Shameless

The Pseudo-bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham, has sent a letter to Dr. J. I. Packer threatening him with suspension from ministry. This after the church of which Dr. Packer is a member, St. John’s Shaughnessy, which happens to be the largest Anglican church in Canada, voted 475 to 11 to leave apostasy the Anglican Church of Canada.

This boggles the mind. My readers are well aware of the giant Dr. Packer is among teachers and theologians. I know I’ve been very much influenced by two of his works, Knowing God and Keep in Step with the Spirit. It’s hard to find a good analogy to describe a heretical gnat like –Ingham threatening a man like Dr. Packer in any way. (Perhaps my readers would like to give it a try?)

As BabyBlue puts it (referring to Dr. Packer’s oversight of the English Standard Version): “He's edited The Bible, for goodness sake. Has Ingham lost his mind?”

I suspect he has. He certainly seems to have lost the part of his brain in charge of shame.

Not-so-by-the-way, there is something seriously wrong with a communion in which a great man like Dr. Packer is threatened while a wolf like Ingham remains a member in good standing.

Another Day Off

I’m experimenting with a different allergy drug, Zyrtec I think is the name. It seems to be working, but it also makes it difficult for me to type and put my thoughts into words, although at least I’m functioning better than under yesterday’s regime. I was going to post this morning, but after a while I saw it still wasn’t worth it.

There used to be a liquid drug (I forget the name.) that worked wonderfully on my allergies when I was under attack and didn’t knock me out at all.

The FDA pulled it off the market, of course.

Day Off

I’m going to take a day off from normal blogging today. The culprit: my allergies and the lack of a non-drowsy drug to deal with it.

The same cold front that brought mayhem to the Southeast U. S. brought just a strong dry wind here. And that means lots of gunk blown to the coast here from inland. So even though I took a useless Claritin, I had a bad allergy attack yesterday. So I then took something I can’t spell in my current condition. It works, but then makes it so I can barely work. I started on a real blog entry, but it was such slow going, I thought, “Forget it.”

Pray for me as I seek to find a way to deal with these dry early Spring fronts. They are especially hellish for me this year.

How to Fit in at Church

Some of my good readers may be considering actually going to a church. Going to an Anglican church for the first time can be especially awkward. A Pentecostal friend of mine came with me to my church for Evening Prayer complete with the singing of The Litany.

I’m glad to report he is recovering from clinical culture shock and is doing better.

Well, the Rev’d Daniel Sparks has some helpful hints on how to fit in at church.

You’re welcome. Always glad to help.

Aside:
Sadly, the cell phone bit is only too true. At a recent FUNERAL with which I assisted as Lector, cell phones kept going off.

The first time, I can understand. It’s easy to forget to turn off your cell phone. But you’d think that first time would prompt others to turn off their phones. Nope. Cell phones kept going off again and again and . . .

Gulag UK Bans Christian Couple from Fostering Children

As Cranmer reports, the Labour-controlled Derby City Council has banned a Christian couple from fostering children in spite of their exemplary, nay, saintly history. Why?

They take their children to church and don’t teach them that homosexual lifestyles are o.k.

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Yes, let it sink in what an absurd outrage that is. And if you think I exaggerate when I write of “Gulag UK,” think again.

Now the current Archbishop of Canterbury says that the church ought to take up for those of other faiths. But his response in defense of these good Christians against the predations of Labour’s hypersecular gulag?

Silence.

His response in defense of children being deprived of such an excellent home because of the absurd orthodoxies of the Labour secular state?

Silence.

Some shepherd he is.

The Real Danger to Obama’s Campaign

What the heck? Hillary has come to town. Obama’s coming to Corpus Christi today. And Bill is coming tonight and tomorrow.

Who would have thunk it a few months ago? Texas runs its primaries in March when all the presidential nomination races are long since over, of course. And we haven’t been a swing state in November since before Reagan. So us Texans, especially way down here in South Texas, are more likely to shoot a burglar than to see a presidential candidate.

