Church in the World

Fykse Tveit

2012-01-15T22:08:00.001-08:00

"God of Life and the Ecumenical Movement of Creation"

Healing of memmories

2012-01-13T13:29:00.001-08:00

Rowan Williams to preach at reconciliation service

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet on her appointment as head of the U.N. Women

2010-09-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

The Lutheran World Federation has congratulated former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet on her appointment as head of the new United Nations agency, U.N. Women, saying it gives gender equality a high profile.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Bachelet to the post on 14 September. She was the first female president of Chile, and she is well known for her commitment to the pursuit of gender justice.

"The Lutheran World Federation welcomes your appointment, both because it shows what a high profile is being given to this newly-created office, and because we are convinced of the high quality contribution you will bring toward the office's success," said the Rev. Martin Junge, LWF acting general secretary, in a 16 September letter to Bachelet.

U.N. Women becomes operational in January, merging four offices and agencies: the UN Development Fund for Women; the Division for the Advancement of Women; the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women; and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.

Junge, a Chilean pastor and the LWF general secretary-elect, reiterated the organization's support for U.N. Women's objectives. "Within our own Lutheran theological understanding, enhancing women's role and contribution in decision-making processes including leadership remains a key priority," he said.

He noted that most of the 77-million strong LWF grouping's churches around the world have ordained women as pastors, and many have women serving as bishops or presidents. "Our churches have been immeasurably blessed by our women pastors and leaders," added Junge, who assumes the position of LWF general secretary on 1 November.

Still, Junge acknowledged the significant challenges Lutherans face in their quest for gender equality, a fact highlighted by the organization's highest decision making body at its last meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, where its progress on gender equality was criticised by outgoing general secretary, the Rev. Ishmael Noko.

"We believe that in order to be a legitimate and credible voice for gender justice in society, the church must first achieve gender justice within its own structures and practices," said Junge, citing the message of the LWF's 11th assembly, held in Stuttgart in July.

His letter referred to the LWF's commitment to overcoming the "sin of violence against women".

Bachelet has been quoted as saying that she is a religious agnostic. When she was president, however, she signed into law a measure to make 31 October a new annual public holiday called "The National Day of Evangelical and Protestant Churches". The date marks the 1517 posting by Martin Luther of his 95 theses in Wittenberg, Germany, a turning point in the Protestant Reformation, setting out critical points about Roman Catholicism.

Another church attacked in Pakistan: bibles and cross burnt | Christian Persecution Update India

2010-09-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Another church attacked in Pakistan: bibles and cross burnt Christian Persecution Update India

John Henry Newman -Cor ad cor loquitur ("Heart speaks to heart") Beatified

2010-09-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

John Henry Newman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pope's Homily in Birmingham - Full Text

2010-09-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Pope's Homily in Birmingham Full Text

UK taxpayers to pay for Pope visit

2010-09-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

BBC News - Archbishop says UK taxpayer should help fund Pope visit

Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Scotland on 16 September for first papal visit since Pope John Paul II in 1982.
This trip, which will also include events in London and Birmingham, will be the first ever official state visit to Britain by a serving Pontiff, 'Spiritual leader'
An online poll of 2,005 people, published this week, found 79% had "no personal interest" in the visit.
The survey, by think tank Theos, also found 77% thought taxpayers should not help pay for it.

Pakistani Court Acquits Christian Woman of ‘Blasphemy’

2010-09-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

Pakistani Court Acquits Christian Woman of ‘Blasphemy’

Theology Reader: Theologian Raimon Panikkar is no more| Cathnews India#links#links

2010-09-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

Theology Reader: Theologian Raimon Panikkar is no more Cathnews India#links#links

Qur’an burning plan shocking, says cardinal| Cathnews India

2010-09-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

Qur’an burning plan shocking, says cardinal Cathnews India

Tribute to Mary Brings Worshipers to the Streets - NYTimes.com

2010-08-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Tribute to Mary Brings Worshipers to the Streets - NYTimes.com

Glen Beck attacks Liberation Theology, James Cone

2010-07-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

"Theology in the Spotlight In a recent segment of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck took aim at Liberation Theology, especially that of Dr. James H. Cone, Union's Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology. Several"

2010-07-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Pope Just Doesn’t Get It! – How a Buddhist Christian Sees It

2010-07-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Pope Just Doesn’t Get It! – How a Buddhist Christian Sees It

Indian-born is Vatican’s UN envoy | The Asian Age

2010-07-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Indian-born is Vatican’s UN envoy | The Asian Age

Pope creates new office to fight secularization

2010-06-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict XVI is creating a new Vatican office to fight secularization and "re-evangelize" the West -- a tacit acknowledgment that his attempts to reinvigorate Christianity in Europe haven't succeeded and need a new boost.

Benedict announced the new office during a vespers' service Monday, confirming reports in the Italian media of a handful of new Vatican appointments expected to be announced before the pope goes on summer holiday and the Vatican bureaucracy slows down.

Benedict said parts of the world are still missionary territory, where the Catholic Church is still relatively unknown. But in other parts of the world like Europe, Christianity has existed for centuries yet "the process of secularization has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church."

The new pontifical council, he said, would "promote a renewed evangelization" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God.'"

BBC News - Pope deplores 'sex abuse' raids by Belgian police

2010-06-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

BBC News - Pope deplores 'sex abuse' raids by Belgian police

Pope Benedict has joined mounting Vatican criticism of raids by Belgian police investigating alleged child sex abuse, calling them "deplorable".

Father Gerhard Maria Wagner, who said Hurricane Katrina 'divine retribution,' was made Bishop

2009-02-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

Pope appoints bishop who said Hurricane Katrina was 'divine retribution'
Richard Owen in Rome
Hard on the heels of a Holocaust denial row, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed an ultra-conservative bishop in Austria who described Hurricane Katrina as God's punishment for sin and sexual excess in New Orleans.

Father Gerhard Maria Wagner, 54, a parish priest at Windischgarsten in Austria since 1988, said in the parish newsletter four years ago that the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" for excessive sexual permissiveness, including tolerance of homosexuality.

He noted that Katrina destroyed not only nightclubs and brothels in New Orleans, but also abortion clinics, adding "The conditions of immorality in this city are indescribable". Father Wagner, who has been appointed as auxiliary Bishop of Linz in Austria, has also accused the popular Harry Potter books and films of "spreading Satanism".

Vatican sources said despite the row over pontiff’s controversial reinstatement of a bishop who denies that the Holocaust occurred, Pope Benedict remained determined to "bring back into the fold" not only the four bishops from the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) who whose excommunications were lifted a week ago but also the 500 priests of the fraternity, founded by the late renegade French bishop Marcel Lefebvre.

Robert E. Seaver, Professor Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary dies at 90

2009-01-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Union Mourns
Robert E. Seaver, Proclaimer of the Word
Professor Emeritus of Speech and Drama at Union Theological Seminary

Robert E. Seaver, Professor Emeritus of Speech and Drama at Union Theological Seminary, New York City, died at St. Luke’s Hospital on January 28. He was 90 and lived in Morningside Gardens, a stone’s throw from his beloved place of work for 56 years.

He had been in declining health for some time, said Dr. Janet Walton, Professor of Worship and Co-Director of the Seminary’s Theology and the Arts program.

During the time he taught at Union, generation after generation of students took Prof. Seaver’s not-to-be-missed course in voice building. Even after his official retirement in 1986, he continued to offer several sections each semester due to popular demand, until advancing age finally overcame his devotion to teaching and forced him to step down in 2005.

“Bob believed that it was his job as a teacher to draw out and develop the distinctiveness of each person,” said Walton. “And he did it and it was marvelous.”

In 1986 the New York Times described one class like this:

“Do it,” said Robert Edwin Seaver, Union’s professor of speech and drama, in [one student’s] voice-training course. He told the assembled students to talk through their clenched teeth. It seemed as if the room were filled with people impersonating Katharine Hepburn. “Now, let it go,” Seaver said. “Feel how free it is.” Seaver yawned and stretched exaggeratedly. Everyone in the class followed suit.

“Let your jaw hang,” Seaver said. “Get the feeling of being the town fool.” More

US priests 'in $800,000 theft'

2009-01-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

shifting shadows: faddism Exposed: US priests 'in $800,000 theft'

The Bendy Bus Campaign: mass marketing of atheism

2009-01-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

A Reaction to Christian Fundamentalist Bible Advertisement

On Jan. 6 some 800 British red "bendy" buses carried the sign: "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

The Atheist Bus Campaign organizer, a young comedienne named Ariane Sherine, took exception last June to several London buses swathed with biblical quotes, placed by Christian fundamentalists.

Her idea to fund a few challenge ads took off; donors sent in $200,000 in two days. Ms. Sherine was joined by Oxford zoologist Richard Dawkins, a leading British atheist and author of "The God Delusion."

He predicted anger from believers. "They have to take offense, it is the only weapons they've got," Mr. Dawkins said as the first bus rolled through the streets of London. "They've got no arguments."

But the response by most faith leaders isn't quite what was expected.

Religious institutes, church pastors, and divinity school professors have not treated the ads with Old Testament wrath, but with a relatively open mind and even embrace of so important an issue.

If Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living, they say, the ads remind that an unexamined faith is not a real faith, and people need to think, and even pray, more deeply.

"The campaign will be a good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life," says the Rev. Jenny Ellis, Spirituality and Discipleship Officer of Britain's Methodist church.

"Many people simply never think about God or religion as a serious question, and if this prods them a little bit, then that's great," says the Rev. Stephen Wang, of the Westminster diocese of the Roman Catholic church.

Moreover, in a secular post-cold-war world, where godless communism is said to be replaced by godless consumerism, a declaration of atheism is hardly a renegade position, some theologians say.

.............................

Believers have criticized the second part of the message, "stop worrying and enjoy your life." Nick Spencer, of Theos, a public theology think tank in London, felt the "enjoy yourself" message – coming in the midst of an economic crisis that is taking jobs and spreading anxiety across Europe, possibly implies selfish indifference, and "could not be more ill-timed.... But since Brits are frightfully embarrassed about bringing up God in public, it is a godsend in some ways to have the atheists do it for us."

Dawkins, whose book, "God Delusion" sold 1.5 million copies, told the Los Angeles Times that "We've all been brought up with the view that religion has some kind of special privileged status. You're not allowed to criticize it."

Christianity does have a history of intolerance, theologians admit. But it also has a healthy history of doubt and skepticism, as well as interchanges between faith and science – and has reformed itself through a seeking of truth in and outside the church. Some of its best-known modern thinkers have expressed admiration for nonbelievers.

Reinhold Niebuhr, a leading midcentury American theologian, sometimes invoked by Barack Obama, said he preferred honest agnostics to overly pious believers.

The Lutheran Karl Barth, a leading 20th-century European theologian, wrote the forward to the English language version of Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach's prominent atheist critique, "The Essence of Christianity." Barth wasn't worried about the atheism, says Herman Waetjen, professor emeritus of New Testament studies at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, because Barth felt Feuerbach exposed many fault lines, mistakes, social and collective projections, and other falsifications of Christianity that had arisen around the 19th-century church.

"Barth was happy to write a forward to a book that exposed the kind of Christianity he felt to be so unlike the radical God of the Bible he was reading. He saw the value of Feuerbach. So for a campaign like the bus ads that forces us to think – well, I thank them for it," Professor Waetjen says. Read it all

For Further Reading go to : Evolutionblog

Robert T. Handy, Church Historian, dies at 90

2009-01-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

The Rev. Dr. Robert T. Handy, Henry Sloane Coffin Professor Emeritus of Church History at Union Theological Seminary, died at Crane’s Mill Retirement Community in West Caldwell, New Jersey, on January 8. He was 90 years old.

During the 36 years he taught at the Seminary, Handy made a name for himself as an impressive scholar of American church history, an exceptional teacher, and a gifted administrator.

"From the very first I knew him to be one of a cluster of faculty who could be counted on always to put the good of the school above their own good," said former UTS president Donald W. Shriver, Jr. As a member of Union's presidential search committee, Handy in 1975 had helped to bring Shriver to Union. Shriver in turn appointed Handy dean of the faculty in 1976, a post Handy held for two years.

"By the end of those two years, he felt obliged to return to full time teaching of church history," Shriver reminisced recently in an email, "but by then he had restored many fractured relationships among faculty, administration, students and board.

"Bob was a born reconciler," Shriver continued. "He brought to academic work the skills and commitments of a Baptist pastor as well as the training of a disciplined scholar. His is a combination rare in the halls of academe, rare among human beings, too."

Handy's students and colleagues have long since acknowledged him as a leading historian of American church history. His work on church and state, on religious liberty, on nineteenth-century attempts to establish a "Christian America," and his labor with fellow Union professors David W. Lotz and Richard A. Norris, Jr., in revising and updating Williston Walker's standard, A History of the Christian Church, produced books that are still in use and considered classics. Among his great contributions to the Seminary was A History of Union Theological Seminary in New York, published in 1987 as part of Union's sesquicentennial celebration.

Handy's tenure at Union as a member of both the faculty and the administration gave him particular insight into the critical issues affecting the Seminary during his time. He also successfully illuminated events of other eras of Union's past, particularly the troubled times of the Charles A. Briggs trial in the late nineteenth century. An exacting and tireless researcher, Handy spent countless hours in the Seminary's archives, fact-checking details and building on the work of earlier scholars of Union's history, among them former Union president Henry Sloane Coffin and faculty members G.L. Prentiss and Charles R. Gillett. The result was a readable and entertaining history, both objective and accurate, yet tempered by Handy's respect and affection for the sons and daughters of Union Seminary. more

Horrifying 10-foot sculpture of Jesus on the cross removed from the Church

2009-01-09T01:45:00.000-08:00

Vicar has 'horrifying' statue of crucifixion removed from church
Resin sculpture that 'scared children and deterred worshippers' to be replaced by steel cross

Helen Pidd and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 January 2009 15.10 GMT

A statue of the crucifixion has been taken down from its perch on a church in Sussex because it was scaring local children and deterring worshippers, a vicar admitted today.

The Rev Ewen Souter, the vicar at St John's Church in Horsham, West Sussex, ordered the removal of the 10-foot sculpture of Jesus on the cross just before Christmas, branding it "unsuitable" and "a horrifying depiction of pain and suffering".

The 10ft resin sculpture, by Edward Bainbridge Copnall, a former president of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, will be replaced by a more "uplifting" stainless steel cross – to the dismay of more traditional parishioners.

Souter, formerly a cell biologist, said: "The crucifix expressed suffering, torment, pain and anguish. It was a scary image, particularly for children. Parents didn't want to walk past it with their kids, because they found it so horrifying.

"It wasn't a suitable image for the outside of a church wanting to welcome worshippers. In fact, it was a real put-off.

"We're all about hope, encouragement and the joy of the Christian faith. We want to communicate good news, not bad news, so we need a more uplifting and inspiring symbol than execution on a cross."

St John's Church was opened in 1963 and the crucifix was installed within a year. The sculpture was removed unceremoniously on a low-loader truck and delivered to nearby Horsham Museum, where it will be displayed

A long-standing member of the church, who asked not to be named, said: "The crucifix is the oldest and most famous symbol of the Christian church. Pulling it down and putting up something that would look more at home on the side of a flashy modern shopping centre is not the way to get more bums on seats.

"Next they'll be ripping out the pews and putting sofas in their place, or throwing out all the Bibles and replacing them with laptops. It's just not right."

Souter, who has been vicar at St John's since 2001, believes the modern new cross – designed by artist Angela Godfrey – will present "a positive message of hope" on the side of his church.

A spokesman at Horsham Museum said: "Thanks to the generosity of St John's we have been given the remarkable sculpture of Jesus on the Cross by Edward Bainbridge Copnall. The museum was keen to have the figure because it is a stunning example of Edward's ability and skill as a sculptor.

"Being made out of coal dust and resin it represents the cutting edge of materials, as well as being a dramatic interpretation of a well-known image." source

Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year message

2009-01-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year message: Children are worth more than money

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on society to recognise that children are more valuable than money in his New Year message.

