Anglican Mainstream

By Mark Steyn, National Review

As Senator Obama said during the 2008 campaign, words matter. Modern “liberalism” is strikingly illiberal; the high priests of “tolerance” are increasingly intolerant of even the mildest dissent; and those who profess to “celebrate diversity” coerce ever more ruthlessly a narrow homogeneity. Thus, the Obama administration’s insistence that Catholic institutions must be compelled to provide free contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients. This has less to do with any utilitarian benefit a condomless janitor at a Catholic school might derive from Obamacare, and more to do with the liberal muscle of Big Tolerance enforcing one-size-fits-all diversity.

The bigger the Big Government, the smaller everything else: In Sweden, expressing a moral objection to homosexuality is illegal, even on religious grounds, even in church, and a pastor minded to cite the more robust verses of Leviticus would risk four years in jail. In Canada, the courts rule that Catholic schools must allow gay students to take their same-sex dates to the prom. The secular state’s Bureau of Compliance is merciless to apostates to a degree even your fire-breathing imams might marvel at.

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By Elizabeth Scalia, First Things

Last week’s column on the HHS mandate brought a rash of email from the usual suspects—men and women who feel passionately inclined to inform me that the church is “mysogynistic, women-hating, gay-hating, authoritarian, fetus-idolizing…” well, you get the drift. People who could not begin to accurately articulate the church’s position on most matters are quite sure that her counter-cultural stances are grounded on nothing more than hate.

The dominant narrative of the mainstream is that whatever gets in the way of what you think you should have must be founded on hate, and not just hate, but hate-without-reason. Love, in this narrative, is nice; it always says yes. Alternative points of view offering nuanced philosophies and theologies, reasoned compellingly and with depth through the ages and offered with respect? The very definition of twenty-first century hate.

Aside from revealing a general deficiency in reasoning skills and a stunning lack of curiosity as to why the Catholic church objects to contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients, there existed in these emails a general lack of interest in identifying what the conflict between the administration and the church is actually about. What little coverage has surfaced in the mainstream has been framed along predictable lines: those nasty Catholic bishops are trying to deny women contraception, which “even Catholic women” use. The constitutional question of whether the government has the right to define a church’s mission or usurp its conscience is ignored. For my correspondents, at least, it’s “all about contraception and the Catholic Church of No.”

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By David W Virtue, Virtueonline

The Bishop of Olympia, the Rt. Rev. Gregory H. Rickel believes he has come up with the perfect solution to same-sex marriage. He says his idea is not exactly new, but it is based on the notion of fidelity. "Fidelity is the value in most all our sacraments and also in our life as Christians," he opined in a statement at his diocesan website.

"It seems to me we have held our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in a 'catch-22'. We say they cannot live up to our value because they cannot be married, or even blessed in their union. While many of them have begged for this, it is still not possible. What they ask of us, the church and the government, is to put boundaries around their relationship, to hold them in the same regard and with the same respect, which would also mean that we expect the same from them. They are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for equal treatment. They are asking to be accountable, as a couple, in community. To me, this is a conservative proposal. I am for it, and I hope we will finally make way for this to happen, not only in our society, but also in our church."

There you have it – a clear unalloyed statement of support for gay couples as long, of course, that they are faithful and monogamous and don't misbehave like heterosexuals do from time to time.

It is expected that Washington state legislators will soon deliberate two bills, HB2516 & SB6239, which would make same sex marriage law in that state. "Our Episcopal Church, after a long discussion about this over the years is poised to do roughly the same this summer at our General Convention," noted the bishop.

VOL believes there are multiple reasons why the bishop and the passage of this proposed legislation is wrong.

Here are a few reasons:

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From the Church of England Media Centre

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by Wayne Bontoft, Northampton Chronicle

A PARISH priest from Northamptonshire says Christians should no longer “grudgingly accept” orders from their bosses to take off crucifixes.

Following a number of reports in the national press about workers who have been told to remove crucifix necklaces, the Rev Stephen Trott, who is the Rector of Pitsford with Boughton, has presented a motion to the Church of England’s national assembly calling on the church to condemn the “silencing” of open displays of Christianity.

He said: “There have been a lot of press reports of how the Human Right Act is impacting on people and how Christians find life difficult when they’re being told by their employers what they can and can’t do.

“There have been two cases which have gone to court where people have been told to take off crosses, so I think it’s a real issue.

