International Catholic Congress of Anglicans Update

I had an excellent and edifying time at the International Catholic Congress of Anglicans today, including good times with friends old and new and edifying talks and sermons.  Well, there was one sermon that even this brilliant and learned blogger did not comprehend, but I won’t mention that.

In particular, I commend to you Bishop Ray Sutton’s lecture on the Real Presence.  I could nitpick a point or two but it was on target and very accessible and winsome.

By the way the surpliced choir has sung Palestrina twice and well, which is something for a choir which first got together on Monday.  Of course, some Loyal Churchman may not be pleased about that.

Also, I wish to dispel any impression that only Anglo-Catholic Ritualists are here.  I have noticed at least two people raising hands during worship.  The vergers promptly removed them and beat them outside.

From the International Catholic Congress of Anglicans

I am writing from the International Catholic Congress of Anglicans meeting in Ft. Worth, Texas.  But nobody tell the Low Churchman.

It all began last night with Solemn Choral Evensong, and you know what the Low Churchman thinks about Solemn things.  Well, this one was more solemn than thou, especially in tat and hats.  I’ve never seen so many mitres and birettas in one place.

In fact, Bishop Keith Ackerman even wore a red biretta whilst entering the car to take him to St. Andrews.  This makes the car more visible, increasing safety, and therefore became a liturgical innovation of 20^th Century ritualists.  For wearing birettas whilst on airplanes, blue is the proper liturgical color.

Bishop Ackerman was the preacher and he gave a good sermon in which he said the Congress would not be about the proper use of vestments.  At least I think he said that as I was distracted by the large mitre he wore in the pulpit.  Yes, he took multiple liturgical hats to the Solemn Evensong.  I’m sorry to report I lost track of how many.  There were so many hats, and I was so intoxicated by incense . . . well, it was all too much for me.  They even censed the altar during the Magnificat, a disturbing practice I have never before witnessed.

On a happier note, during a more sensible said service of Morning Prayer today, Bishop Nazir-Ali taught well from Colossians 1:15-20.  It helped that he did not wear any distracting hats.

Anglican TV is here and said to be live-streaming the conference.  I do not know if trigger warnings for low churchmen have been posted.

The New Totalitarians

I have long noted that the U. S. Left, including Obama, has a totalitarian streak.  Tom Nichols also gets it and brilliantly so.

He notes the “New Totalitarians” are not the old-fashioned ones of the gulags and pogroms like Stalin, Hitler, and Mao.  But nonetheless they insist on obedience and agreement or else.

It is not enough for these Americans [Yes, he uses that word loosely. – Ed.] to say: “I have had my day in court and prevailed.” In effect, they now add: “You do not have the right to hold a different opinion, even if you lose in the public arena. You may not hold on to your belief as a minority view, or even as a private thought. And if you persist and still disagree, I will attack you without quarter and set others on you to deprive you of your status in your profession, of your standing in your community, and even of your livelihood.”

And the days since the same-sex marriage judicial coup illustrate that all too well.  The Left has not been magnanimous in victory but already is talking openly of attacking the religious freedom of you bigoted traditional Christians.  Heck, the ink was barely dry on the decision when Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin said you individual bigots hardly have any freedom of religion at all.  That in addition to all the more vilification of those who disagree with the ruling, in both public and personal settings. (By the way, the friend who unfriended me doubled down after I messaged him.  By his choice, the friendship of long standing is over.)

The implications if people with this totalitarian mindset remain in power – and, make no mistake, thanks in part to the weak perfidy of establishment Republicans, the totalitarians are in power although it is not total . . . yet – are ominous for Christians and for all Americans of good will.  Already under Obama, the IRS, Department of Justice, and FBI have conspired to attack Obama’s political opponents and then cover it up, of course.  Already, businesspeople have been heavily fined for refusing to participate in gay weddings.

What would happen if Czaress Hillary appoints Supreme Court justices to expand the Dictatorship of the Black Robes far beyond same-sex marriage and to rubber stamp every whim of Queen Hillary?  (Yes, she would be Czar and Queen, and you’d better like it!)