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 9:41PM GMT 31 Dec 2008

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has received support from other leading bishops over the disestablishment of Church and state. Photo: PA

Dr Rowan Williams said he realised that many people fear losing their jobs or their homes as recession looms.

But he warned that "our hearts would be in a very bad way" if we worried more about our finances than the welfare of our fellow human beings, in particular the young and vulnerable.

It is the latest in a series of comments made by the most senior cleric in the Church of England about the dangers to society of the growing economic crisis.

As the banking sector unravelled in September, Dr Williams claimed that Karl Marx had been right about the consequences of unbridled capitalism. more

Archbishop: Put aside your principles and remember: All you need is love

2008-12-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, writing in "Put aside your principles and remember: All you need is love," in the London Daily Telegraph Dec. 21, 2008.

Free love

"The God of the Christmas story (and the rest of the Gospels) doesn't relate to us on the basis of any theory, but on the basis of unconditional love and welcome. That act of free love towards the entire human race changed things - even for those who didn't and don't share all the beliefs and doctrines of Christianity. And for those who do share those convictions, loving God and one another is a defiance of all programs and principles designed to preserve only the well-being of people like us.

"All of us, Christians most definitely included, have problems living up to this. But that's one reason why we tell this story repeatedly, the story of the 'unprincipled' God who values what others don't notice, who relates to people we'd all rather forget, whose appeal is to everyone because He has made everyone capable of loving response. At least once a year we all - Christians or non-Christians - need to hear again that permission to be free from principles so that we can ask the question about specific human lives and destinies, about the unacceptable cost of programs and systems when they are only about me and people like me.

"And when that question is asked, says [Swiss theologian] Karl Barth in his sermon, what begins to come through is 'the eternal light that requires neither fuel nor candlestick.'" Reference

Archbishop attacks the UK Govt. for their fiscal policies in his Christmas Message

2008-12-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

Archbishop attacks Downing St for 'Nazi' attitude

December 23, 2008

THE war of words between church and the British state has escalated with the Archbishop of Canterbury likening Downing Street's response to the economic downturn to that of Nazi Germany.

In a pre-Christmas article written for The Daily Telegraph, Dr Rowan Williams, the Church of England's senior cleric, argues that the Christmas message is one of unconditional love and that some of the economic principles designed to cushion the impact of the financial crisis can fail to take into account the human cost.

Quoting religious philosopher and intellectual Karl Barth, Dr Williams said the great thinker had courageously expressed open defiance against the Third Reich and, at Christmas in 1931, preached that one of the greatest freedoms was to understand that while one should be able to live with principles, it is also important to be able to "live without them".

"The 20th century built up quite a list of casualties around 'principles' in Barth's sense," he writes. "Various philosophies solemnly assured us that the human cost is really worth it, because history will vindicate the sufferings … of the present. Keep your nerve, don't be distracted by the human face of suffering, because it will be all right in the end; we know it will because the principles are clear.

"Fortunately the Western world has not for a long time seen the real horrors that this entails in terms of brutality and devastation. Yet we are not completely immune from appealing to 'principles' in order to help us avoid some of the harsher consequences of our policies and preferences."

Suggesting a comparison between British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's fiscal stimulus package and the Third Reich, Dr Williams writes that the "principle" might have worked but in the end it required acceptance of the notion that "a lot of people that you might have thought mattered as human beings actually didn't".

He said the fiscal strategy failed to factor in the impact on the most vulnerable: "What about the unique concerns and crises of the pensioner whose savings have disappeared, the Woolworths employee, the hopeful young executive, let alone the helpless producer of goods in some Third-world environment where prices are determined thousands of miles away?" he asks.

In his article, he warns of the dangers of "unconditional loyalty to a system" that turned into a "nightmare" under Hitler in Germany.

Dr Williams uses the same language used by Mr Brown, arguing that without thought for these doubts about the human cost "we've lost the essential moral compass" — the same reference to a moral compass used by the Prime Minister last week.

On Friday, the Archbishop likened the British Government's policy fiscal stimulus package as a strategy similar to "an addict returning to a drug".

This sparked Mr Brown to respond in biblical terms, relating the Good Samaritan parable and insisting that the Government could not ignore the suffering of its people and just "walk by on the other side".

"The Archbishop would also agree with me that every time someone becomes unemployed or loses their home or a small business fails it is our duty to act and we should not walk by on the other side when people are facing problems," he said.

The British Government has promised to encourage spending, hiking the level of public borrowing and embarking on a record £20 billion ($A44 billion) emergency package to kick start the economy, as well as other big spending measures.

But with the number of jobless forecast to reach two million next year and the property market pushing thousands into negative equity, Dr Williams suggested that the downturn may provide a reason for the modern, Western world to rethink its obsession with accumulating material wealth.

Dr Williams' comments may be perceived as a further attack on Mr Brown's economic strategy and risk damaging the relationship between the Church and Downing Street.

"It threatens a return to the 1980s, when the Conservative Government came under fierce attack from the Church over its social policies, which were said to exclude the poor deliberately," the newspaper warned.source

Religion Becomes a Political Weapon in Obama's America.

2008-12-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

For inauguration prayer, Obama splits ticket

By RACHEL ZOLL

The clergy chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration fill separate symbolic roles: One is a nod to the civil rights activists who made Obama's election possible. The other is an overture to conservative Christians who rankles some Obama supporters.

The Rev. Rick Warren, who will give the invocation, is the most influential pastor in the United States, and a choice that has already caused problems for Obama.

Warren is a Southern Baptist who holds traditional religious beliefs and endorsed California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. But he also wants to broaden the evangelical agenda to include fighting global warming, poverty and AIDS.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87, is considered the dean of the civil rights movement. For the benediction at the Jan. 20 swearing-in, he says he will pray that the "spirit of fellowship and oneness" at the inauguration endures throughout Obama's presidency.

"He gets a lot with these choices," said David Domke, author of "The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America."

"Here's a guy who wants to run a progressive administration getting a substantial lift in his wings from the nation's most popular evangelical," Domke said. "But he balances that with Joseph Lowery, who speaks to the more liberal, social justice and African-American heritage." more

repentance means getting a new perspective

2008-12-18T03:43:00.000-08:00

Archbishop Rowan Williams welcomes credit crunch 'reality check'
..............
Dr Williams went on: "I would like to think that in this sort of crisis people would be reflecting more on how you develop a volunteer culture, how you develop a culture of people willing to put their services at the needs of others so that there can be a more active, a more vital civil society."

The archbishop called on the Government to give more of a lead on "how the civil society is created".

Dr Williams expressed concerns over the Prime Minister's "fiscal stimulus" package, which included cutting VAT to get the public spending again.

Questioned on whether increased spending was the right way to tackle the downturn, he said: "It seems a little bit like the addict returning to the drug.

"When the Bible uses the word 'repentance', it doesn't just mean beating your breast , it means getting a new perspective, and that is perhaps what we are shrinking away from."

The archbishop added: "It is about what is sustainable in the long term and if this is going to drive us back into the same spin, I do not think that is going to help us."

He said people should not "spend to save the economy", but instead spend for "human reasons" - to provide for their own needs. read it all

Vicar bans Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem

2008-12-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

A vicar has banned the Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem because it does not represent the modern-day reality of the war-torn city.

By Ben Leach
Last Updated: 11:12AM GMT 12 Dec 2008

Mr Coulter also showed the congregation a nativity scene carved by one of his guides which he had smuggled out of Palestine Photo: MEN

The Rev Stephen Coulter told parishioners not to sing the carol after he visited the West Bank.

He told them the words 'How still we see thee lie' were too far removed from life in Bethlehem.

He said where shepherds once used to watch over flocks by night now security guards watched over the people living there.

As a result the carol has been banned from all festive services in his Dorset parish of Blandford Forum.

Mr Coulter told the congregation at North Dorset District Council's civic carol service that he had visited the city in a recent pilgrimage to Israel and the West Bank and was shocked by the devastation he witnessed.

He said the Arab-Israeli conflict had destroyed its population and tourism and that he would not join in the singing of the carol.

He added: "My parishioners know why we will not be singing O Little Town in church this year."

Mr Coulter also showed the congregation a nativity scene carved by one of his guides which he had smuggled out of the West Bank.

He described how the guide's family was prohibited from leaving the town, which is surrounded by the fence which separates the crib from the wise men in the carving.

And he highlighted reports that the Israeli government was prohibiting the movement of communion wine from Bethlehem this Christmas because it was deemed a security risk. courtesy

RC Cardinal Cormac Murphy O' Connor's book on Multiculturalism in Britain

2008-12-07T01:31:00.000-08:00

Immigrants will have to adjust to an 'unfriendly' for religious people UK: Cardinal

Sun, Dec 7 11:45 AM

London, Dec.7 (ANI): The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O' Connor, has said that while Britain has become an "unfriendly" place for religious people to live in, immigrant groups still have an obligation to understand, respect and adjust to "the ethos of the society they are opting to join."

"Our society has a corresponding obligation to encourage and help them to do so," The Telegraph quotes Murphy-O'Connor as saying further while blaming the rise of secularism as the key factor behind a British society that is liberal and is hostile to Christian morals and values.

Religious belief is viewed as "a private eccentricity" and the voice of faith groups is marginalized, he says.

Britain, the cardinal adds, is now showing signs of degenerating into a country free of morals, because of its rejection of traditional values and its new emphasis on the rights of the individual.

In a book on multiculturalism, to be published on Monday, he argues that immigrants have a duty to adjust to British life, but expresses concern that they are faced with a culture that is increasingly repressive and intolerant.

The book, called Faith in the Nation, is published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), with the backing of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. more

Russian Patricarh dies

2008-12-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

Double life of Russia's patriarch

Patriarch Alexiy II, who died on Friday, had an extraordinary career, in which he switched from suppressing the Russian Orthodox Church to being its champion.

Patriarch Alexiy II was popular among fellow churchmen

A favourite of the KGB, he was promoted rapidly through the Church hierarchy, doing the Kremlin's bidding at a time when dissident priests were thrown into jail.

As the Church's effective foreign minister, he helped cover up the repression of Russian Christians, defending the Soviet system to the outside world.

He rose quickly through the ranks, being elected head of the Russian Orthodox Church at a crucial time, in 1990, with the Soviet Union on the path to collapse.

Surprisingly, perhaps, he seized the moment, and went on to oversee the revival and flowering of the Church, exuding moral authority and inspiring devotion among his followers. more

Episcopal Church Splits

2008-12-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Episcopal Split as Conservatives Form New Group

Sally Ryan for The New York Times

A group of conservative bishops met on Wednesday at the Resurrection Anglican Church in West Chicago, Ill.

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Published: December 3, 2008

WHEATON, Ill. — Conservatives alienated from the Episcopal Church announced on Wednesday that they were founding their own rival denomination, the biggest challenge yet to the authority of the Episcopal Church since it ordained an openly gay bishop five years ago.

The move threatens the fragile unity of the Anglican Communion, the world’s third-largest Christian body, made up of 38 provinces around the world that trace their roots to the Church of England and its spiritual leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

...........

“We’re going through Reformation times, and in Reformation times things aren’t neat and clean,” Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, a conservative who led his diocese out of the Episcopal Church in October, said in an interview. “In Reformation times, new structures are emerging.”

Bishop Duncan will be named the archbishop and primate of the North American church, which says it would have 100,000 members, compared with 2.3 million in the Episcopal Church.

The conservatives contend that the American and Canadian churches have broken with traditional Christianity in many ways, but their resolve to form a unified breakaway church was precipitated by the decision to ordain an openly gay bishop and to bless gay unions. read it all

Vatican 'forgives' John Lennon

2008-11-23T00:23:00.000-08:00

By David Willey
BBC News, Rome

At the time radio stations banned their music and concerts were cancelled

A Vatican newspaper has forgiven the late English singer John Lennon for saying four decades ago that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.

In an article praising The Beatles, L'Osservatore Romano said Lennon had just been showing off.

Lennon told a British newspaper in 1966 - at the height of Beatlemania - that he did not know which would die out first, Christianity or rock and roll.

At the time, the comparison sparked controversy in the US.

The semi-official Vatican newspaper marked the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' "White Album" with an article praising Lennon and the Fab Four from Liverpool.

Youthful joke

The paper dismissed Lennon's much-criticised remark that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ as a youthful joke. more

George Barna: the days of the institutional church are over.

2008-11-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

Evangelical marketer George Barna, similar to the findings of the Willow Creek study, says that what individual believers do on their own is more important than what the church does for them. Barna, however, takes Finney's legacy to the next logical step. A leading marketing consultant to megachurches as well as the Disney Corporation, he has recently gone so far as to suggest that the days of the institutional church are over. Barna celebrates a rising demographic of what he calls "Revolutionaries"-"millions of believers" who "have moved beyond the established church and chosen to be the church instead." (2) Since "being the church" is a matter of individual choice and effort, all people need are resources for their own work of personal and social transformation. "Based on our research," Barna relates, "I have projected that by the year 2010, 10 to 20 percent of Americans will derive all their spiritual input (and output) through the Internet." (3) Who needs the church when you have an iPod? Like any service provider, the church needs to figure out what business it's in, says Barna:

Ours is not the business of organized religion, corporate worship, or Bible teaching. If we dedicate ourselves to such a business we will be left by the wayside as the culture moves forward. Those are fragments of a larger purpose to which we have been called by God's Word. We are in the business of life transformation. (4)
Of course, Barna does not believe that Christians should abandon all religious practices, but the only ones he still thinks are essential are those that can be done by individuals in private, or at most in families or informal public gatherings. But by eliminating the public means of grace, Barna (like Willow Creek) directs us away from God's lavish feast to a self-serve buffet.

Addressing his readers in terms similar to the conclusions of the Willow Creek study cited above, Barna writes, "Whether you choose to remain involved in the congregational mold or to venture into the spiritual unknown, to experience the competing dynamics of independence and responsibility, move ahead boldly. God's perspective is that the structures and routines you engage with matter much less than the character and commitments that define you." Believers need not find a good church, but they should "get a good coach." If the gospel is good advice rather than good news, obviously the church is simply "a resource" for our personal development, as Barna suggests. (5)

If the local church is to survive, says Barna, authority must shift from being centralized to decentralized; leadership from "pastor-driven" to "lay-driven," which means that the sheep are primarily servers rather than served by the ministry. Further, ministry must shift from "resistance" to change to "acceptance," from "tradition and order" to "mission and vision," from an "all-purpose" to a "specialized" approach to ministry, "tradition bound" to "relevance bound," from a view of the people's role as receivers to actors, from "knowledge" to "transformation." (6)

"In just a few years," Barna predicts, "we will see that millions of people will never travel physically to a church, but will instead roam the Internet in search of meaningful spiritual experiences." (7) After all, he adds, the heart of Jesus' ministry was "the development of people's character." (8) "If we rise to the challenge," says Barna, America will witness a "moral resurgence," new leadership, and the Christian message "will regain respect" in our culture. (9) Intimate worship, says Barna, does "not require a 'worship service,'" just a personal commitment to the Bible, prayer, and discipleship. (10) His book concludes with the warning of the last judgment: "What report of your commitment to practical, holy, life-transforming service will you be able to give Him?" (11) The Revolutionaries have found that in order to pursue an authentic faith they had to abandon the church. (12)

This is finally where American spirituality leaves us: alone, surfing the Internet, casting about for coaches and teammates, trying to save ourselves from captivity to this present age by finding those "excitements" that will induce a transformed life. Increasingly, the examples I have referred to are what people mean by the adjective "missional."

