Random tidbits from England

I’ve come across two churches that have stained glass of Madonna and Child front and center over the altar. One was St. Mary the Less in Cambridge. The other was some medieval glass here in Oxford, I forget where. (Yes, I’ve been seeing that many chapels and churches.)

Although, I don’t want to be an iconoclast and smash some glass, especially if it’s pre-19th century, I feel very uncomfortable with putting Mary front and center. Christ and Christ alone should be front and center. Statues of or shines to Mary on the side don’t bother me although that’s not my inclination. But putting her front and center is going too far.

And I’m very confident she would agree.


The quality of the vocals from the best choristers at the college chapels is amazing. At some services this trip, I’ve sat close enough that I can pick out individual voices, and . . . wow. Last night, I sat across the aisle from a New College chorister. His voice was amazing, with great range. And I don’t think he was one of the older ones, either. If there were a CD of just him singing, I’d buy it in a second.

Speaking of which, I’ve been buying more CDs than books. And as heavy as my suitcases are getting, that’s probably a good thing.


The iconoclasts in English history would go nuts here in Oxford. Not just Magdalen, but also New College literally have walls of statues for their east walls. You can tell that was done after the 17th century!


I’m really missing not having wireless in the hotel room. And I won’t have any until I stay in London beginning Wednesday next week. Among other things, that isolates me more than I like.

Day 7: First Day in Oxford

(posted the following day)

I’ve hit the ground running in Oxford. I was afraid I wouldn’t like the place with its reputation of being more urban, secular, and, yes, snooty than Oxford. And perhaps it is more snooty. The colleges, at least, seem to be more restrictive about entry than at Cambridge.

But I already see there is a lot here I want to explore, certainly enough to take up a week. And two kindly ladies on the bus suggested an excellent walk to Iffley to me . . . if it gets a little warmer and I want a walk in the country.

As for urban,, the bus fumes got my attention. Yet Magdalen College has huge pastures with numerous deer. Two of the racks on them were awesome. More on Magdalen in a moment.

Among my first orders of business was to visit key sites pertaining to the martyrdom of the Oxford Martyrs, Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley. First, I managed to find the cross on the pavement where they were burnt. I say “managed” because it was not easy to find. There’s not much of a memorial there, which doesn’t reflect well on Oxford, does it not? Oh well, they were Cambridge men.

(To be fair, I think there is a more appropriate monument around the corner which I have yet to visit. It’s located next to St. Mary Magdalen Church, an Anglo-Catholic hotbed. The irony.)

Later, I stood on the very spot in St. Mary the Virgin University Church where Cranmer repudiated his recantations, and I touched the groove cut in the pillar to support his platform.

Moved, I nearly lit a candle in the chapel for him and Latimer and Ridley. But then I remembered such a popish act probably would have annoyed them, so in honor of them, I desisted.

I hope they don’t mind that I later went to the rather popish Magdalen College. The chapel literally has an east wall of statues and faintly smells of incense.

Theirs was a wonderful time of worship and a bit different than I’ve experienced, even in Cambridge. The service is introduced with much outside bell ringing and has its share of pregnant pauses, both practices I immediately like. Yet, it’s quite brief, about 30 minutes. It even omitted two key collects which is a no-no in my prayer book. But it was still excellent – yes, particularly the singing of the choristers. (The men did not sing tonight.) And they are even more disciplined than those of King’s and St. John’s in Cambridge, although the ones on my side were passing something down the line. In any case, the service greatly helped me to worship.

Day 6: Advent Sunday in Cambridge (and the hymn I can’t sing)

Today was a very special Advent Sunday for me. It was simple, but wonderful. First, I went to St. Mary’s the Less (or “Little St. Mary’s”) for Solemn Mass. Yep, incense and bells, including ringing the outside bells at key points in the service, which is a touch I like. The worship was excellent.

