CA Supreme Court - State can't ban indoor worship as Covid precaution

The court said California can cap indoor services at 25 percent of a building’s capacity in regions where the pandemic is surging.

California can't ban indoor worship as Covid precaution, Supreme Court rules

Canterbury is Crumbling

H/T - Anglican Ink

Leading Evangelical resigns from General Synod over ‘heretical teaching’

10 Nov 2017

Author: 

Susie Leafe

Mrs Lorna Ashworth, an evangelical member of General Synod and a member of the Archbishops’ Council, resigned yesterday, saying that she was “no longer willing to sit around the table, pretending that we, as a governing body of the Church of England, are having legitimate conversations about mission.”

As she said in July, in what will now be her final speech at General Synod,

“as a corporate body we have become unable to articulate the saving message of Jesus Christ which fully encompasses the reality of sin, repentance and forgiveness – without this message we do not teach a true gospel and people do not get saved.”

In her resignation letter she blamed, “an ongoing and rapid erosion of faithfulness” and “an agenda of revisionism which “is masked in the language of so-called ‘good disagreement,’” for her decision.

Lorna Ashworth is not alone in her concerns and she said that many were calling on the bishops of the Church of England to offer clear and courageous biblical leadership.  

Lorna Ashworth has been a member of General Synod for 12 years and was elected by the Synod as a lay representative on the Archbishops Council two years ago.

The Archbishops' Council provides within the Church of England a focus for leadership and executive responsibility and a forum for strategic thinking and planning. Within an overall vision for the Church set by the House of Bishops, the Council proposes an ordering of priorities in consultation with the House of Bishops and the General Synod and takes an overview of the Church's financial needs and resources.

Her speech at General Synod can be read at https://www.churchofengland.org/media/4033825/general-synod-july-2017.pdf 

Call for Help

Help is needed both prayers and donations................

FROM THE NEWSLETTER OF ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, FT. WORTH ... in case you haven't heard about this:
An Appeal for the Venables A dear friend of this parish and diocese is Archbishop Gregory Venables of Argentina.

 He was our honored preacher at our centennial service and he was the one that helped the Diocese of Fort Worth find a temporary jurisdictional home in the Southern Cone at the onset of our legal/canonical adventure. We are much in his debt.

Sadly, the Archbishop and his wife, Sylvia, were brutally beaten and robbed at their home last week. One friend of the Venables stated this,
About a week ago Bishop Greg Venables and his wife Sylvia returned home to Olivos in the Buenos Aires only to find a robbery in progress in their home. The thieves threw Sylvia to the floor and bound and terribly beat Greg. They then proceeded to steal everything of value from their home.

The thieves took a MacBook Pro that we had gotten for Greg as well as an unlocked iPhone. All of their electronics were stolen along with all of Sylvia’s jewelry and even Greg’s pectoral crosses. No insurance is available.

To add insult to injury, the Diocese of Argentina bank account in the UK was closed. The bank said it was because there was no answer to mail that they had sent. Of course, all the mail had been answered. Several thousand dollars is being held by the English bank and won’t be recoverable until he can go there in person. In short, they have lost everything except the roof over their heads.

Certainly we as a parish need to be praying for the Venables. But we would also like to offer tangible, material support. Please consider contributing to St. Andrew’s Mercy Fund for the Venables. Our vestry members have already committed to supporting this effort and hope that all in our church family who are able will join them in supporting and lifting up these members of our extended Church family.
We would like to replace the laptop and the iPhone and raise some serious cash on their behalf to assist with many of the items that were lost in this violent attack.

Of Course She Does.

The Almighty High Priestess of the Episcopal Unitarian Universalist Socialist Muslim Buddhist "Church" of the USA has a few words to say.

| BY KATHERINE JEFFERTS SCHORI

Statement by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts on the 26 June 2013 U.S. Supreme Court marriage decision:

The Episcopal Church is presently engaged in a period of study and dialogue about the nature of Christian marriage.  This work is moving forward, with faithful people of many different perspectives seeking together to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit.  However, our Church has taken the position that neither federal nor state governments should create constitutional prohibitions that deny full civil rights and protections to gay and lesbian persons, including those available to different-sex couples through the civic institution of marriage.