Like the nineteenth-century revivalist Charles Finney, George Barna asserts that the Bible offers "almost no restrictions on structures and methods" for the church. (13) In fact, as we have seen, he does not even think that the visible church itself is divinely established. Nature abhors a vacuum and where Barna imagines that the Bible prescribes no particular structures or methods, the invisible hand of the market fills the void. He even recognizes that the shift from the institutional church to "alternative faith communities" is largely due to market forces: "Whether you examine the changes in broadcasting, clothing, music, investing, or automobiles, producers of such consumables realize that Americans want control over their lives. The result has been the 'niching' of America-creating highly refined categories that serve smaller numbers of people, but can command greater loyalty (and profits)." The same thing is happening to the church, Barna notes, as if it were a fate to be embraced rather than an apostasy to be resisted. (14)

However thin, there is a theology behind Barna's interpretation of Jesus as the paradigmatic "Revolutionary," and it is basically that of Finney. "So if you are a Revolutionary," says Barna, "it is because you have sensed and responded to God's calling to be such an imitator of Christ. It is not a church's responsibility to make you into this mold....The choice to become a Revolutionary-and it is a choice-is a covenant you make with God alone." (15) In this way, however, the work of the people displaces the work of God.

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Father Roy Bourge facing excommunication for advocating Ordination of women

2008-11-16T02:26:00.000-08:00

U.S. priest facing ouster to appeal

ALBANY: An American priest facing excommunication for supporting the ordination of women said he plans to visit the Vatican with a contingent of fellow priests and a bishop to appeal the decision.

Father Roy Bourgeois, 69, a peace activist, ran afoul of Vatican doctrine by participating in an August 9 ceremony in Kentucky to ordain Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a member of a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Recent Popes have said the Roman Catholic Church cannot ordain women because Christ chose only males as apostles.

“Who are we as men to say to women that our call to the priesthood is valid, but yours is not?” Father Bourgeois asked. “As Catholics we profess that the invitation to priesthood comes from God, and I believe that we are hampering with the sacred when we say that women must be excluded from being priests. That invitation is from God.” more

525th anniversary of Luther's baptism

2008-11-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

Celebrations mark 525th anniversary of Luther's baptism

by Ethan Cole, Christian Post

Posted: Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 22:59 (GMT)

Lutheran congregations worldwide are joining in celebrations today for the 525th anniversary of the baptism of protestant reformation founder Martin Luther.

The worldwide “Baptism Festival” on Tuesday, the day after the anniversary of Martin Luther’s birthday on November 10, 1483, will see at least 270 baptisms in 249 congregations celebrating baptismal remembrances in 13 countries.

“A developed theology of baptism is a central part of our Lutheran heritage and this festival is a way to emphasise that importance in our home congregations and worldwide,” said the Rev Scott A. Moore, an ELCA pastor serving St Andreas-Nicolai-Petri in Lutherstadt Eisleben and Saints Peter and Paul Church in Volkstedt, Germany.

Martin Luther was born in Eisleben and was brought by his parents to be baptised in St Peter Church the day after he was born, according to the customs of the time.

He grew up to become a monk, theologian, university professor, church reformer and the father of the Protestant Reformation. Luther gave his last sermon at St Peter Church before he died February 18, 1546, in Eisleben. more

Diocese of Pittsburgh Re-Elects Bishop Robert Duncan 50 days after deposition

2008-11-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Diocese Re-Elects Bishop Robert Duncan

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Bishop Robert Duncan is once again the diocesan bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Clergy and lay deputies to a special convention of the diocese on November 7 voted to invite Bishop Duncan back into leadership of the diocese the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church voted to remove ("depose") him.

"It is good to be back. God has clearly watched over the diocese and watched over me and Nara as we have walked through these challenging days together. God willing, I look forward to many years together sharing the good news of Jesus Christ," said Bishop Duncan.

Leaders representing a majority of the world's Anglican Christians, as well as many inside and outside The Episcopal Church in North America, never accepted the validity of The House of Bishops' decision to remove Bishop Duncan from leadership. In spite of the decision's deep defects, Bishop Duncan and the diocese elected to submit to the purported "deposition," so long as the diocese was part of that denomination.

Theology Reader: Evolution of Fundamentalists

2008-11-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

Emergingg.Emergent churches Theology Reader

Emerging vs. Emergent Churches

2008-11-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Reflections on the emerging and emergent church

While I would never offer a blanket endorsement of all things “emerging”, the evangelically inclined emerging church movement can generally be viewed as a positive force within the church. Wherever we find emerging churches remaining faithful to the authority and truths of Scripture, the wider evangelical community should embrace and support them as co-laborers for the Kingdom. The goal of spreading the gospel to the entire world, including the postmodern world, is a clear biblical mandate and the emerging church movement is helping to carryout this task.

The church must recognize that throughout history the tactics we’ve used in communicating the gospel message have regularly changed. The medium for delivering the message, as long as it does not clearly violate biblical norms, should not be our primary concern. Rather, the advancement of the message of the gospel should be paramount. When sharing this goal, the emerging church movement can be viewed as an ally of traditional evangelicalism.

The emergent church movement, on the other hand, has given traditional evangelicals more cause for concern. As I have observed the evolution of the emergent church over the past few years, I have noticed an increasing trend towards theological revisionism, theological liberalism, and an open embrace of postmodern philosophy.

The emergent church has moved beyond the practice of simply adapting the methods we use in order to reach the postmodern world for Jesus Christ. By and large the emergent church has adopted an uncritical embrace of the postmodern worldview. And postmodernism is a worldview that in many regards is antithetical to biblical Christianity. Prominent leaders within the emergent church are on record denying objective truth, promoting relativism, and questioning a number of the core doctrines of biblical Christianity. All of these facts greatly disturb me and should concern all discerning believers.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE IDEA OF DIALOGUE IN THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT

2008-11-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE IDEA OF DIALOGUE IN

THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT

2008-11-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

Ecclesiology Bibliography

SJ Samartha on Globalization and its cultural consequences

2008-11-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

A Wisdom Archive on Ecclesiology

Archaeological digs on sites where Martin Luther lived.

2008-10-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

The dirt on is out

Kate Connolly
Scientists trawl through his household waste

The ex-monk’s claim of poverty stand dismissed

Berlin: German scientists have reconstructed an extraordinarily detailed picture of the domestic life of Martin Luther, the 16th-century reformer and father of Protestantism. This they did by trawling through his household waste uncovered during archaeological digs

Beer tankards, grains of corn, cooking pots, even his toilet are among the finds dug up during the five-year project in the three places in Germany he spent his life. The items include his wife’s golden wedding band, a collection of 250 silver coins and the medicines used to treat his various ailments from angina to constipation.

Some of the finds have upset the Protestant church in Wittenberg where the ex-monk lived with his wife, the ex-nun Katharina von Bora, and their six children. It has termed “religiously irrelevant” evidence that the family used to throw dead cats into the rubbish bin and that the nails Luther used to secure his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, which led to his ex-communication from the Catholic Church and launched the Reformation, were in fact drawing pins.

Protestants from around the world are expected to flock to an exhibition at the history museum in Halle, where some of the discoveries will go on display.

Despite the widespread belief that Luther lived in poverty, evidence suggests he was a well-fed man weighing in at a hefty 150 kg when he died in 1546 at the age of 63. A search through the kitchen waste offers proof that the family ate well. There are clues that they regularly dined on roast goose and the tender meat of piglets, while during fasting periods they tucked into expensive fish including herring, cod, and plaice. Partridge and song-birds often graced the Luthers’ dinner table.

The claim by historians which will arguably be most upsetting for followers is the recently uncovered written evidence that it was not, as thought, a lightning bolt which led to the then 21-year-old’s spontaneous declaration he wanted to become a monk. Rather, it was his desperation to escape an impending arranged marriage. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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The Birth of Modern Missions

2008-10-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

David Brainerd was born on April 20, 1718, in Haddam, Connecticut, 43 years before William Carey was born in Paulerspury, England. Brainerd became a missionary to the Indians in New England but died at the age of 29. He spent the last 19 weeks of his life in the home of the great Jonathan Edwards in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Edwards was so deeply moved by the missionary labor and faith and courage of young Brainerd that he edited and published his Life and Diary in 1749. Forty years later a young English pastor, William Carey, was stung by the story of Brainerd's sacrifices as a young missionary.

When he was 31 years old, Carey published a little book entitled, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use means for the Conversion of the Heathens. Repeatedly in this book he refers to the great example of Brainerd. A year later, as he sailed to India in 1793 on the Kron Princess Maria, Carey wrote in his journal about how the sermons of Jonathan Edwards were giving him strength. For example: June 24, 1793—"Saw a number of flying-fish. Have begun to write Bengali, and read Edwards' Sermons and Cowper's Poems. Mind tranquil and serene . . . "

Carey's book, plus his own amazing 40-year career in India have immortalized him as the "father of modern missions." And the reason that I point out his connection with Edwards and Brainerd is to show that the great era of modern missions was born in the soil of sovereign grace. It was born in the hearts of men and women who believed in the doctrines of unconditional election and predestination and effectual calling and definite atonement and the perseverance of the saints—the great truths that we have been teaching for the past four weeks from Romans 8:28-30.

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2008-10-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

ECCLESIOLOGY
INTRODUCTION

The Doctrine of Ecclesiology is the Doctrine of the Church. It is the study of its origin, its nature, its constitution, its ordinances and its activities. We shall confine our consideration to four topics. The origin of the church, the organism of the church, the organization of the church and the ordinances of the church. There is always in the popular mind the hazy conception of the church as a club, a mutual society of kindred minds and a continual confusing of the church with the kingdom of Heaven. How often is the aim of the church stated as, "Advancing the kingdom" and "bringing in the kingdom," "establishing the kingdom." Many times making the church a political thing. Men lose sight of the primary nature of the church as a "called out" body of people "for His name", a heavenly people, one body separate from all other men of the world as a unique heavenly bride of Christ. Ignorance of its true nature is also displayed in classifying all the saved of all the ages as "members of the church." And some would even out all the sinners who, like the "mixed multitude" which followed Israel, fasten themselves for one reason or another like parasites to the church, as bonified members of the church. We must always see the distinctive nature of the church both as to dispensations and as to its membership as containing only the born-again. Not an earthly organization but a heavenly organism

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Discipleship - A Space for Women’s Leadership? By Pauline Chakkalakal

2008-10-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Discipleship - A Space for Women’s Leadership? By Pauline Chakkalakal. Mumbai: Pauline Publications. 394 pp. Rs. 265.

Until the birth of liberation theology in South America, with the newfound openness of the Second Vatican Council, the Bible was read and theology was created mostly from the perspective of European male clerics and this was universally accepted as normative for all. With new challenges from numerous socio cultural contexts, traditional biblical hermeneutics has been uncomfortably challenged and remarkably broadened. Liberation theology, black theology, feminist theology, Dalit theology, tribal theology, etc. are fruits of new ways of doing theology, where the context and text are mutually challenged as well as reinterpreted. Among these, feminist theology seems to have the broadest scope, with empowerment of half of humankind as its objective.

Pauline Chakkalakal’s book is a revised and modified version of her doctoral thesis. It is undoubtedly a major contribution to the ongoing contemporary global debate on women’s dignity and equality, with special focus on ecclesiastical leadership in a patriarchal church where women are unfortunately marginalised against the gospel vision. A special feature of the volume is a well-balanced blending of social analysis, feminist hermeneutics and theological reflection on the theory and praxis of leadership in the Indian Catholic Church. The author’s powerful critique of existing hierarchical and patriarchal leadership pattern might elicit strong reactions from those who are inclined to hold that traditional western theology is normative for all places and times.

Chapter 1 begins with the statement and analysis of the problem. Although the Vatican Council II and subsequent documents, including those of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, are creatively responding to emerging consciousness of a democratic society which demands equality for women, still they are viewed as far from being satisfactory. The caste-ridden Indian society is male-dominated and women play second fiddle. (The book fails to mention a few exceptional communities that are matriarchal and matrilineal with certain influences on the Catholic Church). The church tradition, starting from the fathers of the church like Tertulian and St. Augustine with powerful impact on the whole Christian theology and spirituality, is profoundly anti women and in general continue to influence the church’s current leadership. According to St. Augustine the ultimate cause of the fall of humankind and original sin (Genesis 3) is Eve. So Tertulian condemned women, “you are the devil’s gateway” (p. 62). St. Paul’s injunctions to women to cover their heads and keep silence in the church (1 Cor. 11:2 16; 14:26 40) accentuate the problem if they are not interpreted as culturally-bound norms of behaviour.

The author’s uncompromising position on patriarchy, sin of sexism and exclusion of women from decision-making bodies in the church are supported by findings of empirical investigations in Chapter 2. The analysis of data from around 350 respondents to questionnaires and interviews, mostly from urban areas, confirm male domination in family life, society and church. Because leadership in the Catholic Church is intrinsically linked to ministerial priesthood, exclusion of women from ministerial priesthood logically leads to their exclusion from sharing leadership at every level of the church. The root cause of the unjust structure of authority is identified with this theological issue, according to the writer. “Matters requiring the exercise of power of governance be reserved to those on holy orders” reiterates Pope John Paul II (p. 40).

Critical investigation into the legitimization of socio religious order based on biblical authority is the focus of Chapter 3. A critical enquiry into women’s leadership in the biblical tradition, this chapter examines the creation account of man and woman (Genesis 1:26 27; 2:7 8, 18 25). After showing their equality as images of God, this chapter studies the role of women in the Jesus’ movement. Jesus’ style of dealing with women disciples, including women at the foot of the cross, broke the Jewish patriarchal and rabbinical model. Contemporary Mariology challenges the distorted image of Mary of the traditional catholic popular devotions. “The Magnificat (Lk. 1:46 55) is a powerful testimony to this counter cultural action of God” (p. 133). After his resurrection which is the foundation of Christian faith, women, not the male disciples, had the privilege to be chosen by Jesus to be the first missionaries. Women at Pentecost (Acts, 1:14; 2:1 4), Priscilla and Aquilla (Acts 18:23; 18:26), Mary, mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12 17) are subjected to scholarly examination to establish women’s leadership in the early church. Yet I wonder why the hermeneutics of the crucial text (Acts 2:17 18), the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel (2:28 29), whereby the creation of the new Israel, the church, is missing. Radical equality of the members of the new Israel is founded on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh—sons and daughters, young and old, menservants and maidservants.

The “role of feminist theology and hermeneutics” to enhance feminist leadership in the church is the concern of Chapter 4. Since all theological articulations are based on particular understanding of biblical texts, feminist theologians, in contrast to an androcentric and kyriarchal interpretation, propose their own hermeneutics, e.g. of suspicion, remembrance, proclamation, and liberative vision and imagination. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza is quoted as saying “the locus of divine revelation and grace is not simply the Bible or the tradition of a patriarchal church but the ‘church of women’ in the past and present” thus, feminist theology has for its point of departure women’s experiences in their struggle for liberation” (p. 216). Feminist theology is a type of liberation theology that hopes to liberate, transform and create communities of ‘disciples of equals’. This logically leads to a feminist ecclesiology. Since ecclesiastical power and authority are at present intimately linked to ministerial priesthood, debate on ordination of women is inevitable even if it is forbidden. The Women’s Ordination Conference in Dublin in 2001 is cited as a case in question (p. 242). What is the essence of Jesus’ priesthood? Did Jesus rule out women priests? These questions are elaborately deliberated from the feminist perspective. Revision of exclusivist God-language is a logical necessity of feminist theology. Apart from feminist theologians, many who struggle for a new way of being church are inclined to believe that by the fourth century, with the Edict of Milan (313), the church lost sight of Jesus’ vision of a community of discipleship of equals (Mt. 23:1-12) as it developed into a clerical sacerdotal hierarchy.

“In search of a relevant model of church leadership” is the fifth and final chapter. Feminist leadership is described as relational, flexible, intimate and passionate. The ultimate norm and example for it is the leadership of Jesus, which is prophetic, conflictual, and contextual, and in solidarity with the poor. The chapter concludes with two specific recommendations, among others, in the exercise of authority: (1) shift from authoritarian to participatory model; (2) dialogue and partnership. The author argues that women have a unique role in liberating church structure from sexism, clericalism and other forms of discrimination against women and laity in general. New ecclesiology, underlying equality, justice and dignity of women, is impossible without reconstructing traditional Christology that emphasizes his maleness over his new humanity. New Christology and new ecclesiology should be pneumatocentric where criteria for a new model of leadership is neither maleness nor femaleness but the Spirit-filled life (Gal. 3:28).

