Diocese of Virginia Sues Individual Parish Members

One of the odious tactics in some of the lawsuits by the Episcopal Church against leaving orthodox parishes is that of suing individual parish members. The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia is doing just that.

One day the Episcopal "Church" will meet God’s justice.

UPDATE: Here's the Anglican District of Virginia's response.


Hat tip to Stand Firm.

Oliver Cromwell, A History of Britain and the Re-admission of Jews

I’ve been watching A History of Britain by Simon Schama. An intelligent 12-year-old friend recommended it to me, and I’ve found it very helpful in getting a grasp on the big picture of British history. I’ve also found it fairly balanced, not shying away from both the bright spots and dark sides of Britain’s past. I’ve haven’t noticed much axe-grinding either.

A commendable example of this balance is Schama’s treatment of Oliver Cromwell. He does not in any way excuse and downplay Cromwell’s excesses (And, yes, “excesses” is putting it very mildly.)

Yet, he portrays Cromwell sympathetically, as one who took power reluctantly in large part and sought to serve God, not himself.

And, sitting in a prominent synagogue, he notes that Cromwell re-admitted Jews to England and gave them freedom of worship, both firsts since their expulsion in 1290. It’s touching when he concludes, “It’s Oliver Cromwell we have to thank for opening a new chapter of Anglo-Jewish history – my history.”

It’s hard to find balanced treatments of Oliver Cromwell. In my Bible Church background, I heard nothing but positive words about him -- he’s a hero. In my new Anglican background, he’s a villain.

But until now, I had not heard of his re-admitting Jews and giving freedom to them. For all his faults and serious wrongs, he surely deserves credit for that.

More can be found here.

Mmmm, Latin!

You Latin lovers, today is your blessed day. The Pope has released to 30 bishops the long anticipated motu proprio liberalizing (in the good sense of the word, of course) use of the Tridentine Mass.

The motu proprio will be published on July 7th . . . and appears to already be leaked.

Clarity from Rwanda

The Rwandan House of Bishops issued a remarkable communiqué about Lambeth this week. It is so clear and straightforward, it’s almost un-Anglican.

Along with an earlier statement from the Church of Nigeria, it shows that ++Rowan’s ill-advised decision to invite all the Episcopal Church’s bishops to Lambeth save one while not inviting many orthodox Anglican bishops will have dire consequences for the Anglican Communion (unless he drastically changes the invitation list, which I don’t expect).

Rwanda takes a hard line on its AMiA bishops not being invited:

The manner in which the invitations to the bishops of Rwanda were issued is divisive as some of our bishops were not invited. The bishops that provide oversight to the Anglican Mission (AMiA) are not "Anglican Mission bishops," but rather bishops of the Province of Rwanda given the responsibility to lead Rwanda’s missionary outreach to North America. We are a united body and will not participate in a conference which would divide our number.

This is similar to the Primate of Nigeria’s statement that “The withholding of invitation to a Nigerian bishop, elected and consecrated by other Nigerian bishops, will be viewed as withholding of invitation to the entire House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria.”

The Rwandan bishops then take the Archbishop of Canterbury to task in language I can’t recall coming from any province’s official statement before.

The leadership of Canterbury has ignored and constantly taken lightly the resolutions from the primates’ meetings and the statement in the "Road to Lambeth" document prepared for, and accepted by, CAPA which agreed that the crisis of faith in the Anglican Communion needed to be resolved before Lambeth 2008.

And Rwanda is right. ++Rowan at least came close to sabotaging the Panel of Reference even though a Primates Meeting declared it “a matter of urgency.” He pushed a report whitewashing TEC’s defiance of Windsor/Dromantine on the last Primates Meeting. Now he has invited TEC’s bishops in spite of their escalated defiance of the Primates.

Rwanda then says something even I’ve been hesitant to say.

From his actions and decision to invite TEC, a province which is violating holy orders, biblical teaching and the tradition of the church, and his decision not to invite the bishops of AMiA and CANA, the Archbishop of Canterbury has shown that he has now taken sides.

