Relentless self-publicist fuelled by personal ambition

"Relentless self-publicist fuelled by personal ambition" was the description of Gerald of Wales used by the Archbishop of Wales in a 'withering critique' of one of the nation’s most renowned historical figures in a lecture at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in August, 2012. Dr Morgan claimed that the 12th century cleric was an “ambitious spin doctor”.  He said: “One can never get away from the impression that everything Gerald did, and said, was ultimately for the greater glory of Gerald. Gerald was never short of an opinion on anything. Gerald died embittered and estranged from the people of Wales whom he regarded as ‘simple, uneducated and uncultured’. He blamed everyone else for his tribulations, claiming to be misunderstood and maligned. He totally failed to realise that, for the most part, he was the author of his own misfortunes.”

To the surprise of many, a Church in Wales press release on Friday 12 October not only resurrected the idea of churches and chapels joining together but quoted the Archbishop as starting another passionate campaign saying: “This is the largest ecumenical gathering in Wales for many years. Our lack of unity does not help our message of reconciliation. I hope that we can find a way forward together as Churches in Wales.” 

Still reciting a credal belief in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church while taking unilateral action to distance the Church in Wales from the rest of the Apostolic Church, the Archbishop is now leaning strongly in favour of nonconformity in a bid to inflate the number of worshipers under his control if he becomes the first in a new line of Presiding Bishops of the planned United Church of Wales. If he fails he had better not blame everyone else for his tribulations, claiming to be misunderstood and maligned.
 

Church in Wales looks to Nonconformists in survival plan

In concert: Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston - 'The Cathedral of Welsh Non-Conformity'

Wales has effectively been a Nonconformist country since the mid nineteenth century but the Church in Wales has maintained a parish system for the hundred years since disestablishment - until now. The 'independent' Review led by the Archbishop's old friend Lord Harries, the former Bishop of Oxford, recently came up with a plan to abandon parishes in favour of ministry areas. On Saturday came news that Churches and chapels in Wales are being asked to discuss radical proposals which could result in closer unity. Proposals on the agenda include a new kind of bishop and a single "United Church for Wales" in which there would be an interchange of ordained ministries by those with church or chapel backgrounds. Five denominations - including the Church in Wales, Presbyterians and Methodists - could ultimately share bishops, ministers and buildings. If given the go-ahead, a new breed of bishops would be created and be interchangeable between all denominations in the united group. Ordained ministers would also be free to serve in all churches and chapels in the Church Uniting in Wales.

Now one might be forgiven for concluding that this plan may have been uppermost in the mind of the Archbishop while using the convenient conclusions of the Harries Review to nudge unsuspecting congregations in a predetermined direction. Concerns have been expressed about an indecent haste in trying to implement the recommendations of the Harries Review before they have been properly considered. Forward in Faith (Wales) reports: "The reaction to the Church in Wales Review leaves plenty of us with great concerns. At one meeting recently an Archdeacon reminded those present that at this stage the question should be: do we agree that ministry areas need to be created? and then how do we do it? Not vice versa. In some areas of the Review suggestions are quoted as giving permission for a new development without the necessary agreement of those involved. Some dioceses also seem to be moving ahead in a piecemeal fashion. This cannot be good for the unity of the church."

Unity as he sees it is close to the heart of the Archbishop of Wales. He has refused to secure a future for members belonging to the catholic tradition who would value the prospect of unity with the wider Apostolic Church of East and West on the grounds that the unity of the Church in Wales would be threatened! He argues that to appoint a bishop or bishops with jurisdiction for those opposed to the ordination of women would "alter irreparably the Church in Wales as we know it. It would be to sanction schism and for these theological reasons the bishops, as guardians of unity, could not give their support for such a measure." - Excuse me?

There have already been calls for the Church of England to decide whether it is a Catholic or Protestant body. The latest move by the Church in Wales makes their position abundantly clear. No wonder Anglo-Catholics have constantly to struggle against the tide of liberalism which has overtaken their church. Like headless chickens Dr Morgan and his bishops have tried everything to reverse the decline of the Church in Wales except the blindingly obvious, neatly summed up by Damian Thompson here. Over the years I have encountered many Nonconformists who have been brought to the Anglican faith through the awe of sacramental worship, perhaps no more important a figure than the present Archbishop of Canterbury who, according to Rupert Shortt's biography Rowan's Rule, changed his allegiance from the Presbyterian Church after visiting All Saints, Oystermouth: All Saints' provided the classic, moderately high church diet known as Prayer Book Catholicism. Preaching and musical standards were high; incense would make its appearance on major feast days. This was far richer than Park End Chapel [in Cardiff]. John Walters, Rowan's oldest friend, later quipped that the Williamses were like the Russian envoys in medieval Constantinople who felt transported to heaven by the splendours of Byzantine worship and quickly decided that Christianity should become the new faith of the Slavs [p.32].

