an additional link in the right-hand column under the heading 'The Movement for a Renewed Orthodox Anglicanism'. 

If you stand with the majority of faithful Anglicans across the globe in prioritising Scripture and the unanimous teaching of the universal Church over secular fashion, you have the opportunity to add your signature to the letter published in the Daily Telegraph on 25 July 2017. It is signed, among others, by the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester, and the Rev Dr Gavin Ashenden, former Chaplain to the Queen.

In the an 'Anglican Unscripted' video discussion (Episode 311), Dr Ashenden urges the unchurched to add their signature to the letter. The reasons why he left the Church of England are explained in the above video. They will be familiar to many who find themselves unchurched with nowhere to go in their locality because most Anglican churches are following the same 'progressive', liberal path.

Gay Anglican clergy have already defied the church's official stance on same-sex marriage. Now the Dean of Southwark Cathedral sends out to those enquiring about the possibility of marking their Civil Partnership in the Cathedral a leaflet which gives the following outline for the marking of a Civil Partnership in the context of a celebration of the Eucharist.

Worrying as this is for orthodox Anglicans in England, the problem is more acute in Wales where no provision has been made for traditionalists and the bishops have signaled their eagerness to accept same sex marriage.

This is what the the Archdeacon of Llandaff, Peggy Jackson had to say about orthodox Anglicans before Archbishop Barry Morgan elevated her to her current position:
 "New individuals with conscientious difficulties over women’s ministry will simply have to make personal decisions and individual choices, to find accommodation as best they can – just as many already have to do over a host of other current issues, some very uncomfortable, where people find themselves representative of a view which is not that sanctioned by the ‘church’ as a whole, and upheld through Synod and Parliament."

That coming from an adult convert who ignores the faith of the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide and regards the tiny Province she inhabits as 'the church'. An institution which she and the like-minded manipulate to satisfy their own desires.

'Personal decisions and individual choices' have invariably led to faithful Anglicans becoming unchurched but that does not bother the progressives even when "the boat has taken on so much water as to be on the verge of capsizing" as Pope Benedict XI so aptly put it.  

Around 1400 people have added their names to the letter. If you share their concern please add your signature to the letter and encourage others to add theirs.

The joy, the pain and the sorrow

A post-ordination scene outside Llandaff Cathedral.                                                                             Source: Church in Wales

This post-ordination scene outside Llandaff Cathedral is palpable. Blessings and hugs. I well remember such joyous scenes before women were ordained. Everything then was clear cut. Orthodoxy prevailed.

There is nothing biblical about the ordination of women but having been led astray, many women insist that they hear the call as though God has changed His mind after sending His Son to show us the Way. If He had, surely the change would be universal, not confined to local decision makers. But, sadly, it is as it is.

Today the Church in Wales is in disarray. Progressives continue to push for more change as the pews empty. More defections are expected after the second woman bishop is enthroned next month because the promised provision evaporated once the progressives achieved their goal.

So, there will be great joy for many this morning among those for whom conscience is not a problem. For others there will be pain because their church has left them. More to the point, there will be great sorrow because nobody in the Church in Wales appears to care.

The US Episcopal Church: the feminist effect

From David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
January 21, 2014

How to spend $30 million dollars:

1. Educate 100 seminary students (average 3-year cost $45,000) for $4,500,000.

2. Plant and build 2,000 churches in Africa for about $6,000 a church. Total cost $12 million.

3. 24,000 children die of hunger each day in the world. An estimated 3.1 million children die every year due to hunger and lack of nutritious food. A single meal costs .22 cents to produce. $2 million would produce 9 million meals and feed more than 3 million children. An estimated 850 million children in the world do not have enough food to eat or do not get a nutritious meal every day.

4. $50 can provide a nutritious meal for a child for a year. $5 million would feed 100,000 children for one year.

5. $200 can provide an education for a child including provision of buildings and teachers' salaries etc. for a year. For $5 million you can equip 25,000 children.

6. WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency, says that it costs 25 cents (US) to fill a cup with porridge, rice or beans and give girls a monthly ration. $1.50 the price of a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts (but not Starbucks) is enough to feed a child through school for one week. For $1.5 million dollars you could feed 1 million children for one week. One development agency leader told VOL there are still lots of hurting people and the numbers keep growing.

7. In one fell swoop you could rebuild the Episcopal cathedral in Haiti and every Episcopal parish that was destroyed by the earthquake in that country.

