When on trial for his faith the apostle Peter said that he would continue preaching Christ, 'And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' (Acts 4:12) Throughout the New Testament there is an unrelenting insistence that Christ is the sole Saviour and anything else is to be utterly rejected. --- By Campbell

Liberal Christians are more politically active than their conservative counterparts, according to recent data analysis by political scientist and religious statistician Ryan Burge.

Both transgenderism and feminism are erasing real women. Transgenderism tries to make men into women. Feminism wants women to behave like men -- The Ruth Institute

Gaza is virtually one massive underground military base with civilians living on the surface. The callous use of hospitals, schools, and women and children as human shields by Hamas shows how callous and amoral, they are, and how absolutely committed they are to their Charter. It is not rhetoric - they really want to create as much mayhem as possible as they aim to kill every Jewish person in the land of Israel. -- Rev. Dr. Gerry Mcdermott

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
March 15, 2024

IS THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND going to apologize for Christianity? A report by something called the Oversight Group has declared that the Church should say sorry publicly, not just for profiting from the evils of slavery (through investment in the South Sea Company) but for 'seeking to destroy diverse African traditional religious belief systems'. And having apologized, it recommends the Church 'reach beyond theological institutions' and 'enable all Africans to discover the varied belief systems and spiritual practices of their forbears and their efficacy'.

If all beliefs and practices are as good and truthful as each other; if attempts to replace one set of religious ideas with another are wrong, then all Anglican missionary activity is wrong, and some of its bravest modern martyrs, the African Christians who suffered and died for their faith, were misguided, writes William Moore in the Spectator.

Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, is critical of the report. 'The way to do it would've been to say we applaud all the good that was done and is being done today, while acknowledging there were mistakes which need to be put right,' he says. 'But by comparison to the good done, the mistakes are minor.' He cites the use of drums in worship as an example of an African practice which it was wrong for missionaries to eradicate. 'We can now see it's possible to use drums without those pagan associations.' But many other 'very concerning elements of African traditional religions kept people in bondage. No one should apologise for eradicating any of that.'

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/maligning-missionaries-should-church-england-regret-promotion-christianity
The Church wants to pour as much as one billion pounds ($1.275 billion) into reparations for its historic "racist" sins. And this will resolve what exactly? You can read a slap down here: https://virtueonline.org/woke-grift-bleeding-church-england-dry

Or here: https://virtueonline.org/church-england-replacing-its-christian-nature-fit-woke-frenzy

And here: https://virtueonline.org/should-church-generate-%C2%A31-billion-fund-slavery-reparations

If that wasn't bad enough, the Archbishop of Canterbury continues to show that he is the archbishop of wokerbury. His latest came this week when he went on another apology rant over the alleged islamophobia by Christians in England. He and York Archbishop Stephen Cottrell put out a statement warning the United Kingdom government that its new extremism definition risks "disproportionately targeting Muslim communities" and "driving us apart." Really. What about rising Jew hatred, and vast sections of British 'no go' cities unsafe for Christians to travel in; afraid of being beaten and raped by Islamic mob gangs.

The archbishops suggest labelling a multi-faceted problem as hateful extremism may "vilify the wrong people and risk yet more division." Really.

The problem isn't a bunch of aging milquetoast, 'tea and crumpet' Christians huddling in dying parishes; it is young pro-Palestinian Muslims mobs storming the streets demanding that Israel be exterminated for alleged genocidal attacks in Gaza.

England is slowly becoming Muslim. In England and Wales, the number of Muhammad-worshippers approaches 4 million or 6.5% of the population. According to a 2017 projection the Muslim population in the UK in the year 2050 is likely to number around 13 million.

England might not be a Third World country, but many of its cities now end in 'stan' like Londonstan. As one observer noted; It has terrible roads, awful public transport, crumbling schools, squalid housing for millions of people, prisons so bad European states will not extradite criminals, councils going bust, a neofeudal land 'distribution' system, no tax for the extremely wealthy, the capital city awash with dirty money, criminally inept but unaccountable government, and Britain has ruined one of the best healthcare systems (NHS) in the world. The crisis has led to calls for Britain to scrap universal health care and return to a private or hybrid health system.

