Petertide ordinations in Wales

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby welcomed female priests at St Paul's Cathedral in 2014                                                                               Source: BBC

For the first time since women were accepted for ordination, most deacons ordained in the Church of England in 2019 were women, only 44% of whom were aged under 40.

It can be only a matter of time before Anglicanism in this country is dominated by women who feel free to do as they please.

In 2020 the Covid-19 lockdown has resulted in churches being closed, only now re-opening for private prayer but that has not prevented the Church in Wales from carrying out some ordinations.

The diocese of Monmouth has been asked by bishop Cherry openly to pray for a new female deacon who will be ordained in Newport Cathedral today.

Of more concern is the rumoured secretive ordination behind Llandaff Cathedral's closed doors today of a man reportedly in a same sex marriage.

Some observations from a concerned commentator:

The regulations forbidding clergy holding public services in their churches have been the cause of deep anxiety and concern.  Even when our churches are permitted to be open for private prayer they will not be allowed to vocalise any form of worship.  Grotesque?  Yes.  You may only go into a church if you promise not to utter aloud any praise of God or articulate intercession!

However – one rule for the lower clergy, another for the hierarchy – there is a rumour doing the rounds that Mrs Goulding (alias the bishop of Llandaff) is intent on secretly holding a ‘private’ ordination service behind the locked doors of Llandaff Cathedral in the presence of only a few members of the Chapter.  ‘A private ordination behind locked doors’ is no more possible than a ‘private marriage behind locked doors’.  Ordination is the concern and action of the whole people of God.  The service makes this clear at various points when the congregation is asked questions about the suitability of the candidates and whether it is the wish of the people that they be ordained.

Furthermore, there is apparently to be no Communion.  The 1662 Prayer Book, and Wales 1984 – and indeed all ordination services – are within the context of the Eucharist.  ‘ . . . all they that receive Orders shall take together, and remain in the same place where hands were laid upon them, until such time as they have received the Communion.”

If the bishop and the priest do not receive the Holy Communion together then one may justifiably question whether it is a legal or valid ordination.

Postscript

Social distancing being ignored:

Deaconing in Newport Cathedral 27 June 2020                         Source: YouTube

RE-OPENING CHURCHES UPDATE Monmouth news Posted: 19 June 2020

Postscripts [28.06.2020]

Episcopal double standards in evidence?

Following the report of a secretive ordination service in Llandaff Cathedral a tweet from Llandaff diocese has been posted in response to a tweet in which it was queried whether or not churches can now hold worship providing it is behind closed doors:

"Llandaff Diocese #StaySafe

@LlandaffDio

Morning Rachel. Yes, ordinations  took place in the cathedral yesterday. Doors were closed because public were unable to attend due to strict social distancing rules. No family or friends could attend. 

Unusual circumstances this but safety must come first. ✝️❤️"

There was no announcement of the service that I can find and no prayers invited for the ordinand(s) - more than one is now indicated.

In view of the serious observations contained in the main post, above, a fuller explanation should be made instead of a Covid-19 safety brush off.  

PS 2 [28.06.2020]

A further tweet shows five candidates were ordained as deacons to serve in the diocese plus another four presumably to serve in other dioceses.

Postscript [29.06.2020]

Source: CinW Twitter

The latest Petertide ordinations reported on Twitter:

"Ordinations Covid-style in St David's Church Abergwili - congratulations to Heulwen Evans, Jordan Spencer and Lorna Jones, the first of our Deacons to be ordained yesterday (Sunday 28th). All duly socially distanced..."

So should one assume there was no laying on of hands in Abergwili?

Postscript [01.07.2020]

From Twitter: Next, St Asaph

"ORDINATIONS

It should have been the ordination of priests last Saturday, and I am currently working towards the provisional date of Saturday, 3rd October, for the ordination of our seven priest candidates (Gareth Erlandson, Sally Harper, Simon Piercy, Chris Spencer, Sue Storey, Carol Thomas and James Tout), hoping that it will be possible to hold the ordination in the Cathedral as usual.  Do please hold all these individuals in your thoughts and prayers.

By agreement with the Welsh Government, however, we will be able to proceed with the ordination of our deacon candidates, and this is because the government has accepted the argument that it is a necessary step to their assuming ministry and their work as Assistant Curates.  In line with government regulations, the ordination service will be online live streamed and recorded, and socially distanced, or with PPE precautions.  Ordinations are joyful occasions when we give thanks to God for the calling of men and women to ordained service, but on this occasion, the absence of supporters and a congregation will be keenly felt.  It is my hope, therefore, that many of us can hold them in prayer at the time, and support them from a distance.  Please remember George Bearwood, Luke Bristowe, Helen Dawson, Toby Jones, Gregory Lachlann-Waddell, Ben Lines, Jo MacKriell, Jim Thompson and Gail Woodward in your prayers." - AD CLERUM - JULY 2020

If there was 'agreement with the Welsh Government' as stated it makes the secrecy surrounding the ordination, Monmouth excluded, all the more surprising

The bench should come clean and explain to the faithful how the ordinations were conducted with social distancing and whether they took part in the context of the Eucharist.

Postscript [05.07.2020]

Source: Church in Wales

St Asaph coming clean at their Petertide ordination service yesterday. Oodles of photos here. Clearly much thought of safeguarding is in evidence.

The Bishop of Monmouth and partner

Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann .  Source: Twitter

The Church in Wales tweeted an invitation to find out more about the new Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, in an interview on BBC Woman's Hour broadcast on February 20th.

Out of curiosity I tuned in on catch up. There was nothing spiritual, just sex

There was a nervous quiver in the bishop's voice as though her participation was part of  an organised campaign that had thrust her into the limelight. Her part of the deal was speaking frankly about her situation, thus enhancing the LGBT+ credentials of the bench of bishops.

Straight in, the interviewer explained that Cherry Vann's appointment had coincided with the statement issued by the Church of England suggesting sex should take place only within heterosexual marriage but bishop Vann is 'the first openly gay female bishop and the first to be in a civil partnership in the UK'.