This is a strange election year, is it not?

On a slightly more serious note, I’ve long thought the biggest danger to Obama’s campaign isn’t Hillary stealing delegates, it’s his own lefty ways. And it’s not just this gun-owning, lib’rul bashing Texan that thinks that, but Gerald Baker of the Times:

There is a caste of left-wing Americans who wish essentially and in all honesty that their country was much more like France. They wish it had much higher levels of taxation and government intervention, that it had much higher levels of welfare, that it did not have such a “militaristic” approach to foreign policy. Above all, that its national goals were dictated, not by the dreadful halfwits who inhabit godforsaken places like Kansas and Mississippi, but by the counsels of the United Nations.

Though Mr Obama has done a good job, as all recent serious Democrats have done, of emphasising his belief in American virtues, his record and his programme suggest he is firmly in line with this wing of his party.

This, I think, not his inexperience in public office, is the principal threat to Mr Obama's campaign.

Having been around lefties in two university towns and more, I know that Baker has leftists right. And he is on target on Obama as well.

The news media has largely given Obama a pass on his lefty ways. (Can you imagine them giving such a pass to a right-winger?) Unless the Republicans are stupid (which they are at times), they will give Obama’s liberal/leftism no such pass in the general election campaign. I suspect that will stop the Obama juggernaut in the end.

And by the way, in case you think Mr. Baker and I are exaggerating Obama’s lefty ways, I commend to you a Rolling Stone (!) article of exactly one year ago.

Hero

I’ve been very impressed with the story of 12-year-old Michael Guggenheim. Michael has a learning disability, dysgraphia, that makes it very difficult to write. But a few years ago, he was allowed to use a laptop instead. And he has thrived ever since.

Not only that, he has even started a charity that helps underprivileged kids to learn to use computers and donates laptops to them. And, as you can tell by his charity’s blog, it’s already having quite an impact.

I post this not only to bring him and his charity to your attention, but also to illustrate a couple things on my mind. First, I’ve lately been impressed (again) with the awesome hearts boys around Michael’s age often have.

Second, I’ve been thinking a lot about how when we are weak God is strong and turns our weaknesses into strengths. How Michael has not only overcome his weakness, but has even let it become a strength on behalf of others is certainly a shining example of that.

Rowan’s Policy Condensed

"I'm not an Anglican pope, but I'll bloody well control the discussion, determine the agenda, and see to it that decisions are prevented, postponed, delayed, and subverted.”

In the midst of other thoughts, so Captain Yips summarizes Rowan Williams policy the past few long years.

I can’t make a more succinct summary than that.

Obama Going After Texas

It’s hard to miss that the Obama campaign is pushing hard to win Texas. His Wisconsin Primary victory speech tonight was delivered from Houston, with lots of references to Texas and Houston.

On a smaller scale, driving around Corpus Christi yesterday, I noticed the Obama campaign had sign-holding supporters at the early voting sites. Didn’t see any from the Clinton campaign.

Should Obama win or even virtually tie Texas, that could be the end of Hillary’s chances. And the Obama campaign seems to know it.

Shiny Happy Gulag Targets Roman Catholics

Catholic Insight, a Canadian magazine known for its fidelity to Church teachings, has been targeted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission for publishing articles deemed offensive to homosexuals.

More here:

The complaint against Father de Valk is just one of several complaints against Christians that Canada's human rights commissions have investigated in recent years. Despite assurance from politicians that Canadian faith communities would not be affected when the government legalized same-sex marriage, the number of complaints against Christians have only increased since 2005, say several concerned Christians.

And I bet some of you thought I was over the top in calling Canada the Shiny Happy Gulag.

“I don’t believe in a multicultural society.”

So says Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. And so say I, too.

Now I have no problem with a society being enriched by different cultures. I enjoy Mexican food here in Texas and curry in England. And when the Choir of King’s College Cambridge comes to Dallas on April 3rd, I will be there. And I won’t be holding up a sign that says, “POMS, GO HOME!”