“We want to encourage people not to just grudgingly accept it, but be willing to speak up for what they believe in.”

Members of the General Synod, which is described as the Church of England’s version of Parliament, are due to discuss the motion in London later this week.

The motion written by Mr Trott has already won the backing of three bishops and 100 other members of the Synod, but it is not yet known if it will be approved by the wider body.

Read here

From Premier Christian Media

One in three 10-year-olds have stumbled upon and viewed pornography online*. One in three.

That’s not a problem; it’s an epidemic.

In the Internet age, pornography is everywhere. It is more abundantly available and more prolifically consumed than ever before. While in the days of the newsagent’s top shelf and the XXX video shop there were barriers to access and regulation over content, now those barriers have been obliterated. Hardcore, unregulated sexual content is easily accessible anytime, anywhere, not just through home computers, but also through smartphones, video games systems and a range of other networked devices.

These are not just images of the naked body. These are uncensored pictures and videos of extreme sexual content. Available at any time, anywhere…to anyone.

And the statistics tell us that the biggest audience for this content is not that to which it is aimed. The single largest group of pornography consumers online are young people aged 12-17. That 81% of teenagers aged 14-16 reguarly access explicit images and videos online.

This has got to stop.

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Sign Petition here

 

General Synod is to have an emergency debate on Wednesday morning around 1000 on Nigeria on the motion below to be proposed by the Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby.

"That this Synod, gravely concerned at the desparate plight of Christian communities in parts of Nigeria, as described in GS 1861, request the Briitsh Government to do all it can to support those in NIgeria seeking to protect religious minorities of all faiths and enable them to practice their religion without fear."

The Anglican Mainstream /Anglican International Development "fringe" lunch takes place at synod today (Tuesday) where Rev Robert de Berry, the chair of Barnabas Fund wiil be reporting on his visit to Northern Nigeria in November 2011 where he saw some of the results of the violence of 2011, and also John Inglis-Jones, the executive officer of Anglican International Development will report on the Mannamicrofinance programme in Southern Sudan.

Damaging relations with Sudan

This question was asked at general synod as a supplementary to a statement about the Church of England's support for the Church of Sudan:

"Given the church of Sudan's sensitivity to biblical teaching on human sexuality, as illustrated in their recent response to TEC, is the chairman aware that the Bishop of Salisbury's recent statement on gay marriage could seriously inhibit the ability of the Episcopal Church of Sudan to receive help from the Church of England?"

 

General Synod opened with a singing of the first verse of the National Anthem on the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne. The Archbishop of Canterbury introduced the Loyal Address to the Queen on this occasion in a speech in which he made two points – about the role of Sovereign in this Kingdom, and about Her Majesty’s exercise of it. 

"As the text underlines, being head of this state is not a secular office but a Christian one, for which the Sovereign is anointed with oil and consecrated.  It is a Christian vocation, which Her Majesty freely accepted and exercised as such. 

In the Book of Common Prayer we pray for Her Majesty ‘that she (knowing whose minister she is) may above all things seek thy honour and glory’.  That prayer God has answered, in ways of which the Loyal Address speaks.  First and foremost, it mentions her ‘witness to the Christian Faith’.  At the forefront of our minds here are the Christmas broadcasts in which Her Majesty has spoken of her own faith in the importance of Jesus Christ for the world"


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Press Association

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that changes to the law to allow assisted suicide would spell "disaster" and a shift in society's attitude to the sanctity of life.

Dr Rowan Williams drew parallels between the change in attitudes in society towards abortion since its legalisation and the impact of a change in the law to permit assisted suicide.

"The default position on abortion has shifted quite clearly over the past 40 years – and to see the default position shift on the sanctity of life would be a disaster," he said.

"We are not committed to the notion – the eccentric notion – that Christians believe we should cling to life at all costs.

"We are committed as Christians to the belief that every life in every imaginable situation is infinitely precious in the sight of God.

"To say that there are certain conditions in which life is legally declared to be not worth living is a major shift in the moral and spiritual atmosphere in which we live.

Read here

Kevin and George reveal breaking news from the Diocese ofCentral Florida and Bishop-Elect Brewer. They also clarifyan Anglican Ink report on AMiA's Winter ConferencesOrdinations. AS Haley discusses the horrible witness TEC isshowing the world through the US Legal system. And wediscuss the violence in Nigeria and show comments fromArchbishop Ben Kwashi from Mere Anglicanism 2012.