 Vann explains how she hid her sexuality out of fear: "Like a lot of other gay and lesbian people it is not an easy place to be in the Church and fear means it is easier to keep silent rather than the risk of being rejected, or losing your job or losing friends."

Has she not noticed that the only people rejected in the Church in Wales are orthodox Anglicans!

Bishop Vann said that she and her partner decided to make their civil partnership public when Vann was first invited to have her name put forward for the post of bishop. They decided that this was the time to be more open and honest.

However, The cover-up was maintained until after the Sacred Synod confirmed her appointment.

It is all out in the open now. Vann says the Church in Wales is "more accepting as an institution of gay and lesbian people". The Church in Wales is a "different Church".

She claims that the Church as a whole is on a journey with 'stiffened' resolve to work 'positively and creatively' until we get to a place where "everyone is accepted and welcomed irrespective of their sexuality".

Vann continues, the Church in Wales is more open with the courage to take a positive lead enabling bishop Vann and people like her to be honest and open about who they are - unlike the Church in Wales which has pursued its agenda by stealth. - Vann is sure that same sex marriage in church will come in time.

The reason she was appointed is made clear in her interview. It is to further the gay agenda of the bench of bishops leading to same sex marriage

There is no mention of the Gospel or of salvation, only that we are all sexual human beings.

The clearest message yet from the bench.

Postscript [26.02.2020]

More self justification with some dangerous views from Cherry Vann in an 'acast' interview recorded with Martin Shipton, Chief Reporter for Wales Online https://play.acast.com/s/9b06ea45-4ded-49de-9368-7590ce8c831f/038a13f8-b566-4c13-9d73-d37731ea2f03 .

On religion she talks about the 'multiplicity of faiths' [@ position 11] . At their best she thought there was an awful lot of congruence between the different faiths and particularly between the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism Christianity and Islam: "There is a lot in common, a lot about respect for one another. A lot about mutual tolerance. A lot about living in harmony and I think that is what I would urge us all to aspire to. The very best."

Her views do not sit comfortably with the Quran: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Q 9:29)

Presumably the bishop failed to listen to Anglican Unscripted edition 570
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=679&v=Q5x_ZO-6GKw&feature=emb_logo

Welcome and Beware!

Visiting Newport Cathedral on 31 October Wendy observed this "Amazing poster on entry to the Cathedral".

If Wendy is unknown to readers, especially those in the Monmouth diocese, reading the bishop-elect's letter to her electors should clarify and explain how the 'inclusive Gospel of Jesus Christ' has become 'amazing' to some in the Church in Wales:

 8th November 2019

"From the Venerable Cherry Vann    

Dear Electors,

A lot has happened since we last met on 17th September 2019 and I am looking forward to moving in to Bishopstow at the beginning of December and beginning a new ministry among you in the new year.

As a way of thanking you for the part you played in the three day marathon that was the Electoral College, Wendy and I would like to invite you and some of the diocesan officers to Bishopstow for drinks and nibbles on Thursday 19th December, 5.00 – 7.00pm. Please come for all or for part of those two hours, as you are able. It would be lovely to see you for a more relaxed and informal conversation for however long you can come. 

In the meantime, be assured of my prayers for you and for the Diocese of Monmouth and please do pray for Wendy and I as we prepare to leave Manchester and move to a new life and ministry in the Church in Wales. 

I very much look forward to seeing you again  

Prayers and good wishes

Cherry"

It is not clear from Cherry's letter what part of  her episcopal ministry Wendy will be sharing in but this must be another first for the Church in Wales which, in the words of the bishop of Llandaff, has "unhealthy preoccupations with gender and sexuality".

The Church in Wales press office and the Diocese of Monmouth declined to comment on whether the cohabiting bishop-elect is in a partnered same-sex relationship but nevertheless the appointment is a slap in the face for the Governing Body after they rejected a bid by the bench of bishops to ditch traditional teaching on marriage and allow same-sex marriage in Church.

It is also a snub to the Anglican Communion position that marriage is intended to be a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is not inviting same-sex spouses to the 2020 Lambeth Conference of bishops.

More welcome in the divided diocese of Monmouth would have been a spiritually uplifting appointment, not another nod to inclusivity, a euphemism if ever there was one, and further division.

Down hill all the way

Jedi wedding                                                                                                        Source: Mail Online

       

Two news stories this week illustrate the incremental disasters that continue to distance the Anglican Church from her historic roots.

Jedi weddings similar to the 2016 Star Wars themed wedding reported in Mail Online could take place in Anglican churches if a private member's bill designed to allow Catholics, Methodists and other Christian denominations' marriages to take place in Church of England buildings is successful.

Prior to his elevation to the Lords, John Selwyn Gummer was a former Conservative party Chairman and Environment Secretary. He served on the Church of England's General Synod before converting to Roman Catholicism in 1992.

Now Lord Deben, he introduced the bill after finding "his daughter could not marry in his local Anglican church in Suffolk because she wanted the Catholic ceremony".

In a rare flash of orthodoxy for a modern Anglican bishop the bishop of Winchester warned the bill "also affords potential legal rights to the use of churches to New Religious Movements with which the Church of England does not have any existing formal ecumenical relationship".

This is not as far fetched as it might first appear. On their web site 'becometheforce' the Church of Jediism explains that Jediism is "a new philosophy supporting the idea of one all-powerful life energy Force that connects all living things in the universe together". That Star Wars is a fiction has no force.

The Church of Jediism offers Jedi weddings, naming ceremonies and funerals.

Lord Deben responded to the bishop saying that the bill "does not tell the Church of England to do anything...What we are doing is removing a legal impediment for the Church of England to make up its own mind. That is clearly different."

'Optional' is in vogue in modern Anglicanism. Supporters of same-sex marriage in church suggest that clergy should have the option to marry same-sex couples as they have the option to marry divorcees in church.

Opponents will get used to it, they claim. What actually happens is those who are not moved by the spirit of the age are mocked, cast as irrelevant and out of touch as the bishop of Shrewsbury tweeted in reply to Cranmer's suggestion that Ann Widdecombe should be in the House of Lords.

