Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
www.virtueonline.org
April 26, 2024

WHICH PRIMATES WILL MEET IN ROME? That is the question, perhaps the only question. With less than a week to go before the 2024 Primates Meeting is hosted by the Anglican Centre in Rome, the Archbishop of Canterbury is bound to be feeling a little nervous, writes Anglican Futures blogger.

This is the first meeting of the leaders of the 42 provinces of the Anglican Communion since the Lambeth Conference and the well documented divisions within the Communion have only deepened over the intervening years. So, despite the concerted efforts of the Anglican Communion Office and the promise of "a meeting with Pope Francis and a conversation with Cardinal Grech", it seems that there may be more than a few empty chairs in the Eternal City.

With the GSFA bishops unable to "recognize" Justin Welby as the leader of the global Anglican Communion and the GAFCON bishops fully disassociating themselves from Welby and the Church of England -- and they represent more than 75% of the Anglican Communion -- one wonders what the advantage is for the Archbishop of Canterbury, except to proclaim his titular headship, or make believe that he is still running the Anglican show.

The Archbishop of South Sudan, Justin Badi, is not fooled, "Our concern is not about who chairs the meeting. Our concern is about those who have intentionally violated the orthodox biblical teaching -- we cannot sit and discuss with them."

If that's not a kick in the backside I don't know what is! Is Welby feeling the pain of rejection? "Honest conversation" or "shared conversations" about homosexuality became the most dishonest, with Church of England minders like manipulator, oops Strategy Consultant, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, David Porter, "facilitating conversations" on how to live with difference over issues of human sexuality.

Well, how did that work out?

The majority of the Anglican Communion are unimpressed by the attempts to impose post-modern ideas of plural truth on them. They are convinced by the undiluted, unpolluted message of Jesus Christ and they know that it is that singular truth that the world needs and yearns for.

You can read my own piece; The Shriveling Anglican Communion here: https://virtueonline.org/shriveling-anglican-communion

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ACNA ENTERS INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENT CATHOLIC CHURCH

On April 24th, 2024, the Anglican Church in North America came into full communion with the Philippine Independent Catholic Church (PICC).

A delegation from the Anglican Church in North America consisting of Archbishop Foley Beach, Bishop Ray Sutton, Dean of Ecumenical Affairs, Bishop Mark Engel, Canon Wes Jagoe, and Deacon Mark Hottel signed an agreement, called a "Concordat," with the Philippine Independent Catholic Church (PICC) at the Cathedral of the Holy Child Jesus, Marikina City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

One of the terms of the Concordat establishes a "joint council" to advance mutual responsibility and participation in furthering the mission of God's kingdom. The PICC's 3 million members were once in Communion with the Episcopal Church and invited by Canterbury to Lambeth but those relationships had dissolved.
You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/acna-enters-full-communion-philippine-independent-catholic-church

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ISRAEL BASHING NOW STANDARD FARE FOR THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. TEC accuses the democratic state of apartheid.

The 81st General Convention is poised to consider 12 resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, starting with four separate resolutions that would label Israel's disparate treatment of Jewish and Arab citizens a kind of apartheid, according to the Episcopal News Service.

A first hearing on those four resolutions is scheduled with the bishops' and deputies' committees on Social Justice & International Policy. Additional hearings are likely in the coming weeks as the parallel committees deliberate on whether to recommend the resolutions for approval by the House of Bishops and House of Deputies when they meet June 23-28 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Three of the apartheid resolutions were proposed originally for consideration by the 80th General Convention in 2022 but were deferred until this year's meeting. A010, for example, would acknowledge that Israel "has passed laws that discriminate against its non-Jewish citizens, particularly Palestinians." That resolution, along with A011 and A012, would put the church on record for the first time in labeling such a system as "apartheid."

For more click here: https://virtueonline.org/israel-bashing-now-standard-fare-episcopal-church

Clearly angered that not a single woman, homosexual or lesbian was on the short list to be the next PB, DeDe Duncan-Probe, 61, the 11th Bishop of Central New York, was nominated by petition April 16 as the fifth and final candidate to become the next presiding bishop.

Duncan-Probe is married to a man with three kids which may not appease lesbian activist priest Susan Russell, but it does even the stakes with a woman on board as a possible candidate. If she did win, she would be the second woman Presiding Bishop after Katharine Jefferts Schori. Stranger things have happened.