Mrs Sarah Finch's slightly amended private member's motion was passed decisively by 284 to 0 with 4 abstentions.

Full motion:

That this synod

A. expresses it's concern that the independent commission on assisted dying was insufficiently independent to be able to develop proposals which will properly protect the interests of vulnerable and disabled people

B.endorse the responses to the commission on assisted dying referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 of GS 1851 B

C.affirm the intrinsic value of every Hunan life and express it's support for the current law in assisted suicide as a means of contributing to a just and compassionate society in which vulnerable people are protected; and

D. Celebrating the considerable improvement in the quality of care of the dying brought about by the hospice and palliative care movements and by the input of clinicians, clergy and others, encourage the church's continued involvement in the wider agenda of the care of those approaching the end of their lives and the support of those caring for them.'

From BBC News

The police have been called in after racist abuse was sent to the Archbishop of York following comments he made opposing gay marriage.   Dr John Sentamu said in the Daily Telegraph that marriage must remain between a man and a woman.   The archbishop's office said he had received a "small number of abusive and threatening emails of a racist nature" and had reported them to police.   North Yorkshire Police said the abuse was being treated as a hate crime.   A spokeswoman for Dr Sentamu said: "A large quantity of correspondence was received in response to the archbishop's interview with the Daily Telegraph, which touched on a wide range of issues.   Read here

From Christian Concern

Andrea Minichiello Williams spoke to the General Synod today (6 Feb), challenging the Church of England to take a stand for traditional marriage before it is too late.

Urging the Presidents of the Synod (the two Archbishops) to authorise an Emergency Debate, Andrea Williams, member of the General Synod and CEO of Christian Concern, called on the church to resist David Cameron’s attempt to introduce same-sex marriage, noting that such a concept is contrary to both the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.

She said: “In Matthew 19 Jesus tells us categorically that marriage was ordained by God from the beginning of our creation as the union of one man and one woman and this relationship is a direct reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church – the bridegroom and the bride.

“If the national Church were to stand for marriage as traditionally defined then our Prime Minister would be defeated even before he began.”

“Is it not the job of the established Church to hold government to account and not to let her stray from biblical precepts which are good not just for individuals but for communities and nations?”

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By Ed West, Telegraph

It is 60 years since Elizabeth II ascended the throne upon the death of her father, and so today marks only the second time that a British monarch has reached that milestone (George III's tormented life came to an end just 250 days short).   And in many ways her reign has been marked by even greater change than that of her great-great-grandmother. Of course Britain was radically transformed during the reign of Victoria; the modern world as we know it really began in the 1830s (marking the end of the early modern period), and during her reign cities were built, diseases cured, the franchise drastically widened, state education made mandatory and the first elements of the welfare state created.   Yet the changes during Elizabeth II’s reign have been in some ways greater. An overwhelmingly Christian society has become a heavily secularised one; a sexually conservative country has been transformed into one in which judgmentalism has become the only sin (and, increasingly, a crime); an empire has become something of a province itself; while even the people themselves have changed in an unparalleled way, the DNA of the country changing more in Elizabeth’s reign than in the previous six millennia.   Read here

By Dale O'Leary

The Obama administration is setting up a Global Initiative Fund is to put pressure on religious groups and developing countries to change their views on homosexuality. The teachings of the great religions on homosexual acts are not based on fear or ignorance, but on a clear understanding of the truth about the human person, human development, health, and marriage. These teachings cannot be changed and the Obama administration surely knows this. So what is their goal? Simple: to marginalize people of faith.   If opposition to the GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered] agenda is considered the equivalent of racism and a manifestation of ‘homophobia,’ bigotry and hatred, then even if members of religions which reject the GLBT agenda are allowed to continue to hold such beliefs, they would become second class citizens in their own country, unable to participate as equals in political debate or public action. This is the true goal of Obama’s Global Initiative Fund.   In her Dec. 6 speech on human rights announcing the Fund, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued that “as long as LGBT people are kept in the shadows, there cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS.” The facts do not support this statement. In the U.S., LGBT people are no longer in the shadows, but thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, there is still no effective public health program in place to prevent new infections. When the Obama administration pushes developing countries to embrace total tolerance of GLBT behavior, they do not mention the cost of tolerance of the ‘gay’ behavior, a cost that a rich country may be able to pay, but one developing countries may not want to shoulder. Each year in the U.S.approximately 30,000 men who have sex with men (MSM) are infected with HIV by other MSM, and 6,000 die. Currently, it is estimated that in the U.S. 500,000 MSM are HIV positive. Drug therapy can prolong the life of those infected for an average of 24 extra years at an estimated total cost of $618,900 per person.[1]   Read here

By Riazat Butt, Guardian

A senior cleric has warned there is "no Plan B" if the Church of England rejects legislation allowing women to become bishops, claiming such a move would lead to a "substantial period of shock".