Ann Widdecombe was another high profile MP who converted to Roman Catholicism after becoming disillusioned with the Church of England. The ordination of women was the 'last straw'. The last straw is as varied as the people for whom it is the last. It has been the ordination of women in general, the appointment of a woman priest or bishop, the LGBTI agenda and same-sex marriage in church.

The supposedly enlightened respond naively that the answer for anyone who finds these changes problematic is the route taken by Gummer and Widdicombe but many Anglicans who are Anglican by conviction, catholic and reformed, cannot accept some aspects of Roman catholicism.  Instead they leave the church as the attendance figures clearly indicate. It will get worse as the priesthood is diluted.

'Hatch, match and despatch' is a term used to describe people attending church only for baptism, marriage, and funeral. Often that was their only contact with a priest. Today lay people are being trained to take funerals even in the Roman Catholic Church if there is no Requiem Mass. They visit the sick and housebound, sometimes administering Holy Communion, so priestly contact becomes evermore remote.

RC priests have to undergo many years of study before taking their vows but the lack of vocations has become so dire that any Anglican showing an inkling of enthusiasm is likely to be fast-tracked to ordination. The Archbishop of York is inviting Readers in the diocese of York to consider ordination to the diaconate.

For traditionalists in Wales that has a familiar ring as they watched deaconesses becoming deacons, the first stepping stone towards female episcopacy. As deacons they claimed that they were to all intents and purposes priests who were not allowed to say a few words in the Eucharistic prayer or pronounce absolution. As priest it was 'unfair' to deny women 'promotion' to bishop, the stained glass ceiling as secularists claimed.

It was refreshing to hear the bishop of Winchester take an orthodox stance in response to Gummer's bill. He said parliament was 'addressing questions of doctrine, creed and ecumenical dialogue, all of which ought properly to sit with the churches themselves'. Not that that stops all and sundry taking a view, thrusting their secular values on the church to be welcomed by those within who have their own political agendas.

As for the Church of Jediism at least they believe in a supreme force whereas Anglicanism has become a go as you please religion. One sensible utterance has emerged from the Archbishop of Canterbury. He said Islamic rules are incompatible with British laws. Not just British laws. They are incompatible with Christianity which is why Muslims who take the Koran literally feel free to attack Christians and demolish their churches.

Some Anglican clergy see no impediment to allowing Muslims to use churches for Muslim prayers, effectively turning them into mosques.

If Gummer gets his way no doubt more clergy will succumb to temptation to show their liberal credentials, so increasing the downhill slide.

The slide continues: Scottish Episcopal Church

The Most Rev Justin Welby announced sanctions against the Scottish Episcopal
 Church  at a news conference in Canterbury.  Source: BBC

"A major row is erupting in the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) with half the paid clergy in one region rebelling over the appointment of their new bishop" reports Christian Today. This follows the appointment of Canon Anne Dyer to be the first female bishop in the SEC. Canon Dyer is "strongly in favour" of gay marriage.

The protest follows the failure of the normal nomination process where church members within the  largely conservative Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney failed to name the required minimum of three candidates. The SEC bishops then took over the process and nominated former business/systems analyst Canon Dyer but without first consulting clergy or churchgoers in the diocese according to the report.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said last October that the SEC would be excluded from ecumenical and leadership roles in the Anglican Communion following the decision of the SEC to begin marrying same-sex couples.

The first same-sex Anglican church wedding in the UK took place in Edinburgh in September 2017 after the SEC voted in June to amend canon law and allow same-sex couples to be married in church.

Following the vote the Most Rev David Chillingworth, then Primus of the SEC, said: "A new chapter opens up and inclusion takes a particular form. This new canon affirms there are different understandings of marriage in our church. We affirm we are a church of diversity and difference bound together by our unity in Christ."

Bound in unity in Christ they may be but that is no excuse for deviancy. There is only one understanding of marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others and for life.

Chillingworth retired at the end of July 2017. His successor the Rt Rev Mark Strange said in response to the sanctions imposed on the SEC: "We will continue to play our part in the Anglican Communion we helped to establish, and I will do all I can to rebuild relationships, but that will be done from the position our Church has now reached in accordance with its synodical processes and in the belief that love means love."

Love means love in many forms. That the English language uses one word to convey different meanings of love is too convenient for those pushing same sex marriage.

Another ploy is to suggest that people will become accustomed to same sex marriage in time as they have to re-marriage of divorced people', a false analogy because divorce is about the absence of love, complicated by issues of annulment, consummation and the effects on offspring.

Carrying on regardless, the Anglican church is striving to reflect rather than inform society. Empty pews are the result but the new bishop of London was not bothered in her response to the problem in 2015 when the former nurse and midwife was appointed bishop of Crediton - hence her ascendancy in today's Anglican church no doubt.

Her attitude echoed that of Jan McFarlane, former Speech and Language Therapist, now Bishop of Repton. In response to the revelation that Norwich was the most godless city in England, the then Archdeacon of Norwich said that people were "doing their churchgoing differently" - staying away!

Postscript [08.01.2018]

Primus hits back after open letter criticises the appointment of Scotland’s first female bishop.

The Primus would be better employed examining his own conscience after seeking to justify same sex marriage using the simplistic slogan "love is love".

He now says. “Whilst, it would not be appropriate to disclose the internal discussions which took place among the bishops, suffice it to say, that the bishops fully believe and trust that they have been led by the Holy Spirit in their election of Canon Dyer."

 So the Primus stamps the SEC's gay marriage agenda with the approval of the Holy Spirit. The Church of England and the Church in Wales have been there before. If the Holy Spirit were to motivate anyone the signatories to the open letter would be more likely candidates having been informed by Holy Scripture rather than fashionable secular trends.

The road to ruin

The Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Rev Peter Broadbent, having a laugh.     Source: The Telegraph

From The Telegraph: Dress-down Sundays: Church considers making clerical dress optional.

