Category Archives: Anglican mayhem

Sold-out Saturnalia at St George’s Anglican Church Crescentwood

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It all happened on December 21st, 2012, so I’m afraid it’s too late to attend. Still, I’m sure there will be another multifaith sacred celebration of the winter solstice in 2013 –  for Anglicans addicted to exploring any faith but their own. It was billed as “a winter solstice sacred  celebration”, so expectant revellers – and this author – must be forgiven for anticipating a Saturnalia. As it was, the Roman deity Saturn was one of the few faux-gods not represented in 2012. We can only hope for fuller inclusion in future bacchanalias – come to think of it, Bacchus was also excluded. Shocking.

From here (page 4):

On the evening of Friday, December 21, St George’s Anglican Church Crescentwood was the scene of a sold-out crowd when over 550 people attended a unique multifaith sacred celebration of the winter solstice. [….] Following a welcome by Rev Lyndon Hutchison-Hounsell , the evening opened with the Muslim Call to Prayer by Albert El Tassi and the Hindu Blessing by Pundit Venkat Machiraju. The varied mult-faith program included a harp solo by Lisa Tucker, the singing of a Ukrainian prayer by Larissa Klymkiw, the playing of Crystal Bowls by Keeper Kevin Woods, a Cree prayer by First Nations member Sylvia James, The Story of the Drum by Sister Norma McDonald and Franco-Métis member Janelle de Rocquigny, and The Bear Song by First Nations member Debbie Cielen and the Singing With Spirit Drum Group.

Diocese of Uruguay wants to join a liberal province

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The liberal Diocese of Uruguay wants to leave the Province of the Southern Cone because the Province of the Southern Cone is conservative and the diocese thinks it is “adrift, as if condemned to stay in a province where it doesn’t fit.” Sound familiar?

It does to ANiC parishes in Canada who, for a while, took shelter under the Province of the Southern Cone because their dioceses were not just liberal but teetering on heresy; it was a unilateral decision roundly condemned as “cross-border intervention” by the hierocracy.

At least the Anglican Consultative Council is consistent in telling the Diocese of Uruguay that it must stay put. Personally, I think collecting all the liberal dioceses together into liberal provinces is not such a bad idea: they could shrivel up together without contaminating genuinely Christian dioceses.

The rainbow stoled Michael Pollesel, former general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, was elected as bishop by the Diocese of Uruguay, only to be turned down by the province, an act of exclusion that galled both the Diocese of Uruguay and the Anglican Church of Canada. And, to my considerable satisfaction, he was rejected twice.

From here:

The diocese of Uruguay says it feels “abandoned and unsupported” after the standing committee of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) turned down its request to change provinces.

The diocese, which is part of the province of the Southern Cone, has asked that it be transferred to the province of Brasil, which it says is “more compatible” in terms of theology, mission and philosophy.

It appealed to the ACC standing committee to review its decision, saying it feels “adrift, as if condemned to stay in a province where it doesn’t fit.”

Homosexual Anglican clergy are so 2003

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I was toying with the headline, “Anglican priests finding their inner hermaphrodite” but, no matter.

It appears that truly modern Anglian priests aspire to “transition” in order to illustrate the independence of bodily appendages and inner gender.

From here:

Last week, the Rev Dr Christina Beardsley, vice-chair of Changing Attitude, a network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual members of the Church of England, was one of the voices featured on 4Thought.tv’s week of short films featuring trans people and faith.

While the US Episcopal church developed a maverick reputation within the Anglican communion for blessing same sex marriages and ordaining gay and lesbian clergy, the House of Bishops of the General Synod of the Church of England’s report Some Issues in Human Sexuality, issued in 2003, contained a chapter titled “Transsexualism”. Currently, one can find about a half dozen trans clergy in the UK and US. These numbers are imprecise, as some clergy do not wish to go public beyond the scope of their individual parish or diocese – a concern that’s understandable given that the trans community seldom receives even the legal protections afforded gays and lesbians .

Beardsley, who was ordained for 23 years prior to her transition in 2001, observes that “some within the Church of England feel the issue of trans clergy has been settled” by citing such cases as the Rev Carol Stone and the Rev Sarah Jones. However, she says: “Not all trans clergy have been supported by their bishop, as these two priests were, and some have been excluded from full-time ministry because of Church of England opt-outs from UK equality legislation.”…..

The Rev Vicki Gray, a Vietnam vet before her transition, and currently a deacon with an emphasis on ministry to the homeless, noted that their goals at general convention were to assert that we exist as flesh-and-blood human beings, to demonstrate that we are here in the church as decent and devout followers of Jesus Christ, and to begin the process of education and dialogue that will lead to full inclusion in the life of the church, not only of the transgendered but of other sexual minorities such as the inter-sexed (known to some as hermaphrodites).

Here’s to the full inclusion of hermaphrodites: I suppose this means that the Anglican Church will be producing a liturgy to celebrate a person marrying himself. Or should that be herself?

Australian Anglicans preparing for a split

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Orthodox Anglicans in Australia are trying to forestall the North American debacle:

IN AN unprecedented linking of church and state, the national leader of the Anglican Church has asked the NSW government to stymie a move that would let the powerful Sydney diocese ”divorce” the rest of the Australian church and leave the national office impoverished.