The book is scholarly, critical, creative and thought-provoking. It also breaks new grounds in methodology for theologizing in India. The author’s commitment and passion for a new vision for alternative model of leadership in the Catholic Church in India distinguishes her as a pioneer of Indian feminist theology.

Dr. Augustine Kanjamala, SVD holds a Doctorate in Sociology of Religion. He was Director of Ishvani Kendra (Missiological Institute), Pune, India, of which Streevani (Women's Voice) is a Research & Publication wing. He has served as Secretary to the CBCI (Catholic Bishops' Conference of India) Commission for Evangelisation. Author of several articles and books, Kanjamala is presently the Director of "Institute of Indian Culture", affiliated to the University of Mumbai.

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Introduction to Ecclesiology By Veli-Matti Karkkainen

2008-10-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

An Introduction to Ecclesiology By Veli-Matti Karkkainen

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What is the church?What makes the church church?In this volume, theologian Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen provides an up-to-date survey and analysis of the major ecclesiological traditions, the most important theologians, and a number of contextual approaches that attempt to answer these essential questions.Drawing on his international experience, global research and ecumenical awareness, Kärkkäinen presents an overview of both traditional and contemporary expressions of the Christian church. An Introduction to Ecclesiology will richly reward the student, pastor or layperson who is looking for a comprehensive and insightful overview of the unity and diversity of understandings and practices within the one church of Jesus Christ.

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An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives
By Veli-Matti Karkkainen
Published by InterVarsity Press, 2002
ISBN 0830826882, 9780830826889
238 pages

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Contents
The Role of Ecdesiology in Systematic Theology
7
ecclesiology, Systematic Theology, Miroslav Volf
ECCLESIOLOGICAL TRADITIONS
15
Roman Catholicism, Free churches, ecumenical movement ecclesiologies
Eastern Orthodox Ecdesiology
17
ecclesiology, Eucharist, Vladimir Lossky
Roman Catholic Ecdesiology
26
Lumen Gentium, Vatican II, Ut Unum Sint
Lutheran Ecdesiology
39
Augsburg Confession, Book of Concord, Martin Luther
Reformed Ecdesiology
50
Ecclesiology, John Calvin, Zwingli
Free Church Ecdesiologies
59
Anabaptists, Free churches, Miroslav Volf
PentecostalCharismatic Ecdesiologies
68
Pentecostal, Charismatic Movements, Peter Hocken
The Ecumenical Movement Ecdesiologies
79
Ecclesiology, ecumenical movement, Unitatis Redintegratio
LEADING CONTEMPORARY ECCLESIOLOGISTS
93
ecumenical, theology, Zizioulas
Communion Ecdesiology
95
pneumatology, John Zizioulas, eschatological
Charismatic Ecdesiology
103
charism, Second Vatican Council, body of Christ
Universal Ecdesiology
113
Wolfhart Pannenberg, eschatological, christological
Messianic Ecdesiology
126
trinitarian, Moltmann, Glossolalia
Participatory Ecdesiology
134
laity, Tertullian, charismata
Baptist Ecdesiology
142
McClendon, Mennonite, Jews
Missionary Ecdesiology
151
Lesslie Newbigin, Protestantism, Protestant Reformation
Concluding Reflections on Leading Ecclesiologists
160
Mukyokai, Kanzo Uchimura, Non-Church Movement
Base Ecclesial Communities in Latin America
175
Leonardo Boff, feminist theology, Maryknoll
African Independent ChurchesEcclesiology
194
Shepherding movement, African Independent Churches, AICs
A World Church
211
postmodern, Donovan, George Lindbeck
Ecclesiological Challenges for the Third Millennium
231
Emil Brunner, Christian theology, Roman Catholic

Key terms
ecclesiology, pneumatology, Pentecostal, Shepherding movement, Eucharist, Lumen Gentium, Christology, Holy Spirit, Charismatic movement, Vatican II, Mukyokai, sacraments, Roman Catholic Church, Systematic Theology, Miroslav Volf, baptism, Lesslie Newbigin, eschatological, John Zizioulas, ecumenical movement

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Newbigin’s missionary ecclesiology

2008-10-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

3. FROM A CHRISTOCENTRIC TO ATRINITARIAN MISSIONARY ECCLESIOLOGY:(1959-1998) 3.1. I NTRODUCTION This chapter traces the historical development of Newbigin’s missionary ecclesiologyfrom the time he became the General Secretary of the International Missionary Councilin 1959 until his death in 1998. Newbigin’s 1958 publication One Body, One Gospel,One World marked a consensus in ecumenical thinking on the church and mission thathad developed from the time of the IMC meeting in Tambaram in 1938. However, thisagreement was already under attack. Within three years Newbigin himself would beginto see the inadequacy of his ecclesiology. A Christocentric ecclesiology must bereplaced by a Christocentric-Trinitarian ecclesiology. His first halting attempt toarticulate this new ecclesiology is found in The Relevance of Trinitarian Doctrine forToday’s Mission (1963g). Many other publications would follow in which the detailsof a Trinitarian ecclesiology would be expanded more

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An Orthodox, Indian perspective on ecclesiology - Jacob Kurien

2008-10-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

An “invitation” on the ecclesiology statement from an Orthodox, Indian perspective

There is a proverbial statement in the Harare Report: “Any vision which does not inspire new forms of acting remains a distant utopia”. The strength, of the Ecclesiology statement entitled “Called to be the One Church”, is an inspiring vision and a new form of acting for the manifestation of Christian unity.

As an Oriental Orthodox, I am delighted to notice a Trinitarian image of unity and an emphasis on the Faith of the early undivided Church as embodied in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. As an Indian Christian living in a multi-religious and dominantly non-christian background, I see in the text a commitment for inter-religious dialogue as integral to the unity we seek. A theological self-understanding on religious plurality and a common stance against religious extremism and violence are central to our vision of Christian unity. more

Mission and Ecclesiology

2008-10-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Jesudas M. Athyal, Identity And Mission: Towards A New Ecclesiology"
Excerpts

Indigenous Forms of Mission

There is a tradition in India of permeation at the deeply spiritual level of relating faith in Christ to the pluralistic context as well. In his article: ‘The Church – The Fellowship of the Baptised and the Unbaptised?’, M. M. Thomas says that in the history of the modern neo-Hindu movements, the person of Jesus was a strong component. There were many Hindus who kept themselves in spiritual fellowship with other Christians without joining the church by baptism. Kandasamy Chetty of the Madras Christian College, who was one such, stated: ‘There is nothing essentially sinful in Hindu society any more than there is anything essentially pure in the Christian society - for that is what the Christian church amounts to – so that one should hasten from the one to the other…So long as the believer’s testimony for Christ is open and as long as his attitude towards the Hindu society in general is critical, and his attitude towards social and religious practices inconsistent with the spirit of Christ is protestant and practically protestant, I would allow him to struggle his way to the light with some failure here and some failure there perhaps, but with progress and success on the whole’.[xi]

There were several other forms of Christian witness, by individuals and local worshipping and witnessing communities, outside the established churches. Sattampillai, a man of high intellectual calibre and extraordinary qualities, founded the Hindu-Christian Church of Lord Jesus at Prakasapuram near Tirunelveli in 1857. He evolved the agenda of the Hindu-Christian Church to negotiate the contradictory impacts of conversion by developing at one level a critique of western Christianity as practised by the missionaries, in the context raising questions such as “What is real Christianity”?[xii] In his recent book, Christianity is Indian: The Emergence of an Indigenous Community, Roger Hedlund of the Mylapore Institute for Indigenous Studies, identifies and describes several such “little traditions” of Indian Christianity – movements largely unstudied and unknown.

Within the framework of the mainline churches too, there were small, yet definite, forms of indigenous expressions of mission and witness in India. Much before dialogue was officially recognised as a form of Christian witness, several theologians and church leaders like Keshub Chandra Sen and Bishop Appasamy here practised a dialogical form of mission. The itinerant evangelist Sadhu Sunder Singh and organisations like the National Missionary Society too represent indigenous patterns of mission and evangelism. The grave situation in our country today might require a more rigorous articulation of a theology of mission in comparison to the earlier indigenous forms of mission, though as forms of mission rooted in our soil, these patterns will continue ‘to be challengingly relevant’ at all times.

Any attempt to identify and define viable patterns of mission and evangelism today need to be placed firmly within a definite historical context. The search for patterns of church and Christian witness sensitive to the cultural and religious settings of India is not only a theological discussion of the last generation but a pertinent question in our current context. M. M. Thomas says: ‘The crucial question for evangelistic mission today is how in a changed post-colonial situation the forms of church and its evangelistic proclamation of Christ, the call to conversion and invitation to join the fellowship of the church may take place within the context of the recognition of religious and cultural plurality and common participation in building a new just society and state’.[xiii]

Our societies today are experiencing changes that are unprecedented and historic. It is therefore important that the traditional patterns of mission and evangelism be drastically reviewed in a search for more relevant patterns. It has often been pointed out that the aggressive evangelistic campaigns of most churches do not adequately reflect the holistic mission of Christ and are often insensitive to the delicate pluralistic framework of our societies. While critically reviewing our existing structures, we however, also recognise the search by small Christ-inspired groups at various levels – within the churches as well as outside - for authentic and relevant patterns of Christian witness in today’s pluralistic context. Such groups are not however, always a rejection of our existing church structures. What is central to our discussion is that the challenge of the gospel demands us to repeatedly relate God’s mission to the context, which is central to our affirmation that, at the cutting edge of the mission, the church meets the world. The Church is defined by the necessity of proclaiming the saving activity of God through Christ in history. The central ecclesiological concern in pluralistic societies like India therefore, is the search for contextual forms of proclamation - evangelisation.

IV

A New Ecclesiology

The link between the renewal of the church and her missionary mandate is crucial. T. V. Philip says that in the history of the Church, it has been the people engaged in mission in the world who have often raised fundamental questions about the nature of the church, its catholicity and unity.[xiv] In recent times, theologians have been re-interpreting the identity and function of the church not so much as a given and unchanging reality but as a movement of the Holy Spirit and in response to the major concerns of the period. Accordingly, Wesley Ariarajah, in his book, Not Without My Neighbour, outlines dialogue as a paradigm for ecclesiology. He asks the pertinent question: ‘Why are we in mission? Is it because God is present with our neighbour or because God is absent?’[xv] M. M. Thomas, in his Chavara Lectures (1994), on the other hand, discusses a diaconal approach to Indian Ecclesiology aimed at the re-structuring of the church of Christ in modern religiously and ideologically pluralistic India in ways more relevant to the discharging of its humanizing mission.[xvi] The underlying concern in these attempts to re-articulate the identity and role of the church, is the growing awareness that the traditional understanding of the functions of the church as teaching the Word of God and administering the sacraments, is in urgent need of revision. A serious challenge for the church today is the gulf between its life and mission. In the words of Abraham Kuruvilla, ‘When the liturgy itself was degraded to the level of a sacramental act, the character of the ordained ministry became significantly altered….The ministry of the Word of God was not merely a matter of preaching sermons; ‘it meant equipping the church to live in orthodoxy and orthopraxis. But preaching and the sacraments got divorced from witnessing to the marvelous acts of God and participating in God’s continuing work in history’.[xvii]

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Mormons, the fastest growing USChurch, build their first temple in Italy

2008-10-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

Mormons build their first temple in Italy
Sat Oct 4, 4:55 PM ET
CASPAR, Wyoming (AFP) -

The LDS Church, the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and by far the largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, has rapidly expanded in recent years, and constantly seeks growth.

The LDS temple in Rome is the first for that nation, as well as the first in the Mediterranean region.

LDS Church membership in Italy membership tops 25,000 followers over 102 congregations. Worldwide, there are more than 13 million Mormons, according to the Church.

Mormon temples, unlike conventional church buildings, are used by followers only for the most sacred ordinances and, unlike churches, are not open to the public.

The LDS movement was established by Joseph Smith, on April 6, 1830 in New York. Smith also published the Book of Mormon, which, followers believe, is a translation of God's word written on gold plates buried near Smith's house, as revealed to him by the angel Moroni.

Smith's followers, known as Mormons, moved westward in the 19th century to flee prevalent anti-Mormon sentiments. In the latter part of the 1900s Mormons eventually settled and thrived in the Utah desert, although numerous schisms in the movement have emerged since then. read it all

Episcopal diocese split over Bible, gays

2008-10-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

By JOE MANDAK, Associated Press Writer

MONROEVILLE, Pa. - Clergy and lay members of the theologically conservative Pittsburgh diocese voted overwhelmingly Saturday to break from the liberal Episcopal Church, with which it differs on issues ranging from homosexuality to biblical teachings on salvation.

Assistant Bishop Henry Scriven said the vote means the Pittsburgh diocese is now more firmly aligned with the majority of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, which is more conservative than the communion's 2.2 million-member U.S. church.

"I am delighted," Scriven said, "that what we have done today is bringing the Diocese of Pittsburgh back into the mainstream of worldwide Anglicanism."

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the U.S. church, criticized the vote in a statement, saying, "There is room in this Church for all who desire to be members of it."

She also said schism is not an "honored tradition within Anglicanism" and is "frequently been seen as a more egregious error than charges of heresy." more

Christians, Hindus in Pak claim possession of temple

2008-09-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Sat, Sep 27 02:05 PM
Lahore, Sept 27 (ANI): A temple in Lahore has become the centre of feud between the Hindus and the Christians. While both the communities claim full rights over the temple, with each putting forth arguments in its favour, the Christian converts (Hindus who converted to Christianity) currently assume control of the temple site.

The ancestors of the Balmiki Christians, who currently have possession of the temple, converted to Christianity from Hinduism about 30 years ago, but are still affiliated with the Swami Balmiki, for whom the temple was built.

They maintain that they have full rights to the temple despite being Christians, and will not give it up, reported the Daily Times.

Conversely, the Hindu Sudhar Sabha, an association of city's Hindu population, has alleged that the Christian caretakers harass them and prevent them from worshipping in the temple. They claim that their actions have made the temple the site of a hub of activities that are against the respect of the temple. However, the Christians claim that they do not want any 'occupier' to intervene in the internal affairs of the temple, added the paper.

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It's time for the 'silent majority' to speak up: T V R Shenoy

2008-09-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

One can understand -- and respect -- conversion. If an individual chooses to change his faith after struggling with his convictions, so be it. But going around asking others to convert, with none-too-subtle overtones of 'My God is better than your god!' is not respect but hostility. And that, let us be honest, is the tone adopted by some Christian missionaries in India.

Once again, I believe that this is not true of most Indian Christians. This country has had a long history of Christians -- Catholic, Protestant, Mar Thoma Syrian Christians -- living perfectly amicably without feeling any need to convert their Hindu neighbours.Church in the World: It's time for the 'silent majority' to speak up: T V R Shenoy

It's time for the 'silent majority' to speak up: T V R Shenoy

2008-09-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

If Hindus are required to respect other religions then it must be a two-way street. And, frankly, there is nothing so utterly disrespectful as proselytisation.

One can understand -- and respect -- conversion. If an individual chooses to change his faith after struggling with his convictions, so be it. But going around asking others to convert, with none-too-subtle overtones of 'My God is better than your god!' is not respect but hostility. And that, let us be honest, is the tone adopted by some Christian missionaries in India.

Once again, I believe that this is not true of most Indian Christians. This country has had a long history of Christians -- Catholic, Protestant, Mar Thoma Syrian Christians -- living perfectly amicably without feeling any need to convert their Hindu neighbours. (Although it must be noted that one major exception was during Portuguese rule when the Catholics made converts at the point of the sword).

