True colours

WATCH gathering                                                                                                                    Source: WATCH/Church Times

From the Church Times: "A CAMPAIGN to end the provisions that accompanied the women-bishops legislation of 2014, put in place to provide for those unable to accept women’s ministry (News, 28 July 2014), was launched by Women and the Church (WATCH) on Saturday.

"The campaign group hopes to see a motion brought to the General Synod, asking members to consider “whether it is right for the 2014 House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests to continue in perpetuity and, if not, to set a date for it to come to an end”. The plans were discussed at the “Not Yet Equal Conference” at St John’s, Waterloo, in London. WATCH aims to roll out roadshows across dioceses in the coming months, in the hope of getting the motion carried by diocesan synods. An alternative approach would be a private member’s motion.

"WATCH is also encouraging women clergy to log experiences of “harassment”, with a view to bringing a case under the Equality Act (2010)." Full report here.

The bishop of Croydon, Dr Rosemary Mallet (pictured above), said "The Principles 'help to reinforce' the 'unequal and iniquitous gendered culture of the current Church of England', Dr Mallett said on Saturday. The foundations of this culture lay in the 1993 settlement, which established Provincial Episcopal Visitors (PEV) and 'allowed . . . churches to limit women’s roles on grounds of theological conviction'."

Dr Mallet lays bare the guiding principles of WATCH, feminist equality in a secularised Church. Theology has no place in the minds of these deceitful women. 

She went on: "With hindsight, we never really thought through how this agreement would build on those foundations, cementing in both official and unofficial practices in churches a perpetuation of women’s unequal treatment and the continued discrimination against women."

The deceit is mind blowing. Using the Church to further their feminist ideals, these women have reached their goal of women bishops by stealth, regardless of the hurt they have caused for those who on theological grounds are unable to accept their secular agenda.

Step by step WATCH have argued that it did not mean that women would become priests if they were allowed to become deacons. When they were made deacons they argued that being a deacon was preparation for the priesthood. When women were admitted to the priesthood they claimed that the Church was dicriminating against women if they were not allowed to become bishops in a three-fold ministry.

'Mutual flourishing' enabled these feminists to achieve their goal. Now they want to end the provisions that accompanied the women-bishops legislation. 

Sadly the people to whom WATCH appeal have the same secular outlook. They are unable to see through the lies because many attending Church have become secularised.

WATCH's Not Equal Yet Campaign claims that "Our national Church is getting away with discriminating against women, limiting female leadership, at every level of the organisation."

It shows them in their true colours. They want those of us who do not agree with them to be left with nothing.

It is appropriate that the article is dated 1st April. WATCH have made fools of the Church.  

Postscript

  Promises to traditionalists should be kept, Forward in Faith says - Church Times    

Bishop of Llandaff sacrifices parishioners in latest initiative

Church in Wales parish church of SS Andrew and Teilo, Woodville Road, Cathays, Cardiff.                                                                              Source: Wikipedia

The parish church of SS Andrew and Teilo has followed the revisionist path of the Church in Wales to the letter but that has not saved parishioners from being sacrificed by bishop June Osborne.  Her latest strategy, presumably for growth, is to give away their church. Parishioners are far from pleased.

From their petition Save St Teilo's - Save Our Community:
"In March 2019 the members of St Teilo’s church have been informed that a decision has been made by the Bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne, to give their church away to an evangelical church called Holy Trinity Brompton. The decision was made with no consultation with the clergy or members of the congregation and wider community and she says the decision is final."

Popularly  known as St. Teilo's, the parish church became St. Andrew and St. Teilo after the nearby St. Andrew's church was rededicated as Eglwys Dewi Sant.

Before its rededication St Andrew's was a chapel of ease to St John the Baptist Church, the civic church in the heart of Cardiff now dedicated to the advancement of transgenderism following the bishop's appointment of a transgender activist vicar.

Led by a female priest the parish  of SS Andrew and Teilo has an "inclusive ethos" and is "formally associated with the Inclusive Church movement". They responded to the Church in Wales initiative taking up the Seven Sacred Spaces model to shape their mission life, something the former bishop of Llandaff, Archbishop Barry Morgan referred to as "places of pilgrimage", an unfortunate link in June Osborne's year of pilgrimage initiative as she prepares to fly her diocesan clergy much farther afield in her widely ridiculed Costa Compostela initiative.