No, what I have a problem with is really multiculturalism that thinks every culture is equal and should be fully accommodated and has no problem destroying a nation’s culture to do so. And, of course, non-Western cultures are even “more equal” ala Orwell.

England, among other Western nations, is tasting the bitter fruit of multiculturalism. At least now, people are seeing that and opposing multiculturalism is becoming more acceptable and not as automatically credited to “racism,” xenophobia, and the like. I suspect ten years ago the Cardinal’s statement would have been considered quite shocking. Not so today. Certainly, Rowan Williams’ Sharia comments have aroused more open opposition to self-destructive multicultural madness.

No-so-by-the-way, it seems the leading Cartholick bishop in England is more sensible than the current Archbishop of Canterbury. And that’s good – or not.

A Question

Do my wise and informed readers know of good traditional Anglican youth curriculum resources online?

And I am talking about church curriculum for youth with a strong orthodox Anglican flavor. I’m already very well aware of Youth Specialties, Group, etc. (And much of what they do is good although I’m disenchanted with YS’s support of emergent stuff.)

The reason I ask is that I’m thinking this might be a direction I should go in my writing and web activities. I pretty much create my own youth Sunday School curriculum as it is. And if there is a site that’s doing a good job in this area, I might want to hook up with them as well as use their resources myself.

But if there isn’t much out there, maybe I should create something. It wouldn’t be the first time.

So if there are any sites out there you recommend, please comment or e-mail me: mark at godknows99 dot com. Thanks.

More on the Democrat Nightmare Scenario: Michigan and Florida

As a helpful reader pointed out, there is more to the possible Democrat Nightmare Scenario than just super-delegates. There’s the question of whether and how to seat delegations from Michigan and Florida at the Democrat National Convention.

The two states held their primaries earlier than party rules allowed, so the party said, "No delegates for you!" But now that Hillary Clinton needs all the delegates she can get, she wants those two delegations seated. Here’s one good summary of the situation.

The party is already divided over this. One interesting division: the NAACP wants the delegations seated; Al Sharpton does not.

But again, Hillary needs to finish well for the Nightmare Scenario to be much of a possibility. It seems even the Daily Kos and I agree on that.

Pray for St. John’s Shaughnessy.

This week the largest Anglican parish in Canada, St. John’s Shaughnessy, voted by an overwhelming margin to leave the Anglican Church of Canada and the apostate Diocese of New Westminster.

One can be sure that pseudo-bishop Ingham will keep his promises to go after them like the wolf that he is.

Pray for St. John’s Shaughnessy.

Company Man Stifles Dissent

The Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, has written a defense of Rowan Williams’ Sharia comments.

It certainly strengthens Wright’s growing reputation as a company man. But it adds little of worth to the discussion of the damage Dr. Williams has done. Instead, it implies with thinly veiled condescension that the furor over Williams’ remarks is due to the “extremely touchy” “uninformed” and their lack of wisdom and maturity.
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Well . . . . That’s something of a discussion killer, is it not?

Hat tip to titusonenine.

Her Majesty is Not Pleased

Her Majesty the Queen has let it be known that she is not pleased about the Rowan Williams Sharia controversy.

Democrat Nightmare Scenario?

After a rally in El Paso last night, Hillary Clinton is visiting the Corpus Christi area today. You know things must be serious if a presidential candidate is visiting those two places. Heck, even normal people rarely go to those remote environs.

With Hillary so gracing my region (Who said I was normal?), I thought it might be a good time to examine the possible Nightmare Scenario for the Democrats. The scenario goes that Obama wins most of the primaries and more pledged delegates than Hillary, which seems likely now, but that the more establishment super-delegates give Hillary the nomination. This would warm my lib’rul bashing heart but would alienate Obama supporters and greatly harm Democrat chances in November. Here’s one article summarizing the current situation and the possible scenario.

In recent days, it’s been argued that the Nightmare Scenario has become less likely with Obama’s winning streak, that the super-delegates aren’t going to tank the party by swinging the nomination to Hillary. And if unless she finishes the primary season strong, I think that’s correct.