There was a major change more recently, one that became clear when Pope John Paul II unveiled the document 'Ecclesia in Asia' when he came here in 1999. The Holy Father said on that occasion, 'The peoples of Asia need Jesus Christ and his gospel. Asia is thirsting for the living water that Jesus alone can give.' Can you blame Hindus for worrying after that?

Oddly, at the same time the Vatican was fuming about 'sheep stealing' in Latin America. That was because Catholics were turning to some Protestant sects like the Evangelicals and the Pentecostals. (By the way, Republican vice-presidentiial nominee Sarah Palin [Images] was born a Catholic, but now attends an independent congregation). Is it surprising that Hindus share similar worries?

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Sudden Death of Pope John Paul I still a Mystery after 30 years

2008-09-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice was elected as Pope John Paul I when Paul VI, famous for his his 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae which proclaimed that any sort of artificial birth control was “against God’s will” died on 6 August 1968.
His reaction when the fabled white smoke announced that the search was over, that he was Pope, was humble: “I don’t know how I could have accepted. The day after I already regretted it, but by then it was too late.
This ever-smiling son of a bricklayer, who looked, someone said, like everyone’s favourite uncle, swiftly earned the name “the Homely Pope”. He combined the names of his two predecessors to become John Paul I and in spite of his benign, self-effacing approach to the job, he quickly sent tremors through the Vatican old guard.
He began as he meant to go on. With humility. There would be no splendid coronation. He refused to be crowned. There would be no sedia gestatoria, the chair in which Popes were carried above the crowd; no jewel-encrusted triple-deck tiara, instead just a white wool stole around his shoulders; no traditional six-hour ceremony, either, Just a simple mass.
He was, to put it bluntly, a new broom and he felt there was much in the Vatican to be swept away.
Sensationally, some Italian newspapers claimed he contemplated allowing use of the contraceptive pill, their stories based on a document supposed to have been sent by Luciani to Pope Paul. This was instantly denied by the Vatican hierarchy. Artificial contraception was anathema to the traditionalists.
The new Pope was also rumoured to be unhappy with the activities of the Vatican Bank and its alleged connection to P2, a Masonic lodge within the Vatican, and this was enough, later writings claim, to antagonise powerful forces within the Church.
Little wonder, then, that the conspiracy theories surfaced almost immediately when John Paul I was found dead in his bed on September 29 after just 33 days in office. After all, he was only 65 and in good health, so not surprisingly the whispers started.
The Pope had been murdered. Why? To prevent him sacking men like the Chicago-born Archbishop Paul Marcincus, “God’s Enforcer”, suspected of some very dodgy financial deals which might even have embraced the Mafia. Read it all

Luther Decade

2008-09-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

The state churches in Germany, in cooperation with government agencies and institutions, is launching the "Luther Decade" — a celebration of all things Luther, culminating in 2017, the 500th anniversary of the posting of the 95 theses. Of particular interest will be a special exhibition in Halle, featuring the archeological finds from recent decades in Mansfeld and Wittenberg. ...>

Link

A New Online home for the Book of Concord

The image shown on this page is the title page of the first edition of the Book of Concord, printed in Dresden, Germany in 1580. English translation: CONCORDIA. YHWH. Christian repeated unanimous confession of later-named Electors, Princes, and Estates of the Augsburg Confession, and of their theologians' doctrine and faith. In addition, there has been added a thorough explanation of certain articles, well-founded in God's Word as the only rule, which after Dr. Martin Luther's blessed death were the subject of controversy. Set forth by the joint resolution and order of said Electors, Princes, and Estates for the instruction and admonition of their lands, churches, schools and posterity. With the privilege of His Electoral Grace of Saxony. Dresden, 1580.

link

Update by Nirmala Carvalho on Orissa Christians

2008-09-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

14 September, 2008

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» 09/13/2008 14:16
INDIA
Orissa, the drama of the refugees: forced conversion to Hinduism or more violence
by Nirmala Carvalho
According to the government, the situation is "under control", but it has delayed the elections, and has barred entry to the district of Kandhamal. A Christian activist denounces new violence against the refugees, while Hindu fundamentalists have drawn up a list of 140 Christians "guilty" of the murder of the Swami.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Despite the reassurances issued by the government of Orissa, which in a document submitted to the Indian supreme court calls the situation "under control", Hindu fundamentalist violence continues against Christians. According to Sajan K George, head of the Bangalore-based Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), there is a climate of "tension" in the area, so much so that the local government has prohibited any "entry into the district of Kandhamal", and has "delayed the administrative elections".
The Christian activist denounces the drama of the refugees, who are caught between a rock and a hard place: "Many Christians", says Sajan George, "are leaving the relief camps and returning to their villages because of terror of the Hinduvata extremists at the camps; intimidation to reconvert to Hinduism is just one of the many fears of the Christians. However, residents of Rupa village in Raikia area of Kandhamal where one Rasananda Pradhan had been burnt to death during the riots are reluctant to go back, fearing further attack".
According to the leader of the GCIC, the heads of Sangh Parivar - an association of nationalist Hindu groups, including paramilitaries connected to the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and to the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) - have prepared "a list of at least 140 Christians guilty of the assassination of Swami Laxamananda Saraswat and five of his followers", but without providing "any proof of their involvement". The list has been distributed among the Hindu fundamentalists, who have been asked to "punish the Christians" in case the government "does not provide justice". The threat has contributed to increasing the "panic" within the Christian community, already crushed by the violence in recent weeks and now facing the concrete possibility of new violence.
On Thursday, September 11, during a meeting at which some of the leaders of the main fundamentalist Hindu organizations, including the VHP, took part, there was a discussion of the future strategies to adopt after the assassination of the Swami and the spiral of violence that this led to. One of the groups present at the meeting is proposing a "social boycott" of those who work for peaceful coexistence among minorities.
Meanwhile, the list of violence against Christians in Orissa is growing longer. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians, four more corpses have been found, and Hindu fundamentalists are believed to have attacked six more villages in the area of Kurtamgarh, near Balliguda. The situation of tension is thought to have induced the government of Orissa to delay the elections. Ashok Singhal, president of the VHP, is also demanding, under threat, an end to the activity of proselytism on the part of Christians in India, and a return to the practice of Hinduism on the part of those who have embraced Christianity. On the night of September 11, some Christian families were attacked by groups of fanatics: they were able to save themselves, but their homes and possessions were destroyed.

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Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's memo to Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh

2008-09-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Pageantmaster on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: #72 Hanks Thankyou for that link to Dean Munday’s post. I was turning over what was missing from this letter compared to others and it…

Dallas Priest on TLC: Bishop Duncan To Skip HOB Meeting: Sorry Father Reed, as the name is good in both Dioceses.

Cennydd on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Jackie, I’m no canon lawyer, so I’d have to refer you to another person on this blog who IS. As far as I’M concerned, ruling…

hanks on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Pageantmaster (#63) thanks for adding the link to Chancellor’s summary of the illegal manner in which the ++Schofield and ++Cox depositions were rammed through the…

Jackie on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Cennydd, Can’t the bishop (1) get the committee to vote to refer for further study or 2) rule it out of order?

mari on Has The Church Become Too Feminine?: This is an example of the insanity and cruel behavior clergy like the PB and her ilk bring about: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/may/12/mentalhealth.health ‘I make it look like…

Cennydd on TLC: Bishop Duncan To Skip HOB Meeting: I call ‘em gutless wonders.

Cennydd on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: And Alice, I agree with you 100%!

Cennydd on Archbishop Akinola Criticises West For Cultural Laxity And Timidity: Eugene, you’re so right! I for one cannot and WILL not cut TEC any slack! And there are several million who I’m quite certain would…

Cennydd on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Old Lady, whatever temporary bishop Mrs Schori imposes upon the diocese will have no say as to whether or not the delegates vote to leave…

Intercessor on TLC: Bishop Duncan To Skip HOB Meeting: Caiaphas Schori will be remembered for the ages. Quite a legacy of cowardice. Cowards all… Intercessor

Alice Linsley on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Schori said, “In these circumstances, I concur with my Chancellor and the Parliamentarian that any ambiguity in the canon should be resolved in favor of…

tjmcmahon on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Please remember that it was members of the diocese, led especially by one parish in the diocese, which presented the charges; they initiated them, not…

Pageantmaster on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Oh and digging up two prior depositions which she says were also un-canonical [as originally mentioned by ‘Mark Harris’ - who is Mark Harris by…

els on Pastoral Letter from +Duncan: "Diocese will carry forward": Echoing Jonathan and others--love and best wishes. Frankly, there aren’t words except that I am proud to call him my bishop. Regarding #9: I hope…

Eugene on Archbishop Akinola Criticises West For Cultural Laxity And Timidity: I guess I have not been understood. I have no doubt that there are small dioceses in TEC. My point was that the AB of…

tjmcmahon on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Pageantmaster, I believe you understand TEC’s (I need to get out of the habit of saying “our") polity perfectly.

tjmcmahon on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Mugsie, I am tempted to ask what church you are in, since I think we can eliminate any variant of Catholicism or Anglicanism just based…

Pageantmaster on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: The legal situation in addition to the links to Curmudgeon’s posts at #8 Hanks above was originally and succinctly put by Chancellor here which appears…

old lady on Presiding Bishop's Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition: Dog-ma, #60: When she deposes +Duncan, she will appoint an interim bishop who will not allow your convention vote to leave TEC.

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GREG GRIFFITH

Presiding Bishop’s Memo Outlining Duncan Deposition

Saturday, September 13, 2008 • 11:02 am

Plucked like rotting fruit from the tree of the College of Bishops' "secure" web site... I present to you the Presiding Bishop's memo detailing her plans to depose Pittsburgh bishop Bob Duncan.

September 12, 2008

Memorandum to the House of Bishops
Subject: Bishop of Pittsburgh

Sisters and Brothers:

As has been widely reported, at the forthcoming business meeting of the House in Salt Lake City on September 18, I shall present to the House the matter of the certification to me by the Title IV Review Committee that Bishop Robert W. Duncan has abandoned the Communion of this Church within the meaning of Canon IV.9. In this memorandum, I layout the background of this matter and what I see as the procedural and substantive issues that are raised by it.

1. The Title IV Review Committee Certification

As the House has been informed previously, in November 2007 I directed a submission by my Office to the Title IV Review Committee that enclosed materials suggesting that Bishop Duncan had abandoned the Communion of this Church within the meaning of Canon IV.9. That submission recited that Bishop Duncan had supported first readings of amendments to the Constitution of the Diocese of Pittsburgh at the last Diocesan Convention that, among other things, would delete the unqualified accession by the Diocese to the Constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church. The submission also recited Bishop Duncan's leadership of a program under which delegates to the next Diocesan Convention in October 2008 would determine whether or not to adopt a second reading of the proposed amendments to the Diocesan Constitution deleting the "accession" clause, and pass a resolution purporting to make the Diocese a member of another Province within the Anglican Communion. Further details of Bishop Duncan's program were outlined in a second submission to the Review Committee by certain lay and clerical members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The thrust of the foregoing submission by my Office was not that Bishop Duncan had already left the Episcopal Church, but rather that he had in his episcopal leadership role taken the position that the Diocese had the option of either remaining subject to the Constitution and canons of this Church or leaving this Church for membership in another Province of the Communion; and that in that role he was encouraging the Diocese to choose to leave. The submission suggested, therefore, that Bishop Duncan, by pressing his position that the Diocese had such a choice and should exercise it by disaffiliating from the Episcopal Church, had abandoned the Communion of this Church by "an open renunciation of the ... Discipline ... of this Church" within the meaning of Canon IV.9(1)(i).

The Review Committee evidently agreed with that analysis and on December 17, 2007 certified to me as Presiding Bishop that Bishop Duncan had abandoned the Communion of this Church. Shortly thereafter, I asked the three senior bishops having jurisdiction in this Church, pursuant to Canon IV.9(1), to consent to Bishop Duncan's inhibition pending presentation of the matter to the House of Bishops, but not all these bishops gave their consent.

2. Bishop Duncan's Response

As the House has also been previously informed, on January 15, 2008, I informed Bishop Duncan of the Review Committee's certification and pointed out the provisions of Canon IV.9 that permitted him to respond to this certification in advance of a meeting of the House of Bishops at which consent to his deposition from the ordained ministry of this Church would be sought. On March 14, 2008, Bishop Duncan responded in a letter in which he stated that he considered himself fully subject to the Doctrine, Discipline and Worship of this Church, and described certain actions that he believed supported that view. I concluded then, and I remain of the view now, that that response was not a sufficient "declaration ... that the facts alleged in the certificate are false," and that therefore Bishop Duncan remains "liable to Deposition" under Canon IV.9(2). Moreover, since his letter of March 14, 2008, Bishop Duncan has made clear, both in responses to questions put to him in litigation within his diocese and in his recent letter to the House, that he does indeed support the proposed amendments to the Diocesan Constitution referred to above and a purported "realignment" of the Diocese of Pittsburgh with the Province of the Southern Cone.

3. Presentation to the House of Bishops

As stated above, I intend to bring this matter before the House at its forthcoming meeting in Salt Lake City. Prior to the business meeting on September 18, I shall ask my Council of Advice to hold an informal evening meeting to "investigate the matter" pursuant to Canon IV.9(1) at which members of the House can offer views and participate in a discussion concerning Bishop Duncan's conduct. While Bishop Duncan has unfortunately announced that he will not attend this meeting of the House, his supporters may at this hearing offer factual and opinion material as to why he has not abandoned the Communion of this Church.

As stated above, the House will be asked whether or not it will consent to Bishop Duncan's deposition at the business meeting on September 18, when there will be opportunity for further discussion. At that time, the House may, by majority vote of those present, grant or withhold its consent or decline to vote until a later time. In that regard, some have suggested that a vote not be taken until a later meeting of the House after the forthcoming Convention of the Diocese in early October, when Bishop Duncan's intentions and actions can perhaps be viewed more clearly.

At this meeting there may be raised the question whether, under Canon IV.9, the House may proceed to grant or withhold its consent to Bishop Duncan's deposition on the ground that the three senior bishops have not consented to his inhibition. It is the position of my Chancellor, after reviewing the apparent intent of the canon and consulting several other chancellors and former chancellors, as well as the opinion of the Parliamentarian of the House, that the General Convention in enacting this canon did not intend to give the three senior bishops a "veto" over the House's right to determine whether or not a bishop who has been certified by the Review Committee as having abandoned the Communion of this Church should be deposed. Rather, that decision was intended to be made by the House. The consent of the three senior bishops, they opine, was intended to be sought only on the matter of whether or not the bishop in question should be inhibited pending the proceeding before the House, and that any ambiguity in the language of the canon should be resolved in favor of the ability of the House itself to vote on this matter. In their view, and in the language of the canon, it is my "duty ... to present the matter to the House of Bishops" regardless of whether the bishop in question has been inhibited.

I concur with this advice, and that will be the ruling of the Chair. Any member of the House may appeal the ruling of the Chair, which may be overruled by a two-thirds vote pursuant to House Rule XV, p.192.

4. The Required Vote to Consent

There may also be raised at this meeting the question of whether consent to the deposition of a bishop who has been certified to have abandoned the Communion of this Church must be by a majority of bishops present at the meeting at which the matter is presented or, on the other hand, by a majority of all the voting members of the House whether or not in attendance. Canon IV.9(2) states that the vote to consent must, first, take place at a "regular or special meeting of the House" and, second, be "by a majority of the whole number of Bishops entitled to vote." My Chancellor and the Parliamentarian of the House have both advised me that the canon means that the vote must be by a majority of all the bishops who are at the meeting at which the vote must be taken and who are entitled to vote. Their view is based on their conclusion that the language of the canon may be ambiguous, but that it should be interpreted to give practical effect to the stated direction by the General Convention that the vote must be taken at a meeting ofthe House. This direction differs from other provisions in the Constitution and the canons where votes by a majority of all the members of the House are required but that voting may be by ballot~, Art. 11.6 (consent to resignation of bishops); Canon IV.3(21)(c) (consent to doctrinal presentment of bishops). The Chancellor has informed me that this canon was amended in the 1870s and again in 1904 to make clear that the vote had to be taken at a meeting of the House, presumably so that all who would vote on such an important matter could hear the factual presentations and arguments on both sides of the question. He also has pointed out that by 1904 the number of members of the House who were not entitled to vote was growing, as suffragan bishops, whose election and ordination were being permitted for the first time in our history, were nevertheless not given the right to vote in the House until the 1940s.