And it’s a very lively parish with a good mix of people. Lots of old folks but lots of students and families with young children, too. The custom is for the children to leave before the Liturgy of the Word then return for communion. And when they return with the parents, they sit up front. I walked by a fun cacophony when I went up to take the sacrament.

I was invited to stay for Advent lunch, and that was nice, complete with nice wines and excellent apple pudding. Now in the States, we call it apple cobbler or apple crumble, but if they want to call it pudding, that’s fine. They’ve been eating it longer than we have.

After a rest, I did a quick run through the Cambridge Illuminations exhibit again. Yes, I had to see that pope get it again among other things.

Then I went to the St. John’s special Advent service, which really was special. Not all the songs were my speed, but still. And this one chorister soloist was excellent. They worked him out, too, giving him two solos.

And the generous organ music before and after was excellent as well. I’ve discovered I really dig Le monde dans l’attente du sauveur (from Symphonie-Passion (Op. 23)) even if it is French.

The walk back in the night was special, too. At one spot, I heard O Come, O Come Emmanuel from King’s College and the bells of Great St. Mary’s ring joyously for Advent.

There is something I wasn’t able to do today, however, and I had two chances. Both the Little St. Mary’s and St. John’s services had Charles Wesley’s great Advent hymn Lo! He Comes. . . . And I couldn’t sing it all the way through either time.

At LSM, I barely made it through the first verse, if even that, when my emotions made me take a break from singing for a bit.

At St. Johns, I was doing really well and thought I’d make it through easy. But then the last verse got me and got me good. I was able to sing little of it. So I took in instead how beautiful it sounded in the full chapel with all the voices sounding great together and with the choristers singing a ringing descant. But then though my tears, I did whisper the last word:

“Come!”

Day 5: A dream comes true at lunch

I’ve been thinking the coolest thing would be to eat in a really old Cambridge (or Oxford) college dining hall. And visiting the circa 1250 Peterhouse hall the other day confirmed that with its stained glass and high ceilings and portraits of worthies glaring down on the tables.

Well, in meeting some online friends, my dream came true. One is a doctorate student at Peterhouse. She said, “It’s just student fare, but we can eat at Peterhouse if you like.” My eyes widened, and I said, “You don’t have to ask me twice.” It was a very special lunch indeed. (The food wasn't that bad, either.)

Earlier, we looked over the Cambridge Illuminations exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum. It displays old illuminated books, some dating back to the 12th century. The workmanship of the old illuminated texts is amazing.

The content of the illuminations is wonderful as well. You have to have a sharp eye to notice, but one illumination had a pope getting it during the Last Judgement. And there was a facsimile of the Trinity Apocalypse you could leaf through. It beats Left Behind by a mile!


Random tidbit: I’ve learned that in visiting buildings in Cambridge, you must remember to look at the ceilings. Many of them are quite wonderful, such as the 80 foot high fan vaulted ceiling at King’s College Chapel.

My favorite ceiling so far is that of the Chapel of St. John’s College. It beautifully portrays Christ and various saints in a big oval around the chapel. Looking up at it makes me feel like I am indeed “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”

Day 4 – A New Anthem at St. John’s

I’m going to skip that it was a good day with lots of wandering about and another nice Evensong at King’s. I did pray before King’s that I would worship well. I noticed I was focusing so much on choirs, music, art, and architecture that I wasn’t experiencing this trip as a pilgrimage as much as I intended.

Well God answered that prayer rather quickly. Evensong at King’s meant a lot to me. It was interesting that there was no organ tonight. But I think that actually helped add an even more reverent atmosphere.

But then I ran over to St. John’s for their Evensong. Maybe that’s cheating, but oh well. They had a change in the program. Instead of There is no Rose, which I was looking forward to, they did a new anthem commissioned for the special Advent services this weekend, The Cry of Elisha After Elijah.

Now, I’m not a big fan of modern church music, but this piece is excellent. And the last verse had me silently crying afterwards during prayer (Words by R.S. Thomas after the Welsh of Thomas William):

The friends that we loved well,
Though they vanished far from our sight,
In a new country were found
Beyond this vale of night;
O blest are they, without pain or fretting
In the sun’s light that knows no setting.