 Famed for its Alpha course, Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) describes itself as "a vibrant Anglican church in the heart of London, passionate about seeing lives changed in the name of Jesus." In 2017, the Church Revitalisation Trust (CRT) was established to help build on this momentum of church planting in strategic cities across the UK:

While the success of HTB is to be admired, it is no reason for the bishop's high handed action, destroying one congregation in the hope of starting another. That is not church planting.

"Church planting is a process that results in a new (local) Christian church being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, new worship center or fresh expression is created that is integrated into an already established congregation. For a local church to be planted, it must eventually have a separate life of its own and be able to function without its parent body, even if it continues to stay in relationship denominationally or through being part of a network." Wikipedia

 Church of England Bishops set out principles for church planting.

 Among their guiding principles [20 ii]:
"We expect those responsible for church plants to commit themselves to work
to the best of their ability in cooperation with the other churches in the local
area, including the church in whose parish the new church plant is located, as
an integrated part of deanery and diocesan structures. They should aim to use
some of their resources to support the mission of their neighbours and expect
to make regular financial contributions to the diocese, as an expression of the
mutual responsibilities that are a normal part of church life."

What the bishop of Llandaff appears to be doing is adapting Church of England practice for use in the Church in Wales without its structure. In a similar way they cherry picked to write a Code of Practice which specifically excluded separate structures leaving orthodox Anglicans in Wales with nothing but their memories.

Church in Wales bishops have been resolute in refusing permission for orthodox bishops to cross the border. HTB plants have their own bishop for church plants, the Bishop of Islington. There is no indication how this would work in Wales.

We have been here before.

Revisionist bishops have destroyed orthodox Anglicanism in Wales, sacrificing  faithful worshippers in pursuit of their secularist agenda. If attempting to address the resulting decline with another experiment is June Osborne's answer parishioners is not taking it lying down.

You can sign their petition here.

Postscripts [22.03.2019]

Church Times: Church in Wales launches its first resource church

[25.03.2019] Anglican Unscripted coverage:

Principles not rhetoric

Souce: LEAVE.EU

The Express 26 June 2016 Nigel Farage warns Boris may be BACK-PEDALLING on EU immigration promises made in campaign: "The Ukip leader said he was nervous that Boris Johnson's position on withdrawal from the EU may have softened in the four days since the referendum vote for Brexit....Mr Johnson yesterday stressed Britain "is part of Europe, and always will be", envisaging "intense and intensifying European co-operation and partnership" even after Brexit."

Mirror 26 June 2016 Great Brexit betrayal: Vote Leave leaders backtrack from NHS and immigration pledges and admit there is NO plan: "Former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith joined Nigel Farage in distancing himself from the key referendum vow – as Brexiteers warned voters not to expect a quick drop in immigration following the historic poll result."

Critics of Michael Gove have quickly forgotten the glee they were taking in rubbishing Brexit for "back-pedalling". One Brexiteer who was not back-peddling is Michael Gove. He was so horrified by the apparent lack of enthusiasm of Boris Johnson for securing the aims of Brexit that he reluctantly decided to throw his own hat into the ring. I believe he genuinely did not want the job of PM. As he said he his 'standing out of conviction not ambition'.

I for one believe him. Presumably Andrew Neil does not after his snide little skit - " 'Let me make clear what I have repeatedly said before,' Neil began on Thursday evening. 'I do not want to present Question Time. I could not present Question Time. I’m not equipped to present Question Time'."

Journalists have been having a field day. Gone are the days when they reported the news. They now force their own views on listeners. Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, was 'interviewed' by Evan Davis for the BBC Newsnight programme a few evenings ago. The poor chap was not allowed to say anything unless he agreed with the interviewer who constantly tried to put words into his mouth, taking lessons from Kirsty Wark no doubt.

After Michael Heseletine's scathing attack on Boris Johnson, Ken Clarke who was "personally appalled" by the idea of Boris Johnson being Prime Minister, launched a 'stunning attack' on Michael Gove urging him to 'stand down now'. He said it was important to "have the trust so far as possible of your colleagues," arguing Mr Gove had lost that ability.

When it comes to trust it is a bit rich coming from Mr Clarke following his links with BAT when he was earning £100,000 a year in 2001 as the nation struggled to control smoking with all its consequences for the NHS.

The Remainers have no shame. Scare stories before the Referendum, character assassination afterwards putting rhetoric before principles, all designed to favour Remain over Brexit. But just a minute, "Post-Brexit vote rebound sees FTSE 100 set for biggest weekly rise since 2011". Not a lot said about that!