That’s a bold conclusion. And I would not have said that only a few months ago. But in light of how ++Rowan has conducted himself, it now seems to me wishful thinking to conclude anything else. Yes, if ++Rowan had his way, he’d keep everybody on board. But keeping the heretics and apostates on board certainly now seems more important to him than keeping the orthodox. Rwanda is probably right.

Again, this is a remarkable statement to be coming from an Anglican province.

You know where this statement is heading:

Therefore, in view of the above, in good conscience, the bishops of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda have resolved not to attend the Lambeth Conference 2008 unless the previously stipulated requirement of repentance on the part of the TEC and other like-minded Provinces is met, and invitations are extended to our entire House of Bishops.

-------

Now, I’ve gone back and forth in my mind on whether the best course for the orthodox Global South and allies is (1.) not go to Lambeth in light of ++Rowan’s invitations or (2.) go to Lambeth, pull off a coup, take Lambeth out of ++Rowan’s control and expel the Episcopal Church.

I think 2. might be worth a try but there is a big problem with that. ++Rowan and company can chose to downplay or even ignore Lambeth if the Global South is successful in taking it over. After all, large portions of the communion, especially the two North American provinces, have ignored Lambeth ’98.

And ++Rowan all but ignored Windsor and the Primates in issuing his invitations for Lambeth ’08. And the Episcopal Church is notorious for crying “Polity!” or ignoring polity depending on what suits their aims.

That’s a big problem with Anglican polity. Provinces and even the Archbishop of Canterbury can, in practice, pick and choose what parts of polity to abide by or ignore without consequences. Or at least it seems that way.

It honestly makes me wonder if the Anglican Communion is worth fighting for anymore. And, as one who once hoped to be in the Anglican Communion, I say that with great sadness.

I do hope with many that this is not drawn out any longer. If the Anglican Communion is to be a viable orthodox church, then expel the Episcopal Church, and let’s get on with it. If there is going to be a split, then let’s get on with that and build a new orthodox Anglican body.

Either way, I, like the bishops of Rwanda, have had it with an Archbishop of Canterbury who strings along the orthodox and appears, however obscurely, to have no intention of effectively dealing with apostasy.

Pontifications Closes

This is very sad news. Al Kimel’s thoughtful blog will be missed by a great many.

Three History Books Reviewed

Today, I review three books on my pre-Oxford reading list. Two of them are a disappointment. One turned out even better than expected.

The two disappointments are The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe and of The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain. I was expecting these to be excellent. After all they came recommended and are put out by Oxford University Press.

But I had trouble keeping track of the threads and the plots as I read in both books. Eventually, I figured out the fault is not all mine. Both books are poorly organized. I felt like I was trying to decipher an overly complicated but sloppily written soap opera upon watching it for the first time.

In addition, the History of Britain engages in blatant axe-grinding. I’m still shaking my head over it calling Edward VI “the boy bigot.” That opened my eyes to axe-grinding elsewhere in the book. That added a lack of credibility to its lack of organization. So I have left off reading that one.

Conversely, I’m about to finish R. W. Southern’s Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages. I will have then gladly read it cover to cover. Don’t let the title (or Southern’s reputation for excellent scholarship for that matter) scare you. It’s a paperback of just over 350 pages, is easy to read, and is very well organized.

Southern makes it easy to follow the big trends of the western medieval church. At the same time, he makes excellent selections of anecdotes and details of history to illustrate his points.

Often, those details are downright entertaining. For example, Southern quotes a letter from Pope Innocent IV in 1244 to illustrate that the Franciscans had a reputation for *ahem* aggressive recruitment methods:

. . . the schoolmaster’s servants had been bribed to dope his drink. Whereupon certain friars induced him to join their Order by pronouncing (he was incapable of further speech) the simple word “Yes” . . . They were about to tonsure him when he came to his senses, seized the scissors, and chased his attackers from the house. . . .

I can’t praise Southern’s book enough. If only all scholarly works were so well written, well organized and, yes, enjoyable even.

I will certainly take this book, thoroughly marked up, with me to Oxford. But I don’t think the Oxford Illustrated Histories will be making the trip.

Children and Communion

Should young baptized but unconfirmed children be admitted to the Lord’s table?

An interesting discussion on this question can be found here.

