Category Archives: Anglican Church of Canada

Anglican Church of Canada: PWRDF slashes 2010-2011 budget by 26%

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From the Journal:

The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) has cut its 2010-2011 operating budget by 26 per cent.

In 2012, another 10 per cent will be cut in a bid to end deficit budgeting  and replenish its monetary reserve.

“As a result of the budget reductions, program delivery costs must be reduced,” said Cheryl Curtis, PWRDF executive director, in an email to staff at the Anglican Church of Canada’s national office in Toronto.

Consequently, several staff have been laid off and a number of positions restructured.

Anglicans have poverty justice, eco-justice, climate justice and now, finally: poetic justice.

Not much discernment from an Anglican in discernment for Holy Orders

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Geoff from The Rose Maniple made this observation:

One article I read in the aftermath of the new papal bull included a quote from an Anglican layman who said that he was attracted to the RCC’s strong stance on abortion and homosexuality, but didn’t think he could join if it meant signing off on the stuff about transubstantiation or the Virgin Mary (hint: it does). As a gay man who reluctantly swam the Thames in spite of my assent to those doctrines, I was astonished that he would seek out a church on such narrow grounds while sweeping away central Catholic dogmas.

I couldn’t believe that he was so offended at the thought of sharing a church with gays and lesbians that any church with a more conservative line thereon than the Anglican Church of Canada was preferable to him, regardless of whether or not he agreed with its central tenets.

The interview that Geoff regales us with above bears an uncanny resemblance to an interview I had with the Toronto Star a few months ago:

David Jenkins of Oakville said he likes the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion and homosexual rights.

“From that point of view, being Catholic is pretty tempting to me,” he said.

He would not switch, however, if it meant agreeing to Catholic tenets of the infallibility of the pope, the role of the Virgin Mary and transubstantiation, or the Catholic belief that the bread and wine of communion become the body and blood of Jesus.

A reporter’s account of an interview never quite captures what the interviewee actually says, of course, particularly when the interviewer relies on scribbles in a notebook rather than a voice recorder.

So I didn’t quite say what was reported in the Star. I did say that I respect and agree with the clear position the RC church holds on abortion and homosexuality, but the fact that I disagree with the RC doctrines mentioned makes the offer less than tempting. And I would have tried to swallow my own tongue before using “opposition” and “homosexual rights” in the same sentence.

Contrary to Geoff’s assumption, I would not be in the least bit offended by the presence of gays or lesbians in my congregation; I’m not offended by anything much – which is not to say I don’t disagree with some things and agree with others. The important question is, is the church in question Christian, a criterion that Geoff overlooked and which the ACoC is increasingly unable to satisfy.

Not that I suppose I am the actual “Anglican layman” in question.

As an aside, I have come to loath the phrases “swim the Tiber” and “swim the Thames”.

Fred Hiltz the prophet

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The Anglican Church of Canada wants to make Fred a prophet:

The task force will also recommend that it be part of the primate’s ministry to “speak and write prophetically” to the Anglican Church of Canada, and on behalf of the church, to the world, and that this be done in consultation with other leaders and governing bodies of the church.

“There’s a strong sense that the church wants to empower the primate to write and speak prophetically rather than just exercise pastoral leadership” in the church, said Bishop Ingham. This was in response to questions raised by the task force as to what sort of leadership is needed to enable the mission of the church.

The only problem is, the church can’t “empower” someone to be a prophet; God appoints prophets:

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 1 Cor 12:28

The ACoC has done a convincing job of “empowering” false prophets, though.

Anglican Think Tank helps Anglicans think more clearly about their faith

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It does, really; it says so here:

For 15 years the Primate’s Theological Commission (PTC) has helped Canadian Anglicans think more clearly about their faith. The current team of 12 theologians will hold their last meeting from Jan. 20 to 23 in Niagara Falls, Ont. After that, the commission will be on hiatus as the Primate discerns how best to approach future theological work.

The PTC’s past work has been influential. Since 1995 it has served as a kind of think tank, offering theological insights for the Anglican Church of Canada to mull over-on sex, culture, nature, and even farming.

It all began with the Book of Alternative Services. As theologians and liturgists were putting together this material in the early 1990s, they realized that important questions kept arising, such as, “how is God feminine?” and “what does it mean to have an Indigenous theology?”