What the New Totalitarians have done to this country, to its rule of law, and to its discourse is already bad enough.  They must be stopped.

How to Proceed Now 3 – Flee?

One evening last week, it occurred to me that Athanasius, a favorite saint who persevered under persecution from heretics and from the state, might have something to say relevant to our current time.  And, lo, I came across and read Apologia de Fuga, his pungent defense of his flight from the Arians.

It is a good read and not a long one.  Athanasius had a pen that was both golden and very sharp.  And he never spared heretics when using it – one reason they wanted to do him in.  So do go read it for yourself soon.

Athanasius addressed the canard that he was cowardly when he fled from Arians.  Part of his reply is that his Arian accusers were only upset that they did not catch him and do to him what they did to other faithful.  And he documents some of the more egregious – and deadly – examples of the Arian persecution of his time.

Some guidelines in dealing with persecution after reflection upon Apologia and scripture:

It is not cowardice to take precautions and at times flee during times of persecution, particularly when more than mere self-preservation is at stake.  Even our Lord did so on a number of occasions as did his parents when Jesus was a small child.  Moreover, there are a number of times in scripture when the Lord commands certain of his people to flee.

One instance of this is when Jesus, while sending the twelve out to preach, instructs them that if they are persecuted in one town, flee and preach to the next.  This indicates that one good motive for fleeing or other precautions is to continue and/or resume ministry.

Now, some perspective.  With few exceptions, persecution in the West is not yet deadly and is unlikely to become so in the near future.  So fleeing is certainly not as necessary as in other times and places.  But we are at the point where precautions should be taken. 

For example, does your church or business rent out space for weddings?  Or does your minister marry those outside your church?  I urge that such policies be reviewed and fast if one does not want to choose between participating in a same-sex wedding and a lawsuit.

I will say that some states are more hostile to religious freedom than others, Oregon and California come to mind.  Fleeing them should at least be considered.  (A bonus of that is those states would no longer be getting your tax dollars.)

Some of the zealous may say that we should stand our ground and if we are persecuted or even martyred then so be it.  We should certainly stand our ground by being faithful.  Both scripture and tradition make clear that one thing you do not do is deny Christ.  Nor do we willfully disobey him by giving in to the culture and sanctioning sin.

But both scripture and tradition also teach that martyrdom is not to be sought or courted through recklessness.  Remember Jesus instructed his disciples to flee persecution to the next town and preach there.  St. Paul fled more than once.  We are to take precautions in order to continue spreading the gospel and serving God.  During Roman persecutions, the church discouraged those who practically asked to be martyred.  And in Apologia, Athanasius wrote that the normal pattern of even the martyrs is:

When persecuted they fled, while concealing themselves they showed fortitude, and when discovered they submitted to martyrdom.

More can be said (And I haven’t addressed the responsibility to protect one’s family.), and Athanasius said more.  Again read the Apologia de Fuga.  It is very instructive on this subject of taking precautions under persecution.

But do not think that taking precautions at a time such as this is faithless or even cowardly.  Taking precautions in order to be able to continue to serve God is what a wise and faithful servant would do.

Republicans Must Defend Freedom of Religion

The Supreme Court ruling requiring the legalization of same-sex marriage and the attacks on Christians who can not and will not participate in SSMs have made freedom of religion that much more of a presenting issue in this country.  Republicans had better get on the right side of this issue with more than words.  And that not only because it is the right side but also for their own political survival.

The conservative base support of the GOP has again and again seen Republican leadership sell them out, on Obamacare, on illegal immigration, on trade, etc. etc. Really, the GOP Establishment has stabbed conservatives in the back again and again.  Will they do so even on freedom of religion?