After the service, I shook hands with the Music Director, Dr. David Hill and said the new anthem was an excellent choice and that I looked forward to hearing it again Sunday. He cheerfully responded, “Well, here’s the composer!” And Geraint Lewis shook hands and I thanked him, saying it brought tears to my eyes.

What wonderful worship I experienced tonight! I could have floated out of the chapel. I was so joyful and thankful.

I’m even more glad I have a ticket to Sunday’s special service at St. John’s. And you can listen with me! BBC Radio 3 will broadcast it, including on the internet, this Sunday on a half-hour delay I think. Here’s the details (You’ll have to scroll down a bit.). 18:30 should be 12:30 noon Dallas time. And it should be available online for a while afterward.

Something you won’t be able to experience is seeing a chorister pick his nose and look like he was about to fall asleep while singing the responses. ;^)

Day 3 – Cambridge

I had a full day and the first one spent completely in Cambridge. It seems I’ve already been here a long time by the way.

My first stop was Jesus College. I wanted to visit there since I read that’s where Cranmer was a fellow. Really nice campus . . . and quiet. There weren’t many people on the quads. The chapel there is very impressive, really striking to the eye, especially when you first walk in.

I noticed on the bulletin board just outside the chapel, that after a special service in December, “whiskey will be served.”

I got real low on energy not long after Jesus College. Maybe the full days are catching up with me a bit. But I visited the Round Church and bought a couple books there. The church there is a hotbed of evangelicalism.

Then I visited Trinity College, and that place got my energy back up. Henry VIII holding a stool leg on the gate was a good start. (That’s a hallowed undergraduate prank.) The main court (quad) is breathtaking and the largest in either Cambridge or Oxford.

But the highlight of Trinity and of the day was visiting the Wren Library. All the old, and I mean really, really old books! And an 8th century copy of the Epistles of Paul on display -- I felt like getting down on my knees when I saw that. My jaw nearly fell out of my head.

By the way, Trinity College is a great place to visit if you’re on a budget – no admission charges for anything. And you can get into more things than at other colleges. Most here won’t let you into their library at all.

Later on, I saw the King’s College choristers walk into their chapel in their top hats. And I went to the Sung Eucharist there. It was a nice service. And walking between the two lines of the choir as I walked back to my seat after taking communion was an experience. (The fellows take the sacrament, then the college members, then the normal people, then the choir.)

But if you want a lot of singing, go to Evensong instead. I’m still glad I went, though.

Oh, for those who are interested in such things – they use white wine.

The sun finally came out today by the way. But even at 1pm, it was so low it seemed like it was setting. Then the wind kicked up and it got cccold. There’s been a lot of talk about a possible snow. But Weather Underground says it’s unlikely here. Some English seemed to get as freaked out by snow as Texans.

A day at Ely

I took the train and my legs over to Ely Cathedral today. It was a full day.

When I got there, a couple guys were putting in extra chairs. I asked them why, and they said there was going to be a Thanksgiving service there tonight, mainly for the U. S. military in the area.

I joked with friends back home that I would miss Thanksgiving this year because the English don’t celebrate people fleeing from them. Looks like I was wrong!

The cathedral is amazing and very, very old. Some of it dates to before 1100, most of it before 1400. The history and art of it had me poking around it (and gawking) for hours.

I also visited the tiny Prior Crauden’s Chapel and the Lady Chapel there, and also St. Mary’s parish church. On it is the following plaque:

Here lye interred in one grave the Bodies of

William Beamiss
George Crow
John Dennis
Isaac Hurley
And
Thomas South
Who were all executed at Ely on the 28th Day of June 1816, having been convicted at the Special Assizes holden there of divers Robberies during the Riots at Ely & Littleport in the Month of May in that Year.

May their awful Fate be a warning to others.