Accordingly, I welcome today’s decision of the United States Supreme Court that strikes down the 17-year-old law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex civil marriages granted by the states.  The unmistakable movement toward civil marriage equality in the states over the past decade reflects the will of the people in those states to grant equal rights and dignity under the law to all married couples and families, and today’s decision will appropriately allow those families to be recognized under federal law as well.  At the same time, the Court’s withholding of judgment on the ultimate constitutional question of whether a state may ban same-sex marriage reflects the fact that this conversation will continue to evolve in coming years.  I trust that Episcopalians will contribute actively and faithfully to this conversation, particularly as our nation begins to discern the many practical implications of today’s decisions for areas of our shared life, ranging from immigration law to family rights.

I am deeply aware that faithful Americans find themselves on all sides of these issues, including those who have not yet clearly discerned an effective or appropriate response.  It is possible to disagree AND work together for the good of the larger community.  That is the bedrock of our democratic political system.  It is also the foundation of life in the Body of Christ.  Together we can help to build up the whole community, particularly if we have the courage to listen deeply to those who hold a different view.  The Episcopal Church has an ancient tradition of attempting to hold divergent views together for the sake of deeper truth.  All are beloved of God, and the flourishing of each is what we believe God intended from the beginning of creation.  May we help to build a beloved community in which each and every person is treated with dignity, knowing that each and every one reflects the image of God.

Planned Parenthood Endorses Post-Abortion Infanticide

Even the Florida legislators were gobsmacked

Florida legislators considering a bill to require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion were shocked during a committee hearing this week when a Planned Parenthood official endorsed a right to post-birth abortion.

Alisa LaPolt Snow, the lobbyist representing the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, testified that her organization believesthe decision to kill an infant who survives a failed abortion should be left up to the woman seeking an abortion and her abortion doctor.

“So, um, it is just really hard for me to even ask you this question because I’m almost in disbelief,” said Rep. Jim Boyd. “If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?”

“We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician,” said Planned Parenthood lobbyist Snow.

Oh.joy. Planned Parenthood tacitly approves of Kermit Gosnell.

No wonder coverage of his trial has received little Lamestream media coverage.

h/t - Protein Wisdom

Turin Shroud 'Is Not A Medieval Forgery'

Tests conducted on the Shroud of Turin by researchers at Italy's University of Padua indicate that the linen sheet believed by some to be Christ's burial cloth dates back to Jesus' lifetime.

The 14-foot-long cloth bearing the image of a man with wounds similar to those suffered by Christ was analyzed by university scientists using infrared light, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The research linking the shroud to between 280 B.C. and A.D. 220 was published in book by Giulio Fanti, a professor at Padua University, and journalist Saverio Gaeta.

Fanti, a Catholic, told the Telegraph that the results were based on 15 years of research on fibers taken from the cloth, which were subjected to radiation intensity tests.

Fanti told the paper he rejects the conclusion of carbon dating tests conducted in 1988 that bolstered the theory the shroud was made in the 13th or 14th century in a medieval forgery.

Those results, Fanti said, were "false" because of laboratory contamination, the Telegraph reported.

The Vatican has never confirmed the authenticity of the shroud, but a Vatican researcher in 2009 said that faint writing on the cloth proves it was used to wrap Jesus' body after his crucifixion.

The cloth is presently housed in Turin Cathedral in northwest Italy.

Click here for more from The Daily Telegraph.

Will Pope Francis fulfill Benedict's legacy on abortion and Communion?

ROME, March 20, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One of the little-known legacies of Pope Benedict XVI is his consistent push to have pro-abortion politicians given the opportunity to repent and come back to a right relationship with God by refusing them Holy Communion. Benedict’s public role in the matter began in 2004 prior to his pontificate, while head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II.

At that time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger intervened into a debate among the U.S. bishops on the issue of Communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians. The then-Cardinal said in his letter titled "Worthiness to receive Holy Communion," that a Catholic politician who would vote for "permissive abortion and euthanasia laws" after being duly instructed and warned, "must" be denied Communion.

Ratzinger’s letter explained that if such a politician "with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it."

As Pope, Benedict XVI confirmed this position. Answering a reporter on an in-flight press conference in 2007, he responded to a question on the Mexican bishops excommunicating politicians who support legalizing abortion. "Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon law, which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving Communion, which is receiving the Body of Christ," said the Pope.