But if she wins, say, two out of the three of Texas, Ohio, and Pennsyvania, she at least won’t appear as weak or unpopular a candidate as she does today. She would then give those establishment-mined super-delegates inclined to vote for her a reason/excuse to do so even if Obama still has slightly more of the elected delegates. So the Nightmare Scenario could still happen.

I’m not expecting this to happen, mind you. But it’s more possible than Democrats wish. And, anyway, is this not fun to watch?

Aftermath

Rowan Williams' comments about Sharia law in the UK and half-apologies for them are already becoming old news. And it now seems he will survive.

The damage remains, however, and will be lasting in two overarching ways:

1. This episode adds to the cumulative erosion of good will and trust toward Dr. Williams. Really, I don’t think this episode would have created such a furor if that good will and trust weren’t greatly eroded already. His vacillations, his coddling of heterodoxy, his stringing along the orthodox, his subversion of “the Windsor Process” once Lambeth neared – all these have done great and cumulative damage to his stature. Many who were once well disposed toward him (such as myself, believe it or not) were fed up with him even before the latest foolishness.

And this Sharia episode certainly adds to that damage. But there is more than just an additional accumulation of self-inflicted reputation destruction . . . .

2. This episode opens up a significant additional front of the harm Rowan Williams has done to the Anglican Communion and to his own reputation.

Up to now, the main problems Anglicans, among others, had with Rowan Williams were related to his policies concerning same-sex issues and church discipline. Yes, he has offended with his occasional blatherings, such saying the U. S. has lost the moral high ground and with his advocacy of further restrictions on speech. But these have been side shows up to now.

His Sharia comments are of a different order. They have put the Archbishop of Canterbury on the side of appeasing Islam and undermine those whose freedoms and lives are targets of Islam. Those include a great many Global South Anglicans.

For them, as well as for orthodox elsewhere, Rowan has not only put himself on the wrong side of same-sex and church discipline issues; now he has put himself on the wrong side of issues of how to deal with aggressive and oppressive Islam. And these issues are literally life and death matters for many in the Anglican Communion.

This is bad enough. But causing such harm in his area will have collateral damage as well. This has surely hardened opposition to his leadership. And perhaps many who have been deliberating whether to continue to participate in the Anglican Communion and to go to Lambeth just had their minds made up for them. Certainly, Rowan has made just made it that much more difficult for Global South Anglicans to remain in communion with Canterbury.

In his Synod speech yesterday, Rowan claimed to understand the difficulties Christians face because of Islam. But he has very clearly demonstrated that he does not. That is completely inexcusable, and his half-apology doesn’t do. And if the Synod of the Church of England lets him off easy as expected, then whole Church of England shares in the responsibility for the damage Rowan Williams has done.

Again, the damage Rowan has done with his Sharia comments is of a different order than from his other discourses. And it will be lasting, even if not immediately evident due to the usual ditherings of the Church of England.

Rowan Williams Speaks to Synod

The transcript of Rowan Williams’ speech to the CofE Synod today is out.

There are also stories at the usual UK news sites.

I’ll reserve comment for now.

Prime Minister Backs Rowan

Maybe today won’t be such a blue Monday for Rowan Williams after all. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is now strongly backing himfor one thing.

But with Brown’s low standing with the UK public, one wonders if this will only serve to make things worse for both gentlemen.

I think Dr. Williams is about to speak to Synod. Does anyone know of live coverage to us in the Colonies?

Will Monday be the end of the line for Rowan?

The Daily Mail thinks it might:

The Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to face calls for his resignation when the Church of England's general synod meets today.

Dr. Williams's supporters fear that a synod member may call for an emergency vote on his resignation.

Read the rest, but remember we are talking the Daily Mail.

I think he’ll have a difficult Monday, but will survive the day somehow. Church of England types aren’t that good at making actual decisions, much less telling an Archbishop of Canterbury to go away.