TOTAL COST $30 MILLION

OR you could spend $30 million Episcopal dollars on law firms like David Booth Beers to endlessly litigate against orthodox Anglicans who only want to proclaim the gospel and to keep properties they bought and paid for. The Dennis Canon might well be the most expensively litigated church law in the history of the world.

The figure of $30 million is a conservative figure. It does not include ongoing litigation, nor the millions of dollars the other side has spent defending church properties. One canon lawyer estimates that the true figure could be well over $60 million, in which case the figures above could and should be doubled.

A.S. Haley of Curmudgeon blog fame wrote on Sept. 2010, "We thus arrive at an estimated total of some Twenty-Six Million, Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($26,650,000) dedicated thus far by the Church of Katharine Jefferts Schori to lawsuits and illegal disciplinary actions. That is quite a negative achievement for someone who has been in office for not even four years yet." He now estimates the figures to be between $30 million and $33 million. "If the spending continues at the same rate, by the time her term is up in November 2015 (and assuming her last budget is like those before it), she will have committed the Church to an impossible-sounding Sixty-Four Million Dollars in legal costs." http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2010/09/just-how-much-has-ecusa-spent-on.html

Think about that the next time you drop a check or cash in the collection plate of your local Episcopal Church. Ask yourself: Where is this money really going?

END

Odd how orthodox Anglicans are represented as the villains by feminists!

We will all be changed

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  concludes with 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.

Mean-minded gender politics v. traditional Anglican faith

Readers may have observed that I find it difficult to be 'slow to anger' where the Anglican church is concerned today. What makes me particularly angry is the complete absence of compassion for men and women in the church who, in common with the majority of Christians, simply want to practice their religion in accordance with tradition, something that should be a human right. I have witnessed and valued women's ministry for its dedication in many areas of church life but much has now changed setting one against another. I didn't see the need for Deaconesses to become Deacons any more than actresses needed to became actors or heroines to became heroes but whereas actors and heroes of either sex were equal in pursuit of their ambitions, so called equality in the church meant something different, a change in our understanding of the priesthood using faith as a vehicle for gender politics. 

Women deacons became priests on the dubious pretext that there was no biblical objection and the assertion that there was little difference between deacon and priest other than the utterance of a few words (such regard for the sacred ministry!). Now it is the 'stained glass ceiling' that has to be shattered in the guise of equality. Such is the success of this secular based campaign that even some opponents of the ordination of women express sympathy for their position, one which has been manipulated to appear one of prejudice. If they succeed in their goal the next step will be parity which is the aim of Women and the Church (WATCH). Only when we have a woman Archbishop will cries of injustice be allowed to fade.


The appointment of women bishops shatters the tradition of the Universal Church of which Anglicanism has been part. In England, 2012 sees the culmination of a process of deception and lies using false promises to achieve this objective. In Wales their Archbishop is determined to reintroduce the measure in 2012, ignoring the earlier defeat on the basis that the Holy Spirit is only at work when the Archbishop finds the result favourable. Out of spite he went on to deny traditionalists acceptable pastoral and sacramental care by imposing oversight by a bench of bishops none of whom shows any sympathy towards traditionalists. The Church of England has been more tolerant in consecrating replacement PEVs but what of the future given the intransigence of members of Synod, particularly the hard edged women of WATCH and GRAS?


I have to accept that not everyone shares a traditional understanding of the sacred ministry but I cannot understand why, as Christians, new Anglicans would want to deny traditionalists the opportunity to continue to practise their religion as they have done well before many of the new breed of Anglicans entered the church. While some traditionalists may be able to look to the Ordinariate or possibly to the Western Rite of Orthodoxy many will find themselves in the wilderness as their own church adopts a take it or leave it approach, carefully crafted to offer only something known to be unacceptable on the basis that anything else would imply that women would be seen as second class bishops. I was particularly saddened over Christmas to receive a card from a very devout lady with a message that she had had enough and given up going to church. Like many disenchanted souls before her, she had been receiving the sacrament regularly before many of the new breed of Anglicans were born. Does people's faith count for nothing in the gender politics that now obsess our church? 


In my previous entry I again highlighted the plight of traditionalist Anglicans in the Episcopal church of the United States and the road to ruin the liberalised Episcopal church there has embarked upon. There is another report here which well illustrates what happens when liberalism replaces the traditional faith of the church. Our once tolerant, broad church should look again to the faith of the Universal church and end its obsession with gender politics while there is still Anglican church in which to hold the office of bishop.