How would you like that plastered about you on the side of a church? Maybe that’s a good way to discourage looting.

Back at the cathedral, about 100 kids from a school came for the day, in uniform, of course. I got a lot of amusement from them. There’s nothing like English school kids (and stern English adults hectoring them).

Two things that saddened me, though. A priest there asked a group of about twenty of the kids how many of them went to church. I saw only one raise a hand.

And the Lady Chapel – it is a barren place. The iconoclasts destroyed all the statues and stained glass. It seems very big (And I was told it’s the biggest Lady Chapel in England.) and empty. And to make things worse, above the altar there’s a year 2000 statue of Mary that looks more like a screaming harlot than the Blessed Virgin. It’s a bad joke. I forget who it was, but someone I know that said the Lady Chapel is one of the saddest places he has ever been. I understand why.

Back in Cambridge, I was one of four at evening prayer at Little St. Mary’s. I’ll probably worship there Sunday.

And I discovered the English actually can make a hamburger. I had an excellent cheeseburger and half-pint at a pub next to the hotel.

First Day in England

I’m in Cambridge now. And it has an air of unreality about it.

My feelings have been strange on the way here, from fear (I don’t know why.) to giddiness to feeling a bit overwhelmed.

When I got here after some blessed sleep on the bus, I could hardly wait to walk about. And, yes -- you guessed it – I couldn’t keep myself from plucking down my four and a half pounds and exploring King’s College Chapel. That was overwhelming (the chapel, not the admission). It is so awesome, and there is so much to take in. Just the wonderful pre-reformation windows (which are quite rare in England thanks to iconoclasts) are more than I can take in.

Now, I’m about to walk back down the road and attend Evensong at King’s College Chapel. Just writing that brings a mix of emotions. And it finally seems very real.

One thing that I noticed -- the choir (and here I mean the main part of the chapel), as soaring as it is, is not big at all on the floor. I suspect evensong will be quite intimate.

Time to get my shoes on and get there early.

LATER:

Evensong at King’s was excellent. And I sat seat only two seats and an aisle away from the choir! That’s intimate, I’d say.

A highlight was a chorister reading the first lesson of Isaiah 53. And he read that moving and pivotal chapter quite well, with a good boyish English accent, of course.

If there was a disappointment, it was that the choristers didn’t sing the canticles (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittus) at all. Only the men sang those. But that’s understandable because the boys had a lot of challenging parts to sing tonight, particularly in the Hymn to St. Cecilia. And when they were singing . . . wow -- and I couldn't help but say that under my breath after one piece.

But I was probably most moved by the Collects. To hear these ancient prayers in such a place . . . well, like I said I was moved.

I was surprised that King’s ended with enough time for me to rush over to Evensong at St. Johns. As I made a good guess and opened the correct chapel door, the choir was already gathering. They quickly prayed and began the service. I could have moved into the main chapel after they processed in. But I didn’t know what was proper, so I stayed in the antechapel.

But hearing it from back there was a pleasant surprise on several counts. First, the choir sounded just fine even from that far away. I could hear them perfectly well. Second, not only did the screen between the chapel and antechapel not mess up the sound at all, but I could also see the chapel quite well. (The screen in King’s blocks the view much more.)

And third, I frankly haven’t been impressed by what I’ve heard from St. Johns in the recent past. But live, they are perfectly good. Maybe they need better sound guys for their broadcasts and recordings, I don’t know.

But I was pleasantly surprised to have a ticket waiting for me when I arrived at my hotel today – one to St. John’s special Advent service on Sunday. I think I will use it.

A happy day and a sad day

As expected, the ECUSA diocese of Rochester in New York voted to dissolve All Saint’s Church because they wouldn’t fork over the Holy Apportionment. Sad and shameful.

I’m confident God will bless the parishioners of All Saint’s for refusing to fund apostasy and for suffering for their resolute stand.

This somewhat tempers the joy of this day. Tomorrow, I take off for England.