Finally, the Chancellor has noted with respect to the requirement that the vote be taken at a meeting of the House that most meetings of the House are not attended by a majority of all the voting members of the House. Thus, in the last several Triennia, while a majority of all voting members of the House were present at the meetings held in conjunction with a meeting of the General Convention, such a majority was not present at most of the interim and special meetings.

And, at those interim and special meetings where a majority was present, the majority was only by a bare handful, so that under an opposing reading of the canon, a vote to consent to the deposition of a bishop would have had to have been virtually unanimous. My Chancellor advised me that the votes to consent to the depositions of Bishop Davies, the resigned Bishop of Fort Worth, in 1993, and Bishop Larrea, the Bishop of Ecuador Central, in 2004, were cast at interim meetings of the House at which no account was taken of the absent members and, indeed, less than a majority of all the voting members of the House appear to have been present.

In these circumstances, I concur with my Chancellor and the Parliamentarian that any ambiguity in the canon should be resolved in favor of making this important provision work effectively and that the discipline of the Church should not be stymied because a majority or nearly a majority of voting bishops are no longer in active episcopal positions in the Church and their attendance at meetings is hampered by age, health, economics, or interest in other legitimate pursuits.

That will be the ruling of the Chair, subject to appeal as discussed above.

I urge your prayerful reflection on these matters as you prepare for our meeting in Salt Lake City, and I remain

Your servant in Christ,

Katharine Jefferts Schori

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Comments:

I’ll start at the beginning, Greg, and stop after point 2 “Bishop Duncan’s response”.
Let me know if you want me to continue....

[1] Posted by GillianC on 09-13-2008 at 11:22 AM • top

I’ve coverted the entire letter to word - what would you like done with it?

[2] Posted by JHGraves on 09-13-2008 at 11:42 AM • top

She signs the memo “Your servant in Christ.” but she is truly an enemy of the Cross.
She is evil, and I hope that by the grace of God I can one day feel compassion for her soul instead of hatred.

[3] Posted by heart on 09-13-2008 at 11:49 AM • top

I look at it this way: Schori is telling Bishop Duncan, and every other bishop who dares to publicly disagree with her, to “keep your mouth shut, or I will silence you.”
She’s telling that he’s automatically guilty without giving him either a fair trial or a forum in which to state his views without facing the condemnation and wrath of a dictatorial woman claiming to be a “bishop.”
If anyone deserves an inhibition and deposition, it’s Katharine Jefferts Schori!

[4] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 11:49 AM • top

I had hoped this would not take place now, and am very distressed by the leadership role taken by one of the churches in the diocese in this matter. That particular
church has had a history of ignoring the rest of the diocese for many decades, unless there were a particular agenda being pursued. At the opposite pole theologically, another large, wealthy church has been equally removed from considering the rest of the diocese. Hard not to call powerful churches at either end of the spectrum bullies.

[5] Posted by celindascott on 09-13-2008 at 11:52 AM • top

The road to perdition .....

[6] Posted by Rich on 09-13-2008 at 11:54 AM • top

Thanks, all! As you can see, the memo is now in text form in the main post. Thanks to all who contributed.

[7] Posted by Greg Griffith on 09-13-2008 at 12:00 PM • top

This memo from the Presiding Litigator and her lackey lawyer is almost beyond belief.
This is a totally gross distortion of the plain language of Canon IV.9 as so many have previously written about on Stand Firm.
As I recall, the most detailed and scholarly work was done by the Anglican Curmudgeon here,here, and here.
If you have any doubt about the railroading being attempted here by Schori, Sauls, Beers, Bruno and others, do read this superb analysis. I know that others (jamesw and ??) have also written extensively making the same points.
The point is that this is not some complex provision of Canon law. I spent a number of years doing legislative drafting and I can assure you that this language is simple, straightforward and clear—and it should disgust every member of TEC to have Schori attempt to pull this off.
I certainly hope that this is a time when ++Howe and many others will stand up and be counted in loudly and publicly objecting. In my opinion, their objections should begin now—well before the meeting so that as much pressure as possible can be brought to bear and that everyone (including the religion media) will recognize to what depths the “all-inclusive” TEC has gone to rid themselves of orthodox leaders.

[8] Posted by hanks on 09-13-2008 at 12:07 PM • top

It will be interesting to see if any of the “Windsor Bishops” stand to oppose this in any substantial way.
#4 You are correct about who should be deposed. The process for inhibiting her should have started long ago. She may not have abandoned the communion of the organization, but she has abandoned the faith. Thanks to milk toast members of the house of bishops, we have reached a point where Duncan, Iker, Ackerman and any others who dare take a stand will be hung out to dry while KJS- walks unchallenged.
Shame on our HOB for such a lack of fortitude, intestinal or other.

[9] Posted by frreed on 09-13-2008 at 12:15 PM • top

This woman is anything but a servant “in Christ”, of Christ, or anything else except seriously bad stuff.
Do you wish to add anything, +++Rowan?

[10] Posted by Geek in Dallas on 09-13-2008 at 12:19 PM • top

I think this is beyond the pail. How dare she take an action before Bishop Duncan. My trust level of any thing she says or does is at rock bottom. It is one thing to attempt to maintain the property which she correctly (in my opinion)has the right to do, but it is another to act so duplicitous. If she really felt her actions against such as +Duncan or +Scholfield were honorable she should want to face them in a Church trial, letting all sides speak on their positions. This is cowardly, disingenuous, and dishonest. This is a question a lawyer I guess, but isn’t it illegal to unjustly cause someone to lose their job?

[11] Posted by FrVan on 09-13-2008 at 12:20 PM • top

Please, please do not disturb the Archbishop of Canterbury. He has retreated to his sand pile and with his head buried deep, he is contemplating the “Anglican Communion”.

[12] Posted by Dan Crawford on 09-13-2008 at 12:25 PM • top

From my Not a Lawyer seat, I am hoping a couple who are lawyers will comment an issue. It has been my experience that in a court battle any ambiguity in a document goes against the party that crafted the document and that they will revert to the meaning a plain reading provides. All you legal eagles.....

[13] Posted by Jackie on 09-13-2008 at 12:36 PM • top

If anyone deserves an inhibition and deposition, it’s Katharine Jefferts Schori!

Heart (#3), I hate to have to tell you this, but Mrs. Jefferts Shori cannot be inhibited or deposed. Those disciplines can only be exercised on a priest or bishop. Since she is a woman she cannot be a priest, and since she is not a priest she cannot be a bishop (let alone Primate of the TEC, as she claims).

[14] Posted by Paterricardus on 09-13-2008 at 12:38 PM • top

I wrote a few lines to the Church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, declines to recognize us. Therefore, when I come, I shall not forget his conduct in ridiculing us with his wicked tongue. Not content with that, he not only declines to recognize our Brothers himself, but actually prevents those who would, and expels them from the Church. (3 John 1:9-10)

[15] Posted by vulcanhammer on 09-13-2008 at 12:40 PM • top

For her to read the canons in such a what that makes it easy to depose a bishop from his/her life’s work is really over the top.
If a majority of bishops eligible to vote aren’t present during the interim meetings, maybe you can’t depose anyone during those meetings. Maybe those meetings don’t really mean a whole lot, either.

[16] Posted by Paul B on 09-13-2008 at 12:40 PM • top

Anglican Curmudgeon, where are you?

[17] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 12:42 PM • top

Let me know if you’ve heard this one before (from 1 Kings 21) about a similar property-grab:

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. In those letters she wrote:
“Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”

Later in the chapter, Elijah prophesied that:

“And also concerning Jezebel the LORD says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’

I recommend reading the whole chapter and seeing how the Lord feels about the whole situation!

[18] Posted by Doug Stein on 09-13-2008 at 12:54 PM • top

If the woman can read that Jesus is NOT the only way to heaven in the Bible, it is no surprise that she can read the canons this way.

[19] Posted by baptistforanglicans on 09-13-2008 at 01:01 PM • top

Jackie (#13) and Cennnydd (#17), please take a look at the three links in my post (#8) about from Anglican Curmudgeon.
These are are thorough a legal analysis as you will find. Great work, worth everyone reading.

[20] Posted by hanks on 09-13-2008 at 01:03 PM • top

Is there a legal fund we can contribute to so as to find a lawyer who can actually read the canons the way they are written? Seems like we do not need much of a lawyer as they read plain enough to me. All we need is to mount a dispute to the illegal path that KJS is trying to take. The problem seems to be that no one does that. I know, I know. It is all politics. But still, the meaning seems so clear. This is like reading Animal Farm.

[21] Posted by old lady on 09-13-2008 at 01:05 PM • top

I am sorry, I did not preview my comment #21. My antecedent in the last sentence is not at all clear. Reading about the actions of KJS is like reading Animal Farm.

[22] Posted by old lady on 09-13-2008 at 01:08 PM • top

Jackie, 13, typically plain meaning of the language in question is the first thing that a court considers. Where the plain meaning is not clear, courts consider a number of other things. The rule of construing a document against the drafter is one rule of construction. In this case, I’m not sure that rule applies, and there are others.
I lean toward the conclusion that the canon is not ambiguous and that it means a majority of all, not just those present. But a court is extremely unlikely to get involved on that point, I think.
Whatever your views of the substance of the actions taken here, I think the procedural approach of this letter is a positive. It lays out in advance the issues and the rationale for thePB’s interpretation and rulings, and it clearly states what needs to be done to overturn her rulings. If there is some reliable account of any objection that may be made, and if the House has recorded roll call type votes on the deposition and on the rulings of the chair rather than voice votes, we will at least have achieved transparency in what is happening.

[23] Posted by DavidH on 09-13-2008 at 01:09 PM • top

DavidH - Again- not a lawyer opinion - but it sure seems +Duncan would have a great civil suit if this goes through.

[24] Posted by Jackie Bruchi on 09-13-2008 at 01:17 PM • top

BY THE GRACE OF GOD I HAVE KNOWN MANY SERVANTS OF CHRIST, MS SCHORI, AND YOU ARE NO SERVANT OF CHIRST.
PRAYER FOR BISHOP DUNCAN:
THANK YOU LORD THAT THE ANGEL OF THE LORD ENCAMPS AROUND BISHOP DUNCAN AND ALL THOSE WHO FEAR HIM AND RESCUES THEM. (Psalm 34:26)
THANK YOU LORD THAT NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST (HIM) WILL PROSPER AND EVERY TONGUE THAT ACCUSES (HIM) IN JUDGEMENT, YOU WILL CONDEMN. THIS IS THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD, AND THEIR VINDICATION IS FROM YOU, LORD. IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. (ISAIAH 54:17)

[25] Posted by BettyLee Payne on 09-13-2008 at 01:19 PM • top

Jackie, 24, reasonable people can disagree, but I do not think you’re right or that a court will ever consider whether +Duncan was properly deposed. Barring a change in the law fromSerbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich (US 1976), civil courts don’t consider whether ecclesiastical discipline was proper under the rules of the church.

[26] Posted by DavidH on 09-13-2008 at 01:26 PM • top

Sadly, DavidH is correct. This is not a Civil Court matter. Most do not release that Due Process is not a part of our Constitution and Canons (see the efforts to revise Title IV).
I also doubt that nearly any of the so-called orthodox, traditionalist, Windsor bishop will do a thing. They didn’t last time. Plus, like last time I bet they will not even allow a roll call vote.....it will just be a voice vote and no names recorded as to how anyone voted!
Also, it is clear that Harold Lewis is leading the way and is happy to be so helpful to TEC. I believe he has purple fever.
Sad that matters have come to this.
Bishop Dunce I stand with you and you are in my prayers.

[27] Posted by MichaelSean on 09-13-2008 at 02:01 PM • top

Who has the pool guessing how many purple shirts suddenly can’t make the HOB meeting due to .. whatever? Too cowardly to oppose the presiding priestess and yet unwilling to sign on to the lynching how many will simply not go to the meeting?

[28] Posted by Elizabeth on 09-13-2008 at 02:06 PM • top

I’ve been a Piskie for 47 years now, give or take nine months. Tomorrow just may be my last visit to an Episcopal Church. Why? Well, although I am just a lay person, someday I just might be called to the diaconate. As a deacon, someday I just might be called to the priesthood. As a priest, I might someday be called to the episcopate. As a bishop, I might someday be charged with some trumped up charge for something my diocese might do in the future. To save Our Lady of Litigation the trouble of deposing me before any of this happens, I think I’ll just take my marbles and go play in another sandbox. Katie, you can’t fire me. I quit. I am ashamed to have any association with this organization.

[29] Posted by Payton on 09-13-2008 at 02:08 PM • top

#29 God Bless Payton. RCIA classes are just starting. No strings attached. Get in one and meet the good folks. If you join, I promise I will travel to wherever Holy Saturday to be at your confirmation.
NB I may need travel $$$$$ assistance

[30] Posted by star-ace on 09-13-2008 at 02:28 PM • top

[3] heart,
The parallels are too abundant, and too abundantly clear, that she is as much anyone’s “servant in Christ” as another figure in the history of salvation, namely that personage who came strongly to my mind when I read this memorandum, that great high priest, Caiaphas.
In point of fact, the parallels are, in my mind, sufficiently strong, that I would have very few qualms about addressing her so to her face. Reading this memorandum today served, for me, as a clarion call that I no longer belong within TEC. The self-serving deceitfulness of her opinions, and the obseqious sycophancy of her so-called Council of Advice and Chancellor, are marks of such a thoroughgoing lack of moral and intellectual integrity that they make formal affiliation with TEC, as it has come to be, more of a disgrace than this old Naval officer will tolerate.
I am heartened that I asked one of my closest friends, a Roman Catholic, about the rosary and he presented me with one shortly before my departure to sea. I will probably continue to lurk here, and perhaps even offer observations, as my wife is not yet fully aware of all that has transpired, and therefore is not ready to cross the Tiber with me. And my prayers will be with you.
Blessings and regards,
Martial Artist

[31] Posted by Martial Artist on 09-13-2008 at 02:36 PM • top

I praise the Lord that I am part of a parish that has left TEC. We (over 3/4 of the congregation) could take the actions of the PB and the TEC any longer. We did not leave suddenly, but after much prayer and study felt that things had gone too far. That was almost a year ago. Isn’t it so lovely to be able to revise the canons of the church to suit one’s agenda. The heretic woman raves on! May the HOB look at the real picture and not the one being painted by the PB and her cohorts.

[32] Posted by sadie on 09-13-2008 at 02:43 PM • top

This is not a matter of Bishop Duncan disagreeing with our Presiding Bishop. If Stand Firm faithful have been following his career and public statements over the past 3-5 years, you will have applauded statement after statement ridiculing and demeaning the Episcopal Church.
Watch your copies of “Choose This Day” again and then decide if Bishop Duncan was affirming his submission to the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church.
Don’t get me wrong. Bishop Duncan and I have been friends since the time he followed me as Episcopal Chaplain at the University of North Carolina—and I wish him well in his continuing religious journey. There comes a time, though, when he needs to be honest about his commitments—a time to move on to a denomination in which he can exercise his commitment to Jesus Christ with pride.

[33] Posted by TBWSantaFe on 09-13-2008 at 02:47 PM • top

So in your eyes, this is a good thing, Tom? Sort of like the mother bird kicking the baby bird out of its comfortable nest so he can learn to fly? It’s all for +Bob’s own good, in the end? Unbelievable…
By the way, do you have a similar recommendation for those in orders whose “religious journey” puts them at odds with the canonical requirements of baptism before communion? I mean, yours is such a wise and compassionate course that I think you ought to bless even more bishops with it!