Yes, I’m one of those throwing in my two cents worth. My experience of young children being admitted at my parish has nudged me firmly into the “Yes” side.

The Episcomuslim Priest and Baptism

The story about the Seattle Episcopal priest who insists she is both Christian and Muslim is the gift that keeps on giving. In spite of the wishes of certain TEC leaders that this story would go away, it hasn’t yet. Here’s a list of some of the blog activity on this.

Now, it may shock you for me to say this. But this is not an occasion to bash liberals, not all of them at least. For many of them are appalled by this “priest.” In two interesting threads here and here at the Ship of Fools (Be warned on the language. Also, the links will eventually become defunct.), for instance, I’m pleasantly surprised to see a number of normally flaming liberals state that they think she has violated her vows and ought to at least suspend acting as a priest.

Also, this is not an occasion for you Cartholicks to chortle. For she will begin teaching this Fall at Seattle University. Isn’t that a Jesuit institution? Hmmmmm?

I don’t want to repeat all that’s been already said about this story. But something stands out to me that has gotten relatively little notice:

Redding knows there are many Christians and Muslims who will not accept her as both.

"I don't care," she says. "They can't take away my baptism." And as she understands it, once she's made her profession of faith to become a Muslim, no one can say she isn't that, either.

This bothers me. It’s not the first time I’ve heard unfaithful apostates express faith in their baptism like it was some golden ticket. Some seem to feel it’s o.k. for purported Christians to ditch the Trinity, the Resurrection, the divinity of Christ -- even to become a Muslim or Hindu. But if you question whether those who act so unfaithfully remain in the faith, they get very indignant and say, “I’ve been baptized!”

That’s one reason baptism was the most difficult issue I had to wrestle with when I became Anglican. I now see that the church fathers emphasized baptism much more than I did in my Bible Church background. I now see it’s linked more to salvation than I once thought.

But then I see how traditional and catholic doctrines of baptism get so easily twisted into a baptidolatry that puts getting one’s head wet as a baby over the faith and faithfulness. It almost makes me want to throw out the baby and baptismal waters all over again as I once did – and then add disclaimers to the baptismal liturgy to boot.

Of course, all good doctrines and practices get twisted. Satan loves to do that. But baptism seems especially prone to perversion and idolatry -- and deadly self-deception.

The Diocese of San Diego Fights Dirty

You may have noticed from my focus on the Duke Lacrosse case and other posts that few things anger me as much as abuse of our legal system. Now the Episcopal Church is providing more and more examples of said abuse.

The Diocese of San Diego sued St. John’s Anglican Church, including nine volunteers, and lost. So what do they do? They sue again.

If this isn’t technically harassment and double jeopardy, it is certainly the moral equivalent. The diocese’s re-suit is appalling, descending beneath even secular standards. To say it’s fighting dirty is putting it nicely.

And the Diocese of San Diego doesn’t have the reputation of one of the more militantly liberal TEC dioceses. This may prove to be more typical of the Episcopal Church’s conduct than even the most cynical have expected.

Straight Talk from Both Sides

There’s been a remarkable exchange after the Episcopal Church Executive Council took it upon themselves to declare the actions of four dioceses (Fort Worth, Quincy, Pittsburgh and San Joaquin) null and void.

The chancellors of those dioceses have released a strong response that pulls no punches:

The Episcopal Church (TEC) has declared the authority of Holy Scripture null and void so we are not surprised that its Executive Council attacks our diocesan constitutions because we reserve the right not to accede to TEC’s unbiblical actions. The Executive Council does not have the authority to make decisions or pass resolutions of this type on behalf of TEC. Furthermore, the Executive Council does not have the right to interfere in internal diocesan constitutional processes. The Executive Council's declaration is contrary to the law and to the historic Anglican faith.

It’s heartening to see the chancellors point out with extraordinary frankness that when a church throws out scripture, it’s only a matter of time before anything goes.

TEC Chancellor David Booth Beers is also remarkably frank. In saying “we can sue” the dioceses, he states:

Those dioceses have said that they don’t like what we are doing and they won’t go along with it. We will frame our litigation in reference to that.

Thus he spells out what “reconciliation” means – You “go along” with our apostasy or else.

Well, we wanted clarity.