Will Pope Francis follow suit?

The initial signs are positive that Pope Francis will follow in Pope Benedict’s footsteps on the matter.

As LSN reported in 2007, it was Pope Francis (then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio) who, on behalf of the bishops of Latin America presented the "Aparecida Document" regarding the situation of the Church in their countries. The document made a very clear statement regarding the consequences of supporting abortion, disallowing Holy Communion for anyone who facilitates an abortion, including politicians.

The text states in paragraph 436 that "we should commit ourselves to ‘Eucharistic coherence,’ that is, we should be conscious that people cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act or speak against the commandments, in particular when abortion, euthanasia, and other serious crimes against life and family are facilitated. This responsibility applies particularly to legislators, governors, and health professionals."

But beyond this signal is Francis’ approach to matters eternal, seeing true love as embracing the cross and the eternal realities rather than merely the temporal and political climate.

But Pope Francis is “pastoral”

To answer the common objection that such disciplinary measures would not be employed with a pastoral approach, one must consider the nature of denial of Holy Communion.

From the earliest days of the Church, receiving Holy Communion unworthily has been forbidden; but forbidden out of concern for those who would make such unworthy Communions. St. Paul in the eleventh chapter of First Corinthians wrote: "Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord." (1 Cor. 11:27-29)

From this perspective, Bishops who treat Catholic politicians who support abortion as if they were in full Communion with the Church are neglecting their pastoral concern and charity for their wayward spiritual children.

As Pope Benedict’s appointee to head the highest court in the Vatican, Cardinal Raymond Burke told LifeSiteNews in a 2009 interview, politicians who are persisting in what the Church says is a "grave sin" must be refused Communion for the sake of their own souls. "When you talk to these people, they know," he said. "They know what they're doing is very wrong. They have to answer to God for that, but why through our pastoral negligence add on to that, that they have to answer to God for who knows how many unworthy receptions of Holy Communion?"

The highest authority on the subject in the Vatican, next to the Pope, is the head (or Prefect) of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Antonio Canizares. In a 2009 LifeSiteNews interview, Cardinal Canizares said: "The strongest words are found in St. Paul: one who goes to the Eucharist and is not properly prepared, duly prepared, 'he eats his own condemnation.' This is the strongest thing that we can say and what is the most truthful statement."

He noted that this approach to love in truth is contained in Benedict’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate: “This principle, caritas in veritate [love in truth], should be the principle used, first by politicians when they come to Communion, and second it should be the rule for bishops when they decide whether to give or to withdraw Communion."

It remains to be seen if Pope Francis will fulfill the legacy of Pope Benedict on this question. As hard as Pope Benedict pushed for this pastoral reform, it was rarely practiced or enforced by bishops in the West.

Perhaps Pope Francis will be more successful in having the world’s bishops get with the program.

Francis I a friend to Argentine Anglicans | Anglican Ink

Francis I a friend to Argentine Anglicans

Bishop Gregory Venables offers praise for the new pope

ARTICLE | MARCH 13, 2013 - 8:09PM | BY GEORGE CONGER

The Bishop of Argentina and former primate of the Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur(Anglican Church of the Southern Cone), the Most Rev. Greg Venables, has applauded the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio saying the Argentine Archbishop is a devout Christian and friend to Anglicans, who has stood in solidarity with the poor against government corruption and social engineering.

In a note released after the election of the new Pope, Francis I, on March 13 Bishop Venables wrote:

“Many are asking me what Jorge Bergoglio is really like. He is much more of a Christian, Christ centered and Spirit filled, than a mere churchman. He believes the Bible as it is written. I have been with him on many occasions and he always makes me sit next to him and invariably makes me take part and often do what he as Cardinal should have done. He is consistently humble and wise, outstandingly gifted yet a common man. He is no fool and speaks out very quietly yet clearly when necessary. He called me to have breakfast with him one morning and told me very clearly that the Ordinariate was quite unnecessary and that the church needs us as Anglicans. I consider this to be an inspired appointment not because he is a close and personal friend but because of who he is In Christ. Pray for him."

In 2010 Bishop Venables joined forces with Cardinal Bergoglio to fight a government bill authorizing same-sex marriage.  Cardinal Bergogolio denounced the move saying “this is no mere legislative bill. It is a move by the father of lies to confuse and deceive the children of God.”