"Heavenly hoodies? Church of England takes first step to relaxing clerical dress rules in effort to become more “relevant” to 21st Century". Surely they mean irrelevant.

Also, from The Guardian: Church of England members back same-sex marriage. Poll shows for first time more Anglicans supporting gay couples marrying than opposing it, despite leadership’s opposition. "The lowest levels of support for same-sex marriage – 24% – were found among Anglican men over the age of 55, a group that dominates the church leadership." But for how long?

"Jayne Ozanne, a leading gay activist within the C of E, who commissioned the poll from YouGov, said this finding was “deeply worrying”. “Unfortunately, this is exactly the profile of those in the senior positions of power and influence within the church,” she said.

Meanwhile ready to fill the vacuum UK Mosque Open Day is being promoted on social media and lists of participating places of worship are being posted on Facebook "which organisers hope will bring in more young people, among others".

As the Church destroys herself by becoming "relevant to society" the so called religion of peace is busy spreading its influence. Is it any surprise that "Islam may soon become the most dominant religion in the world, eclipsing Christianity". One thing we can be sure of there will be no mention that Christians will have to convert, pay the tax or die (Qur’an 9:29).

Postscript

Poll spun to apply pressure to Church of England on same-sex 'marriage'.

Fit for purpose?

Archbishop of Wales, Rt Rev Barry Morgan, at the National Eisteddfod                      Credit: Daily Post

In a 2011 BBC video clip (here) the Archbishop of Wales claimed that we needed to look to see if the Church in Wales (CinW) is "fit for purpose" and if we are using our resources in the best possible kind of way because investment income is falling, the pension bill is rising and therefore more money is needed by the church. Dr Morgan said the organisation needs outside help to cope with the decline in clergy, waning investments and falling congregations. He warned that the Church needed to be ready for significant change and take whatever proposals the Review may come up with seriously to make it fit for a future in Wales.

Unsurprisingly in 2012 the Review duly reported that the Church is “burdened and hampered” by too many aspects of organisation, and the parish system, as originally set up with a single priest serving a small community, was no longer sustainable.

No time has been lost in dismantling the parish system while cutting parish clergy but the top-heavy management structure remains in tact and peripheral appointments abound. For an example see the Llandaff structure here. No wonder the CinW has no future.

According to research reported in the 'Church Growth Modelling' Blog, the CinW will be extinct within a generation. The date of "around 2040" may prove to be optimistic. If a rumour circulating proves to be correct, CinW regular Sunday attendance figures are down by a massive 10% on the 2013 figure of 31,000 to only 28,000.

There are a number of factors. There is a limit to the willingness of members to support an organisation which has become so divorced from their Credal beliefs that it ceases to be credible. Many orthodox Anglicans have remained in the CinW because it has been their spiritual home since their baptism. They have found no suitable alternative but there comes a point when habit becomes unsustainable.

Also, the sense of 'belonging' to ministry areas, which will depend for their existence on lay worker assistants, does not have the same spiritual dimension as being able to call on one's parish priest if needed. *

It is obvious to many that the decline of Anglicanism in Great Britain has accelerated as the Church has become 'more relevant' to society. If this trend is continued and the Archbishop successfully convinces the Governing Body that same-sex marriage is the best thing since sliced bread, steeper decline seems inevitable.

So fit for purpose? No. Money may make "the world go round" but it does nothing for the "prosperity of the soul", a point seemingly lost on the Bench of Bishops.

* Postscript [11.08.2015]
   See 'Lots of Lay Leaders Licensed' here.

Church in Wales to embrace polygamy next?

"A man with two boyfriends had asked where the [Green] party stood on polyamory" - Independent

One of the more alarming claims I heard in the run-up to the 2015 General Election was that the Green party was open to the possibility of three in a marriage. Not as Princess Diana described it but legally, adding the seal of approval to polygamy. 

From the Independent, 1 May 2015: 

"Natalie Bennett has said her party is 'open to consultation' on the possibility of legalising polygamy and civil partnerships involving three or more people. The Green Party leader was responding to a question from a man living with his two boyfriends in a polyamorous relationship in London on Friday.

Dr Redfern Jon Barrett, taking part in an event organised by Pink News, said people like himself in three-way relationships faced a 'considerable amount of legal discrimination'. He asked: 'As someone living with his two boyfriends in a stable long-term relationship, I would like to know your stance is on polyamory rights. Is there room for Green support on group civil partnerships or marriages?'

Ms Bennett replied that although the Green Party 'at present' has no specific policy on legal partnerships involving more than two people, members could develop one and vote for it to be introduced. 'We have led the way on many issues related to the liberalisation of legal status in adult consenting relationships, and we are open to further conversation and consultation on this issue,' she added."

Politically the Green Party may have led the way on many issues related to the 'liberalisation of legal status in adult consenting relationships' but in the Church the champion of liberalisation in Great Britain is the Archbishop of Wales. I have been unable to find an official report of the proceedings but Dr Morgan secured an overwhelming vote in favour of his same-sex marriage proposals at the extraordinary meeting of the Llandaff Diocesan Conference held in Aberdare on May 9 to discuss the matter.

Not that it has any more relevance than voting at Parish and Deanery level because the Bench of Bishops have endorsed ++Barry's decision that they alone will decide the issue after the measure has been massaged through the Governing Body, just as they did when they denied traditional Anglicans a meaningful Code of Practice, contrary to the wishes expressed at Diocesan conferences organised at considerable expense to obtain the views of Church in Wales members.

After same-sex marriage polygamy is the next logical step for people in stable, long-term polyamorous relationships who love one another. If same-sex marriage is acceptable what possible objection can there be if two or more people love each other? Justifying their legislation Government Ministers said: "Put simply, it's not right that a couple who love each other and want to formalise a commitment to each other should be denied the right to marry."

Supporters of same-sex marriage who want the Church to be involved use 'love' as justification because love is at the heart of Christianity. It is. Christ said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another", which raises the question whether the Bench understands the meaning of true discipleship.

