Tag Archives: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada to combine synods in 2019

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A conjoining of the likeminded, a consolidation of withering, a pooling of unbelief, a unified witness of doubt to an indifferent world, a belated smokescreen to conceal decades of intellectual inbreeding.

Or, perhaps, a desperate attempt to endure for a few more years.

The article below makes it clear that this has nothing to do with survival; nothing at all.

The Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) have approved in principle a plan to hold a second joint assembly in 2019.

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Hiltz said the report [a report from the Joint Anglican and Lutheran Commission] emphasized the point that for the majority of those ministries, the choice to work together was made from “a position of strength for common witness,” not from a survivalist point of view.

Lift High the Housing

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I’ve always enjoyed singing the hymn “Lift High the Cross”; what more fitting symbol of the Christian Gospel could there be than the Cross?

It has taken the combined theological insights of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Canada to come up with something better: November 22nd is “Lift up National Housing Day”:

On November 22, Lutherans and Anglicans are called to lift up National Housing Day 2014, learn more about the issues contributing to poverty, homelessness and substandard housing, and advocate for changes.

It goes without saying that neither denomination feels inclined to house the homeless in their increasing number of empty church buildings.

The Anglican and Lutheran Joint Assembly begins

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And it’s all about commonplace leftist preoccupations that have little to do with Christianity – like resource extraction – and diminishing membership; could there be connection?

From here:

Hundreds of members of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada are converging on Ottawa for an unprecedented joint national gathering of the two churches, where they will tackle issues like resource extraction, homelessness, and how to live out their mission in a time of diminishing church membership.

The Anglican Church of Canada is claiming “545,000 members”, a grossly inflated number I suspect. After all, my wife and I are still on the membership roll of the Diocese of Niagara even after the bishop sued me. I wonder if that’s a first, a bishop suing one of his own parishioners?

The Anglican Church of Canada (anglican.ca) has been a self-governing member of the worldwide Anglican Communion since 1893 and has 545,000 members in nearly 2,800 congregations across the country.

The ELCIC claims even fewer members – 145,000 – and has joined with the ACoC in the hope, perhaps, of padding its denomination with disaffected Anglicans; another example of resource extraction.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (elcic.ca), established in 1986, has 145,000 members across Canada in nearly 600 congregations and is a member of the Lutheran World Federation.

Membership decline is to be addressed by restructuring rather than examining the reason that people are leaving:

Delegates from both churches will also discuss proposals to restructure the way in which the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada function, since both churches have experienced the same decline in membership as many other mainline Canadian churches.

Not all mainline churches have lost members: the Roman Catholic Church has experienced membership growth while standing resolutely against same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia – could there be a connection?

Anglican-Lutheran Joint Assembly to meet in Ottawa

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The Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada are now holding joint synods; not unlike a conjoining of the RMS Titanic and MV Doña Paz.

Predictably, the conflab will eschew transcendent trivialities like the saving of souls in favour of “affordable housing and responsible resource extraction”.

From here:

April 04, 2013 – More than 800 Anglicans, Lutherans, and partners will gather at the Ottawa Convention Centre July 3 to 7, 2013, for a historic joint national meeting.

Inspired by the theme “Together for the love of the world,” members of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada will gather for worship and decision-making on areas of shared work, including mission and development.

Several key events will highlight the churches’ commitment to God’s mission in the world. Anglicans and Lutherans will be invited to make statements on two priority social justice issues: affordable housing and responsible resource extraction. On July 6, Anglican and Lutheran youth from Ottawa are to lead people at the assembly to Parliament Hill where they will participate in an act of public witness and worship.

ELCIC and ACoC welcome new United Church Moderator

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From here:

The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada has given the election of the United Church of Canada’s (UCC) first openly gay moderator a resounding two thumbs up.

[…..]

Although Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, could not be reached for comment, the Anglican Church of Canada was represented at the Ottawa meeting by Archdeacon Bruce Myers of the diocese of Quebec. Myers said he spoke with Dr. Paterson following his installation, informally extending the hand of fellowship and congratulations on behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada. The primate will offer more formal greetings when he returns from his travels, said Myers.