President Cristina Fernández responded by saying the cardinal’s statement was “really reminiscent of the times of the Inquisition,” and argued that the proposed law “recognizes a pre-existent reality” and “the rights of minorities.”

The night before the vote, Catholic and Evangelical leaders organized a march upon the Congress building in Buenos Aires.  Over 60,000 protesters waived orange flags and held aloft placards denouncing the bill while a statement released by march organizers declared, “we won’t vote for politicians who vote for the marriage of homosexuals.”

On 30 June 2010 church leaders testified before the Senate’s legal committee against the proposed law.  Bishop Venables urged legislators to reject the government’s bill.  Expanding the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples would shake and divide the nation, he said.

“If you take the Old and New Testaments” it is plain that “God foresaw marriage as being for a man and a woman.”  The Biblical text “leaves no possibility of marriage as anything else,” the bishop said, for marriage is the “sign of the union of Christ and his Church.”

“I can only bless what God blesses” (Yo sólo puedo bendecir lo que Dios bendice), Bishop Venables told the Senate, urging them to take head to the views of the “86 per cent of the country that is Christian”, adding that the government had been wrong not to consult with the people before it began its political push for gay marriage.

Political analysts in Argentina note the battle over gay marriage has little to do with the intrinsic issues, but is part of a wider political battle between President Fernández and her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, against the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church has been sharply critical of the government’s failures to address corruption and poverty.  The split with the church was evident when President Fernández broke a long-held presidential tradition by missing the Te Deum Mass for Argentina’s 2010 Independence Day. Argentina has constitution designates Roman Catholicism as the country’s official religion.

“Kirchner’s epic vision of politics and his need to turn every issue into a mortal combat have driven him to seek the defeat of [Cardinal] Bergoglio and the church,” said Joaquin Morales Sola, a columnist at the conservative La Nacion newspaper.

“Kirchner doesn’t care about the gay community,” said opposition leader Elisa Carrio of the Coalicion Civica party. “Kirchner is using the gay-marriage issue to take on Bergoglio,” she said.

UN to Hear About Discrimination Against Atheists While Muslims Whine

As the persecution of Christians is on the increase around the globe, with churches being torched and bombed, clergy imprisoned and murdered and believers being killed, jailed or displaced, the worlds attention is turned to the bruised feelings of Christianities two biggest persecutors.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Atheists, humanists and freethinkers face widespread discrimination around the world with expression of their views criminalized and subject in some countries to capital punishment, the United Nations was told on Monday.

In a document for consideration by the world body's Human Rights Council, a global organization linking people who reject religion said atheism was banned by law in a number of states where people were forced to officially adopt a faith.

"Extensive discrimination by governments against atheists, humanists and the non-religious occurs worldwide," declared the grouping, the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) which has some 120 member bodies in 45 countries.

In Afghanistan, Iran, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan "atheists can face the death penalty on the grounds of their belief" although this was in violation of U.N. human rights accords, the IHEU said.

Further, in several others legal measures "effectively criminalize atheism (and) the expression and manifestation of atheist beliefs" or lead to systematic discrimination against freethinkers, the document declared.

It was submitted to the rights council as it opened its annual Spring session against a background of new efforts in the U.N. by Muslim countries to obtain a world ban on denigration of religion, especially what they call "Islamophobia".

Three of the states with legislation providing for death for blasphemy against Islam, a charge which can be applied to atheists who publicly reveal their ideas, are on the council - Pakistan, Mauritania and Maldives.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the council on Monday there was a "rising trend" of Islamophobia, adding: "We condemn all sorts of incitement to hatred and religious discriminationagainst Muslims and people of other faiths."

OIC WANTS ACTION

And earlier this month a top official of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said the body would be focusing on getting agreement on criminalizing denigration of religion in coming talks with Western countries.

In November last year, the head of the 21-country Arab League told the U.N. Security Council in New York his organisation wanted a binding international framework to ensure "that religious faith and its symbols are respected".

The IHEU, and other non-governmental rights groupings, argue that many Muslim governments use this terminology and the concept of "religious blasphemy" within their own countries to cow both atheists and followers of other religions.

A number of these governments "prosecute people who express their religious doubt or dissent, regardless of whether those dissenters identify as atheist", the IHEU document submitted to the rights council said.