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Primate, offered these thoughts:  “We sometimes pray that the church will never be destitute of scholars and people who spend a lifetime reading, learning, reflecting, writing and sharing their wealth of experience and expertise with the church for the good of the church. That’s what the Primate’s Theological Commission has done,” he said.

If it hadn’t been for the lifetime of learning of these 12 theologians, the question, “how is God feminine?” may never have come up and then where would we be?

The Anglican Church of Canada in a downward spiral

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The Diocese of Quebec is at death’s doorstep, with others to follow; and there will be staff cuts at head office.

Fewer staff at national office forecast.

It will be a “challenging” year for staff at the General Synod office in Toronto.

More budget cuts will be needed to achieve a balanced budget for 2011 and eliminate deficits by 2012, said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

“There’s another cut to come and it will be bigger,” Archbishop Hiltz told a meeting of the House of Bishops held Jan. 7 to 9. “We’ll look at a smaller staff.” He said that decisions will be guided by priorities that will be set out at the upcoming General Synod this June.

The primate also reported that he met with the metropolitans (senior bishops) of the four ecclesiastical provinces last December as part of a team-building effort. All agreed to build a relationship where there is “collegial leadership, accountability, mutual support,” and where their meetings can be a “clearinghouse for information-sharing.” They hope to meet once a year.

A new draft of Vision 2019, the church’s long-term strategic plan, is being prepared for presentation to the Council of General Synod in March, the primate reported. There have been “mixed” reactions to the initial draft, he said. Some have criticized it as “nothing new, a rearrangement of deck chairs,” and others have said “it’s quite good.”

Not to worry; the ACoC will concentrate on team building, collegial leadership, accountability and mutual support. That should sort things out; meanwhile, pass me a deck-chair.

The good news is, Fred Hiltz is all set to reproduce his successes with the ACoC at the World Religions Summit:

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has accepted an invitation to lead the Canadian delegation to the 2010 World Religions Summit to be held in Winnipeg this June.

I could not imagine a cause more deserving to be torpedoed by Fred’s ministrations.

The Anglican Church of Canada: please make it go away

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From the Anglican Journal:

”We just wish it would all go away’

There is “general pessimism” among bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada about the potential for “any clear resolution” of the divisive issue of sexuality at the church’s upcoming General Synod in Halifax this June.

It will be a remarkable day when the ACoC makes a clear resolution on anything at all.

This is one of the many observations recently made by two pastoral visitors from the U.K. who were deputized by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. They were invited to attend the four-day meeting of the House of Bishops last November in Niagara, Ont., at the request of Archbishop Williams. Archbishop Williams is seeking ways to heal divisions among member provinces of the Anglican Communion.

No matter what decisions may be reached at the 2010 General Synod, however, the gathering is bound to be “a watershed both for the (Anglican Church of Canada) and for its wider relations with the Anglican Communion,” said Bishop Chad Gandiya of Harare, Zimbabwe, and Bishop Colin Bennetts, the retired bishop of Coventry, in their report.  “At its worst it could lead to internal anarchy. At its best it could help us all to appreciate and practice a properly Christian style of inclusiveness.”

Internal anarchy is unlikely at this stage since just about anyone who has the will to resist the ACoC diabolarchy has already fled. Although the Anglican Communion Alliance (née Federation) has promised to make a stand, it’s hard to see how anything they could do will have any teeth, committed as they are to staying in the ACoC come what may. At least when it’s all over, the ACoC will be truly inclusive and, as we all know, the number of members varies inversely as the degree of inclusiveness.

Bishops Gandiya and Bennetts said that the last General Synod left the issue of same-sex blessings “unclear,” noting that while it did not approve same-sex blessings “nor did it rule against them.” Such uncertainty has resulted in a situation that is “complex, not to say confusing,” they said, with some dioceses independently approving same-sex blessings.

It’s neither complex nor confusing. The ACoC has been committed to proceeding with same-sex blessings for a number of years. The ambiguous synod resolutions are simply a reflection of a degree of doubt about how quickly to proceed, not whether to proceed.

The visitors also noted “a widespread sense of weariness with the whole business of same-sex blessings,” as well as a “palpable desire to get on with the business of mission. One bishop said, ‘We have no heart for any more arguing and certainly have no more energy left; we just wish it would all go away!”