By the way, does anyone out there still think the Episcopal Church is a viable place for orthodox Christians?


UPDATE: Ft. Worth responds further:

A Statement of the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Diocese of Fort Worth concerning certain actions of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church

The adversarial relationship between this Diocese and the leadership of The Episcopal Church was exacerbated by two decisions made by the Executive Council of TEC at its meeting last week.

I. The Council’s refusal to participate in the Pastoral Scheme developed by the Dar es Salaam primates’ Meeting has deepened our sense of alienation from TEC. Instead of “waging reconciliation,” the Council has failed to respond to the expressed needs of those dioceses appealing for Alternative Primatial Oversight, pushing us further apart from TEC. They have claimed that the Pastoral Council proposal violates the polity of TEC, but they have been unable to substantiate this by citing any constitutional or canonical provisions to that effect.

II. Claiming an authority that our polity does not give, the Council has declared certain amendments to our Diocesan Constitution “null and void.” To this, we respond, first, that it is not within the scope of duties assigned to the Executive Council to render findings as to the legality or constitutionality of actions by the several dioceses of The Episcopal Church; and second, that resolutions adopted by the Council, or even by the General Convention, are non-binding. Therefore, this resolution is nothing more than an opinion expressed by those individuals who issued the statement. It is itself “null and void“ – unenforceable and of no effect. This action is another example of the heavy-handed tactics being used by those who do not have the right to interfere in the internal constitutional process of the dioceses.

While the Council’s resolutions on a range of subjects may excite debate, that does not guarantee their opinions are consistent with the Faith, the law of the land, or the Constitution of The Episcopal Church, much less that they establish precedent. That the Council would attempt to interfere now, nearly 20 years after this diocese first amended its Constitution, is evidence of an illegitimate magisterial attitude that has emerged in the legislative function of TEC. Sadly, the one thing the resolution does show is that there is no desire on the part of the Council for reconciliation with those alienated by the recent actions of General Convention.

The Council’s threats may continue, but we will continue to stand for the historic biblical faith and our Lord Jesus Christ’s call to extend His Kingdom. We regret that a further deterioration in our relationship with TEC has been effected by these decisions.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

The Very Rev. Ryan S. Reed
President, Standing Committee

June 19, 2007

2 Timothy 4:3 Illustrated

2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires . . .

2 Timothy 4:3 illustrated.


Hat tip to titusonenine.

BREAKING: Real Justice in Duke Lacrosse Case?

It is all too rare that a prosecutor who viciously acts to destroy the lives and reputations of the innocent meets justice himself. But it might be about to happen in the Duke Lacrosse case.

After a slew of negative verdicts against him in a disbarment hearing, disgraced Durham Co. D. A. Mike Nifong is sounding like he knows disbarment is coming. It may happen later today.

As always, Durham-in-Wonderland is covering this closely.


BREAKING UPDATE: NIFONG DISBARRED!!

“It is coordinated.”

Matt+ Kennedy has a post up that goes through the statements from various groups and primates and summarizes well that we are seeing a coordinated effort, not random alphabet soup.

And this comment to the post is very interesting. Unless there is a professional +Gregory Venables impersonator about, it appears the Primate of the Southern Cone himself has confirmed, “It is coordinated.”

And in case you still think we’re not in a war . . .

. . . Read what The Episcopal Church Executive Council was up to today.


Hat tip to Texanglican.

WAR!!

I’m very encouraged by the developments of the past 36 hours. When the Archbishop of Kenya announced his North American initiative with Dr. Bill Atwood to lead it as bishop, the significance wasn’t immediately clear. Some suggested it indicated a fragmentation of the Global South’s efforts.

But the numerous statements that soon came out made clear this is no fragmentation. This is a coming together of orthodox Anglican forces to fight back and reinvade North America for Christ and for orthodox Anglicanism. This is like D-day with an “alphabet soup” of countries and armed forces preparing to take back North American Anglican territory the apostates have usurped.