The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, vice president of the House of Deputies, announced over the weekend that she intends to challenge House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris for the office of president, setting up a contested president election seemingly without precedent in recent church history. Clearly all is not peace, love and joy in the House of Bishops & Deputies.

According to an ENS report, Taber-Hamilton, a priest in the Diocese of Olympia, did not refer to Ayala Harris by name in her announcement. Instead, she wrote in general terms that she is running for president because of "unaddressed internal dynamics that in my professional opinion are contributing to an unhealthy corporate culture, jeopardizing our ability for forming the collaborative relationships necessary for effectively moving forward in the crucial work of The General Convention."

Clearly talk of inclusion and diversity has given way to disharmony and power plays. You can read more here: https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2024/04/22/house-of-deputies-vice-president-announces-intention-to-run-for-president-against-incumbent/

Dallas Bishop George Sumner, one of just a very small handful of orthodox Episcopal bishops left in TEC, has called for the election of a coadjutor who will serve alongside him until he retires. Sumner has led the Diocese of Dallas since 2015. Only the Diocese of Central Florida (evangelical) and Springfield (Anglo-Catholic) can remotely be called orthodox. If the Dallas diocese elects a liberal as the Diocese of Albany did recently, then it is all over for any orthodox expression left in TEC. One could not get consents if a wannabe bishop did not affirm B012 on homosexual marriage.

But Sumner faces other problems. Anglican Watch says Bishop Sumner is corrupt and is trying to cover-up his cover-up of sexual abuse in the diocese. He is the subject of a Title IV clergy disciplinary complaint for trying to sandbag a complaint of sexual harassment involving Texarkana rector David Halt. You can read more here: https://www.anglicanwatch.com/tag/bishop-george-sumner/

As dioceses slowly die off with aging Episcopalians heading into columbaria, so too, the money dries up as well. A case in point is the Diocese of New Jerseywhich received a one-year assessment reduction as it deals with financial issues. The diocese has requested a hardship waiver for 2024 while leaders address a "disarray" in the diocese's finances. Increasingly dioceses are merging across the country, as the pools of money dry up.

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Is Justin Welby, a slave to the altar of woke? Kim Rye of Conservative Woman thinks so.

"IT seems that the leader of the Church of England is blissfully unaware of the reason for falling church attendance across this country. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, recently declared in an interview with the New Statesman that he would 'rather be woke than asleep'. Is this a coincidence? Welby appears to be creating more division and controversy than any of his predecessors.

The latest scheme is a Church of England fund of up to £1billion demanded by a pressure group led by descendants of enslaved Africans. This has caused uproar in churches across the country with His Grace focused primarily on satisfying the demands of what we call 'social justice warriors' rather than descendants of slaves.

So, the Church of England congregation now has to foot the bill for the transgressions of slave owners centuries ago. But which slave owners -- European or African?

You can read more here: https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/

Where was God in the slave trade? A fair question, as the Church of England hunkers down on how much in financial reparations are enough to appease its conscience over a bad period in its history.

Two evangelical theologians, one from India wrote this as a Letter to the Editor of the Church of England newspaper.

Dear Sir,

In the issue of reparations for Britain's involvement in the slave trade, have those considering this asked: Where was God in all of this? The Bible makes clear that God is 'on the side of the poor'; Jesus announced his ministry in Nazareth as: "The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor'.

While the African victims of slavery were captured and sold as chattels, their humanity and traditional spirituality enabled them to discover in Christ, and from the Christian faith of the slaver, a spiritual resource that not only enabled them to survive but retain and deepen their humanity. Current research is showing the debt that Pentecostal churches owe to the exuberant worship rituals from African Traditional Religion culture combined with their experience of the Holy Spirit. This could only have been possible if God was with them as He is the God of the poor. How much he was with the Slavers is very uncertain.

It has recently been computed that the black churches will be the main element in the expression of the Christian faith in the UK in the years to come.

Yours in Christ

Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden

And then there's this: Did the Church Commissioners get their sums right on reparations?

Charles Moore asks in his Telegraph column whether the Church Commissioners have got their sums right on reparations ('Is the Church paying reparations on a false premise, 23 April 2024).

He argues that the original historical audit found that Queen Anne's Bounty (the predecessor fund of the Church Commissioners) had invested the rough equivalent of £440 million today in the slave trade, via the South Sea Company for some 20 years (1720-1740).