Islamic countries - including Bangladesh, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey - had also stepped up prosecution of "blasphemous" expression of criticism of religion in social media like Facebook and Twitter.

OIC countries have 15 seats on the council, all from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and make up just less than one third of the rights body. 

 

Islam or death: Egypt’s Christians Targeted by New Terror Group

Clergymen gather to wait for the arrival of Egypt’s Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II, at the historic al-Muharraq Monastery, a centuries-old site some 180 miles (300 kilometers) south of Cairo in the province of Assiut, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Egypt’s Coptic Christian pope sharply criticized the country’s Islamist leadership in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, saying the new constitution is discriminatory and Christians should not be treated as a minority. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) (AP2013)



A group of Christian priests from a local Coptic church in Egypt were told to convert to Islam or face death, according to an Arabic news site.

The incident, which comes in the midst of continued persecution and pressure on Egypt’s Christian community, took place this week in the town of Safaga, near the Red Sea, the El Balad site reported.

According to El Balad, the threats are from a new group in Egypt, Jihad al-Kufr, whose name translates to Jihad against non-believers or non-Muslims. The group targets non-Muslims, and reportedly pressures them to convert to Islam.

“It’s not the first time. This is happening every day,” said Adel Guindy, president of Coptic Solidarity and a member of Egypt’s Coptic community who travels between Paris and Cairo. “This one incident caught the attention of the news agencies, but there are worse things happening to the Christians every day in Egypt,” he said.

Christians have felt increasingly at risk since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, which resulted in the rise of President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
“It has definitely worsened under the revolution. Once the worst part of the society surfaced -- the Islamists -- the Copts are paying a heavy price. The West doesn’t really feel our pain. It’s a war of attrition,” Guindy said.

Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and the most prominent religious minority in the region. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people.

Egypt’s new constitution has come under scrutiny by many for including elements of Sharia, or Islamic law, while simultaneously legitimizing the marginalization of the country’s religious minorities by denying them legal protection. It also granted increased powers to Morsi, who self-declared sweeping powers in a Nov. 22 power grab that prompted heavy international criticism.

The new constitution was ratified after its second referendum in late December, winning more than 70 percent of the vote. Moderate Egyptians took to the streets to protest the rushed ratification, but the demonstrations were quickly quashed.

Some believe members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic extremists, emboldened by the constitution’s passage, have stepped up attacks against Egyptian Christians.

“There was a relative amount of freedom (for Christians) before Egypt’s revolution, and many were hoping for more freedoms, and now things are unfortunately much worse and much more difficult,” said Jason DeMars, founder of Present Truth Ministries, a Christian advocacy group that tracks religious persecution around the world.

“It’s what they’ve always wanted to do, but Mubarak held some of that back because of the support he got from the United States and other Western countries,” DeMars said. “People were paying attention, but now the extremists are seeing this as an opportunity to crack down on the community there.”

Extremists over the weekend set fire to a Christian Church in the Province of Fayoum, the second such assault against the town’s Coptic population in a month. The attackers ripped down the church’s cross and hurled rocks at church members, injuring four people including the priest, according to a report by Morning Star News.

There have also been several reported cases of rape and harassment of Coptic women. Two women in traditional Islamic headdress cut off the hair of two Christian women on the subway in Cairo in December, the Egypt Independent reported. It was the third such incident in two months.

And last week, an Egyptian court forced two Coptic Christian boys, ages 10 and 9, to face trial for “insulting the Koran,” according to reports. The boys were arrested after playing in a pile of trash, which authorities claimed included pages of the Koran.

Egypt's Coptic Christian leader, Pope Tawadros II, spoke openly this month when he dismissed the new constitution as discriminatory.

"We are a part of the soil of this nation and an extension of the pharaohs and their age before Christ,” he told the Associated Press. “Yes, we are a minority in the numerical sense, but we are not a minority when it comes to value, history, interaction and love for our nation."

 

Persecution Alert!

Saudi religious police arrest Ethiopian workers for practicing Christianity

53 Ethiopian Christian "Guest Workers" arrested for private practice of their faith by Muzzi-Fascist Religious police (funded with our Petro-Dollars).

"The U.S. ... should demand that any expatriate worker detained and held without charge for private religious activity in the Kingdom should be released immediately.”