What can the Bench of Bishops be thinking about to go along with this misguided secular campaign? The price being paid is in direct opposition to Christ's prayer that we all may be one. As a result of ++Barry's misguided political policies, ecumenism between the Catholic and the Anglican Churches may be ending:

"Questions are being raised about whether the ecumenism between the Catholic and Anglican churches is coming to an end. According to Crux, many ask is there any point in the ecumenism as female bishops and gay bishops are present in Anglican churches, and they are now well-along the path toward same-sex marriage." Report here.

'Plural marriage' is currently out of favour in Mormonism but eager bed-fellows will be found in Islam. So the Archbishop of Wales will retire in the knowledge that in terms of marriage the Church in Wales could have more in common with Islam than with the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of which he claims membership. What a legacy!

The destruction of true Anglicanism in England and Wales: The hour has come

The Dean of Westminster (left) and the Archbishop of Wales with Bishop Gene Robinson of the US Episcopal Church

That divisive lobbyist Christina Rees and her feminist campaigning group, Women And The Church (WATCH) which could not tell the difference between equality and feminism started a process of dilution which has relegated the Anglican Church in the West to the margins of faith with ever decreasing congregations save for some remarkable exceptions on the evangelical wing. The 'equality for women' campaign is just that, a distortion. Their brand of equality demands preferential treatment for themselves leaving the rest of the church to struggle on the best they can. Many "budding clerics - perhaps a third - are from evangelicals" but they are allowed only a token bishop while women bishops are to be fast-tracked into the House of Lords so that they can continue their protest about discrimination at the highest levels.

An indication of their warped views can be found in a comment of a new WATCH baton carrier on the overdue appointment of the prominent evangelical, the Rev Preb Rod Thomas as Bishop of Maidstone. The Rev Jody Stowell who shares her distorted views on 'religion, feminism and community and the life of a priest' in a blog said "We should be careful that this isn’t creating a church within a church", just as they have done in the Anglican Communion.

It is reported that the appointment was made only in a bid to avert a split in the Church of England. All credit then to the Archbishop of Canterbury but none whatsoever to the Archbishop of Wales who continues to lead his church down into the pit with no concessions to anyone who doesn't conform to his fashionable, liberal bent.

From the recent Cranmer disclosure and other events afflicting the Anglican church it is apparent that this dilution of the faith is turning into pollution of the faith.

At first sight one might be forgiven for assuming that this was an innocent mistake since the prayer was read in Turkish but the Dean of Westminster is quoted as saying that he defends inclusion of Muslim prayer in Abbey service: "Dr John Hall told Christian Today it was appropriate to offer hospitality to other faith traditions but this did not in any sense compromise the form and orthodox character of our belief and proclamation." How deluded can one be? In Muslim majority countries  the Islamic form of hospitality is "convert, pay the jizya or die", so cruelly evident in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond  where Christian churches are being destroyed and Christians driven out of the lands where Christianity took root.

Mohammed is a false prophet. Christ predicted that there would be. How can any Christian accept the claim that Mohammed is 'the chosen one' in a line of prophets from God from Adam, Noah, Abraham to Moses, Jesus and Mohammed Mustafa, identifying Mohammed as the chosen one? Islam denies that Christ died on the Cross and even claims that Jesus was a Muslim. So the One who died for all is replaced by one who would kill all if they don't believe in him. It cannot be appropriate to offer hospitality which allows critics of all other faiths and none to peddle their distorted ideology in Christian churches which, if they had their way, they would destroy.

The Holy Bible is used by Islam to justify its ideology by distorting the Word. Is Dr Hall not aware that Islam is persecuting Christians simply because they are Christians and in doing so take their authority from the Quran? Have no lessons been learnt after a Muslim prayer service was held at St John's Church in Waterloo? - "The Bishop of Southwark takes very seriously his responsibility to uphold the teaching of the Church and to work within its framework of legislation and guidance. It is quite clear that Islamic prayer should not take place in a consecrated building," said a spokesman for the Southwark diocese.

From the enemy without to the enemy within, there is no let up in attacking traditional values for the benefit of a few individuals who would see their irregular relationships regularised, opening the door to other relationships such as three or more person marriage with children left to work out the puzzle as to why they don't simply have a mother and a father. And why not if love is the criterion? That is the logical development of the process. The process started with the ordination of women but that was just part of the package. The gay lobby, particularly in the Episcopal Church of the United States (TEC), has torn Anglicanism apart with the appointment of practicing homosexual bishops, a novelty welcomed by Dr Barry Morgan, the Archbishop of Wales, who likes to claim that opposition is fruitless because change is inevitable. Under his headship, perhaps, but even he is not immortal which will leave future bishops to pick up the pieces, such as they are, be they gay, straight or transgender for that is how the Archbishop sees the future of the Church in Wales based not on faith in Jesus Christ but faith in Katharine Jefferts Schori the retiring Presiding Bishop of TEC.

This is not fiction. In 2012 TEC approved legislation that opened the door to transgender ordination leading to the conclusion "Cross-Dressing Clergy: These Are the Reasons the Episcopal Church Could Be Near Collapse". Note the similarity of the Archbishop's pronouncements with the legislation passed at the Episcopal Church Convention: The Episcopal General Convention voted to amend church laws to state: "No one shall be denied rights, status or access to an equal place in the life, worship, and governance of this Church because of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disabilities or age" - provided always that their views accord with the Presiding Bishop and her faithful disciple.

In 'Episcopalians for Traditional Faith' the Rev. Dr. Frank Larisey wrote an article claiming "It's Not about Sex". He wrote: Episcopal Church (TEC) spokespersons insist that the mass exodus of members began when Gene Robinson, celebrity homosexual, was consecrated as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Most of the mass media slavishly follow TEC's lead, mentioning the first openly gay bishop in every article about declining church membership. Fr. Larisey begs to differ. TEC's claim is a smoke screen that obscures the true reason behind the loss in membership: When the revisionists changed the words of worship, they changed the religion itself, making possible what followed.