Whether he survives the week is another matter. For one thing, Christians under attack by Islam have only begun to vent their outrage. And in the U.K., I suspect the anger may be such that if Rowan isn’t sent off, there will be hell to pay for the Church of England. They may find they must get rid of him in self-preservation.

In any case, it will be an interesting week.

BREAKING: Times Reports Senior CofE Official Calls for Rowan Williams to Resign

The Fall of Rowan Williams continues. As reported in the Times:

A senior Church of England clergyman called today for the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, over his remarks supporting Sharia in England.

The call, from a long-standing member of the Church's governing body, the General Synod, demonstrated the strength of the backlash Dr Williams faces from within his own Church - as well as from political and other faith leaders.

The senior Synod member, who insisted on remaining anonymous, told The Times: "A lot of people will now have lost confidence in him. I am just so shocked, and cannot believe a man of his intelligence could be so gullible. I can only assume that all the Muslims he meets are senior leaders of the community who tell him what a wonderful book the Koran is.

"There have been a lot of calls today for him to resign. I don't suppose he will take any notice, but yes, he should resign."

Question of the Day: What’s more “unavoidable” – Sharia Law for the UK or the Resignation of Rowan Williams?

Rowan Williams has all but lost the Anglican Communion. Now has he lost his mind? Ruth Gledhill is among those wondering if that might be the case.

I’ve been reluctant to suggest that Rowan resign. After all, I’m not in communion with the man. But, goodness, *someone* needs to take him aside and inform him that it’s time to go.

It would not greatly surprise me if this is the last straw that brings down Rowan Williams. Politicians are now running away from him as if he were radioactive . . . which he may be. His advocacy of sharia law has provoked a huge wave of anger against him. And now, more and more respected people such as Damian Thompson have had it and are calling for him to go.

That’s not to mention the soon coming outrage from Christians persecuted worldwide under sharia law and their advocates.

Rowan Williams may not survive this as Archbishop of Canterbury. Thompson suggests he won’t.

And he shouldn’t. It’s time to go, Rowan.


UPDATE: The Daily Mail is running a poll with the question – “Is Rowan Williams Fit to be Archbishop of Canterbury?”
Now, we are talking the Daily Mail, ok? But the results so far:
Yes 10%
No 90%

Wow.

Peaceful Muslims Outraged That Extremely Peaceful Muslim is Refused UK Visa

Extremely Peaceful Muslim

Peaceful Muslim Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who defends peaceful suicide attacks, has been denied a visa to the UK. And the peaceful Muslim Council of Britain and the British Muslim Initiative are outraged that this lovely man is no longer welcome.

Since I am a bigot opposed to the religious freedom to support the terrorists of your choice and actually have the temerity to think Western countries have the right to keep dangerous people out, I say it’s about time. If only the U.K. would have been just a little more selective about which Muslims it allowed in the country for the past two decades.

That what passes for mainstream UK Muslim organizations are indignant that this vile man is no longer allowed in the country to spread his poison even more speaks volumes against them and against the idiots who allowed them to immigrate to the UK in the first place.

Covenant Draft Cops Out on Authority of Scripture

The co-called St. Andrew’s Draft of the Anglican Covenant is out. And it is even worse than I expected, which is saying something.

The following paragraphs stand out:

(1.1.2) that, reliant on the Holy Spirit, it professes the faith which is uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as containing all things necessary for salvation and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith[3], and which is set forth in the catholic creeds, and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England[4] bear significant witness, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation[5];

1.2 In living out this inheritance of faith together in varying contexts, each Church of the Communion commits itself:

(1.2.1) to uphold and act in continuity and consonance with Scripture and the catholic and apostolic faith, order and tradition;

(1.2.4) to ensure that biblical texts are handled faithfully, respectfully, comprehensively and coherently, primarily through the teaching and initiative of bishops and synods, and building on habits and disciplines of Bible study across the Church and on rigorous scholarship, believing that scriptural revelation continues to illuminate and transform individuals, cultures and societies;


Did you notice it? The Covenant goes into contortions to say lots of nice things about scripture while at the same time not actually affirming its authority. There’s no question about it – the draft Covenant clearly avoids affirming the authority of scripture.

