A thread on another blog started me thinking about how things could have gone so catastrophically wrong in the Western Anglican church without a large number of people standing up and saying “Enough – stop!”

In Canada, part of the reason is that we want so much to be Nice To Each Other (well, I don’t), so when we disagree we have to affirm people on the other side of the issue and, preferably have a “conversation”, rather than an argument.

A tolerant, liberal drift has infected much of the Western church – to the extent that, when we disagree, it has to be at the level of “I’m OK,you’re OK” even if the truth demands that, if I’m right, you are really far from OK. This uncomfortable situation was incisively illustrated at a synod in the diocese of Niagara. When the issue of same sex blessings was discussed, a number of clergy stated that they could not go along with it because they could not contradict a clear biblical teaching. In the ensuing discussion, it became clear that many clergy were unwilling to admit that, as a Christian, one must at least attempt to adhere to clear biblical teaching. Finally, an astute fellow with a funny collar stood up and said with an air of one suffering a mortal insult: “you are saying that I am not a Christian!” Bingo.

Here, there is a plea for discussion to be conducted in “a positive, life giving way”. What does this mean? If the truth is that the “gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few”, then surely the positive and life-giving thing to do is to make the case for the “narrow way” as strenuously as possible; even if it means being less than nice.

When it comes to addressing church leaders who are leading their flock away from the narrow gate, I am a Luke 17:2 and Gal 5:12 enthusiast.

The diocese of New Westminster has recognised that things are falling apart; their strategic plan whimpers:

Our numbers are declining at an alarming rate, and we have fewer financial resources with which to do mission. Our relevance is called into question.

A surprisingly honest assessment; the diagnosis may be accurate, but how does the diocese plan on reversing the rot?

First, no more money for parishes that can’t support themselves:

The need for a comprehensive diocesan plan has become even more urgent, with the changed economic conditions of the past several months. No longer can parishes in crisis come to diocese standing committees and be assured they will get the financial aid they may need. The money just isn’t there.

One thing we’re asking of all parishes-even before they enter into a Ministry Assessment Process-is that they undertake an honest self-assessment to discern their best future for furthering God’s mission in the world.

Regionally, we see a need for parishes to plan and work together. We are exploring a variety of alternatives to present arrangements together.

The message to parishes: succeed, consolidate or close; don’t expect the diocese to carry you.

In its quest for “relevance”, the diocese proposes – more of the same:

More specifically, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has said we should take our cue from the “Five Marks of Mission” that the whole Anglican Communion has worked out through years of study and prayer. The five marks are: to proclaim the Good News of God’s kingdom; to reach, baptize, and nurture new believers; to respond to human needs by loving service; to seek to transform unjust structure of society; and to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

The only glimmer of hope in the “five marks of mission” is the first, proclaim the good news; the glimmer is quickly extinguished, though, once one realises that Hiltz has no idea what the Good News actually is.

The rest of the marks of mission are given to nurturing others in a nebulous and undefined belief, tilting at justice windmills with MDGs and spouting eco-gobbledygook.

Diocese of New Westminster: cheerio.

In addition to sharing office space, church buildings and a common culturally tinctured view of the Christian Gospel, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada are now also considering holding a joint Synod:

Joint synod with ELCIC considered for 2013

The Anglican Church of Canada’s management team met with National Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and her senior staff in March to discuss ways to deepen the full communion agreement between the two churches Their discussion included plans for a joint General Synod / National Convention to be held in Ottawa in 2013 and the possibility of sharing space for both national offices in the future.

“If full communion is really going to have some sense of visibility across the Canadian church, there have to be some pretty bold steps that we take together to help people realize that we are, in fact, churches in full communion,” said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Both Bishop Johnson and Archbishop Hiltz said that these discussions are not about merging the two churches. “We’re not talking about being one church in one office space. We’re talking about being two churches in one office space,” said Bishop Johnson.

Perhaps the declared intention of being two churches in one office space is a little ambitious: two left-liberal social clubs and no churches in one office space would be a more realistic goal.

Theodore Dalrymple on why liberals are so cosy with Cuba:

Perhaps no tyranny in history has enjoyed such a good press, and for so long, as Cuba under the Castro boys. When it comes to Cuba, restrictions on freedom of opinion, thought and expression, which have been both severe and long-lasting, are suddenly deemed by liberals to be unimportant, of no fundamental significance in their assessment of the regime: though the Brooklyn Museum has only to be prevented from showing pictures of the Virgin Mary surrounded by blobs of elephant dung – without any private institution being prohibited from showing them – for the cry of ‘Intolerable censorship!’ to go up.

Why should the Cuban tyranny be given, even now, such an easy time in at least some sections of the press? It may sound frivolous, but I think it has something to do with the weather.

In a flash of typical Dalrymple insight, we now have the answer for why Fred Hiltz likes to travel to Cuba: it’s the weather.

And all this time I assumed it was because Cuba is, for him, a home away from the ACoC home: a totalitarian, thuggish tyranny where freedom is vigorously suppressed by a crackpot dictator.

The Anglican Church of Canada is, as usual, more interested in left wing political agitation than it is in defending those who, in the face of all opposition, faithfully hold to the faith that the ACoC works hard to suppress in Canada: Christianity.

Thus, it is a partner with Kairos, an organisation which is imploring us to pressure politicians into killing the FTA with Columbia:

Adopt a Liberal: If you live in a NDP/BLOC Riding after writing to your representative, why not consider adopting a Liberal or two to target with a letter of concern. Don’t let the Liberals remain on the fence! Tell them it’s time to take a stand and say NO to the Canada-Colombia FTA ! Some Liberals to consider contacting: Scott Brison, Bob Rae, Marlene Jennings, Mario Silva, Justin Trudeau, John Cannis, and Michael Ignatieff.

Whether free trade would in the long term harm or help Colombia is open to debate: the fact that the ACoC opposes it is one point in its favour. Kairos:

unites churches and religious organizations in a faithful ecumenical response to the call to “do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)

A not unworthy cause; and one that would naturally wish to concentrate at least some effort on countries that persecute Christians. Kairos’s “countries of concern” are as follows: Congo (DR), Columbia, Palestine and Israel and Sudan; that’s it.

Here  – from World Watch List – are the countries where Christians are most vigorously persecuted:

Does anyone still think that Kairos is seriously interested in justice?

From the Journal

Two Anglicans who attended the Third World Forum on Theology and Liberation in January said they emerged from the meeting with a greater sense of looking at mission and transformation from within their Canadian context.

Ms. Maybee and Ms. Ratcliffe also noted an address delivered by Steve de Gruchy of the University of KwaZulu-Natal which drew a connection between the sewage system and ecological accountability.

“Our thinking about sustainability must deal with sewage because we have to live with our waste. It cannot leave the globe. It hangs around and it comes back to haunt us,” said Mr. de Guchy in his speech. “Previous civilizations may have got away with flushing the problem downstream, but in a globalized world there is no downstream, or more correctly, we all live downstream.”

Every organisation eventually finds its niche in life; it’s taken the ACoC almost 500 years, but it has finally discovered its calling: sewage.

During the last 50 years the ACoC has worked diligently at generating and distributing sewage: feculence falls from on high to be shovelled and distributed evenly by diligent parish priests and wardens. After experiential discernment, conversation and prophetic posturing, congregations Canada wide repackage the gift, whereupon it floats, once more, gracefully to the surface at local and general synods – for recycling.

And thus, the circle of life continues in the ACoC; for a while, at least.