"It does not take an expert philosopher to see that we will soon be experiencing the consequences of our choices. We have chosen prosperity, pleasure and power, and we will reap poverty, pain and impotence. It may be that our race will not self-destruct with a nuclear war, but will simply fade away as the result of immature, wicked and short-sighted strategies."-- Fr. Dwight Longenecker,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
November 10, 2023

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby got such an earful from both sides of the sexual fence this week, that he was forced asked, "Do you want me to resign over same-sex blessings."

"Yes," said the Rev. Dr. Lee Gatiss of Church Society who met with the ABC along with 25 evangelical and Anglo-Catholics to discuss the proposed blessings for same-sex couples.

"He asked what we thought about some clergy teaching a view which we considered to be a threat to people's salvation; I said they ought to leave and they ought to be disciplined by the bishops who promised to banish error at their consecration services," said Gatiss.

"That's not rocket science. What has been proposed is a heresy. I don't use the word lightly. It's a heresy against the teaching of the Scriptures, the early church fathers, and the formularies of the Church of England."

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/church-society-director-says-archbishop-justin-welby-should-resign

And here: https://mailchi.mp/66fea6ee59f8/church-society-news-update-november-2023?e=aa339a7d79

On the other side of the sexual ledger there were some testy exchanges with progressives who accused Welby of not doing enough to push the blessing of same sex unions.

The Archbishop of Canterbury met thirty-four representatives of progressive organizations and networks at Lambeth seeking the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England.

Colin Coward of Changing Attitude organization wrote a report of the meeting which he noted the future is still uncertain over the issue. The meeting was chaired by David Porter, the ABC's strategy advisor, the concierge of compromise.

"After introducing ourselves around the circle, we were invited to speak, and over the next nearly ninety minutes, well over half of our representatives did indeed speak, some from personal experience, some about the anger in our community, some about their total shock at reading the General Synod paper GS 2328, some about the Synod process, some about years of frustration, some about our ultimate goal and some about Christian essence. Present were straight allies, long-time LGBTQIA+ advocates, and members both of long established and very recently formed groups."

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/archbishop-canterbury-meets-thirty-four-representatives-progressive-organisations

The Archbishop of Canterbury, finds himself locked in the circle dance of dispossession.

He cannot lift the Law of Non-Contradiction or square the circle, and wonders why he suffers from depression. The truth is there is not enough medication out there to cure what ails him.

Welby says he is now progressive on homosexuality, with "a radical new Christian inclusion," having abandoned his former ALPHA views which recognize sex only between a man and a woman in marriage. He has gotten "enlightenment" over prayer and pretzels, that God had expanded His understanding of sexuality to include a handful of LGBTQIA sexualities not hitherto recognized by the Almighty, Jesus, the 10 commandments, the Prophets; with the male/female matrix now consigned to the dustbin of history. A thousand years might be a day in the life of God, but clearly the Almighty needed 6,000 years to get it right about sex.

I wrote a reflection on all this; The Agony of Justin Welby which you can read here: https://virtueonline.org/agony-justin-welby

Here are a number of reflections on the growing situation on the church of England that has the possibility of bringing about schism.

Why I still believe the Church of England's prayers for same-sex couples won't work: https://virtueonline.org/why-i-still-believe-church-englands-prayers-same-sex-couples-wont-work

The road to Wigan's tears: The Church of England's drive to remake itself has been a pastoral and financial catastrophe.
https://virtueonline.org/road-wigans-tears

'Going, Going, Gone?' The Church of England and LGBTQ Part 1: https://virtueonline.org/going-going-gone-church-england-and-lgbtq-part-1

Anglican Myth 7: Overseas Bishops will be the answer
https://virtueonline.org/anglican-myth-7-overseas-bishops-will-be-answer

PRAYERS OF LOVE AND FAITH - A TURBULENT WEEK: https://virtueonline.org/prayers-love-and-faith-turbulent-week

Orthodox ordinands plead with bishops to prevent fracture of the Church
https://virtueonline.org/orthodox-ordinands-plead-bishops-prevent-fracture-church

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The Church of England has seen an uptick in attendance for a second year running but figures still remain lower than before the pandemic. Its latest figures, released today, showed that in 2022 regular worshippers grew by nearly 20,000 people to 984,000. Average weekly attendance for all ages increased from 605,000 to 654,000. Among children this figure was 87,000, a 17% increase on the previous year.