Having been beaten to the punch by a Lutheran, Fred Hiltz privately expressed his regret at not being Canada’s first homosexual Anglican Primate; Hiltz has promised to work harder on his inner gayness.

 

Dancing with the bishops

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Anglican Primate Fred Hiltz and Lutheran Bishop Susan Johnson attest that the Anglican Church of Canada and the  Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada are simpatico  by giving a demonstration of ballroom dancing during the Eucharist.

I don’t know about you, but I find this Anglican-Lutheran mating ritual very moving – although, if Fred must clap, I do wish he’d learn to clap off the beat..

General Secretary of the World Council of Churches to visit Canada

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From here:

On March 13, the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), will visit General Synod offices to learn about the full communion relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).

I could have saved, the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit the airfare.

Olav, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have both succumbed to a rampant liberalism which has, by and large, displaced any pretensions they might have once had of being Christian. Consequently, they are losing members, money and credibility: they can’t even afford to have independent synods and are considering sharing office space.

So it’s understandable that they would want coordinate their efforts to flush themselves down the toilet of theological liberalism. It’s not only an act of pious ecumenism, but it’s green – less water.

Anglicans and Lutherans growing negatively together

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The Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have been in “full communion” now for ten years. During that time, both denominations have been hurtling pell-mell down the road of increasing theological liberalism and both have been suffering equally catastrophic numbers of people fleeing their churches for less “inclusive” pastures.

Considering that the numerical growth has been drastically negative, it is a little odd that the churches are getting together to pool their successes and even more odd that they are planting a tree together to symbolise “continued growth” – which if it continues at the present rate will see the end of both denominations within a few decades.

From here:

Tree planting symbolizes hope for continued growth.

Anglican and Lutheran leaders ended their first joint meeting with a tree planting ceremony on the grounds of the Queen of the Apostles Renewal Centre, a symbol of their hope for the continued growth of their Full Communion.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s (ELCIC) National Bishop, Susan Johnson, said the tree is a “reminder of the work that needs to be done” to realize the full potential of Full Communion.

Canadian Anglicans and Lutherans are “standing back with great humility and joy,” as they celebrate a decade of Full Communion this year, said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. He described the meeting of members of the Anglican church’s Council of General Synod (CoGS) and the ELCIC’s National Church Council (NCC) as a “watershed moment.”

Lutherans and Anglicans celebrate 10 years of full communion

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From here:

There will be a special service this spring to celebrate 10 years of full communion between Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada and the United States, the churches have announced.

In 2001, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) signed the Waterloo Declaration. The same year, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America signed a similar agreement with The Episcopal Church, USA, Called to Common Mission.

As you can see, the two denominations are called to a Common Mission; but what is that mission? To convince the general public to think like them, of course. Early attempts looked something like the following video, although “missional” merchandising has become more radical since it was made.

An Anglican-Lutheran joining

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Anglicans and Lutherans join forces:

The Rev. Brad Mittleholtz has been officially appointed as priest for a newly combined Anglican-Lutheran parish in the Bruce Peninsula. This new expression of the Full Communion relationship between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and Anglican Church of Canada was celebrated at a service at Trinity Anglican Church in Wiarton, Ont. on April 26.

Seven Anglican churches, which make up the Anglican Parish of the Bruce Peninsula, and St. Peter’s Lutheran church, will share in a ministry but will maintain their own buildings and identities. At the service in Wiarton, members of the parish proclaimed:

We believe God is calling Lutherans and Anglicans
to witness, and the Holy Spirit will enable us to join
in Ministry on the Bruce Peninsula by
sharing, celebrating, and rejoicing in God’s gifts to us.
We believe that in sharing equal partnership, no congregation
will lose its autonomy, identity, integrity, history or traditions.
We believe in working together as disciples
For the spiritual well-being of the people of the Bruce.
We believe in witnessing to God’s message
By sharing both ordained and lay leadership in ministry.

What does this really mean?

[flv:https://anglicansamizdat.net/wordpress/videos/Lemmings4.flv 480 385]