- Dwight Bashir, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/21/saudi-religious-police-arrest-ethiopian-workers-for-practicing-christianity/#ixzz2Lb1e1Tsy

 

Judge Rules That Texas Teen Can Keep Her Baby in Forced Abortion Case

HOUSTON, February 19, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) — A judge has granted an injunction to the pregnant Houston teenager who sued her parents to stop them from forcing her to have an abortion. Attorneys with the Texas Center for Defense of Life (TCDL), who represented the girl, were granted a long-term injunction by the 308th Family District Court of Harris County, prohibiting the girl’s parents from coercing her to have an abortion for the entire duration of her pregnancy.

“This is a tremendous victory, and another life has been saved,” said TCDL attorney and President Greg Terra. “Our victory today stands for the principle that ‘choice’ goes both ways. Under Roe v. Wade and post-Roe cases, a teenage girl has the absolute legal right to choose life, even over the strong objections, pressure, and punishments of her parents.”

In the lawsuit, the girl, who is 16, claimed that her parents and grandparents conspired to slip her an abortion-inducing drug.

She told the court that her parents took away her phone and car and kept her out of school as punishment for not aborting their grandchild.

She said they threatened to take away her health insurance and permanently disown her if she had the baby.

Said Terra, “We are extremely happy with the judge’s decision today, and we are very proud of our teenage client for being strong enough to stand against her parents to save her unborn child’s life.”

Let nothing you dismay: Sneaking in over the wall

George Conger [here] has this report on the latest shocking pronouncement of one of the dictators of relativism herself, the female Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A., who, shall we say, is not exactly known for her rigid adherence (or adherence of any kind, perhaps) to Christian orthodoxy:

"Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has denounced her opponents in South Carolina as terrorists and murderers, saying those who opposed her view of church order were “wolves” and false shepherds leading the flock astray.
The 26 Jan 2013 “outrageous” remarks have changed the game in the South Carolina diocesan fight, her critics charge.  What had been a dispute over property has become an ideological war with those who do not conform now being branded as evil.
Speaking to national church loyalists at a special convention held 26 Jan 2013 at Grace Church in Charleston, Bishop Jefferts Schori began her remarks with the story of a glider pilot who had entered restricted airspace in South Carolina and found himself harassed by local officials.
“I tell you that story because it’s indicative of attitudes we’ve seen here and in many other places. Somebody decides he knows the law, and oversteps whatever authority he may have to dictate the fate of others who may in fact be obeying the law, and often a law for which this local tyrant is not the judge,” she said.
“It’s not too far from that kind of attitude to citizens’ militias deciding to patrol their towns or the Mexican border for unwelcome visitors. It’s not terribly far from the state of mind evidenced in school shootings, or in those who want to arm school children, or the terrorism that takes oil workers hostage,” the presiding bishop said.
Bishop Jefferts Schori also denounced what she saw as the arbitrary and capricious usurpation of power by local church leaders stating: “Power assumed by one authority figure alone is often a recipe for abuse, tyranny, and corruption.  That’s why Jesus challenges us to think about how the shepherd acts.  The authentic ones don’t sneak over the wall in the dead of night.  They operate transparently, and they work cooperatively with the gate-keeper himself...”

From someone who, certainly in terms of the apostolic tradition, has herself 'snuck in' over the wall and, moreover, has been notable for her wolfish and unchristian love of predatory litigation, this is hypocrisy of the very worst kind. 

Pray for her and TEC to be set right and healed.

++Rowan Williams to Resign

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has announced he is to stand down in December.

He will take the position of Master of Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge from January next year, his website says.

Dr Williams, 61, was appointed the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002.

In a statement on his website, the head of the 85 million-strong Anglican Communion said serving as archbishop had been "an immense privilege".

He said stepping down had not been an easy decision.

Read More from the BBC

A Plea For Help, Prayers

Mr. Curtis,

I am sorry to be emailing you out of the blue, but yours is the only email I can find of the RTBP blog and I think you may be interested in hearing this. As well, if this could be shared among fellow Anglican bloggers it would be appreciated, we are in dire straits here and wish to share our story with fellow Anglicans. I have been a reader of your blog and others you write for (RTBP) for some time, having found them when looking for coverage on the death of Father Robert Crouse (who taught at King's, Dalhousie, and mentored so many people in our community)

My name is Colin Nicolle and I am a student at the University of King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia (www.ukings.ca). I am also the Assistant-Sacristan in the King's College Chapel (www.kingschapel.ca). We are Canada's oldest chartered University, founded by Loyalists in the 18th century. We were founded as an Anglican institution and still maintain strong ties to the Diocese even now.