All that has changed. As Anglo-Catholics continue to be marginalised much of the mystery of Anglican worship has ebbed away. So have congregations. As costs escalate, maintaining the 'parish share' with declining numbers becomes increasingly difficult as is the cost of maintaining a top-heavy structure. With no parish ties in the future and Anglican services becoming increasingly reminiscent of politically correct school assemblies, local self-supporting chapels will have an increasing appeal for those who are left. As one adherent with a liking for good Welsh hymn singing put it to me, "Rousing hymns with a good gossip afterwards; there's nothing like it".

Readers with access to BBC Wales will be able to watch the latest reality show this evening at 10.35pm, Vicar Academy. The mind boggles.

An emasculate conception

 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." 

In 2005 a new version of the Gospels invited readers to believe that Jesus Christ was a woman known as Judith:

 "And Joseph went to Bethlehem, To be enrolled with Mary, his wife, who was then pregnant,  And she brought forth her firstborn child, And her name was chosen to be Judith.” Later, "She bearing her cross went forth, There they crucified Judith.... Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb, But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Judith who was crucified. She is not here; for She is risen.” 

In July this year role reversal and substitution in the guise of equality reached its climax in the Episcopal Church of the United States, the Mecca of religious liberalism. They voted overwhelmingly in favour of transgender ordination, the latest in a series of departures from the male priesthood of faith and tradition in the Apostolic Church. 

In 2008 the Presiding Bishop's arch disciple, the Archbishop of Wales, wrote for the Guardian that refusing to ordain women bishops was at odds with the gospel. Quoting St Paul he wrote: "At the heart of the Christian gospel are values of integrity, justice, wholeness and inclusion: In Christ there is no bond or free, male or female, Jew or Greek". Too often in this feminist inspired campaign, equality is preached out of context for the benefit of a secular audience while demeaning the views of those who share a different integrity. Yes, in Christ there is no "bond or free", no "Jew or Greek" but that does not mean that they are the same any more than "male and female" are the same; they are complementary. Interpreting the Bible in the context of social development becomes not a matter of faith but simply a question of geography using a false definition of equality contrary to Christ's vision of the church. The gospel values of integrity, justice, wholeness and inclusion are now being denied to opponents of the ordination of women on the absurd pretext that affording them the protection they need would make women bishops second class.

In 2002 the results of a survey carried out by Christian Research disclosed a decline in core beliefs and widespread scepticism among liberal clergy, particularly in organisations such as Affirming Catholicism and Modern Church (formerly the Modern Churchpeople's Union). The sample of women clergy in the survey showed that just over half said they believed in the bodily Resurrection. The figure fell to exactly a third when it came to the Virgin birth. This is a worrying development given the prediction: "It's obvious that over time the priesthood will become increasingly a female profession. As far as the church has a future it will include a predominant ministry of women and they will get to the top."- David Martin, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics.

Women rightly have much higher expectations today, demanding equality of opportunity in society and in employment but the church is not a secular marketplace. The ordained ministry is a vocation which already shows itself to be incapable of achieving the objective of parity in employment as envisaged by Women and the Church (WATCH). The  church is being increasingly feminised with every indication that the end result will not be parity but female domination. As the testosterone deficit in congregations spreads through choir and chancel to the sanctuary, supporters of the ordination of women outdo one another in liberality with the predicted result of gender reversal in the priesthood leaving the church dominated by women as in pagan churches at the time of Christ when His Apostolic Church stood apart. 
  
Back in 2007 Clerical Whispers blogged: "For the first time, the Church of England reports that more women than men were ordained in 2006. Last year 244 women and 234 men were ordained in the Church of England. 
In June 2012 the Church of England published these statistics:
The number of women clergy, paid and unpaid, continues to rise. In 2011 there were 1,763 women in full-time paid parochial appointments compared with 1,140 in 2000, an increase of 50 per cent over the decade. Women make up over one in five (22 per cent) of paid parish clergy. Women in 2011 made up more than half of both those in self-supporting ministry (54 per cent) and of licensed readers (51 per cent).