This has been challenged recently by Professor Richard Dale, who says that the Church Commissioners report is not peer reviewed and conducting his own peer review via Charles Moore, argues that there are some oversights. In 1723 -- three years after the South Sea Bubble had burst, Parliament split the South Sea Company in two. Queen Anne's Bounty hedged their bets and invested in the annuities side of the business, which ring-fenced the fund from trading. Consequently the Bounty invested only about £14,000 (about £2.4 million today) in the chattel slave trade.

At the very least, the Church Commissioners should wrestle with this new information and reflect upon it in a new light. Many parishioners in the C of E continue to have doubts about a fund which seems to be about far more than massive numbers and rather less about the practicalities of how funds, which are specifically intended for the ministry of the Church of England and its clergy, can be spent outside these objectives.

More here: https://archive.ph/2024.04.23-060934/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/23/is-the-church-paying-reparations-on-a-false-premise/

https://archive.ph/2024.04.25-032111/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/has-the-c-of-e-got-its-reparations-bill-all-wrong/

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The 'cult' of transgender transitioning is finally getting pushback. Those who like JK Rowling now can feel vindicated, and gender ideologues are now having to apologize for their attacks.

Children have attracted the attention of the media recently, with the Cass report and the vindication of a school headmistress's stance on not allowing religious prayers in her school. The work of both these women has been greeted with much relief and gratitude, and will surely have a wide and deep clarifying impact on fractious disagreements.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) praises Dr. Hilary Cass for her appeal to objective evidence, evidence that satisfies 'hard science'. The Cass review, says the BMJ editorial, is 'an opportunity to unite behind evidence informed care in gender medicine', and concludes: "The Cass review is an opportunity to pause, recalibrate, and place evidence informed care at the heart of gender medicine. It is an opportunity not to be missed for the sake of the health of children and young people." Dr Cass has returned to objective evidence-based medicine and finds that the current practice of gender reassignment is based on shaky foundations.

Offering treatments without an adequate understanding of benefits and harms is unethical. All of this matters even more when the treatments are not trivial; puberty blockers and hormone therapies are major, life altering interventions. Yet this inconclusive and unacceptable evidence base was used to inform influential clinical guidelines, such as those of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which themselves were cascaded into the development of subsequent guidelines internationally".-- Church of England Newspaper Leader Comment.

Why Was Gender Ideology Allowed to Run Amok for So Long? After the Cass Review, we need to recapture our institutions from this cruel, homophobic cult, writes Tom Slater.

"Just like that, a trickle becomes a flood. After years of gender-critical voices being dismissed or ignored by mainstream media, they can be dismissed and ignored no longer."

"The landmark Cass Review into gender-identity services in England, published today, has laid bare the scandal of the NHS's treatment of 'gender confused' kids. There was never any evidence for subjecting troubled, often gay, often autistic, youngsters to life-altering hormones, drugs and treatments. But clinicians did it anyway, in thrall as they were to gender ideology." You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/why-was-gender-ideology-allowed-run-amok-so-long

Most gender confused kids grow out of it, according to a landmark study. Two-thirds of children experiencing gender confusion in early adolescence grow out of those feelings by their mid-20s, according to a landmark, multi-decade study published in February. Coincidentally, the finding was made by a team of researchers in the Netherlands, home of the so-called Dutch protocol, which since gave rise to the infamous treatment known as "gender-affirming care". You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/most-gender-confused-kids-grow-out-it-according-landmark-study

https://www.christian.org.uk/news/pm-told-pervasive-influence-of-gender-ideology-demands-inquiry/

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CULTURE WARS. A new survey reveals that Evangelicals view immigration, American sovereignty and abortion as the top issues facing the United States heading into the 2024 presidential election.

Coral Ridge Ministries (CRM) released its 2024 Spiritual State of the Nation Survey last week, which is based on 633 responses to a questionnaire sent to "friends and supporters of Coral Ridge Ministries" on an annual basis.

"At a time when the views of pro-family evangelicals are sometimes distorted, even caricatured, this survey provides a much-needed window into what Christian conservatives actually believe," asserted CRM President and CEO Robert Pacienza in a statement.

In addition to asking respondents for their views on hot-button issues dominating political and cultural discussions in the U.S., the questionnaire asked respondents to name "the three most critical issues facing the new Congress and administration."

A majority of those surveyed (56%) cited immigration as one of the three most important issues facing the U.S., while 33% of respondents listed "America's sovereignty." Abortion (32%), federal spending (30%) and religious freedom (24%) rounded out the top five issues most frequently identified as things federal leaders must address.