Dr Larisey's claim makes a lot of sense. "When the revisionists changed the words of worship, they changed the religion itself, making possible what followed". Not only has much of the beauty of the Book of Common Prayer been lost but subtle, and not so subtle, changes are made (see the solemnization of holy Matrimony below). In the Church of England a new baptism service without mention of the devil was debated by members of the General Synod in February. It was claimed that "the new texts are needed because the world has changed so much, even in the last 15 years". Yes the world has changed but by reflecting secular change rather than maintaining our faith based on scripture and tradition the Anglican Church in the West, literally, is the poorer.

All this change has reached fruition in the campaign for same-sex marriage. Opponents are accused of being homophobic but what is homophobic in believing that marriage is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others? The argument that the Church has survived many upheavals doesn't wash when all the indications are that such views are motivated by self-interest rather than "for our good and the good of all His Church" as we say in the sacrifice of the Mass.

Gays and particularly the many gay clergy in the Anglican Church have become increasingly vocal as they see an opportunity which goes beyond acceptance to one of 'normality' as equivalent to Holy Matrimony and the procreation of children. It is not and cannot be. This is the straw that will break the back of the Anglican Church.  This goes beyond vested interests. People who have tolerated female ordination and gay bishops are drawing a line. They find the concept of same-sex marriage too ridiculous to be taken seriously and their treatment for saying so offensive. The hour has come.

Read "Voting No to same-sex marriage is not homophobic, say [Irish] bishops here, and an
"Open letter of [Church of Ireland] Anglican Evangelical clergy on marriage" here.

Marriage is the voluntary union for life between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. Same-sex marriage is not "equal" marriage. It is an grotesque imitation which demeans the solemnization of holy Matrimony:

DEARLY beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this Congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained.

First, It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy Name.

Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body.

Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace.

Why do the bishops of the Church of England and the Church in Wales even have to discuss the matter? They should follow the example of the bishops of the Church in Ireland and condemn the move as inconsistent with Christian teaching.

Update [08/05/2015]

"The Church of Ireland synod has agreed to extend the time for the Church's select committee on human sexuality, which would include the discussion on same-sex marriage and gay relationships." The decision follows the "open letter signed by two Belfast ministers" referred to above which concluded:

"In recent days two Irish bishops have publicly declared and taught contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture and to the teaching of the Church of Ireland. This is despite the vows and promises made at their ordination and consecration, to uphold the Church's teaching and to refute error.  We believe that they are now themselves teaching error and we call on them to repent of this and to teach what the Church has taught about marriage according to Scripture."

Today's reading from Acts is entirely apposite.

Update [09/05/2015]

"Will 2015 Be the Last Mother's Day Celebrated Ever?" Read here.

"US clergy, including five bishops, ask synod to 'stand firm' on marriage." Read here.

The Pied Piper of Llandaff's Wedding Tune

Members of the Church needed to be “transformed as persons so that people can see in us
some transformation so that they too will want to be drawn into that kind of life.”

- Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales in 2005 

In 2005 the Church in Wales (CinW) issued a new teaching pack, The Rule of Life, to encourage members to engage more with 'a spiritual life in the Church'. Based loosely on the Rule of St Benedict it was designed to cover "prayer, study, service and community life". The "transformation" is a far cry from the Rule of St Benedict. Prayer, study and service have become politics, revision and despotism.

In 2015 the focus of the CinW is on being more relevant to society than engaging in a spiritual life. As the number of worshippers has declined 'community life' has become largely devoid of traditional religious spirituality. Today people talk of 'being spiritual' not in the religious sense but because they appreciate nature, crystals and joss  sticks. People living in communities where tragedy has struck now leave bunches of flowers to rot against railings while local vicars indulge in massive candle lighting exercises to provide temporary comfort for the grief stricken who no longer have any concept of eternal life.

The CinW Handbook "Parochial Administration" explains members' expectations of a spiritual life in the Anglican Province of Wales: "Everyone lives in a parish although the form that a parish takes varies from one area to another. The parish is probably best defined generally as: "…an area under the spiritual care of a cleric (the ‘Incumbent’ or, in the correct meaning of the word, the ‘curate’) to whose religious ministrations all its inhabitants are entitled” this is sometimes known as the ‘Cure of Souls’." [My emphasis - Ed.] The 'Cure of Souls' has become almost meaningless now that spiritual care is governed by political correctness and conscience is allowed to rest only with the bench of bishops.

For many cradle Anglicans their spiritual life has become a question of 'how far can they stretch credibility in the face of increasing secularism in the Church'. Having established women's rights as the main objective of the Church in Wales, the bench now turns its attention to the destruction of Holy Matrimony under the guise of equality.

In September 2014 the Church in Wales announced a consultation to consider its position on same-sex marriages. It is clear from his closing remarks in an interview here which way Dr Morgan is facing: "These are complex issues, but the conversations in April clearly point to the fact that Governing Body members wanted to deal with the issue with greater pastoral sensitivity than for the re-marriage of divorcees." Dr Morgan added: "In the light of the results of this consultation, the Bishops intend to bring the matter back to the Governing Body with proposals for a way ahead." In other words it doesn't really matter what the consultations produce. The bishops will decide after ensuring that there are enough members of the Governing Body to dance to Barry Morgan's tune.

True, the re-marriage of divorcees has caused problems for the Church but re-marriage is not comparable with the union of same-sex couples. To be trapped for life in a loveless marriage does not obey God's commandment to love one another. While the privileged few escaped through annulment the majority suffered for their mistake until life's end. Much is made of the fact that same sex-couples love each other but it does not follow that Holy Matrimony should be bent to validate their desires. Civil partnerships were designed to ensure that same-sex couples living together enjoyed the same civil rights as heterosexual couples but activists are determined to substitute sameness instead of celebrating difference.

The moulding process has been evident in the media for some time, most graphically in the current series 'Sex and the Church' for BBC2 where Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch parades his personal preference for same-sex relationships as he "explores" how "Christianity has shaped western attitudes to sex, gender and sexuality throughout history".

