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Friday, 30 December 2016

Twenty disastrous years of decline


St Asaph Ordinations 1997. The deluded Abp Alwyn Rice Jones said the devil had been at work when the measure originally fell!     Photo: Church in Wales


Women priests in the Church in Wales who protest that they want nothing more than to be treated equally with men will be celebrating their difference in the six Anglican Cathedrals across Wales on 7 January, 2017 in special Eucharists of adulation.

Preachers partial to their persuasion have been chosen to provide the adulation they desire as 'trailblazers' in the church while ignoring plummeting attendance figures. After 20 years of women priests the number of worshippers who regularly attend Church in Wales services has fallen to around 0.8% of the population of Wales and continues to fall year by year, a perverse measure of success.

St Deiniol’s Women Only logo. CinW
The church has become accustomed to animal blessings and celebrating LGBTi+ Eucharists. Next it is 'women priests' day. The idea of a simultaneous service was put forward by the St Deiniol’s Group, an informal group of senior lay and ordained women from across the Church in Wales. Reading the remarks of women clergy in press reports it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the church is simply a vehicle for feminist ambitions dressed up as religion.

The Archdeacon of Llandaff, Peggy Jackson, who convenes the exclusive St Deiniol’s Group said: "The Church in Wales has every reason to celebrate and be grateful for the ministry of these first women priests. They have brought rich and diverse gifts into the sacramental life of the Church, and have inspired many women since to offer themselves for public ministry".

It is difficult to see how Cafe style worship, Pet and other animal blessing services, Messy church and the like have 'brought rich and diverse gifts into the sacramental life of the Church'. Such services may have inspired many women to offer themselves for public ministry but for their own reward among dwindling, ageing congregations in which many cradle Anglicans, too old to change allegiance, feel captive.

The duplicitous Archdeacon has done everything in her power to wipe out opposition to her secular view of the church. She stymied any opportunity for alternative sacramental provision in a Code of Practice designed for exclusion while pretending to be inclusive.

Ministry used to be about others, not self, but that has changed. It is about self-advancement at the expense of others. In the following video, self-proclaimed activist Dr Una Kroll talks about her supposed call to priesthood in the Anglican Church and why she abandoned it to become a Roman Catholic.

It is easy to understand how people with little or no understanding of theology might be moved by Kroll's self-justification but a counter view on Christmas Day 2010 by another woman doctor, a Roman Catholic lawyer and theologian quietly counters the self-centred delusions of women claiming to have been called by God.


The author of Bread Not Stones, Dr Una Kroll had a "dramatic and unconventional journey to Rome"

Six years later she [Kroll] recognises “how essential [conversion] was for me.” She explains it thus: “It was not until I came to be enclosed” in the Catholic Church – making it impossible for me to carry out the public ministry of a woman priest in the Church of England – that I understood that confinement within this anchorage not of my making could ultimately lead to freedom.” Indeed, she discovered that she could point towards the mystery of unconditional love “without insisting that my views were right and everyone else’s wrong.” [My emphasis - Ed.]

I vividly recall the misery Dr Kroll and those of her persuasion caused many devout Anglicans who could not accept that feminism trumped faith. Hard for lay people, it was a desperate situation for many clergy, the more so if they were supporting families. Many priests followed their conscience (the Cost of Conscience) and left the Anglican church but others stayed to become zealous converts to the liberal cause, compromising their faith and leading others astray.

Determined to justify their defection many priests have become fellow-travellers of feminists imported by trendy bishops to enhance their liberal credentials. Some are accommodating but others take joy from belittling anyone who in conscience remains faithful to the historic faith of the Anglican Communion.

Many Anglicans have simply given up as each new trend has taken its toll. Consultations have been ignored when the results have not been to the liking of the bench of bishops resulting in unwelcome change being forced on church members. Anglicanism has left them stranded as the church accepts every secular fad in a vain attempt to be more relevant to society. As they become more liberal their tolerance of others who fail to adopt the whims of the new order are excluded and overlooked by trendy, so-called bishops of the church. 

The women celebrating their own success are not typical of Anglican women. Writing for The Conservative Woman, Kathy Gyngell's view is that women clergy will be the death of the Church of England: The Church of England tests my loyalty sorely. My local church clergy ‘team’ is almost entirely feminised. In my neck of the woods, there is literally no escaping them, or their dumbed down approach to their ‘calling’.  To a woman they appear to be labouring under the impression they are running a Sunday school. That is how we are treated. Full article here.