You can read more her: https://virtueonline.org/evangelicals-list-top-issues-facing-us-survey

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In what can only be described as major capitulation, NT theologian Richard Hays, in consort with his son, Christopher, caved in on same-sex relationships. Conservative Christians just lost their scholarly trump card on the subject. Hays' reversal comes at a bad time for those who oppose accepting LGBTQ Christians.

Nearly 30 years ago, the revered New Testament professor at Duke Divinity School published "The Moral Vision of the New Testament," a sweeping 508-page meditation of Christian ethics in which Hays concluded that the Christian Bible condemns homosexual acts. Hays called homosexuality "one among many tragic signs that we are a broken people" and said that churches should not sanction or bless homosexual unions.

The book made Hays a darling among conservative evangelical Christians who opposed LGBTQ acceptance in their churches and the broader culture and frequently cited Hays' work in debates. Full disclosure. I used and quoted the book from time to time.

But the 75-year-old Hayes, since retired, now admits that his moral vision wasn't exactly 20/20 when it came to this issue in 1996, and he's ready to set the record straight. In a book scheduled to be released in September, "The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story," written with his son, the elder Hays makes an about-face that is already causing an uproar in evangelical circles.

Pushing back on this betrayal, the distinguished Theologian Robert Gagnon critiqued Hays over his changed views on homosexuality arguing that this will likely lead to an acceleration of evangelical capitulation on the scripture's (and Jesus') male-female foundation for sexual ethics. It will also likely signal Fuller Seminary's capitulation on sexual ethics.

The two Hays argue that God, who is ever "changing his mind" to "broaden," "widen," and "expand" his "grace" and "mercy" in order to "include more and more people," "has already gone on ahead of our debates and expanded his grace" to embrace "full inclusion of LGBTQ people in Christian communities."

You can read the Hays position here: https://virtueonline.org/conservative-christians-just-lost-their-scholarly-trump-card-same-sex-relationships

You can read Robert Gagnon's retort here: https://virtueonline.org/distinguished-theologian-robert-gagnon-critiques-richard-hays-over-his-changed-views-homosexuality

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RATIONAL SHEEP a new substack by Terry Mattingly can be accessed here: https://tmattingly.substack.com/listen?utm_source=podcast_setup_email

Mattingly is one of just a handful of top flight religion writers in the country. He is a journalist, author, and professor. As columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service, Mattingly has written "On Religion", a nationally syndicated column, since the summer of 1988. Mattingly also ran a well-known religious journalism blog, GetReligion. Mattingly was also Director of The Washington Journalism Center, a program run by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

This new substack will keep you informed on the changing culture seen through the lens of his Orthodox faith. I highly recommend it to VOL readers.

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Are we living in now, in the greatest period of the Church in history?
David Kubal the CEO and President of Intercessors for America, the oldest and largest national prayer organization, thinks we are.

The year 2024 is like no other year in human history; we are experiencing a historic crescendo of global freedom. The upcoming U.S. election is vitally important in light of what God is doing around the globe, he says.

The American system of government is a representative republic. This is the genesis of the global freedoms we see today; the United States was the first representative republic, after ancient Israel, and it is patterned after the Old Testament government.

Sixty-six countries will hold elections this year. Half of the world's population -- that's 4.1 billion people -- will have an opportunity in 2024 to participate in an election in their country thanks to the freedoms established by our Founding Fathers.

This has never happened before in human history.

The rise of evil is not the time to give up! Just the opposite: Now is the time for the good news of His kingdom to go to all nations. In a way, the rise of evil should actually encourage us. The presence of evil makes the goodness of God more evident.

This year darkness has never been darker. Globalists have never been as well positioned to control nations. Yet, the freedom set in motion by our Founding Fathers -- because of their understanding of biblical principles -- is being seen this year in the greatest number of elections ever in the history of mankind. You can read more here: https://virtueonline.org/now-greatest-period-church-history

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I am slowly recovering from Afib with the help of nurses, a great doctor and cardiologist. God has been good throughout the entire process. I am truly blessed by all that has happened to me. My pastor and church have been very supportive as has my wife and family.

Unfortunately, I have not kept up on the need to fund raise to pay the bills.

VOL could use some financial support to make several upcoming trips possible, including a trip to Cairo to attend the GSFA conference. You can send a tax-deductible donation to the address below:

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Warmly in Christ,

David