In Wales the softening-up process saw the Standing Doctrinal Commission of the Church in Wales hark back to the past to justify Barry's stance and provide ammunition for  his acolytes to use in the so-called consultations. The only thing missing is a return to the ducking stool for recalcitrant worshippers.

The results of consultations are used as evidence only when they are favourable to the bench. Personal preference is put before the good of all the church while others wait to see which way the wind blows before voting to keep in favour with Barry and his bench sitters.

The duplicity of the bench of bishops is evidenced by the following two paragraphs from the Doctrinal Commission's Report:

148. The results of the Lancet’s Survey on Sexual Attitude and Behaviour
published in 2013 underline this sense that what is taking place currently is a
significant departure and is not simply the next step in greater permissiveness
in relation to sexual practice. Whereas in 1991 less than 50% of men, and
53% of women, felt that ‘Adultery in marriage is always wrong’ the present
study shows these percentages to have increased to 66% and 70%
respectively. It also shows that, while in 1991 25% of people thought that
there was nothing wrong at all with same sex relationships, this figure has
increased to approximately 57% today.

149. Pastoral accommodation hints that we offer an unconditional hospitality to
those with whose practice or prohibition we might instinctively disagree.
Those who promote this approach would argue that it would define a new
arena in which it becomes possible to listen more deeply for the voice of the
Holy Spirit, ‘not only in the thoughts, words and lives of those with whom one
agrees but in the contributions of those one believes to be wrong’.

Note "Pastoral accommodation hints that we offer an unconditional hospitality to those with whose practice or prohibition we might instinctively disagree" and reflect on the treatment of cradle Anglicans who have not replaced faith with secularism. Why is it more acceptable in the Church in Wales to be homosexual than to be a traditional Anglican?

No matter whether the gay community represents 1.5% of the population or 10%. A relative few will want to avail themselves of any opportunity for a church wedding. It may be the first and last time they attend church apart from gay clergy seeking approval of their circumstances. Set against the number of Anglicans for whom this could be the last straw, the Church in Wales is certain to be the loser. By the time Dr Morgan retires he will have effectively killed off Anglicanism in Wales while playing his politically correct tune. As for The rule of St. Benedict:

"Always we begin again."

It is never too late Barry.

Church in Wales Lowlights April 2015

"Places like Wales you can write off with Brazil as either in the pocket or in the mindset of Katharine Jefferts Schori in the hard left." - Anglican Unscripted 172 (@12.38)

The recent meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales was dominated by the representation of women in the church: "Equality agenda responsibility of the whole Church" see pages 4 and 5 (of 8) in Highlights. It did not occur to them that self praise is no recommendation.

Never one to shrink from voicing her own opinions as if they were representative of the Holy Catholic Church, the Venerable Peggy Jackson "saw a disconnect between who we are and who we think we are. 'We must address our own issues. We want positive action, not positive discrimination.' She urged women to step up and take responsibility". Peggy and her chums may be big fish in a very small pond but in no way are they who they think they are.

But Barry did not have it all his own way. Another of his chums, the Lord Harris of Pentregarth, a former Bishop of Oxford and "a leading CofE liberal thinker" who thinks that the "Koran should be read at Prince Charles' coronation" (here), inserted an unpopular recommendation in the Church in Wales Review:

Recommendation XLII
1) Fees for occasional offices should be paid into church
accounts and go towards the cost of the Share in the Ministry
Area.
2) Clergy stipends should be recalibrated to ensure that they are
comparable to that of neighbouring Anglican churches.

As a former Dean of Llandaff was fond of saying, that went down like a cup of cold sick with Church in Wales clergy who rejected the idea. The motion was lost, with 48 votes against, 34 for, and 27 abstentions. Again there is nothing like self-interest for moving the soul. Much like the "Damascus Rangers" who in a flash saw which side their bread was buttered after the Church in Wales decided for themselves that there was no theological objection to the ordination of women.

From page 27 of the Review report, "The Church in Wales is unusual in allowing clergy to keep fees for funerals, weddings and other occasional offices. This system is open to abuse and we find it unacceptable". It is an oddity of the Church in Wales that other Provinces are held up as exemplars when it suits and then dropped or otherwise ignored. Recall how the Code of Practice in the Church of England was held up as an example of care and compassion in the debate on women bishops only to be dropped after the motion was successfully amended to accept the innovation before a code for Wales was agreed by those for whom it was intended!

Compare also the use of discretionary funds: "Care for those in need is an essential feature of Christian discipleship and an important part of the Church’s work. At the same time this work needs to be effectively managed. In the past people in need have turned to the clergy for help from Discretionary Funds. This role for the clergy is no longer appropriate. - But fine in the Church in Wales! Christ had a word for that. 

One of the oddest moments occurred in Question Time with the question:

 Will the Bench of Bishops, recognising that current Church policy is to instruct all clergy to use fermented communion wine at the Eucharist, consider in individual and exceptional circumstances, for pastoral reasons, permitting a cleric with the approval of the bishop, to offer a separate chalice of non alcoholic communion wine? 

Bishop Gregory responded:

"The question opens out unexpected theological intricacies. The Anglican Lambeth Quadrilateral said that "the two sacraments ordained by Christ himself—Baptism and the Supper of the Lord—are ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by him." This means the use of wine—the fermented juice of the grape—is essential to proper celebration of the sacraments. The reception of bread alone should be pastorally sufficient when well explained to anyone who has difficult receiving alcoholic wine." 

At last, I thought, some theological sense but then Bishop Gregory added: "Dealcoholicised wine is available for use in the Eucharist; and a discrete second chalice could be used". So how long before the Liturgical Commission recommends a change to "took the cups"? Perhaps in due course, on its road to non-conformity, the Church in Wales will encourage the use of optics and individual communion glasses in the part of the church set aside for coffee so that everyone can do their own thing.

The main issue for the Archbishop, his campaign for same-sex marriage, remains hovering in the background. It is currently being discussed around the Province in preparation for it to be imposed regardless of the outcome of any discussions, just as the Code of Practice was imposed after disregarding the outcome of provincial meetings which agreed that adequate provision should be made for Church members who were opposed on theological grounds to the ordination of women. If the bishops of the Church in Wales kept the faith there would be nothing to discuss. "Places like Wales you can write off". Seems so.