***

While Welby was wrestling with same-sex issues with his own church, down the road in Uxbridge a dozen GAFCON primates met (Nov. 6-9) to talk about the future of Anglicanism without the Archbishop of Canterbury as its leader. (The prior week the GSFA Primates had met in Cairo.)

The GAFCON Primates Council issued a statement saying they were not leaving the Anglican Communion and they encouraged GAFCON Provinces to withdraw links with UK dioceses that support General Synod over SS Blessings. This is not news Welby wanted to hear, but he undoubtedly got the message though he has not commented on the Primate's statement. He was too busy issuing declarations about climate change.

The Primates Council met under the chairmanship of the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop of Rwanda.

"Conscious of the forthcoming meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England, the Primates reaffirmed their commitment to the Jerusalem Statement of 2008, which describes Gafcon as 'a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it.' The Jerusalem Statement rejects the proposition that authentic Anglicans are only those recognised by the Archbishop of Canterbury. On the contrary, the criteria of Anglican identity are outlined in the fourteen points of the Jerusalem Declaration which continue to define authentic
Anglicanism, despite the abandonment of many of these features by those who purport to be Anglicans."

The statement continued; "We have witnessed over the past twenty-five years the slow, but relentless, moral decay in parts of the Anglican Communion where the world's values have been endorsed and embraced, replacing the clear teaching of God's word written." You can red their full statement here: https://virtueonline.org/uk-gafcon-primates-council-issue-statement

***

The Anglican Church of Nigeria through its Archbishop Henry Ndukuba issued a statement on FOREIGN MISSION that reads thusly.

"Our Global strategy shall be focused on the remaining half of the world that is yet to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Church of Nigeria North American Mission (CONNAM) is the continuation of CANA (Our initial mission Organ). The Church of Nigeria mission in North America was a rescue mission to provide a safe haven for Nigerian Anglicans leaving the ECUSA/TEC Church. Bishop Nathan Kanu is the Supervisory Bishop of CONNAM. At the General Synod at Nnewi crucial decisions to move our missions in north America forward were reached and we have begun the process of its implementation. It is necessary that we revert and maintain the Mission status of our operations in North America and Canada. The Bishops and Priests will be accountable for Mission, Evangelism and Church-Planting in their Zones as assigned. Mission, Spiritual and Numerical Growth of our CONNAM churches will be the primary task of every Mission Region in CONNAM. CONNAM remains the Mission of the Church of Nigeria. There are so much ripe Mission opportunities in North America and some of our people have gone into other Nigerian churches, yet there is still more that can be done among different nationalities and groups. We need to work in partnership with other Mission-minded Churches."

A number of North American evangelical Anglicans took issue with the evangelical primate and accused him of phyletism, the heresy of tribalism. Phyletism is the name of an ecclesiological heresy which says that the Church can be territorially organized on an ethnic, racial, national, or cultural basis so that within a given geographic territory, there can exist several Church jurisdictions, directing their pastoral care only to the members of specific ethnic/national/racial groups. Phyletism has also been associated with a pronounced tendency toward authoritarianism and clericalism, with interminable battles over episcopal authority and jurisdiction.

In Anglicanism, it seems that the Anglican Church of Nigeria is guilty of this heresy, wanting to take care of and promote "their own" and keep separate from the surrounding Christian populations outside of Africa. It appears to be a kind of reverse racism.

***

The president of the Anglican-based Langham Partnership USA blasted preachers of the prosperity gospel calling them a "scam, "crafty counterfeiters" and "an ear-scratching falsehood."