As that great Episcopalian Barry Goldwater once said: "moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue; extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice". So, extremism in the eradication of Islam from the face of the earth is no vice.

As if things were not bad enough, we learned from the Religion Media Centre that The Church of England's Parish Finance Statistics 2022 shows that the number of regular givers has fallen each year over the past nine years to stand at around 401,000 in 2022 compared with 572,000 in 2013.

The largest source of income was parish giving at £586 million and the average weekly giving was £16.20, ranging from under £10 in Lincoln to £30 in London. The total income of parishes was £1,055 million and the total expenditure was £1,019 million ($1.3 million).

The report's introduction says this represents a second year of modest growth in parishes' income after the sharp downturn of 2020, but this was eroded by the effects of inflation so that in real terms income was slightly down. Expenditure fell in real terms, reversing the modest recovery in parishes' spending after the COVID pandemic, and was lower in 2022 than in any of the previous 20 years. There was a reduction in expenditure on buildings and over half the increased expenditure between 2021 and 2022 went on church running costs.

Now if you think the sound you are hearing is the death rattle of the Church of England, The Church Times reported 'No churchwardens and vacant PCC posts: an investigation into the church volunteering crisis'

The Church Times wrote to every diocese last month in an attempt to quantify the extent of the recruitment challenge. Those that replied reported that between one quarter and 40 per cent of parishes had only one churchwarden, while between five and 21 per cent had none. One reported that 22 per cent of its parishes were missing one or more people in key positions this January.

Anecdotally, I'd suggest 50 to 60 per cent of our parishes are struggling to fill PCC posts," a diocesan secretary in a rural diocese said. "It simply is getting harder. Congregations are getting smaller and older, the burden and responsibility seems to be getting more onerous -- just dealing with banks seems to be a major headache for many PCCs -- and there has been a general decline in the pool of available volunteers in general in the last few years."

You can read more here: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/15-march/features/features/no-churchwardens-and-vacant-pcc-posts-an-investigation-into-the-church-volunteering-crisis

***

In a brilliant analysis on the DECLINE AND FALL OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, the author Campbell writes that godly Christians have been betrayed by their denomination.

"Sadly today the CofE, an institution which has been of inestimable benefit to Christians across the globe, has been captured by woke ideological extremists who appear determined to set the Church on a course leading to gross doctrinal error and institutional suicide. All this with the support of the liberal bishops and the middle-of-the-road clergy.

"Evident Disdain We have seen helter-skelters and pitch and putt in ancient cathedrals. There have been 'Rave in the Nave' silent discos in cathedrals, including Canterbury where revellers sipping cocktails danced to hits by artists such as Eminem and Britney Spears yards from the site of Becket's murder. All in the name of 'being relevant' and raising money. These activities demonstrate at the least a lack of respect for Christianity and Christians, and at worst a casual blasphemy.

The Islamic call to prayer was heard inside Gloucester Cathedral in 2017. This is an explicit call to worship another god, as well as the proclamation that 'There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.' In 2015, St John's Church, Waterloo, hosted an Islamic jummah salah, or Friday prayer.

We see pride flags flying over and hung within churches, even draped on the altar. One of the seven deadly sins honoured in houses supposedly built for the worship of God, whilst they celebrate what God unambiguously terms an 'abomination' and which excludes people from salvation.

The leadership of the CofE seem determined to give the appearance of believing that what matters most to them is today's zeitgeist. It is apparent that institutionally the Church of England has abandoned Christianity to become a woke lobby group. They would far rather turn their backs on God's Word than disappoint the Pink News. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/decline-and-fall-church-england

And here: https://virtueonline.org/month-mourn-irrelevant-c-e

DUMBING DOWN THE PRIESTHOOD. Unless the Church of England reinstates rigorous college-based training for clerics, it will wither away. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/dumbing-down-priesthood

In other news Justin Welby says he carries personal alarm, (a buzzer that calls the cops when pushed?) amid increasing threats in church. He also said that social media showed that society had 'lost [its] moral compass',

He said he had heard "hate speech" in the past few weeks between members of the church and towards the members, and between and directed at members of parliament, he told the Spectator. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/justin-welby-says-he-carries-personal-alarm-amid-increasing-threats-church

ASYLUM SEEKERS...NOT A former Church of England priest claims that many asylum seekers he came across withdrew their interest in baptism upon being asked to participate in church activities to ensure they weren't just looking to bolster their asylum applications, drawing pushback from the diocese.