Marriage: Dodgy discipleship?

People will oppress each other-- man against man, neighbour against neighbour. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored. - Isaiah 3:5

The Spring 2015 issue of Croeso, the Diocese of Llandaff's news sheet, leads with the Archbishop of Wales' latest hobby horse, same-sex marriage dressed up as pastoral care. If marriage is a state instituted and ordained by God for the lifelong relationship between one man as husband and one woman as wife, what is there to discuss? The response of the Church in Wales is the usual, what would Jesus do if He met a gay person in Wales today? 

Actually he does, everyday, for anyone who truly believes that Jesus lives. But what we are being led to believe is that Christ would update His teaching on the street today to embrace modern lifestyles. In political terms, if you keep missing the target, change the target.

The Church in Wales is being guided by their Archbishop into what appears to be his ready acceptance of same-sex marriage. If not, wouldn't it have been much simpler to re-state what Christians have believed for centuries as part of their faith? 

From "A REPORT BY THE STANDING DOCTRINAL COMMISSION OF THE CHURCH IN WALES THE CHURCH IN WALES AND SAME-SEX PARTNERSHIPS":

"In studying Jesus’ initial encounters with strangers in the Gospels we discover repeatedly his compassionate and immediate response to human need. Where he does pose questions, these are invitational rather than testing: ‘Come and see’, or ‘What is it that you seek?’ Instances of doctrinal or moral challenge are usually issued not by Christ himself, but by the person with whom he speaks. [Para. 139]

"If Christ were born in Wales in 2014 and walked our streets aware of the trembling touch of those who dare not express their need, he would doubtless encounter someone whose sense of exclusion or even guilt were bound up with their experience of a sexuality which in their lifetime had met with
condemnation and disgust." [Para. 140]

In England the Dean of St Paul's has weighed in with: "The Church of England is seen by many as 'toxic' and 'oppressive' because of its stance on women and gays, he said. Some gay Christians had even committed suicide because of the pressure of being told they had to be celibate". Calling for the Church of England to consider what accepting same-sex marriage would mean for the future he says, "We need to consider what the acceptance of same-sex marriage in the Church would mean in reality, and how it would be understood in relation to the theology of Christian marriage and the chequered history of that institution, as well as contemporary social practice around sexuality."

To 'love your neighbour' does not require marriage. Labels such as 'toxic', 'oppressive' and the more customary 'homophobic' are designed to make the innocent feel guilty. For many of us our lives would be the poorer without the friendship of gay people but to believe that marriage is the union of one man and woman for life is not being disloyal, toxic or homophobic even if some find it oppressive.

The Church in Wales 'consultation' has the hallmark of a previous consultation on the Code of Practice, to be ignored if the results are not to the Archbishop's liking. Again it looks as if the Governing Body of the Church in Wales will be expected to deliver the result their Archbishop wants. If I am wrong, the faithful would have been better advised to read such as "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH: RECLAIMING MARRIAGE". 

Have a revolutionary Christmas!

Credit: negativityscene.com

Fresh from losing the race to appoint the first woman bishop in England and Wales Archbishop Morgan has come out fighting. In his Christmas message he hopes that the "revolutionary" nature of the Christmas message will be put into context by regarding the Holy Family as "immigrants".

While reminding us of the poor and needy this Christmas, Dr Morgan takes the opportunity to advance his personal revolutionary topics: women bishops and his next big project, the "advent of same-sex marriage". That sounds like another foregone conclusion to me. Story here - but not the Christmas story.

Bazzer's dream

In his own image

From Pink News - where else! Bazzer's view of the future for the Church in Wales, consisting only of clones.

Church in Wales to consider performing same-sex marriages runs the headline followed by: "The Church in Wales has launched a consultation to evaluate whether it should solemnise same-sex marriages. The Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan announced the move at a meeting of the church’s Governing Body on Friday. Over 12 months, the Church’s six dioceses will be asked to give their views on three options: allowing same-sex weddings, introducing blessings for gay relationships, or maintaining the status quo. Following the consultation, the Church will produce a paper recommending an approach, which will be sent to the dioceses and the Governing Body for approval."

If that sounds familiar the Church in Wales has been here before. The procedure is reminiscent of the Code of Practice 'consultation' which included written submissions and diocesan consultation meetings. These were consigned to the bin in favour of selected quotes from Governing Body to justify the unilateral action of Barry and the bench sitters to excrete over anyone who does not subscribe to the liberal policies which have split the Anglican Communion. - According to Anglican Ink, Lambeth 2018 has been postponed indefinitely because the Communion is broken (here). 

An interview from April 2013 (here) shows how the Archbishop manipulates minds to drive through his liberal agenda. This is how he sowed the seed at Governing Body (full report here):

"Archbishop Barry said that within a
local congregation, homosexual
people often feel uncomfortable and
unwelcome. 'If the moral aim of the
gospel is to encourage love of
neighbour, how can that happen
when people are made to feel
unwanted, unloved, and sinful? How
is the gospel good news for
homosexuals? "

That is absolute rubbish. The gospel has been good news for two thousand years before Bazzer and his chums put their spin on it to reflect current trends in society. The only minority to feel unwanted, unloved and even made to feel sinful in the Church in Wales is the group of loyal Anglicans whose faith remains God centred rather than man centred. Homosexual people have been accepted for years without wanting to be married, a social trend which, like the ordination of women, has split the Church and accelerated decline in attendance.

The irony appears lost on these people that in striving to achieve their secular objectives they are destroying the very institution that they want to use.

I had dared to hope that the Llandaff Diocesan Conference (here) would have been more uplifting with the benefit of hindsight. But no, just something to match the new-found forms of kiddies worship in the Church in Wales. The delegates played snakes and ladders. How to slither to the top no doubt!

Archdeacon Peggy Pilot enjoying a laugh                             Photo: CinW

Postscript

See also Lambeth Conference in jeopardy over homosexuality row here.