Writing in CULTIVATE, the official journal of the ministry, Benjamin K. Homan launched into a tirade against prosperity teaching, citing the apostle Paul who warned the church...that we would have itching ears, eager to hear things easier to believe and live out than the gospel of Jesus and that there would be preachers and teachers more than willing to fill those ears, especially for their own gain.

"One particular brand of ear-scratching falsehood plaguing the church around the globe is what's commonly called "the prosperity gospel." It takes many forms and can be dressed to look very much like the biblical truth. But ultimately, it appeals to our desire for ease, wealth, for instant gratification, and for being the center of the story. It promises a crown without a cross, which is not the way of Jesus."

The Langham ministry is the brain-child of the late John R.W. Stott whose global ministry transformed biblical evangelicalism in the 20th century. VOL regularly uses quotes from Dr. Stott's writings. He remains the doyen of evangelical preaching and Bible teaching. He has no peers. You can read more about this story here: https://virtueonline.org/langham-foundation-usa-head-blasts-prosperity-gospel

***

Evangelicals, under the banner of the Evangelical Alliances are calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Holy Land. They urge action towards a just peace

Unlike most calls for an "immediate ceasefire" by any number of religious groups, this group is more even-handed.

Here are some quotes from their press release:

"We recognize that our knowledge and understanding of the Holy Land and the Middle East is incomplete. We acknowledge the complexity of the geopolitical situation, historical grievances, and multiple perspectives of the people groups. We acknowledge that we do not know God's full plan for Israel and Palestine. We commit to listening and learning from the churches and people of the region.

"We do not see the current resurgence of violence as isolated from the decades-long conflict and war between the two peoples, namely Israelis and Palestinians. This conflict has denied many their human dignity. We lament this situation.

"We know that this situation in the holy land has resulted in cycles of violence, and that peace can only be achieved when the cycles of violence are broken and when perpetrators and victims are set free from their sinful desire for vengeance.

"We call for de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities between Israel and different Palestinian formations and supporters, including Hamas.

"We condemn the attacks on civilians by Hamas. Hamas' acts of aggression and the largest killing of Jewish civilians on a single day since the Holocaust are deplorable and despicable.

"We note that Israel in pursuit of Hamas has caused more civilian deaths in Palestine. We condemn these further deaths of Palestinian civilians."

"We call on Hamas to immediately release all hostages. "

Supporting alliances
Middle East and North Africa Evangelical Alliance
Asia Evangelical Alliance
Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia
Jordan Evangelical Council
Evangelical Fellowship of India
Association of the Iraqi National Evangelical Churches
Evangelical Alliance of Kenya
Evangelical Churches Alliance Qatar
Evangelical Alliance of South Africa
National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
Evangelical Alliance of Arabic speakers in Europe

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/evangelicals-call-immediate-ceasefire-holy-land

If you wish to sign this statement, please add your organization in this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrBjXLgsoVZR0I0ItcsCUhlzuifkTFEmIu0ODPado9kD8R6A/viewform?usp=share_link

***

The Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) has agreed to the ordination of women, while adding more dioceses and new provinces. A report from the ACNS said the province concluded its provincial Synod with a plan for new dioceses and potentially two more provinces, or member churches, of the Anglican Communion. Under the theme "Growing the Church in the Broken World", more than 100 clergy and lay representatives from across the existing 15 dioceses -- Botswana, Lake Malawi, Northern Malawi, Upper Shire, Central Zambia, Eastern Zambia, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern Zambia, Central Zimbabwe, Harare, Manicaland, Masvingo, and Matabeleland -- gathered in Mount Soche, Blantyre in Southern Malawi, for the five-day meeting last week. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/growing-church-central-africa-agrees-womens-ordination-more-dioceses-and-new-provinces

To date no GAFCON province has approved the ordination of women to the priesthood or episcopacy. However, there is a growing acceptance of WO in most African provinces. The issue is being seen as secondary, adiaphora.