The reason I am writing you is that lately the Chaplaincy at King's has come under threat of funding being cut from the Diocese. The Right Rev'd Susan Moxley, Bishop of the Diocese, in a letter addressed to the president of the University, announced that she plans to cut a majority of the Chaplain's funding by the end of December. In this same letter she describes the Traditional BCP liturgy at the Chapel as, "Antiquated," and the chapel only supporting a, "Male dominated clergy."

Her suggestion was that the Board of Governors create a committee to see what can be done to direct funding towards the Chapel, although the president and the BOG is maintaining that the University is a "secular" school and is having trouble figuring out how it can help the Chapel.  Forgetting, I think, that the Chapel is not just for "Anglicans" but for everybody on campus.

That said, it has become clear that the Diocese does not understand the importance of the Chapel or its Chaplain, Lt. Col. Rev'd Dr. Gary Thorne, to the students at this school. We have daily offices which are constantly attended, including compline throughout the week and a Solemn Eucharist service on Thursdays which, on average, has an attendance of 50-70 congregants. The chapel and our chaplain help so much with those fostering vocations to Holy Orders (at present about seven young men, myself included, are discerning a vocation). It has been a place of conversion for so many people, either through the liturgy, the music or the community. This, again, I know because I am one of them. I was received into the Anglican Communion this year at a service held at the local Cathedral alongside four others being confirmed and two others baptized; we were the only confirmations, baptisms and receptions in the Diocese at Easter this year, and all of us experienced our conversions through the Chapel.

Students are beginning to rally, write, and meet with representatives of the Diocese to discuss this issue, but at this point it will be a great fight for us to maintain Father Thorne's position as Chaplain at the University. I send this only to inform other Anglicans about this place of beauty and truth which is now in great peril. It would be so helpful and appreciated if you could share this with anybody you think may be interested in hearing it, we are in great need of prayer.

There is a group on Facebook entitled, "Save the Chapel," that has been created for people to share stories and experiences about the chapel. We are nearing 300 members within the first day of this group existing.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

In Christ,

Colin

Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury Cut Down

"Vandals have hacked at the heart of Christianity": 2,000-year-old Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury is cut down

From the Daily Mail

Vandals have destroyed one of the most celebrated Christian pilgrimage sites in Britain and chopped down a tree said to have sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea 2,000 years ago.
The Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury, Somerset, is visited by thousands every year to pay homage and leave tokens of worship. Those visiting today were moved to tears on finding the tree cut to a stump.

The sacred tree is unique in that it blossoms twice a year - at Christmas and Easter - and sprigs taken from the thorn are sent to The Queen each year for the festive table.


Read More:

Daily Mail
The Guardian
The Vancouver Sun
The Telegraph

Michael Spencer, 1956-2010

I have learned that the blogger known as the Internet Monk has passed on.

Please keep Michael and his family in your prayers.

Requiescat in pace, Michael+.

Murder of Russian Priest

Outspoken critic of Mohammedanism and evangelist Fr. Daniil Sysoyev was gunned-down in the parish church of St. Thomas in Moscow on 19 November 2009.

Fr. Daniil was 34 years of age, married with three children.



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Prayers for Those at Ft. Hood

Please remember our soldiers at Ft. Hood, especially the victims and their families.


FOR ALL IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defense, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honor and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


FOR THE ARMY

O Lord God of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers of our country. Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


FOR THOSE WHO MOURN

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all comfort; Deal graciously, we pray thee, with all those who mourn, that, casting every care on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


FOR THOSE WOUNDED

O Lord, we pray thee to have mercy upon all who are this day wounded and suffering. Though kindred and friends be far away, let thy grace be their comfort. Raise them to health again, if it be thy good pleasure; but chiefly give them patience and faith in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


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I know what I will not be doing on 10/31/09

This is the kind of kookiness that gives Christians a bad name with the rest of the world.

I wonder if any or all of the BCPs are on the list? That would be rich.

h/t : Father Hollywood

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