[34] Posted by Connecticutian on 09-13-2008 at 02:54 PM • top

Sad to say, but I find no surprise here, in the tack taken by the PBess, or the timing of the same. It has been forecast and broadcast for months now.
This is only Kate’s version of Sherman’s March to the Sea .... and she and her merry band of litigators and PC goons, will loot, burn & pillage any diocese or parish that stands in the way of her goals.
This month, +Bob Duncan is Atlanta and I suppose that next monthy, +Iker will be Savannah, for the troops are in motion.
She needs to get +Duncan in the crosshairs of her scope and pull the trigger, before he can take DioPitt out of TEC. After he and the diocese is gone, all her actions would then signify is the value of pounding sand.
These are the steps she believes she needs to bully TEO into taking. Fire him now and immediately appoint an interim toadie to occupy the see. That’ll put the cat among the pigeons right enough .... and keep the property in TEO’s hands.
The success of failure of the PBess and her plan of ill will depends on whether or not, +Bob has a plan of action already in place, to meet this eventuality.
We shall see.

[35] Posted by Scotsreb on 09-13-2008 at 03:14 PM • top

Seems like a pre-emptive strike to me. They’re pretty sure what +Duncan will do, so it’s best to remove his capacity to do it. Sort of like taking out an enemy before they can do you harm. Wait a minute, sounds like the Bush Doctrine to me. Maybe the PB has had a conversion experience as part of her “journey.”
Fr. Darin Lovelace
St. Paul’s, Durant

[36] Posted by frdarin on 09-13-2008 at 03:21 PM • top

I truly believe, this person (masking as a PB and Christian)is Satan doing his/her work.....The long history of Episcopal secular priorities will soon be trumped by the Lord.
CS Lewis said it best:
“All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

[37] Posted by AnglicanRon on 09-13-2008 at 03:30 PM • top

Of course it is a pre-emptive strike. It will be followed immediately (likely hours, not weeks) by illegally deposing the standing committee and installing an illegally appointed puppet regime that will change the locks on every church in the diocese.
This will be followed up by leveling abandonment charges against +Iker and +Ackerman. I think they will hold off on depositions against +Lawrence and +McPherson until next year. They will probably just let +Howe retire- I seem to recall that he is not far from it- and replace him with someone intolerable to most of his diocese. It will keep on like this for another 7 years.
The 7 year time period not being governed by the PB’s remaining term, but by the number of years left in which TEC can expect to have a total membership of greater than 1/2 million.

[38] Posted by tjmcmahon on 09-13-2008 at 03:32 PM • top

You can bet that the elected Pittsburgh standing committee will be toast sometime this month. KJS is going to do to them what she did in California. I wonder who the newly appointed bishop will be. You can bet that the newly appointed standing committee will be toadies from the parish that precipitated the deposition of +Duncan. TEC becomes worse by the minute. Any bishops who participate in the nullification of +Bob ought to be brought up on charges immediately. They are the ones who will be guilty of abandoning the communion.

[39] Posted by terrafirma on 09-13-2008 at 03:34 PM • top

Good to hear from you Fr. Darin.......

[40] Posted by Dee in Iowa on 09-13-2008 at 03:38 PM • top

#33 TBW, he certainly coudn’t do so while in TEC, could he? Like him, I am NOT committed to a denomination, but to Christ’s One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

[41] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 03:45 PM • top

Tom (#33) - Once again you gloss over the hi-jacking by the leadership of The Episcopal Church. I would agree with you that those who no longer wish to follow 2,000+ years of teaching and the current mind of the Anglican Communion need to find employment elsewhere. Afterall, it is the only honest thing to do.

[42] Posted by Jackie Bruchi on 09-13-2008 at 03:52 PM • top

Tjmcmahon, you mentioned the changing of locks. I remember that a bishop whom I will not name had the locks changed on a mission church, and the word got out that he might try it again elsewhere before he could attempt to do so. He never did. I wonder why?

[43] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 03:52 PM • top

Oh, and the Episcopal Church WAS hijacked, as Jackie said. Would anyone care to deny that?

[44] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 03:54 PM • top

Today marks the beginning of a novena for the House of Bishops at Lent & Beyond. Other prayers are also present, including a blessing for our enemies.

[45] Posted by Jill Woodliff on 09-13-2008 at 03:57 PM • top

I am aware of the “ban’ on posting links to other blogs here, but can’t figure out any way to draw the “powers that be” to “The Kraalspace (Dr. Mabuse).. Please either bring it forward or advise all to read.
Its a scary post, about the dark and evil abroad in the world just now. Its called “Dark Hours”, which we are in, so many ways.
Please read it an pray for all, especially TX and +Duncan.
Grannie Gloria

[46] Posted by Grandmother on 09-13-2008 at 03:59 PM • top

Fr Van (#11)--I agree with your “beyond the pail.” My hurl overshot by at least two feet.
Now, seriously, it does sicken my stomach that the Episcopal Church has come to this. Surely, there could have been a different, creative, spiritual path for all of us.

[47] Posted by Gator on 09-13-2008 at 04:02 PM • top

Cennydd (and there is Welsh name if ever there was one) #43, I think all we can say is that he has not changed any more locks, yet. Kinda like, Shaw in Massachusetts has not sued any more parishioners, lately.

[48] Posted by tjmcmahon on 09-13-2008 at 04:06 PM • top

Grandmother, #46, I went and read that blog post you mentioned. Yes, it’s scary. I think the main concern is that all of this was prophecied. It’s all very clear in the Bible. Matthew 24, Revelation, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekial all have very important information for us right now. The problem is that nobody is realizing what is happening because nobody is really paying attention. Jesus told us to “be alert” to the signs of the end. The signs are here in full force. The beast is rising in Europe (The EU is pulling together into a single government comprising 10 nations). The harlot (the Roman Catholic Church) is riding the beast. The pope and cardinals are traveling around the world working at bringing people back into the Roman church from all the “daughters” of the Roman Catholic Church. The Anglican Communion is one of the daughters. RW has been having talks with the pope for years trying to join the daughter back with the mother. There are other denominations having the same talks with the pope. Just look at how many Anglicans right here on SF are talking about going to Rome. They are buying right into satan’s plan. We are to “come out” of the world. We are to be separate from the world which satan rules. The Roman Catholic church has always been, and will always be, based on paganistic ritualistic beliefs and practices. Anyone who is truly Christian will not even remotely affiliate with the RC church or any of its daughters. This has been the biggest deception on earth; satan’s work at its best.
I pray for all who just don’t see what is happening before their very eyes. I urge you all to wake up now and see where we are in prophecy. The earthquakes, pestilences, famines, droughts, wars, are all clear signs well described in Scriptures. The rising up again of the Holy Roman Empire and its government controls in Europe are all prophecied in Scriptures. THEY ARE HAPPENING NOW!! Wake up, folks! Read your Bibles. It’s all there in black and white.

[49] Posted by Mugsie1 on 09-13-2008 at 04:35 PM • top

I think Bishop Duncan’s participation in the consecration of some of the African suffragans who are serving in the United States might be a charge if he were brought to trial, but to argue that his actions at a diocesan convention are “abandonment” stretches the term beyond its real meaning.

[50] Posted by TomRightmyer on 09-13-2008 at 04:51 PM • top

Almighty God and father
Protect and preserve your servant Robert Duncan from the wiles of the prince of this world and his servants. Turn Katberine Jefferts-Schori from the path he has set and save your church.
Amen

[51] Posted by Pageantmaster on 09-13-2008 at 04:53 PM • top

Glad you saw the blog. However, I didn’t take it as an ‘end times” piece. Simply the recognition of the evil around us.
And, a pretty decent explanation of what a lot of us are feeling, and finding hard to deal with.
Remember, Prayer can change everything if it is God’s Will.
Grannie Gloria

[52] Posted by Grandmother on 09-13-2008 at 04:56 PM • top

Mugsie1,
I too see evidence that we are in the end times, and take Biblical prophecy seriously. I don’t doubt your sincerity in looking for God’s guidence in current circumstances. But I would be reluctant to believe that a particular set of contemporary events are signal that the end is upon us. You should read some of the impressive analysis that once tied the rise of Nazi Germany to the end times and identified Hitler as the anti-Christ. Almost every Pope has been called the anti-Christ by their enemies. On the other hand, many Roman Catholics believed that the anti-Christ would be a son of Martin Luther. Turn on the TV, and you can still find a televangelist speculating that King Juan Carlos is the one. If anyone has ever had grounds for a slander suit, it’s Carlos!).
I will remain a Protestant, but in this time of moral relativism and spiritual decline by mainline denominations, I am very grateful for the Roman Catholic Church and its Catechism.
The spiritual warfare facing each of us is clear enough without reaching for conclusions that are not supported by Scripture.

[53] Posted by Going Home on 09-13-2008 at 05:07 PM • top

I think a “Fr. Wes”, asked a question about who was on the “lawyer committee”.....
It can be found at “LENT and BEYOND”, Jill Woodriff’s site listed above.
Here is what she posted:
Bless your enemies
September 13, 2008
The lawyer-bishops in the House of Bishops have recommended that the HoB depose Bishop Robert Duncan. The members of the task force are Bishops Jon Bruno, Mark Hollingsworth, William Persell, Stacy Sauls, and Dean Wolfe. Bishops Marc Andrus, Philip Duncan, and James Mathes participated in the discussions of the Task force. Bishop Sauls is the chair.
Our Father in heaven,
We bring to you in prayer David Booth Beers and his law firm, Presiding Bishop Schori and her staff, and Bishops Bruno, Hollingsworth, Persell, Sauls, D. Wolfe, Andrus, P. Duncan, and Mathes. In simple trust we commit them into your hands. We thank you that you love them more than we do and understand their every need. Do for them, O Lord, what we cannot do, and what you see is most for their good; for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
From: Lent & Beyond.

[54] Posted by Grandmother on 09-13-2008 at 05:10 PM • top

My prayers are with Bishop Duncan and all those who labor in the vineyard.
I am curious as to whether the comments of Mugsie will be allowed to stay since they serve no purpose but to display anti Catholic lies which are better suited for a Chick tract than this worthy setting.

[55] Posted by Paula Loughlin on 09-13-2008 at 05:11 PM • top

some may object to my saying this, but after reading this memo, I firmly believe the wrong people are in Galveston.

[56] Posted by no longer NH Episcopalian on 09-13-2008 at 05:13 PM • top

#3, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking!!

[57] Posted by Sarah H on 09-13-2008 at 05:16 PM • top

perhaps I should clarify - this woman needs to experience the full wrath of God more than anyone I know. She is reprehensible. I know atheists with far more compassion and far less evilness.

[58] Posted by no longer NH Episcopalian on 09-13-2008 at 05:16 PM • top

Please remember that it was members of the diocese, led especially by one parish in the diocese, which presented the charges; they initiated them, not the PB. She could have chosen not to act, I think, but the initiative was not hers.

[59] Posted by celindascott on 09-13-2008 at 05:23 PM • top

She needs to get +Duncan in the crosshairs of her scope and pull the trigger, before he can take DioPitt out of TEC.

You all don’t get it...We love +Bob in Pittsburgh, but he’s not the reason we want to re-align...Shori and her predecessors are for their undefined religion. Even if +Bob is not in charge of convention we will still vote, and I pray succeed, to realign!

[60] Posted by dog-ma on 09-13-2008 at 05:32 PM • top

What an honor for Bishop Duncan to be persecuted for standing for the Truth of God’s Word and for defending His Church from the marauders currently in power in TEC!
It would be a true disgrace to be complicit with KJS and TEC in all of this.
Right now, though, I’m so mad I could spit. Rather than boil over with anger, hatred and evil myself… I am going to use the powerful prayers just posted over at Lent and Beyond.
May the Lord defend His Church and His Name.
Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him (alone) be glory in the (His) Church by Christ Jesus throughout all the ages, world without end. Amen
Ephesians 3:20-21

[61] Posted by GA/FL on 09-13-2008 at 05:36 PM • top

Dog-ma, #60:
When she deposes +Duncan, she will appoint an interim bishop who will not allow your convention vote to leave TEC.

[62] Posted by old lady on 09-13-2008 at 05:47 PM • top

The legal situation in addition to the links to Curmudgeon’s posts at #8 Hanks above was originally and succinctly put by Chancellor here which appears to be the point that the PB is trying unsuccessfully to work her way around.
So:
1. She did not get the votes of the 3 senior bishops to inhibit or proceed to a vote to depose;
2. She does has not secured the paperwork to bring the deposition matter to the HOB for decision; and
3. She does not have [and does not intend to make any attempt to get] the required canonical majority to pass the deposition under Canon Title IV 9(1).
I think we now understand your ‘polity’.
You make it up as you go along.

[63] Posted by Pageantmaster on 09-13-2008 at 05:56 PM • top

Mugsie,
I am tempted to ask what church you are in, since I think we can eliminate any variant of Catholicism or Anglicanism just based on your post.
While I appreciate your prayers, there have been many attempts to save me from Anglo Catholicism in the past, and I suspect that your attempt will also fail. Although, at the current rate, the ABoC may just convince me to give up on the “Anglo” part.

[64] Posted by tjmcmahon on 09-13-2008 at 05:57 PM • top

Pageantmaster,
I believe you understand TEC’s (I need to get out of the habit of saying “our") polity perfectly.

[65] Posted by tjmcmahon on 09-13-2008 at 05:59 PM • top

Oh and digging up two prior depositions which she says were also un-canonical [as originally mentioned by ‘Mark Harris’ - who is Mark Harris by the way?] sounds like an argument that ‘we got away with it before and we reckon we can get away with it again’.
Guess whether Mr Beers was Chancellor to the PB at the time!

[66] Posted by Pageantmaster on 09-13-2008 at 06:04 PM • top

Please remember that it was members of the diocese, led especially by one parish in the diocese, which presented the charges; they initiated them, not the PB. She could have chosen not to act, I think, but the initiative was not hers.

Celinda,
While indeed the PB does say that in her letter, it is a patent lie. A few disaffected people did bring canonical charges against +Bob Duncan, but parishioners, or even clergy, are in no position to bring a charge of abandonment of communion. They are not trying him on charges related to any perceived misconduct within the diocese. In fact, they are not trying him at all. He has been “star chambered” based on the opinion of some of his colleages in the HoB. If a dozen parishioners and clergy could bring such charges, every bishop in the HoB would be charged tomorrow with abandoning the communion of the Church. In the case of at least 50 of them, it is obvious.

[67] Posted by tjmcmahon on 09-13-2008 at 06:07 PM • top

Schori said, “In these circumstances, I concur with my Chancellor and the Parliamentarian that any ambiguity in the canon should be resolved in favor of making this important provision work effectively and that the discipline of the Church should not be stymied because a majority or nearly a majority of voting bishops are no longer in active episcopal positions in the Church and their attendance at meetings is hampered by age, health, economics, or interest in other legitimate pursuits.”
Im other words, who cares what the Bishops say. We’re going to depose Duncan because we hate him and what he stands for… The uncompromised Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[68] Posted by Alice Linsley on 09-13-2008 at 06:08 PM • top

Old Lady, whatever temporary bishop Mrs Schori imposes upon the diocese will have no say as to whether or not the delegates vote to leave TEC, since it is THEY who will make that decision....not the bishop! A bishop doesn’t RULE a diocese....he is merely its Chief Pastor.
The people WILL leave....or at least the MAJORITY of them will, and Bishop Duncan will lead them. Whoever that bishop is will have a tough time finding people to sit in the pews....IF he can keep the churches open! Any way you look at the situation, TEC is in VERY deep trouble. It’s already too late to reform them, because the die has been cast, and there will be no turning back.

[69] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 06:28 PM • top

And Alice, I agree with you 100%!

[70] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 06:35 PM • top

Cennydd,
Can’t the bishop (1) get the committee to vote to refer for further study or 2) rule it out of order?