Feminising the Church continues. Jesus said, "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven' ". Regarding Jesus' words as sexist, Women and the Church (WATCH) prefer "Our Mother who art in heaven" as though the Saviour had no idea what He was talking about. And it spreads. How about clergy having Christmas Day off for more family time? (here). - Here am I, Send me, but only on my terms - if I am available.

If you still don't get it, this video sums up New Anglicanism.



As the Rev Dr Peter Mullen succinctly put it in his blog, All Things ConsideredAnd the word was made trash.

The last word comes from His Honour Philip Price QC, husband of the Revd Canon Mari Price, former Hon. Chaplain at Archbishop Barry Morgan's Llandaff Cathedral. Judge Price is retiring as Chair of the Standing Committee of the Church in Wales after 11 years’ service. He sums up the politically correct attitude of a church hierarchy that has become completely divorced from the reality of their situation.

His misplaced confidence is contrary to the evidence of decline presented to the Governing Body over many years but ignored by the like-minded as a minor item on their agenda. He said,

 “It has been a great privilege to have worked with so many gifted and committed people on the Governing Body over the years and to have been part of an era which brought many changes to the Church in Wales. For me, the most significant of these changes has been women’s ministry – first as priests and now as bishops. I am glad to have been associated with that cause during the critical years and delighted to see it come to fruition this year with the election of our first woman bishop. That’s a terrific milestone and one which I am confident will enable the Church to grow in strength as it serves the people of Wales.

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful 2017


Adoration of the Shepherds by Friar Juan Bautista MaĆ­no (1569 –  1649)

From the angel Gabriel:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38 (KJV)


Happy Christmas!

Friday, 23 December 2016

Not a real Christian


An early Christmas for the Archbishop of Wales with all candles lit.             Source: Church in Wales

In his last Christmas message before he is forced to retire on age grounds the Archbishop of Wales has taken the opportunity to ridicule the President-elect of the United States for not being a real Christian "since Christians were people who built bridges, not walls". 

Dr Morgan was referring to an observation by Pope Francis but the irony of his comment will not be lost on readers who came to the conclusion many years ago that Dr Morgan has been anything but a bridge builder in his own, depleted church.

Previously trailed to little avail on Twitter you can read Dr Morgan's Christmas message here

"All are welcome" to attend Llandaff Cathedral on Christmas Day at 11am when  the Archbishop is preaching. There should be plenty of room.

Thursday, 22 December 2016

Mixed message





In his 'Thought For The Day' radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4, HRH The Prince of Wales warned about the growing danger of religious persecution. Full marks for that. Unfortunately he finished his message by including the oppressor with the oppressed.

In his video message for Aid to the Church in Need (above) he includes graphic details of the sort of persecution being experienced. For example, Christians are being driven en masse out of lands described in the Bible. Possibly there could be no Christians in Iraq within 5 years

The aggressors are in the news daily yet the Prince of Wales compares the fleeing of the Holy Family to escape violent persecution with the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina because "he too was seeking the freedom for himself and his followers to worship".

This so-called 'persecution' is described in Muhammad's Biography: Persecution in Mecca (here). 

Looking at a non-partisan source a different picture emerges:
"According to Muslim historians, the Meccans were actually quite tolerant of Muhammad preaching his new religion. Mecca was an open society where different religions were respected.  Polytheists, Jews and Christians lived and worshipped side-by-side, especially during the holy months, when pagan pilgrims would travel long distances from beyond the city to perform their rituals at the Kaaba.

Muhammad brought on the resentment of the local people not by preaching Islam, but by breaking with Meccan tradition and cursing other religions". 

1400 years later "Christians are being driven en masse out of lands described in the Bible"!

Tuesday, 20 December 2016

The Religion of Peace strikes again, and again, and again...


Police stand in front of the truck which ploughed last night into a crowded Christmas market
in the German capital Berlin. (Reuters)


Cairo,  Ankara, now Berlin. Just three of the many Islamic terror attacks in the last 30 Days. They have continued for 1,400 years.

The Religion of Peace in their own words.

No more excuses please.

Postscript [21.12.2016]

From Christian Concern. A Community in denial?

Sunday, 18 December 2016

He doesn't get it




Culture Secretary Sajid Javid has accepted what Dame Louise Casey said in her Report about some sections of society not accepting British values such as tolerance.

Javid said that people could not play a "positive role" in British public life unless they accepted basic values which include democracy, equality and freedom of speech. That is true.

That these three basic values are contrary to the ideology of those claiming to be suffering most because they are not allowed to do as they please in their host country appears to have escaped him. Sharia is preferred to democracy, equality is an alien concept and free speech is a one-way vehicle.