As I’ve said, my posting will be sporadic, but I will save some thoughts and experiences for you.

Yes, I’m excited. Yes, do pray for me.

Nigeria/REC/APA Covenant Union background

Reformed Episcopal Bishop Ray Sutton has communicated with REC parishes and provided some interesting background on the Covenant Union with the Church of Nigeria announced this week. He has some exhortations for us as well in his missive.

+Sutton was the bishop who confirmed me, by the way.

Posting while in England

I intend to share with you, kind readers, my impressions during my impending (and first) pilgrimage to England. However, be aware of two things:

1. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to convey those impressions. For example, when the King’s College Choir is at their best, how in the world do you put that into words?

2. Maintaining an online presence will not be a high priority as I’m sure you understand. And, especially while in Oxford and Canterbury, I don’t know how convenient internet access will be. So if I seem to disappear for a week or more, don’t be alarmed.

Thanks for your good wishes and prayers. Yes, I’m excited.

Devovi Sanctum Pecunium

You better genuflect when you hear that, buster. It’s (my attempt at) Latin for “Fork over the Holy Money.”

In the Diocese of Rochester, one parish may be shut down because they can’t consciously fork over the money to a heterodox bishop. Tomorrow the diocese votes on a resolution to do just that.

One of the bitter ironies of the conflict in the Episcopal Church is that any number of traditional church teachings have been torn apart and tossed aside. And the denomination has become so darn “inclusive” that just about anything is tolerated. BUT if a congregation can’t conscientiously participate in the heterodoxy, at least several dioceses will come down on them like a ton of bricks. “Tolerance” isn’t very tolerant then.

And there are a number of presbyteries in my old Presbyterian Church USA where things are that ugly as well. Skimming The Presbyterian Layman should provide some sordid details.

“Tolerance” and “inclusiveness” in the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches is a sham – especially if money or property is involved.

Now excuse me while I listen to Griswoldian Chant.

Devovi Sanctum Pecunium . . .

Last night at Evening Prayer . . .

Last night at Evening Prayer at my parish, during the Prayer for the Clergy and People, ++Peter Akinola was prayed for by name along with our REC bishops.

Yes, we already greatly value our new relationship with the Church of Nigeria.

I’ve noticed you can tell a lot about a parish by which church leaders they choose to pray for during their liturgy. Perhaps more on that sometime.

Boycott Sony.

I know this is a bit off the beaten track for this blog, but I’m outraged by what Sony has been doing to their own customers.

It’s bad enough that they have been rigging their cds so you can’t copy songs you have bought to your own computer. Now, they’ve been caught red-handed jamming their spyware on costumers’ computers!

I’ve already been boycotting Sony cds. Now I’m boycotting the rest of that evil company and urge you to join me.

Church of Nigeria, REC, and APA agree to “Covenant Union”

This Reformed Episcopalian got a nice wake-up this morning when I found out that in Pittsburgh, the Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Leonard W. Riches, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, and the Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf, Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Province of America agreed on a “Covenant Union” between the three churches.

This does not bring us into official full communion, but certainly brings us closer. And it certainly strengthens our links with the orthodox in the Anglican Communion. It is welcome news indeed.

I told ya to watch the REC.

One week from tonight . . .

One week from tonight, God willing, I will be in the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, taking in my first Evensong there. It will be in celebration of Saint Cecilia’s Day. St. Cecilia is the patroness of church music.

How appropriate.

Book group sale offer you can’t refuse . . .

As you can probably tell by the top link on the right, I’m the author of God Knows What It's Like to be a Teenager. It has sold reasonably well and has received a number of good reviews, BUT it turns out the first printing was a bit ambitious. So unless I want boxes of books to line a wall of my garage, I need to move them. And that issue gives you quite the opportunity if you lead or help out at a church, school, youth ministry, etc.