The Episcopal Church has made clear it will neither repent nor relent from its apostasies and from its attacks on the faithful. The Archbishop of Canterbury has made clear with his Lambeth invitations that he intends to let them get away with it. (To those who think he may rescind those invitations, I have two words: wishful thinking.) So now the Global South and its orthodox allies see the time for restraint is now over. It’s time for war. It’s time not only for a Dunkirk to rescue the faithful; it’s time for D-day, to replant the flag of orthodox Anglicanism in North America.

As the Bishop of Ft. Worth stated overnight:

The rejection of the Dar es Salaam proposed pastoral scheme by the TEC House of Bishops will lead to further extraordinary efforts such as this to extend episcopal care to faithful Anglicans who believe they have no alternative but to separate from the church they have loved and served for so many years.

In other words, you just think you’ve seen boundary crossings. You ain’t seen nothing yet!

What is the significance of Bill Atwood in this? Again, +Ft Worth:

He has the heart of an evangelist and has been the key, pivotal figure in the realignment of worldwide Anglicanism.

I don’t think “the key” is a typo. He has long standing relationships with a number of Global South leaders, long before 2003. He is the ideal man to help coordinate their efforts. I think he may have been chosen to be supreme commander of the reinvading Anglican forces. He knows the territory. He knows evangelism. He’s an excellent choice.

Now, some of you may think I’m a bit overwrought with my talk of war. And I freely admit, maybe I am.

But the Global South and allies don’t take the Bible’s exhortations to be soldiers of Christ to be just metaphors. These are men who have been deeply involved in combat. They know the reality of spiritual warfare. They have struggled against the evil forces of Islam. Some of their parishioners have been compelled to literally take up arms against Muslims. Here in North America, the battles haven’t been life and death, not physically at least. But many have been attacked again and again by the apostate persecutors of the faithful.

These are men who know spiritual warfare. And they are ready to wage it.

So, you Episcopal apostate persecutors of the faithful, bring on your lawyers and your mammon. You may win your empty buildings. You may win tea with the Dithering Lord of Canterbury.

But you will lose the war.

Let the war begin.

The Reinvasion Grows

Overnight, news broke that the orthodox Anglican reinvasion of North America grows. I call it a “reinvasion” because I liken it to a series of miniature D-days to take Anglican territory back from the enemy and collaborators.

Kenya will now form “a North American Anglican Coalition” and consecrate Dr. Bill Atwood as bishop on August 30th. Here’s the news release from the Primate of Kenya.

I have so many thoughts I hardly know where to begin, but I’ll recklessly throw some out there.

First, I think this move can be seen as growing defiance of the Archbishop of Canterbury. ++Rowan clearly asked ++Akinola not to consecrate +Minns. Yet not long after, another primate chooses to do virtually the same thing. And that primate is the relatively quiet Archbishop Nzimbi, hardly a flamethrower.

And ++Rowan has only himself to blame. Since 2003, orthodox North American Anglicans have pleaded for refuge from the apostasies and predations of the Episcopal Church. Yet he has done close to nothing. His inaction has created a vacuum of godly leadership that needed to be filled. And it is being filled by primates such as ++Nzimbi, ++Akinola, and ++Venables.

Thank God there are primates with the backbone to do the right thing regardless of ++Rowan’s dithering.

Second, moves to provide an Anglican place for the orthodox in North America are sharpening divisions among the orthodox themselves. This is reflected by some of the comments on relevant posts such as the first one above.

Though regrettable, this is nothing new. Whenever a mainline church goes apostate, many orthodox cannot abide it and feel they must create or leave for other jurisdictions. And some other orthodox instead feel loyalty to the mainline church and want the orthodox to stay and struggle. And some in the two groups get mad at each other. This has happened before.

I am convinced it’s time for the orthodox to leave the Episcopal Church, and I understand much of the anger directed at stay-and-work groups such as the ACI. But both groups need to work to maintain Christian comity. This increasing anger between the two groups is unfortunate.

But count me among those who do very much agree with the moves to create orthodox Anglican entities in North America separate from the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada (AND to bring about the greatest possible unity among said orthodox entities, hopefully in a new province). Whether or not these become part of the Anglican Communion or of a new orthodox Anglican communion, it’s time to move on with the work of rescuing and growing orthodox Anglicanism in North America.