It is not for nothing that support for Donald Trump is high, second among GOP candidates at this writing.  He really should not be doing well.  He should be a joke, and he is in some ways.  But he is at least putting on a good show of fighting for conservative American citizens and their values and even getting angry about what is going on in this country.  There are a multitude of Republican candidates for POTUS but how many are so sharing in the anger of the Republican base?  The base is rightly feeling that precious few in politics are fighting for them - and some are desperate enough even to look at Trump.

Patience is running out - the base is fed up with GOP and its quisling establishment leaders.  If now the GOP cannot bring itself to do something as basic and American as defending the religious freedom of its base and of all Americans, that will be the last straw.  Further, if the GOP nominates a candidate for President who is tepid in defense of Freedom of Religion (not to mention the rest of the Constitution), the base will not turn out for him and may even go Third Party as I’ve warned before.

So allow me to amend my headline: Republicans must defend freedom of religion . . . or else.

How to Proceed Now 2 – Standing Your Ground Amidst Divisions

Not unlike Roe v Wade, Friday’s Judicial Coup has already made our divisions worse – which is to be expected.  When one closes off constitutional democratic means to address an issue, the losing side becomes angry and resentful (and rightly so) and the winning side is tempted to become insufferable in victory, to put it nicely, and often gives into said temptation.

As Rebecca Hamilton writes, this has already affected even relationships.  Perhaps I should say this has especially affected relationships:

The Supreme Court sent a number of people my way since last Friday, all of them looking for solace in the face of personal attacks they had suffered because of the decision on gay marriage. They called me on the phone, approached me after mass, in checkout lines and while I was running errands. I also had internet encounters of the same type that went far beyond the boundaries of my community and my personal friends.

Here’s the summarized version of what they told me:

There was a lot of yelling and screaming in certain circles this weekend. It was directed at Christians in their personal, and, heretofore, safe personal relationships. It was also directed at priests who spoke about the decision from the pulpit. One friend, who gave me permission to discuss this, witnessed an ugly blow-up at a longstanding poker game she and her husband go to. The people there hold diverse opinions about matters of faith and morality, but they’ve been meeting for this friendly get-together on a regular basis for years.

This week, the atheists in the group refused to practice civility. They cursed the Lord, called Christians bigots and homophobes and were otherwise verbally insulting. According to my friend, this began with a celebration on the part of the atheists over Obergefell. She said she felt like, “OK, you won your deal, have your celebration.” She said the Christians at the table kept silent.

But when the celebration turned to repeatedly cursing the Lord and calling Christians ugly names, she said one of the Christian men told them to shut up. It devolved from there into two men squaring off to fight one another. At that point, my friend stood up and told them to stop it.

She said, “I’ve never forced my faith on you. I don’t come here with a Bible telling you what to do. But you are disrespecting me and my Jesus and I will not stand for it. You stop this now or my husband and I are leaving and we won’t be back.”

My friend is the most soft-spoken Hispanic woman you’d ever meet. I’ve never heard her raise her voice. Not once. Not ever.

She said the room fell silent and everyone sat back down. But she doesn’t think she and her husband will be back for more fun next week. They are through with the group.

I’ve heard stories of spouses calling one another names and people walking out of mass on their priests.

I, too, may have lost at least one friend of over 15 years.  He posted an obnoxious post on Facebook saying last week was a bad one for bigots.  I let him know that constitutional democracy was the presenting issue and that his post was deeply offensive.  Instead of engaging with me at all, I’ve discovered he’s un-friended me.  I’ve since messaged him that I thought better of him than to act that way.  But I am not very hopeful of reconciliation.

But in times like these, you discover who your real friends are.  And you discover some “friends” really don’t even respect you:

I heard a discussion this weekend in which someone more knowledgeable in these matters than me said that these kinds of attacks on the integrity of another person’s soul are always an indicator of disrespect. They do not respect you and your right to believe as you believe.

Disrespect at this level is disrespect of you as a person. You have a responsibility to yourself, to God and to the person attacking you not to accede to this. Mutual respect is the beginning of genuine trust. It is the foundation on which all good human relationships are built.