To get to the point, if you’d like to buy 10 or more copies of God Knows What It's Like to be a Teenager and you live in the U. S., I’ll sell copies to you for a buck a book. I’ll even pay shipping. (Outside the U. S., we might be able to work something out.) Yes, that’s an incredible deal and quite handy for teen birthdays, jr. high graduations, confirmations, etc. You can find out a lot more about God Knows at www.godknows99.com.

But I don’t know how long I’ll let this offer last, so if you’re interested, e-mail me: mark at godknows99 dot com.

Someone in ECUSA gets it!

Well, maybe I underestimated ECUSA stalwarts on Friday. For here are a few who seem to get that ++Rowan’s statement the other day might not bode well for their future in the Anglican Communion.

And they are not happy.

By the way, can you spot all the logical fallacies and private interpretations in that link? It must be nice to know the mind of Christ so well that one can ignore the whole catholic church through the centuries.

Here’s a critique gentler and slightly more comprehensive than mine.

UPDATE: And now the Pontificator has weighed in. God help the revisionists!

In one week . . .

One week from today, God willing, I take off for England. First stop: Cambridge.

UPDATE: I just found out I'll get to see the Cambridge Illuminations exhibition.

Q+A session with the Archbishop of Canterbury

I recommend reading the Q+A session with the Archbishop of Canterbury at the recent South-South Encounter in Egypt.

You may have noticed I’ve been . . . perplexed by some of the Archbishop’s actions (or lack thereof) in the past. But I found these answers reassuring.

What I find most reassuring is he comes across as seeking to be a truly catholic archbishop. He doesn’t see forcing controversial innovations on the church as his role at all, regardless of his personal views.

And he doesn’t seem to look fondly on any other bishop who takes on that kind of divisive role.

(I would say ECUSA take note, but I’m sure that would fall on deaf ears.)

Common Cause convention begins today.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Common Cause convention that begins in Pittsburgh today. The past two mornings I’ve prayed this slightly altered prayer from the Reformed Episcopal Prayer Book (also found in the 1928 BCP):

A Prayer to be used at the Meetings of Convention.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who by thy Holy Spirit didst preside in the Council of the blessed Apostles, and hast promised, through thy Son Jesus Christ, to be with thy Church to the end of the world; We beseech thee to be with the Council of thy Church in Pittsburgh assembled in thy Name and Presence. Save them from all error, ignorance, pride, and prejudice; and of thy great mercy vouchsafe, we beseech thee, so to direct, sanctify, and govern us in our work, by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost, that the comfortable Gospel of Christ may be truly preached, truly received, and truly followed, in all places, to the breaking down the kingdom of sin, Satan, and death; till at length the whole of thy dispersed sheep, being gathered into one fold, shall become partakers of everlasting life; through the merits and death of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Andrew Goddard’s Oxford Union speech on practicing gay bishops

Recently the Oxford Union debated the motion “This House believes that a homosexual lifestyle is no bar to becoming a Bishop.” Andrew Goddard of Wycliffe Hall spoke in opposition to the motion and spoke very well. I commend his speech to you.

The most interesting part of the speech to me was his quote from a gay atheist of all people, Matthew Parris:

Knowingly to appoint gay bishops robs Christianity of meaning. It is time that convinced Christians stopped trying to reconcile their spiritual beliefs with the modern age and understood that if one thing comes clearly through every account we have of Jesus’s teaching, it is that His followers are not urged to accommodate themselves to their age, but to the mind of God. When the row over the appointment of gay bishops first blew up I expected, being gay, to join the side of the Christian modernisers. But try as I do to summon up enthusiasm for my natural allies…passion fails me.

Why do so many church leaders not have that much sense?

Al Mohler and Touchstone, am I a second-class adult?

In the past on this blog, I’ve told of my encounters with churches that treat singles as second-class adults. In my last two church searches, it was a priority to find churches that do not do that.

Obviously, I don’t think it wise to encourage churches to treat singles as lesser members. So imagine my reaction when I was reading the latest Touchstone and saw this from Albert Mohler:

The church should insist that the biblical formula is: Adulthood means marriage, and marriage means children.