Matthew Firth, who served at St. Cuthbert's in Darlington before leaving the Church of England for the Free Church of England in 2020, gave testimony to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday. He recounted his experience with asylum seekers at his church between 2018 and 2020.

His testimony comes after judges voiced concern that church leaders are being "duped" by asylum seekers who claim to convert to Christianity to evade deportation amid heightened scrutiny following the Clapham chemical attack. The attacker, Abdul Ezedi, was reportedly granted asylum on the grounds of conversion to Christianity at a Baptist church. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/asylum-seekers-melt-away-when-asked-be-involved-church-baptisms-priest-says

***

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH is watching as its chickens come home to roost. With an open marriage stance and anything goes sexuality, some of its bishops are finding themselves groin deep in sexual sin. Ailing Presiding Bishop Michael Curry must now contend with six bishops caught up in scandals which are rocking TEC to its core. Michael Curry plus five others.

Bishop Curry announced this week that six bishops face Title IV canons charges over their failure to deal with flagrant violations of abuse, some of them sexual, in their dioceses.

A letter from Curry announcing the publication of the details online says that "experience over the past several years with Title IV matters involving bishops has given rise to calls for more transparency in the process. Given the current atmosphere, I have chosen to exercise my canonical discretion to adopt a general protocol for transparency in Title IV matters involving bishops. The protocol will provide for greater transparency around Title IV processes while also appropriately protecting privacy."

Translation: Curry is getting his butt kicked by the feisty Anglican Watch website https://www.anglicanwatch.com/ which has been doggedly detailing the sexual and other hijinks of bishops who thought they could get away with it.

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/ailing-presiding-bishop-and-six-bishops-face-title-iv-violations

***

The tenuous relationship between the Anglican Church of Nigeria and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) remains so; but it took an uglier twist this week when an internal squabble arose when Nigerian-based Anglican Diocese of The Trinity (ADOTT) in North America won a court case over a dissolution claim by the Nigerian Anglican province.

Rebuffing Nigeria's Primate and Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, an Indiana trial court ruled that the province had no right to dissolve the North American Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT). In January of 2024 the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) suspended the Rt. Rev. Olukayode Adebogun from his role as a cleric in the church for little more than unjustifiable disobedience.

The Indiana Court decided in favor of the Anglican Diocese of The Trinity (ADOTT) in a case brought by the Anglican Church of Nigeria's Primate Henry Ndukuba and Nigerian Bishop Nathan Kanu in a power grab for the diocese by the Nigerian province. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/anglican-diocese-trinity-wins-court-case-over-dissolution-claim-nigerian-anglican-province

***

The Anglican Church of Nigeria continued its attacks against the homosexual agenda of the West, which must cause heartburn to Justin Welby. This week the Church of Nigeria again made its position public on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQI) controversy, condemning, without equivocations, their gradual infiltration into human culture and practice.

According to the Dean of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Dr. Blessing Enyidah, the Holy Scriptures, and the entire body of Christ unreservedly frown at homosexuality and related unnatural sexual orientations.

Speaking on the "Structure and Doctrine of the Church of Nigeria", the Dean who is also the Bishop of Ikwere Diocese in Rivers State said, "Against the back-drop of the Scriptures and Church of Christ, the Anglican Church in Nigeria has repeatedly condemned and rejected LGBTQI and all homosexual acts". You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/church-nigeria-frowns-homosexuality-others-describes-them-ungodly-acts

***

ACNA calls for prayer as their College of Bishops meet in Conclave beginning on June 20th at St. Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to seek the Lord and select a new archbishop. This will be followed by their Provincial Assembly (June 26-28), at the conclusion of which the new Archbishop will begin his term.