To keep waiting until the next meeting and the next statement, and especially to wait on the current occupant of the See of Canterbury, just further bleeds the patient and plays into the hands of the enemy. Let the reinvasion continue.

Lib VBS

What happens when liberals run a vacation bible school? Well, maybe this:

Real Heroes, Vacation Bible School where children, ages 5-12, learn how they can make a difference in the real world as envisioned by the United Nations at the Millennium Summit 2000, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. June 18-22, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Van Holt room; $50, includes field trips, lunches, snacks (scholarships available).

I am not kidding.

Edward VI, the “boy-bigot”?

As part of my preparation for Oxford, I’ve been reading The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain. Yesterday in it, I was shocked to read Edward VI called “the Protestant boy-bigot.”

I’m thankful that the author who indulged in such brazen axe-grinding, John Guy, only has one chapter in the book. But I’m still amazed that the editor Kenneth O. Morgan allowed that name-calling to remain.

So am I right to be aghast at such a lapse among scholars? Or was Edward VI really the “boy-bigot”?



By the way, this may be a good time to let you know this blog will be undergoing a transition for the rest of the year. As I’ve mentioned, I’ll be studying in Oxford this Fall and am preparing for that with great anticipation. So my posting will become more selective and gradually more centered around my Oxford experience.

Judging from the response during my Advent 2005 trip to England, I suspect most of you would prefer that anyway.

BREAKING: Next Prime Minister Will Give Up The Right To Appoint The Archbishop Of Canterbury

Or at least so reports the Telegraph.

If this is so, this is huge and excellent news. I was about to write a post that the biggest long term problem with the Anglican Communion is its Erastian structure, namely that vital powers are given to an appointee of the Prime Minister of England.

It appears part of that problem is about to be done away.


A big hat tip to titusonenine.

Lambeth: To Go or Not to Go?

I’m a bit tired from catching a big wave or two this morning. And I want to catch up on my Medieval history reading. (I’m getting ready for Oxford this Fall, on which more in due time.) So I might defer doing much of a post today.

But I will point you to some very interesting and often learned discussion here and here on whether the Global South primates should go to Lambeth or not. Be sure to read the comments on both posts.

I’m becoming a bit torn on the question myself though I’ve been firmly on the side of not going. I may say more at some point.

Straight Talk About Putin

Yelena Tregubova is a journalist who has fled Vladimir Putin’s Russia. And she has some strong words for the West’s appeasement of that dictator.

I used to be a fan of Putin myself. But it’s become more and more clear through the years that his aim is to set up a Soviet style dictatorship complete with muzzling and killing political enemies. The current case of his poisoning an exile in Britain then refusing to extradite the chief suspect is particularly galling.

With the G-8 summit coming up, Tregubova writes:

Putin should be faced with a stark choice: either the Kremlin restores democratic freedoms, or Russia will be expelled from the G8 and other international clubs.

I completely agree. And that should be just for starters. It’s high time the West treat Vladimir Putin like the Soviet-style dictator he is.


Hat tip to TitusOneNine.

Photos From Tanzania Primates Meeting

George Conger has posted some interesting photos from the Tanzania Primates Meeting that at least I haven’t seen before.

I especially like this pic. Put a uniform on ++Greg Venables, and he’d look like he’s storming the beaches of apostasy.

Maybe he was in a mood because of who else was on the boat.

If I Had an Anglo-Catholic Kid . . .

. . . I’d send him to this camp.

I saw a presentation at the ACN Youth Ministry Summit and was impressed.

A New North American Anglican Province? This Fall?

Brad Drell is asking if there is indeed a new province in the works as he looks at the agenda of the Common Cause bishops meeting coming up this September. And these items are certainly suggestive:

4) to consider whether a permanent Common Cause College of Bishops might be created, in order that ever greater levels of communication, cooperation and collaboration can be built; and

5) to initiate discussion of the creation of an “Anglican Union” among the partners, moving forward the vision of the Primates of the Global South for a new “ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA.”

I wonder if a federation province can be brought about. I think that has to be the way to go for now since Forward in Faith and also the REC and APA have issues with women’s ordination.

I know at least one REC bishop has suggested a federation is probably the near term way to go for orthodox North American Anglicans.

And I also know this Fall will be interesting.