Well. I guess Jesus wasn’t a full adult then. Nor was Paul. And let’s keep ignoring that weird un-American chapter in I Corinthians that talks about remaining single to focus on devotion to the things of the Lord. No, no. “Adulthood means marriage.”

I guess all those offending churches through the years were right – I’m a second-class adult.

Now to be fair, Dr. Mohler was primarily writing about married couples who refuse to have children. And although I don’t share his conviction that willfully childless couples are all mean and selfish and Unbiblical™?, he makes some good points about sorry attitudes towards children. And I would hope what he meant was generally adulthood means marriage. I would probably agree.

But that’s not what he wrote. Through recklessness (I hope), he wrote that the church should “insist” that “adulthood means marriage.”

No, it doesn’t. That is not “biblical.” It’s just the opposite. It ignores scripture itself. And it’s a smear (though inadvertent I’m sure) on Jesus and all His saints through the ages who have served God without getting married. Putting a “biblical” mantle on such prejudice is flat wrong and offensive.

And it’s a prejudice against singles too many churches exhibit already. They don’t need any encouragement from Albert Mohler or Touchstone.

Achtung! You VILL be inclusive!

I try not to be too cynical and bitter and generally mean. I really do. But when I see the oh-so-inclusive and tolerant crowd prove themselves again and again to be about the most exclusive and intolerant totalitarians on the face of the earth, I just give up my feeble efforts.

And I’m not using the word “totalitarian” idly. Totalitarians tolerate no action, associations, or even thinking that is opposed to the direction of the Benevolent Dictators in charge of their movements. And that describes all too well the most fervent of the “inclusive” libchurch crowd.

Take the People’s Democratic Bishop of the Shiny Happy Gulag of New Westminster, Michael Ingham. This man who is supposed to be a shepherd brooks no Wrong Thinking among the sheep. He was publicly angry when Canada did not enact laws making it illegal for clergy to refuse to conduct same-sex marriages.

And Freedom of Association is just a Capitalist Running Yankee Dog concept to him and his comrades. His diocese just passed a resolution asking the Maximum Bishop to

take such actions as he may consider necessary with respect to any licensed Clergy or any Parish of the Diocese who should choose to declare themselves to be a Member of the Anglican Network in Canada or the Essentials Network or the Anglican Communion in Canada, whether by formal resolution or by other public actions or declarations…

So they’ve asked for Ingham to come down on clergy members of the Network as hard as he wants. And these are among the groups that the Archbishop of Canterbury has publicly recognized as good Anglicans, saying, “There is no doubt in my mind that these networks are full members of the Anglican Communion: that is to say, their bishops, their clergy, and their people are involved with the Communion which I share with them, which we all share with them.”

Think about that again. If you are clergy in the Diocese of Westminster and you become a member of the Network, the official diocese policy, though the Network is recognized by ++Rowan, is for Bishop Ingham to come down on you as hard as “he may consider necessary.” And this bishop is a man who would have the state act against those who refuse to conduct same-sex marriages.

Welcome to the lefty totalitarian “inclusive” “church.”

Liberal Bigots

While driving this week, my head nearly hit the ceiling of my pick-up when I heard the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel had opined thus on the Supreme Court:

In losing a woman, the court with Alito would feature seven white men, one white woman and a black man, who deserves an asterisk because he arguably does not represent the views of mainstream black America.

Oh. So Clarence Thomas isn’t a true black man because he’s a conservative.

Yes, suhh. That boy Clarence left the Liberal Plantation before he joined the Supreme Court. So he’s an upitty n____r, not a Good Negro. Darkies need to remember their place and support liberal Democrats. So we need to put that boy in his place.

I am sorely tempted to suggest what the editorial writers of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal can do to themselves. But on second thought, maybe I should thank them for unveiling the depths of their vile bigotry for all to see.

And, as Michelle Malkin well points out, such blatant racism is by no means an isolated case among liberals.