If the sneerers would open their eyes and pull for Britain instead of condemning people of conviction as racist and untrustworthy, we will make better progress on a decision that has been made. The current battles being waged could damage Theresa May as well as Michael Gove. That could prove to be to the advantage of Andrea Leadsom. She has been a consistent Brexiteer with the right credentials. With support going her way, Michael Gove could still be let off the hook he has previously tried to avoid.

Pentecost - residents of Wales

Source: FiF

From Acts 2: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place... Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting... When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ... Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?' "...

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common."

No longer for residents of Wales who worship in the Church in Wales.

To their shame the bishops of the Church in Wales claim to be successors of the Apostles but they do not behave like the Apostles to ensure that we all have equal opportunity to flourish within the Anglican Communion.

Forward in Faith has produced a card (reproduced above) with the Church of England's 'Five Guiding Principles following the House of Bishops' Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests'. The Church of England acknowledges that "its own clear decision on ministry and gender" is set within a broader process of discernment within the Anglican Communion and the whole Church of God.

Those unable to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests are within the spectrum of Anglican teaching and tradition and will be enabled to flourish. So, pastoral and sacramental provision for the minority within the Church of England has been made without specifying a limit of time and in a way that maintains the highest possible degree of communion and contributes to mutual flourishing across the whole Church of England.

Adopting only four of the guiding principles, and contrary to the wishes of Church members expressed at diocesan meetings held specifically for the purpose of discerning their views, the unprincipled bishops of the Church in Wales dropped the fifth principle and inserted:
  Since the Code of Practice needs to be both strong and flexible enough to respond to a changing situation in the future, and since the Governing Body has entrusted the Bench of Bishops with the task of agreeing a Code which commits the Bench to making provisions for all the members of the Church in Wales, the Bench reserves the right to amend the provisions of this Code as may be necessary in the future.

The Code of Practice made no meaningful concessions to those for whom the Code was intended. In fact, the inference to be drawn from the revised wording by the Bench is that church life for those unable to receive the ministry of  women bishops or priests on grounds of theological conviction can only get worse. Perhaps it is just too difficult for bishops devoid of conscience to comprehend the beliefs of those who do.

So for residents of Wales whose bishops speak in alien tongues, having "everything in common" is as far away in the Church in Wales as the Apostolic Succession.

M&S, the CofE and anti-Christian persecution

What an utter mess the Church of England is in. Seeing how M&S shot itself in the foot over its policy, since denied, of allowing Muslims to treat customers as they pleased, the dear old CofE, according to Cranmer, decided to tweet its commendation to M&S for "making reasonable accommodation for the religious beliefs of their workers". That is, Muslim workers of course, a minority who demand and receive special privileges for their faith regardless of the effect on others having chosen to live in what is for now, still a Christian country despite the best efforts of liberal Anglicans.

Being a Christian entitles you to have your face slapped on both cheeks as the Christian B&B owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull found to their considerable cost after a same sex couple challenged their right to refuse them a double room because they were not a heterosexual married couple. Bad news too for Registrars who believe in traditional marriage. They will be forced to conduct gay weddings against their will or lose their jobs. Given decisions such as these one would have thought that the CofE would have viewed the M&S "accommodation" in a different light but no.

It is clear from the Pilling Report that the CofE is digging itself into a bigger hole day by day but they don't stop digging. As the Rev Peter Owen Jones illustrates, things are not what they were in the Church of England. In the nineteenth century another priest, Fr Arthur Tooth, was sent to prison for defending the right to use Eucharistic vestments in the Church of England (here). Now, according to the Mail here: "Rules requiring the clergy to don traditional vestments are set to be swept aside as part of a ‘makeover’ designed to make services more relevant to modern congregations. It just doesn't seem to occur to trendies that relevance to the High Street is not what drew people to church. It was the other worldliness.

For many Christians it is not a case of the stupidity revealed above but of life or death, for too many, the latter. The shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander has added his plea to the voice of the Prince of Wales (here) warning that the mounting persecution of Christians is a “story that goes largely untold”. He says that public figures have allowed “political correctness” to prevent them talking about faith and the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

On its lunch time TV news bulletin today the BBC has a report from Orla Guerin in Cairo about Lives of fear for Egypt's Christians. The burnt churches, kidnappings and killings in Egypt were the "work of a minority" said a Coptic priest. But that is all it takes!

Perhaps the M&S Christmas shopping episode and the reaction of the Church of England will finally result in a reality check for Christians in Britain before all is lost.