The Right Rev Peter Price was addressing supporters of female clergy before a General Synod meeting this week that will decide what provision, if any, there should be for people unwilling to accept women's leadership. Price, who is bishop of Bath and Wells, was asked what would happen if the General Synod voted against the legislation in July.

He replied: "I haven't got a clue. I think we will be in such a critical place that it is extremely difficult to see how we will proceed without going through a substantial period of shock.

"I wish I could say there is a plan B. I don't think there is. The implications of this going down are so far-reaching that we almost dare not face it."

Read here

 

Anglican Mainstream notes with sadness the adverse comments by an opposing group in relation to our recent conference, 'The Pastoral and Prophetic in Conflict?  Homosexuality and the Church.'  In particular, we deplore what appears to have been the deliberate misrepresentation of events, both prior to and during the conference, which seem designed for no other purpose than to cast a slur upon both ourselves and our work.  We are mindful too of the extremely high level of intimidation prior to the conference, aimed at disrupting or preventing the conference from going ahead at all, and which, on police advice, persuaded us on the day to employ a high level of security in order to ensure the safety and comfort of attendees and of the building itself.   We stand by our commitment to maintain the Biblical foundation of marriage as between one man and one woman, first articulated in Genesis and thereafter maintained by throughout Scripture.  We shall continue our work with those with unwanted same-sex attraction seeking our help – to do otherwise would be failing them.  And we shall continue our opposition to the type of sexual advice currently being made increasingly available to school-age children by the Department of Education through its financial support of organisations such as the Terrence Higgins Trust and some of their publications such as this and this.   We believe such advice places our young in situations posing high risk to their physical health, as well creating emotional damage, and which may impair their future capacity to form long term and stable relationships.    Those wishing further information on what the conference was actually about are invited to purchase CDs of the day at £15 for a set of three.  These can be obtained by emailing Ls.n@talktalk.net.

Brendan O'Neill, Telegraph

Imagine living in a country governed by such authoritarian literalists that it was forbidden to say “God heals”, on the basis that, technically speaking, it isn’t true. Well, you don’t have to imagine. If you are reading this blog from within Britain, then you already live in that country. Last week, the unelected suits of the Advertising Standards Authority crossed the line from policing displays of cleavage in film posters and monitoring health claims in TV commercials to interfering in the realm of freedom of religion, banning a Christian group in Bath from expressing its belief that God’s power can heal sicknesses.   The ASA chastised the unfortunately named HOTS Bath – which stands for Healing On The Streets, Bath – for saying the following on its website and in leaflets: “Need healing? God can heal today!” HOTS listed various ailments that it believes God can heal – including back pain, arthritis, addiction, ulcers, depression, allergies, phobias and sleeping disorders – and told visitors to its website that “we believe God loves you and can heal you from any sickness”. The ASA has now censured HOTS and forbidden it from ever again making the explicit claim that “God heals”, either on its website or in leaflets that it hands out in the streets, on the basis that this is a “misleading” ad which could sow “false hope” amongst sections of the public.   This is an outrageous attack on freedom of religion, on the basic right of people to express central tenets of their faith.   Read here

Sir   At the start of National Marriage Week, we write as faith leaders from different traditions to reiterate the importance of marriage.   A society with high levels of marriage is likely to be stronger and more stable.  Marriage may not always be fashionable, yet empirical evidence shows that couples who marry are more likely to enjoy durable relationships than cohabiting couples.  As headlines are dominated by the fallibility of our economies, surely marriage is the greatest investment that any of us can make?   Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Finchley Synagogue Nola Leach, Chief Executive, CARE Reg Bailey, Chief Executive, Mothers' Union Terry Prendergast, Chief Executive, Marriage Care Steve and Ann Clifford, Evangelical Alliance Richard and Maria Kane, Marriage Weekly International Mark and Lindsay Melluish, Pastors, St Paul's Ealing Katharine Hill, Director of Family Policy and Care for the Family