***

Episcopal Chaplains Sought for 'Identity-affirming Spiritual Care', writes Jeff Walton of Juicy Ecumenism. The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops Spring meeting held earlier this week at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas included a brief update that readers may find of interest:

"The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, told the bishops that there are 104 Episcopal chaplains, including 94 in active military duty, seven ministering in Veterans Affairs, and three ministering in federal prisons. She emphasized the need to encourage vocations in military chaplaincy, particularly to ensure that LGBTQ+ service members have access to identity-affirming spiritual care."

So regularizing sexual sin is no longer big news in TEC, but what is of interest is that the Anglican Church in North America's Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (the endorsing agency and canonical residence for professional chaplains with the ACNA and other participating Anglican bodies) has more than 300 chaplains, of which 187 are active-duty military. This is despite being a smaller denomination than the Episcopal Church as measured by membership. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/episcopal-chaplains-sought-identity-affirming-spiritual-care

***

THE WAR IN ISRAEL remains a hot button issue for the Archbishop of Canterbury. He spoke with the Rev. Dr. @MuntherIsaac, (Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian) this week and after listening to him he continued to be deeply horrified by Israel's bombardment and siege of Gaza. "I condemn the killing of Palestinian civilians, the destruction of homes and neighbourhoods, and pushing people to the brink of starvation -- there is no moral justification for this," he said.

VOL: And where is the moral justification for Hamas using fellow Gazans as human shields and refusing to release Israeli hostages being held as pawns. Israel could wipe Gaza off the map if they wanted too, but they have not done so. They are abiding by the rules of war with targeted bombings, something Hamas would never bother to do if the situation were reversed. Using the humanitarian crisis to stop the war is a non-starter for Israel. Hamas is garnering international sympathy by keeping the talks going, at the same time applying pressure on Israel to end the conflict.

If homes and neighborhoods are being destroyed it is because Hamas terrorists are underground in tunnels fueling the war on the surface and using Palestinians as pawns to kill IDF soldiers; steadfastly refusing to release the hostages.

Would the UN even take up the case for genocide if Hamas was in control of the situation and they were hunting down Jews in tunnels under Gaza? Welby makes no mention of the hostages. His whine is for Palestinians because a handful happen to be Anglicans.

The archbishop's stance shows complete naivete, it is stupid at best, and at worst a complete capitulation to Hamas. In short, Hamas wins, Israel loses. That, however is not going to happen. PM Bibi Netanyahu has made it abundantly clear he will not stop; there will be no negotiation while even one Hamas lives and Qatar should think seriously about kicking out the Hamas leadership from their country until they are serious about negotiating with Israel. You can read more here:
https://virtueonline.org/despite-death-toll-israel-must-take-rafah-and-end-war and here: https://virtueonline.org/israel-would-not-exist-if-hamas-or-iran-ever-had-its-way
***

CULTURE WARS The following is a selection of stories

This is where the Transgender Movement is going: https://virtueonline.org/where-transgender-movement-going

A cry from the heart to keep England's cathedrals sacred
https://virtueonline.org/cry-heart-keep-englands-cathedrals-sacred

Abortion is Running Out of Babies
https://virtueonline.org/abortion-running-out-babies

Even atheists can see through the trans delusion
https://virtueonline.org/even-atheists-can-see-through-trans-delusion

We Need to Purge Wokeness From Our Churches and Rescue Christianity From
Cultural Marxism
https://virtueonline.org/even-atheists-can-see-through-trans-delusion

SPECIALTY ARTICLES WRITTEN BY SELECT THEOLOGIANS CAN BE READ HERE:

AI Demonic: A Spiritual Exploration of AI
https://virtueonline.org/ai-demonic-spiritual-exploration-ai

PROPHETS OF FRAGMENTATION
https://virtueonline.org/prophets-fragmentation

Be Not Blown About By Every Fad
https://virtueonline.org/be-not-blown-about-every-fad
A DECIDEDLY DIABOLICAL SYNOD -- (PART 3)
https://virtueonline.org/decididly-diabolical-synod-part-3

PURE THEOLOGY

No Creed but the Bible by Carl Trueman
https://virtueonline.org/unpacking-no-creed-bible

Be not blown about by every fad
https://virtueonline.org/be-not-blown-about-every-fad

It's all about God not you by Chuck Collins
https://virtueonline.org/its-all-about-god-not-you

***

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