There are diverse views within groups as illustrated by the Muslim housemates in the previous entry. Many public servants may be sufficiently relaxed or ill-informed about their faith allowing them to accept the idea of a British values oath. They are not the problem. It is those who are prepared to follow their supremacist ideology to the letter with the promise of salvation if they die in the process.

The idea is well intentioned. It is based an typical British values which requires a sacred Oath to be sworn or an affirmation to be made. If the values expressed in the sacred book of choice are alien to British values the idea is dead before it starts.

What is needed is a proper evaluation of an ideology which expects others to accept that it is a religion of peace but regards any questioning or perceived criticism as Islamophobia.

Better understanding is the key. A comparison with traditional Christian values on which our culture is based is paramount but politicians and religious leaders shrink from the challenge as they ignore the Great Commission and validate other faiths to the detriment of Christianity.

Thursday, 15 December 2016

The kafir


"The Koran says that the Kafir may be deceived, plotted against, hated, enslaved, mocked, tortured and worse. The word is usually translated as “unbeliever” but this translation is wrong. The word “unbeliever” is logically and emotionally neutral, whereas, Kafir is the most abusive, prejudiced and hateful word in any language." - Bill Warner, Political Islam

There have been widely differing reactions to the recent BBC2 two-part documentary Muslims Like Us from "genuinely excellent" to "a wake-up call for Islamophobes everywhere". As the BBC put it, the BBC documentary gets "mixed reviews". For me the program was irritating. It should be a wake-up call, not for 'Islamophobes' but for a reality that was presented only to be written off as extremism

This is how a Telegraph reporter put it:
...what made Muslims Like Us so compelling was that Haqq [the so-called 'extremist'] was an oddball sideshow. What this programme did was shed light on a section of society systematically vilified for the actions of its Haqq-like loony fringe. Far more interesting were the doubts and dilemmas that faced the other housemates.

This is a typical misconception which is explained in this US video:



For readers who did not see the documentary the most relevant part can be seen starting at about 27.00 mins in on the BBC iPlayer. Haqq, the so-called 'extremist', says it as it is according to the book. He was aghast on learning that a housemate with whom he was in conversation was a Shia.

Pushed into saying what the problem was he defined his fellow housemate as a "five star, Grade A, 'Kuffar'." His response explains many of the problems witnessed on the world stage with Muslims attacking other Muslims when they are not attacking other religions.

They justify their jihad by portraying Christians as aggressors. Islamists claim that they are fighting to regain lands which they say are legitimately theirs. In the process they are wiping out Christianity in the Middle East and obliterating remnants of ancient civilizations, anything that fails to support their spurious claims.

The Crusades are used as examples of aggression despite the fact that they were fought to liberate Holy sites from the aggressors. This second video graphically illustrates the true extent of Jihad versus the Crusades:



There was a turning point in 1683 when "the Ottoman Turks ceased to be a menace to the Christian world". What was not accomplished by military means then is now being accomplished by masquerading as the 'Religion of Peace' despite all the evidence to the contrary. Any perceived criticism or questioning of Islam is immediately attacked as Islamophobic. The headline in the Mail Online is a good example: 'My religion isn't something for you to watch for banter': Controversial BBC documentary Muslims Like Us is slammed by viewers on Twitter for reducing Islam to a 'reality show'.

According to the Mail Online report the Muslim Council of Britain praised the show, saying that 'it goes some way to dispel the myth that Muslims are any different to everyday people'. True, the group was diverse but that should not be used to conceal the fact that the so-called extremist Haqq follows the book. As such, in Islam he is the good Muslim.

The West's laissez-faire attitude has resulted in the uncontrolled spread of Islam. In the UK the number of Muslims has doubled in just over a decade as a result of soaring immigration and high birth rates. It is not surprising then that the most common baby boys' name in England and Wales today is Muhammad or one of its variants.

Muslims are being welcomed in the West. Polygamy added to high birth rates is expanding their numbers. In some parts of London almost half the population is now Islamic. If current trends continue the areas could become majority Muslim areas within ten years. Meanwhile there have been recent reports of Christians being killed and Christian churches attacked in Egypt (here and here). Islamic persecution continues around the globe.

In terms of their mixed views, the housemates may appear 'no different to everyday people' but as a survey here indicates, most Muslims in the UK have radically different attitudes to the rest of us:

 Many British Muslims do not share the values of their non-Muslim compatriots and say they want to lead separate lives under Islamic Sharia law. 

More than 100,000 British Muslims sympathize with suicide bombers and people who commit other terrorist acts. Moreover, only one in three British Muslims (34%) would contact the police if they believed that somebody close to them had become involved with jihadists.

To Haqq and the 'Religion of Peace' we are simply the kafir.