If I cannot trust you to respect me as a person enough to allow me the dignity of making my own choices in matters as profoundly personal as faith and morality, then I can not trust you at all. There can be no friendship, no true relationship, without this basic level of respect and the trust that comes from it.

And it’s difficult to let friends and family go.  You keep on loving them.  But if they disrespect, even hate you so deeply that they insult you and walk away, then basic dignity requires you to let them go.

As Hamilton writes, you stand your ground regardless.  You do not wimp out on Jesus or on his word.  If that loses friends and family then so be it.

Oh, being a Christian means losing friends and family?  Often, yes.  And Jesus told us so:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Matt. 10:34-39

You stand your ground on the truth, take up your cross of rejection and persecution with the rest of God’s faithful Holy Church though the centuries, and follow Him.

How NOT to Proceed Now

What I am about to say will seem obvious to most.  But, particularly since I do not know who might read this, it needs to be said.

There is a time to be angry.  And Friday’s Judicial Putsch was such a time.  But we are to “be angry but do not sin.” (Eph. 4:26)  There is a time to be angry, but we are not to be consumed by anger.  We are to “fret not . . . it tends only to evil.” (Psalm 37:8)

As any number of Psalms tell us, including that Psalm 37 and the two Psalms I read today for Morning Prayer, 2 and 3 (I find it interesting how providential liturgy can be, but that is another post for another time.), God will deal with evil tyrants – and He knows best how to deal with evil tyrants.  We are not to presume to hasten God’s timing in that regard with our own violence.

Yes, this is a time for anger.  It is not a time for violence.  We Christians are to be the Church Militant.  We are not to be the Church Violent.

But a reader may say they believe neither in God nor in Christ.  (And, who knows, a Christian or two may disregard the above admonition.)  So they themselves will go give tyrants what they deserve, thank you.  I urge any such to sit down, calm down, and think it through.  Has any lasting good come out of violence perpetrated against the Federal Government in the United States in recent decades?  Think about Timothy McVeigh.  Was he right to be angry about Ruby Ridge and Waco.  Yes.  Did any good come out of how he acted on that anger?  No.

Moreover, Bill Clinton and the Left cynically used the Oklahoma City bombing to smear their opponents with not a little political success.  McVeigh’s violence, profoundly evil in itself, also enabled the evil of the Clinton Administration.

Any violence committed now against Obama, the Supreme Court majority, or their supporters will also feed the false Leftist meme that Constitutionalists and the Right are the real danger to Americans.  So far, the Right has exhibited remarkable restraint in the face of anti-constitutional tyranny.  Let’s keep it that way.  And, remember, we won in 2010 and 2014.  Let’s win hearts and minds for the crucial 2016 elections, not repel them with foolishness and worse.

As for Christians, for the sake of the gospel and of our country, what people must see for themselves in the coming months and perhaps years are peaceful Christians being unjustly attacked by the Left and by tyrants and conducting themselves faithfully and well anyway.  What they must not see are Christians being the attackers or even being mean. (Mea culpa.)  Yes, the Left and the Democrat news media will try to portray us as such.  Let us follow St. Peter’s exhortation and give said portrayals no credibility whatsoever:

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

1 Peter 1:12-15

And, not so by the way, “the emperor” at that time was no sweetheart either.  And there was far less hope of peacefully throwing off his tyranny than we have now.

Will Christians suffer unjustly in the coming time no matter how peacefully they conduct themselves?  Yes.  But again St. Peter exhorts (Emphasis mine.):

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. . . . Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

I Peter 4:12-19

For God knows how to take care of his people . . . and of those who persecute them.  And if He chooses to be more patient with evil tyrants and persecutors than we are, then thank God for that, too.  Didn’t God have to be patient with us?

Our business as Christians is to be faithful, to be lights in the darkness, not rashly to take matters into our own hands and make the darkness that much worse.

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Addendum: I am no pacifist for any who wonder about that.  Is there ever a time for violence?  Yes, but only after all peaceful avenues are exhausted, if even then.  Is that now?  Emphatically, no.