The Jerusalem Declaration affirms that the Bible makes a distinction between salvation issues and other secondary issues. The Primates acknowledged that while there is disagreement and ongoing discussion on the issues of the ordination of women as deacons or priests, and the consecration of women as Bishops, we are agreed that these are not salvation issues and are not issues that will disrupt our mission: to proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations.

***

An ACNA Board of Inquiry announced this week that there are reasonable grounds that Bishop Stewart Ruch must face an ecclesiastical trial pursuant to Canon IV.4.3 of the Canons of the Anglican Church in North America. A presentment was signed by three bishops of the Church with jurisdiction referred to it from the office of the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. The presentment conformed to the requirements of Canon IV.4.1.

Bishop Ruch responded saying; "An ecclesiastical trial will provide an opportunity for all the evidence to be considered. I am relieved that there will be an occasion to hear all sides and gain some resolution after more than two years. I continue to desire to walk in openness and humility."

***

The Rev. Dr. Ashley Null, Cranmer scholar, priest and theologian delivered the inaugural John H. Rodgers Lecture Series address on Reformation Day, 2023 at Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge PA. he believes that faithful Anglicanism is an expression of reformed Catholicism.

"Faithful Anglicanism is an expression of reformed Catholicism. The Anglican family has its roots in the Western Catholic Church. From the early days of the Church we existed prior to a relationship of obedience to the Bishop of Rome under whose oversight and care we Anglicans subsequently came. As such we are part of the Catholic Church. At the Reformation of the 16th Century, in obedience to the Apostles' teaching, we found that we could no longer remain in submission to unreformed papal authority, doctrine and practice in a number of areas and centrally in the application of God's grace to sinners, as the 39 Articles make clear. Thus we were reformed by the Apostolic Word. Hence Anglicanism is reformed, apostolic Catholicism seeking in all things to be faithful to the Word of God written." You can read Dr. Null's lecture here: https://virtueonline.org/anglican-theologians-clash-over-kigali-communique

Coupled with this lecture is a second reflection by three theologians, Hans Boersma, Gerald McDermott and Greg Peters. The theologians clash over the Kigali Communique. The two pieces should be read back-to-back. The question is:
Is The Anglican "Reset" Truly Anglican? You can read both here: https://virtueonline.org/anglican-theologians-clash-over-kigali-communique

***

The Church of South India which has been riddled with corruption for years by more than 22 bishops over the sale of properties and pocketing the money for themselves. The laity got an encouraging word when the High Court in Madras annulled Bishop A Dharmaraj Rasalam's election as CSI moderator. The verdict has come as a victory for a section of CSI laity in Kerala led by a Major Victor, who has waged a legal battle against the bishop.

CSI moderator Rasalam was scheduled to retire on May 19, 2023, at the age of 67. However, he had brought in an amendment to the Church's constitution to raise the retirement age to 70 years, which was challenged by a section of believers. On Tuesday, the Madras HC set aside the amendment effected by the bishop. Bishop Rasalam was in charge of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

Rasalam was detained at Thiruvananthapuram international airport in July 2022 when he was scheduled to travel to the UK to attend the Lambeth Conference at the Enforcement Directorate's behest, a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided multiple premises of the Church of South India (CSI) in connection with an alleged money laundering case. The CSI is without doubt the most corrupt province in the anglican Communion. That "honor" once went to Mexico when an archbishop and bishop made off with $1.5 million TEC dollars.

You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/madras-hc-annuls-bishop-dharmaraj-rasalams-election-csi-moderator

***

C.M. Almy and Sons, among the Episcopal church's best-known vestment making and church goods companies, has been acquired by F.C. Ziegler, America's largest manufacturer of church supplies. The November 1 announcement of the transfer of ownership comes only after a few months after Wippell and Co., a U.K. vestments firm with a broad reach into the Episcopal market, gave notice of its pending closure, The Living Church reports.

F.C. Ziegler is a Roman Catholic-focused firm based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its president, William Zitter, told TLC, "We are committed to the Almy customers. The Almy brand will stay as an independent brand, with an independent website and catalog. I don't see us making a bunch of changes."

***

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