[71] Posted by Jackie on 09-13-2008 at 06:42 PM • top

Pageantmaster (#63) thanks for adding the link to Chancellor’s summary of the illegal manner in which the ++Schofield and ++Cox depositions were rammed through the HOB.
Dean Munday put together an excellent summary that pulls together and has links to some of best writing done by Stand Firm folks following the ++Schofield and ++Cox depositions.
Take a look. It’s well worth your time if you want to understand just how evil and heartlessTEC and 815 have become.
The outrageous gall of Der Fuehrer Schori in putting this memo out just astounds me. It violates every sense of fairness, due process, and integrity. If she can’t comply with her own rules, this is nothing less than anarchy.

[72] Posted by hanks on 09-13-2008 at 06:45 PM • top

Jackie, I’m no canon lawyer, so I’d have to refer you to another person on this blog who IS. As far as I’M concerned, ruling it out of order or voting to refer it for further study at a later date would accomplish nothing. But of course, I’m not resident in that diocese.
How about it, Anglican Curmudgeon? What do YOU say?

[73] Posted by Cennydd on 09-13-2008 at 06:54 PM • top

#72 Hanks
Thankyou for that link to Dean Munday’s post. I was turning over what was missing from this letter compared to others and it seems to that she has given up all that touchy-feely guff about only following the leading of the Holy Spirit in this matter.
I have to say, abandoning so much canonical procedure to try to railroad this through has an air of panic. Can it be that she fears that the Narnian snows have begun to melt?
I wonder if the HOB will follow blindly like Bozos again?

[74] Posted by Pageantmaster on 09-13-2008 at 06:55 PM • top

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Seek Forgiveness - Prayer for slain VHP leader at Missionaries of Charity

2008-09-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

Let us forgive one another and ask forgiveness from one another for the wrong we have done to each other and reach out in love to each other: Sister Nirmala
Posted online: Friday , September 05, 2008

Kolkata, September 5: Superior-General of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, Sister Nirmala said that religion should not be used to divide people.
"Essence of all religion is love -- love of God and love of one another. Violence on the ground of religion is an abuse of religion," she said decrying the communal riots in Orissa.

Quoting Mother Teresa, on her death anniversary this Friday, Nirmala said "Religion is meant to be a work of love. It is not meant to destroy peace and unity. Works of love are works of peace. Let us use religion to become one heart full of love in the Heart of God."

Sister Nirmala also called for prayers for slain VHP leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, his four associates and those who died in the violence in Orissa's Kandhamal district.

"Let us put down the weapon of hatred and violence and put on the armour of love." Read more

Orissa violence and the Church

2008-09-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

One of the injured priests, Fr Thomas Chellen, director of the Pastoral Centre at Konjamendi, was assaulted by a mob on 25 August. "They poured kerosene on my head and one held a matchbox in his hands to light the fire. But thanks to divine providence, in the end, they did not do that," he said from his hospital bed.

The priest said he witnessed his assistant nun being raped in front of him. The pastoral centre, which could accommodate 200 people, had been torched the previous day.

On Monday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh broke his silence over the violence, calling it a "national disgrace" and asked the Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik to stamp out the anti-Christian rioting and punish those responsible for murder and arson. "The central Government has taken a very serious notice of the happenings in Orissa," an official statement said.

The Prime Minister also offered a package of assistance to the families of people who have lost their lives and those rendered destitute. The package, drawing on the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, included support for the homeless and funds for repair of houses damaged, including orphanages. Mr Singh said Mr Patnaik had given an assurance of "firm action" to deal with the situation.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India wrote to the president and Government of India, appealing for the protection for victims of the violence, and demanding a full inquiry. A fifth of Kandhamal's population of around 500,000 are Christians and half the Christian population is Catholic. Read it all

Anglican Church Australia

2008-09-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

Anglican Church Australia

Thousands of Christians flee from violence in India

2008-09-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Thousands of Christians flee from violence in India: "The Rev Dr Richard Howell of the Evangelical Fellowship of India said Christians were “saddened” by the Indian Government’s failure to halt the attacks.

He said he had received reports of thousands of extremists being brought in from other states to strengthen the campaign of violence."

India violence a sign of ‘Christianophobia’, says Archbishop

2008-09-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

India violence a sign of ‘Christianophobia’, says Archbishop

The Conversion Agenda

2008-09-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Controversial Joshua project

Joshua Project was originally birthed within the former AD2000 and Beyond Movement. The original Joshua Project list was a cooperative and globally accepted list of the largest unreached ethno-linguistic people groups and related ministry activity data. The Joshua Project list attempted to provide a clear goal of pioneer church-planting among the largest unreached peoples. Joshua Project has since expanded this list to all unreached / least-reached peoples regardless of size and moved from a purely ethno-linguistic to an ethnic people focus. Click here for definitions.

The Conversion Agenda

The Conversion Agenda

2008-09-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Proselytization In India: An Indian Christian's Perspective

by C. Alex Alexander

The Conversion Agenda

The Conversion Agenda

2008-09-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

How others see the Church and interpret it. Sister Abhaya case is viewed from critical angle. The court has to bring out the truth.

The Conversion Agenda

45,000 Church institutions catering to Five million students remain closed to bring spotlight on Orissa violence

2008-08-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Christian denominations like the Church of South India (CSI) and Marthoma Syrian Church joined the protest against the violence. “All those attending our institutions will attend work wearing black badges," said an official of Mar Thoma Church at its headquarters in Thiruvalla. In Kerala, around 5,900 educational institutions remained closed. The institutions that were closed in Kerala include four medical colleges and 11 engineering colleges run by the Catholic Church.

In Delhi scores of Christians marched to Orissa Bhawan, the office of the state resident commissioner, to protest the violence in Orissa against Christians. “Christians from at least 30 churches across the country participated in the rally in Delhi.

Several social activists like Udit Raj and Teesta Setelvad also participated in the protest march to Orissa Bhawan and addressed the gathering there.

Several schools and colleges in Delhi, including St. Stephens College, St Columba's School and Somerville School, were closed for the day.

In Orissa, over 100 educational institutes observed the shut down to express solidarity.
“There is almost an ethnic cleansing in the state,” Father babu Joseph Catholic spokes person said.

Read it all

Women abandon the churches in England .

2008-08-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Churches in England have lost about 50,000 women every year from their congregations since 1989, according to a Derby-based sociologist.

Dr Kristin Aune, from the University of Derby, said many young women were put off by the traditional values. She said television programmes promoting female empowerment also discouraged women from going to church. She is the co-author of Women and Religion in the West.

Dr Aune, said: "Young women tend to express egalitarian values and dislike the traditionalism and hierarchies they imagine are integral to the church."

More

Changemakers: William Temple

2008-08-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

Changemakers: William Temple

Changemakers: Simple Church - Amish Church

2008-08-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

Changemakers: Simple Church - Amish Church

2008-08-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

WCC commemorates date of founding in Amsterdam 60 years ago

Geneva (ENI). Church leaders around the world have continued their celebrations of the founding of the World Council of Churches 60 years ago in Amsterdam on 23 August 1948, when the grouping officially came together to forge greater Christian unity.

Presbyterian pastor due back in church court over gay wedding

2008-08-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

from TitusOneNine by Kendall Harmon
A Presbyterian minister who officiated at a lesbian wedding in 2005 is heading for church court again, two years after charges against her were dismissed on a technicality.

The Rev. Janet Edwards of Pittsburgh will again face possible expulsion if convicted by the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Pittsburgh Presbytery.

Edwards will appear before the commission Oct. 1, to answer charges that she defied her ordination vows and Presbyterian Church (USA) rules by officiating at the Pittsburgh wedding of a lesbian couple in 2005.

"I am trying really hard to speak clearly about how what I did reflects Jesus' love and justice, and so I hope the permanent judicial council acquits me," Edwards said.

Read the whole article.

Church as Sacrament

2008-08-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

In his Models of the Church, however, Avery Dulles remarks that the understanding of the Church as sacrament is technical and sophisticated and cannot easily be popularised.[4] In his later work, A Church to Believe In, he identifies other difficulties in communicating an understanding of the Church as a sacrament:

The term ‘sacrament’ suggests either an impersonal reality, such as baptismal water, or a ritual action, such as anointing. It is hard to think of a social body as a sacrament. Further, the image suggests a conspicuousness which the Church as a whole does not possess, since most Catholics and Christians do not go about in uniform. And finally, there is some ambiguity about what the Church as sacrament or sign represents. Is the Church, as we commonly experience it, a convincing sign of the unity, love, and peace, for which we hope in the final kingdom? The Church in its pilgrim state is still far from adequately representing the heavenly Jerusalem, even in a provisional manner.[5]

Such difficulties of communication and credibility, however, do not cancel out the value of understanding the Church as a sacrament. They are rather a challenge to state as clearly and as convincingly as possible different dimensions of the concept. In attempting to do so here, it will be useful to begin with a presentation of some of the biblical background to this way of approaching the nature and purpose of the Church.

Read it all from Brian Gleeson in Australian EJournal of Theology

Community

2008-08-18T01:41:00.000-07:00

community
What is community and why should educators be concerned with it? We explore the development of theory around community, and the significance of boundaries, social networks and social norms - and why attention to social capital and communion may be important.

Since the late nineteenth century, ‘the use of the term community has remained to some extent associated with the hope and the wish of reviving once more the closer, warmer, more harmonious type of bonds between people vaguely attributed to past ages’ (Elias 1974, quoted by Hoggett 1997: 5). Before 1910 there was little social science literature concerning 'community' and it was really only in 1915 that the first clear sociological definition emerged. This was coined by C. J. Galpin in relation to delineating rural communities in terms of the trade and service areas surrounding a central village (Harper and Dunham 1959: 19). A number of competing definitions of community quickly followed. Some focused on community as a geographical area; some on a group of people living in a particular place; and others which looked to community as an area of common life.

Read it all here

Implications of Church as Eschatological Community

2008-08-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

The eschatology of the Bible addresses the individual with a powerful call to a life of trust and obedience. The eschatological hope buoys up the individual with confidence that God's redemptive purpose will not be thwarted. Far from inviting the individual to lapse into a quietistic mood of waiting for escape from this "vale of tears" or of ticking of the unfolding "signs of the times," the eschatological thrust of the Bible calls the individual into action. Jesus' own life is set before us as the example of One who participates already in God's eschatological Kingdom. Jesus' life reveals that anticipatory living-living which discloses the character of life in the fully-manifested Kingdom-involves active work at unmasking and overcoming evil in its many forms; constant effort to be on the side of those in need; ministries of healing and teaching; profound trust in God; and proclaiming the gospel of reconciliation to all.

Read it all here from Presbyterian Today Online

How Churches Might Face the Coming Crises

2008-08-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here is what Chuck Warnock a Baptist pastor see "How Churches Might Face the Coming Crises" by adapting to the three interrelated crises--energy, economy and environment

--Redefinition of "church." Church will no longer be the place we go. Church will be the people we share faith with. Churches will still meet together for worship at a central time and location, but that will become secondary to the ministry performed during the week. Church buildings will become the resource hub in community ministry, like the old Celtic Christian abbeys. Church impact will replace church attendance as the new metric.

--Restructuring of church operations. Due to the high cost of fuel and a struggling economy, churches will become smaller, more agile and less expensive to operate than in the past. Churches will need to provide direct relief to individuals and families with meal programs, shelters, clothing, job training, and more.

In the not-distant future, we will live in a world where government is increasingly unable to fund and provide those services. Church buildings will become increasingly more expensive to maintain, and churches with unused weekday space will consider partnerships with businesses, other ministries, and helping agencies.

Or churches will sell their conventional buildings and reestablish in storefronts that operate as retail businesses six days a week, and gathering places on Sunday (or Thursday or whenever).

Churches will focus outwardly on their "parish" more than inwardly on their members. Church staff will become more community-focused rather than church-program focused and become team leaders in new missional ventures.

--Repackaging of "sermons" and Christian education. With fewer people "attending" church, fewer will also attend Christian education classes. Churches will deliver Christian education content via mobile devices. Short video clips accessible from iPhones (and other smart devices) will be the primary content carriers for church and culture.

Church "members" (if that quaint term actually survives) will still gather, but more for monthly celebrations, fellowship and sharing than weekly meetings, worship or learning. Of course, there may be several monthly celebrations geared to different lifestyles (tribes), schedules and preferences. Again, the abbey concept of the church as hub with many smaller groups revolving around the resource center.

--Refocus from institution to inspiration. Okay, so I went for the easy alliteration there. Restated, less emphasis on the "church" and more on how the church enables its adherents to live their faith.

Declining church attendance is not a crisis of faith. It's a crisis of delivery. We can bemoan the fact that fewer people come to church, but ballgames are not suffering from declining attendance. People go to what they want to go to.

Church ministry has to focus on engaging people in meaningful ways that enable their spiritual journeys.

In a world in crisis, people are looking for something to believe in as institution after institution crumbles. If banks, businesses, and whole countries fail, where can we put our trust? Church should have the answer 24/7, delivered like everything else is delivered now--when people want it, at their convenience, and in a way that resonates with them.

Read all

http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=10855
Chuck Warnock
08-08-08

Slouching Toward Bethlehemfrom Emergent Village by Steve Knight

2008-08-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Google Reader (1000+)

Slouching Toward Bethlehem
from Emergent Village by Steve Knight

By Julie Clawson, re-posted from onehandclapping:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

—W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming

I remember that this poem captured my imagination back when I was in high school. Yeats’ personal beliefs held that history moved in 2,000 year cycles as represented by conical spirals. One spiral represented religious power and the other secular powers. As history unfolded, these “gyres” increased and decreased in inverse proportions. Every 2,000 years a major upheaval occurred for each. So around the birth of Christ, the secular Empire of Rome was at its strongest and religious power weak. But at that moment, history shifted with the birth of Christ. Religion increased in power for the next 1,000 years then started to decrease as scientific advances began giving secular systems the edge. To Yeats, as the year 2000 approached and religion spiraled down to its weakest point, the stage was set for some great change to occur. And so he asked — “what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”

While I didn’t buy into Yeats’ occult beliefs in dualistic powers guiding the unfolding of history, I recognized the truth behind the patterns and changes in history he described. History, especially religious history, does seem to function in cycles of a sort. One witnesses some great event or renewal movement that inspires a few generations but which dwindles in influence and power over time. Eventually its power and passion have become so weak that a new renewal occurs starting the cycle over again. It is fascinating to trace these sorts of developments through history.

So I’ve been intrigued to hear Phyllis Tickle speaking and writing on these historical trends recently. I assume this is the topic of her upcoming book The Great Emergence, but I’ve heard her speak on it recently on the Mars Hill podcasts and to Sojourners Magazine. She describes that every 500 years, there is upheaval and renewal in the church — and that we are in one of those times right now. The zeitgeist of the age, the issues in the world, and the moving of the Holy Spirit all conspire to effect great change. Phyllis Tickle is calling our current change the “great emergence” — referring not just to the emerging church, but to all the reforming movements in the church today. I look forward to reading her book and hearing more of her perspective on the matter.

But what amuses me the most is that the current changes occurring in the church (and the ones in the past for that matter) were viewed as a malevolent force more reminiscent of Yeats’ “rough beast” than the movings of the Holy Spirit. Change is feared and its harbingers vilified (if I hear one more person refer to Brian McLaren as the antichrist …). The calls of the reformers are not properly understood and often seen as a rejection of all that has come before. While it may be difficult to convince some that questioning and critique is not rejection (or arrogance), I think Yeats’ imagery could prove useful in this case. The widening gyres represent a continuous unfolding of history that expands and contracts, but never breaks away fully from its spherical path. What one experiences is a shift not a genesis. Accepting that perspective may help some more easily dwell within the unfolding of history.

With Yeats’ I agree that “things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” But I believe that to be a good thing — the impetus that pushes us to renewal and revival.

Julie ClawsonJulie Clawson has spent the last few years helping plant an emerging church in the Chicago suburbs, but will soon be heading back home to Austin, Texas. She is currently working on a book about everyday justice issues.