The bishops who are weary and wish it would all go away only wish so because they assume, when it does, they will have won and same-sex blessings will be a firmly established part of the ACoC’s ministry. Speaking of ministry, the only other ministry that the ACoC has is social justice and as the ACoC has lost more people and money, even this has devolved into their being an ineffective, whining political pressure group.

The visitors noted that many bishops they met had “an infectious enthusiasm for the Gospel and the Kingdom, such that we could not but feel that their dioceses also must reflect that same spiritual vitality.” They said they were “very encouraged” by the general desire that the church be more mission-focused. “The acknowledgment of numerical decline was matched by a very positive approach to church growth, a strong commitment to ministry among indigenous people and a determination to deliver better, more integrated forms of theological education both for ordinands and for laity.”

Obviously neither of the Visitors is a mathematician, since they are under the impression that Fewer People = Church Growth. The Diocese of Quebec is a perfect example of this principle in action. As an aside, in one of those delightful moments of synchronicity, the bishop of Quebec is called Rev. Drainville; he predicts, “There will be many other dioceses that will fail.” I might set up a facebook group to cheer on the next diocese for demise: “Diocese of Niagara for Drainville.”

If Canadian Anglicans can find a way to break through the impasse over sexuality “it could well become a vibrant model of the kind of renewed Christian community that has much to teach the wider church,” they said.

There is no impasse; either the ACoC has to repent of its heresy or it will eventually proceed with same-sex blessings. Does anyone seriously think the ACoC will repent?

The visitors said they were also reminded frequently by bishops that “Canada is not the USA.” While the United States is seen as a melting pot culture where religious and ethnic groups are synthesized into “Americans,” Canadians “genuinely value and seek to live with diversity.”  Differences between the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church were underscored, including the area of Christology. “We sensed that in Canada there was a general consensus on the nature of orthodoxy, with fewer extreme views of the kind that have led to some of the aberrations south of the border,” the report said. “Even the bishops who were strongly progressive in the matter of same-sex blessings insisted that they stood firmly within the creedal mainstream.” This, the report said, is “an encouraging sign that it allows for a more obviously Christ-centred approach to issues that currently divide the Communion, to say nothing of the wider church.”

I can only assume the Visitors were drunk when they wrote that.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, described the report as “good,” and said it “accurately reflected what they’d see and heard.”

The report also said:

* the Anglican Church of Canada “punches way above its numerical weight when it comes to involvement in affairs of the Communion… They really do want to play their full part and play it well.” Its commitment to the Communion “is much more than an exercise of duty” but is “accompanied by, and springs from, a genuine sense of affection which the visitors found deeply moving.”

The full part the ACoC has played in the affairs of the communion hitherto has been to assist in unravelling it; in this endeavour, the ACoC has indeed punched above its numerical weight.

* Reiterated an earlier observation made by the visitors that the meeting of bishops was “relaxed and relational,” and that while this has merits, “one casualty of this user-friendly meeting was perhaps a certain lack of theological depth.” It noted that “very few of the items discussed were approached via theological first principles, the stress being much more on pragmatic outcomes.”  While this may be “unduly critical,” the visitors said, “we do not believe that the House is not without its theological heavyweights.” Rather, they simply question “whether their expertise is made as widely available as it might be…”

Theological depth could lead to disagreement which would never do since it would not be relational.

* the primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, is one of the church’s “greatest assets.” The visitors said they were “amazed” at the similarities between Archbishop Hiltz and Archbishop Williams, noting that the primate presided over the bishops’ meeting “with humility, sensitivity and passion.”

After I finished laughing about that last paragraph, I wrote this.

The reason for the decline in the Anglican Church of Canada is finally revealed

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In a report from the Anglican Journal

[T]he primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, is one of the church’s “greatest assets.” The visitors said they were “amazed” at the similarities between Archbishop Hiltz and Archbishop Williams, noting that the primate presided over the bishops’ meeting “with humility, sensitivity and passion.”

If Hiltz is one of the ACoC’s greatest assets, I’m surprised that there are any people left in it. I think he’ll have to work on his eyebrows a little if the similarity to Rowan is going to be convincing.

The Anglican Church of Canada is praying for Christian unity

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From Canadian Anglicans to Malaysian Pentecostals:

Pray for unity with other Christians in 2010, Anglican Church of Canada.