Really, it’s almost comical. 1.2.4 takes the cake. It calls on scripture to be “handled faithfully, respectfully, comprehensively and coherently . . . building on habits and disciplines of Bible study across the Church and on rigorous scholarship, believing that scriptural revelation continues to illuminate and transform individuals, cultures and societies” – just about everything imaginable except holding to the authority of scripture.

This sort of mealy-mouthed double speak is why many of us fled mainline denominations. And this tripe is supposed to hold orthodox Anglicans together?

Three-parent embryo formed in lab . . .

. . . in the name of scientific medical progress, of course.

Dr. Mengele is applauding in Hell. Some idiots in lab coats would create a three-headed baby and call it a scientific advance.

This is ghoulish, wrong, and well on the path to evil beyond our most morbid imaginings. And I don’t need a doctorate to see that.

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Hat tip to titusonenine.

Global Warming May Increase Zombie Attacks

It’s true!

More from Statistician William Briggs on zombies, global warming, and various “studies” here.

Disclaimer:
Although some of the alarm about global warming is such a tempting target that I can’t resist having some fun, I do think both sides of the global warming debate have good cases to make. And even if the current global warming is not primarily man-made (Please note I said “if”.), I think at least some of the measures the global warming activists advocate are good public policy anyway. Certainly, we should do what we reasonably can to reduce air pollution and preserve rain forests and other green spaces.

Still, I can’t resist having some fun about the issue at times, as the Chaplain of New College, Oxford discovered when she gave a sermon on global warming at Christ Church . . . on the most cold and miserable day of the Michaelmas term. She took my ribbing with her usual grace, of course.

The Catch

No, The Catch no longer is that 1981 Dwight Clark catch that stole a Super Bowl from my Dallas Cowboys and began the long dark years of a Left Coast dynasty financed in violation of NFL rules by a criminal owner. Now the catch is Eli Manning to David Tyree in last night’s Super Bowl.

It was a heroic effort on both ends. Eli Manning somehow escaped a sack. David Tyree somehow held on to the ball pinned against his helmet.

Before the play I was thinking it was a great game, but that it was a shame it was about to end in an anti-climatic manner. It looked like the Giants last drive would peter out, then New England would just sit on the ball to win. Wrong!

When The Catch was made, I leaped up and just knew that this was historic. And with the Giants going on to score the winning touchdown, I was right.

I’m not a Giants fan, but I tip my hat to them. They won a great game against great odds. They definitely earned the win (which does not always happen in Super Bowls), and they did so with tough defense, with an offense that wouldn’t give up -- and with a Catch for the ages.

Not Happy With McCain

I’m not happy with the emergence of John McCain as the Republican frontrunner for President. Thomas Sowell spells out why well:

McCain has sold out not only with amnesty for illegal aliens but also sold out the First Amendment with the McCain-Feingold “campaign finance reform” bill that was supposed to take big money out of political campaigns, but blatantly has not.

McCain also sold out on judicial nominations by making his own side deal with the Democrats, undercutting Republican attempts to stop Democrats from filibustering judicial nominees instead of voting them up or down.

I especially don’t trust McCain with Supreme Court nominations. We don’t need a Republican president appointing a Souter or a Stevens.

I’m not happy at all with how the whole Republican race for president is going. McCain isn’t trustworthy; Romney is a phony; and Huckabee is a gaffe waiting to happen. I liked Thompson, but he wasn’t active enough and is now out of the race.

In the Texas primary, it’s becoming more likely I’ll vote for Ron Paul in protest.

And you think I’m hard on the EU . . .



I may seem a bit alarmist, hysterical even, to my kind readers when I rant about the emergence of what I dub Gulag UK and Gulag EU. But the EU and their sycophants in the UK are indeed acting more and more like totalitarians. And I’m gratified to see that people are noticing and even daring to say politically incorrect things that should not be said.