Constantly capitulating, trendy liberals in the House of Bishops have demonstrated that they are ill-equipped to defend traditional teaching from attack, particularly by Women and the Church who campaign for equality but demand an ordained women's ministry solely on their terms, a ministry that in a period of reception has shown every indication that the result will be predominately (perhaps solely) a female ministry according to evidence already available. Synod can no longer in good conscience vote for a measure that will result in the inequality it strives to avoid. The proposals for the ordination of women to the episcopate must be rejected in order to reverse the process of gender substitution in the priesthood which will turn the Church of England into a feminised organisation no longer recognisable as part of Christ's Apostolic Church.

Welsh Primate abandons twin integrity

News from Llandaff Cathedral insiders:

 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? 

So much for a Code of Practice - it's probably not worth the paper is written on.

Death by Care

NHS and Care Home DEATHS in 2011      

132  Thirst
      117  Bedsores
     51  Starved

Contributory factors

      650  Bedsores
                         558  Severe dehydration
               287  Malnourished

When patient care was the primary objective of nursing, 'turning' patients to avoid bedsores was commonplace. According to the latest statistics, last year 117 patients died of their bedsores with 650 being contributory factors to the cause of death.

Humorously but in a point well made, this clip shows how observation is the first rule of diagnosis yet in British Hospitals and Care Homes last year, 51 people starved to death and another 132 people died of thirst. In July, an inquest heard that a young man who died of dehydration at a leading hospital rang 999 for police because he was so thirsty. 

Years ago just one death from a cause listed above would have been considered outrageous; now there is hardly a murmur. Read here how no-one acted when they should have in response to pleas of a retired  maxillofacial surgeon. What hope is there for the rest of us?

Stuffed!

  "This stinking fish has been a long time on the slab. Back in 1992, the church voted to admit women to the priesthood, but this was only agreed upon the intervention of the then Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, who insisted that there were “two integrities” within the church: the one that could accept women priests and the other that could not. Room must be made for both. If Dr Habgood’s agreeable compromise had not been accepted then there would not have been a majority in favour of the ordination of women".- The Rev Peter Mullin, The Telegraph, 06 Feb 2012 

Living with two integrities is now unacceptable to the cause of Women and the Church. According to most reports, being seen to be on the wrong side of the fence has been a clear impediment to the chances of the Bishop of London's name appearing on the Crown Nominations Committee list of two possible candidates to succeed Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury. Brief profiles of the 16 people selecting Rowan's successor indicate that all but two members are in favour of women bishops. It is not clear what protection for opponents would be favoured by some but of the 'Canterbury six' only one conservative amongst the modernisers wants concessions for traditionalists. Of the two 'Canterbury' women, one wants 'only minimal protection for opponents' while the other is 'opposed to measures which would make them inferior to male counterparts', ie, no concessions. 

There is a more balanced representation between conservatives and modernisers among the remainder of the panel, all but two are in favour of women bishops. Again it is not clear how some of them feel about opponents but one who is completely out-of-step with the Anglican Communion while supposedly representing them has already withdrawn provision for opponents in the Church in Wales. Also highlighted is the fact that the chair of the London branch of Women and the Church is said to be 'frustrated at the Bishop of London’s opposition to the ordination of women'. No surprise there given the record of WATCH but is it acceptable that a commanding figure such as the Rt Rev Richard Chartres is considered beyond the pail because of his opposition to women priests regardless of his ability or suitability when the church has “two integrities”, or was their acceptance simply a cynical act of duplicity for political ends?

But does it really matter? Not if these estimates are correct because the Church of England will be dead in 20 years time. Killed by politically correct, self-interested groups who have tinkered with other people's faith to such an extent that many have already given up attending formal worship - other than in the Diocese of London, that is where the church is still growing!

The stench is overwhelming.

Rule Britannia!

At last Abu Hamza is to stand before a judge in the USA to defend his record of hate after years of looking on by the law in this country, the tax-payer paying for his keep and our courts protecting his rights.

An article here written when John Reid was Home Secretary puts into perspective the problem of radical Islam in Britain but many still find it bizarre that while the most radical Islamists appear able to preach hate at will, Christians at work in their own country are not allowed to wear a symbol of love and forgiveness.

Rule Britannia!