Thousands of Christians—from Canadian Anglicans to Malaysian Pentecostals—will begin the new year by participating in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The 2010 week is slated for Jan. 18 to 25 and will focus on the theme “You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48).

Since 1968, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been jointly coordinated by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches, of which the Anglican Church of Canada is a member. The organizers encourage churches to adapt the materials to their local context and to use the prayers at any time of year.

Here is Bishop Michael Bird, deep in earnest prayer for unity with his Christian brothers and sisters in ANiC – while threatening to sue the pants off them:

We can say that we are pleased that the Vancouver judge has recognized the structure of the Anglican Church and most specifically, the Diocese of New Westminster. This decision supports our contention that while individuals are free to leave the Church, the property has always been held in trust by the Diocese. We are now anticipating moving this legal case forward here in Niagara and to have this matter settled so that we may continue in our mission and ministry.

The Anglican Church of Canada, along with The Episcopal Church, has made the most vigorous assault on Christian unity since the reformation, so with apologies to William Blake:

Pray on, pray on, Fred Hiltz, Mike Bird:
Pray on, Pray on: ‘tis all in vain!
You throw the sand against the wind,
And the wind blows it back again.

The Anglican Church of Canada: hypocrisy at prayer.

The Anglican Church of Canada: engulfed in relativism

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Canon Harold Munn, writing in the Anglican Journal is happy to let people think of God is any way they choose:

“Not,” I was quick to add, “that it’s necessary to believe in God as an external being watching us—there are a variety of ways of thinking about this—for some people it’s more like deep goodness, or deep reality. But however we imagine it, it’s certainly been present and working through us as we re-design systems to serve those in need. What’s happened is quite wonderful. And I just wanted to say so.”

He’s also happy to let people think just about anything can be a “holy book”:

“I stood before the judge, and she said, ‘What’s that?’ I held it out for her to see. ‘Looks like an Act,’ she said. ‘What Act?’”

“It’s the Canada Health Act. It’s my holy book.”

“That is my holy book. It says there is no distinction between rich and poor. Everyone deserves to be well. That’s holy to me.”

And, since the health act is holy and God is any creation of our choosing:

The Canada Health Act is how God is experienced by a senior government administrator.

Altogether a fine summary of the theological sophistication of the ACoC: forget all the trite nonsense like, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. For Anglicans in the 21st C, in the beginning – well around 1984 – was the Canada Health Act and the Trudeau was with the Canada Health act and the Trudeau was with God and the Canada Health act was God.

Anglican Church of Canada may be sharing legal costs

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Primate Fred Hiltz has always denied that the Anglican Church of Canada has a concerted strategy in dealing with parishes that have left the ACoC for ANiC, supposedly preferring instead to let each diocese come up with its own plan. These minutes from the Diocese of BC synod from 2008, while not new, seem to indicate the reverse:

Bishop’s Remarks
The Bishop reported that the Diocese was back in Court on May 8th concerning the building currently being used by the Anglican Network. This was previously the home of the parish of St. Mary, Metchosin. Mme. Justice Allan reserved Judgement. It is hoped the Judgement will come in two or three weeks. The Affidavits were extensive. The Reverend Larry Scyner is the Priest-in-Charge of St. Mary, Metchosin. There is a sense in the parish of quiet satisfaction and encouragement about moving ahead.

The Bishop, the Chancellor and the Diocesan Executive Officer are going to Toronto on Monday, May 26th to meet with the leadership of other Dioceses which are in similar situations. The discussions will include the possibility of sharing legal fees. The Diocese of British Columbia has already spent about $40,000 and the Diocese of Niagara has spent about $250,000.

As of 2010, the Diocese of Niagara has already spent well over $320,000 on legal fees and has been rather shy about saying where the money is coming from; perhaps it is scrounging from other dioceses. One aspect of the legal proceedings between the ACoC and ANiC is not mentioned by sober, restrained, respectable people, so I thought I’d bring it to light: a side-benefit of the lawsuits is that it is depriving the ACoC of funds that it might otherwise use to the detriment of the Gospel. Admittedly, the money is ending up in the hands of lawyers, but even lawyers do less damage to God’s kingdom than the Anglican Church of Canada.