On the eve of the Australian Anglican Church’s three-yearly synod, which opens in Melbourne today, Brisbane Archbishop Phillip Aspinall wrote to the NSW Attorney-General, shadow attorney-general and director-general of the Department of Justice, seeking their help.

Australia’s primate responded with:

AUSTRALIA’S Anglican leader launched a passionate plea for unity yesterday, saying divisions severely damaged the Christian message and risked fragmenting the church.

”How can we talk about unity, tolerance and respect with regard to the Middle East or justice if we can’t live it out in our own life?” asked Brisbane Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, the primate of Australia. ”We undermine our message if we don’t model it.”

He acknowledged the depth of divisions in the worldwide church over gay bishops, but said there could be disagreement without disunity.

Aspinall reckons there can be disagreement without disunity. Since unity in this context means: the state or quality of being in accord; harmony and this particular Anglican disagreement has been so lacking in harmony it has split the Anglican communion, Aspinall, to be even thinking this, must have fallen down a rabbit hole and be taking tea with the mad hatter.

Reverend Colin Coward to “marry” Nigerian male model

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A fairytale romance, especially since they are both men:Add an Image

Reverend Colin Coward fell in love with Nigerian model Bobby Egbele after they met at a Christian conference in Togo in 2007. The pair plan to tie the knot in October

From here:

A 65-year-old vicar has stunned church bosses by announcing plans to ‘marry’ his 25-year-old Nigerian male model boyfriend.

Gay Reverend Colin Coward, a priest at St John the Baptist church in Devizes, Wiltshire, is entering into a civil partnership with his boyfriend Bobby Egbele.

But the marriage has caused a stir among Christians because the couple plan to receive a ‘blessing’ service in church after tying the knot.

Rev Coward has also refused to confirm that he will remain celibate following the union, which is a requirement the Church of England asks of its ordained gay clergy.

Today, Rev Coward, who lives with Bobby in Marston, near Devizes, revealed that he hopes his union sets a ‘visible example’ to other gay people within the church.

He said: ‘My goal is for everyone within the church to feel comfortable with the situation because at the moment the majority of gay Christians marry secretly.

‘It is a taboo subject but the church is now under huge pressure to change its stance and that pressure will only increase in the future.

……

Rev Coward’s boss, the Right Reverend Stephen David Conway, who is the Bishop of Ramsbury, is also expected to ask him to remain celibate – a request he plans to refuse.

Under Church of England laws sex is only permitted for married couples and same-sex civil partnerships are not officially regarded as marriage.

Rev Coward said: ‘I have big doubts whether he will ask me that because it’s a very intrusive question. It’s a ridiculous situation and a real mess.

‘What we’re allowed to do, as a gay couple, is what this is all about and certainly those in ordained ministry are not supposed to be sexually active.

‘But in practice, some bishops absolutely will give their approval knowing that a couple is in a civil partnership and that they are sharing the same bed, and will encourage them to do that.’

As Rev. Coward notes, “it’s a real mess”; what he fails to note is that he created the mess.

This particular mess is a good illustration of the idiocy of the Church of England’s permitting its clergy to “marry” other men while asking them to remain celibate – nudge, wink. A typical Anglican attempt to find middle ground that doesn’t – and shouldn’t – exist.

Swearing for Jesus

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From here:Add an Image

Reverend Michael Land, 67, said Christians needed to adopt swearing in their everyday language because it is how Jesus would have spoken.

He said too many people put Jesus “on a pedestal” and failed to realise that he was poor, relatively uneducated and preferred not to mix with the elite of his day.

He added that the Church risked becoming out of touch with ordinary people if its clergy did not become “streetwise” and failed to use earthy language.

Rev Land, who is retired but still preaches at Burghill occasionally, said: “The church must be more streetwise and use language most people use today.

“People view Jesus through tinted spectacles and place him on a pedestal.

“The reality is that he was poor, lacked any real education and did not fraternise with Pharisees or scholars.

“People today would probably be quite shocked at the language he used at that time.”

I’m all for speaking to people in language that they understand even if it is a bit ripe. Rev. Land’s real problem, though, is his implied de-Deification of Jesus. Who better to be on a pedestal than God? Rev. Land’s insistence that Jesus doesn’t belong there presumably means he doesn’t believe Jesus is God and, thus,  is not a worthy object of our worship.

Even though Rev. Land is a bit wobbly on the Deity of Jesus, he does have firm views on driving:

He described the driving incident and said: “Someone pulled out in front of me so I sounded my horn. The driver got out of his car and came over to me.

“I wound my window down and said ‘why don’t you learn to f***ing drive’. He just walked away. I don’t think he could believe it.

“I did not remove my clerical collar, why should I? I did it then and I’d do it again, I’m not afraid to tell it how it is even if that means swearing.

It seems to me that Rev. Land should learn how to be a fucking vicar.

The Church of England is following in the footsteps of TEC and the ACoC

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In the CofE’s case, the straw that is breaking the camel’s back is not just the possible consecration of a gay bishop – Dr. Jeffrey John specifically – but women bishops.

As Ed Tomlinson points out, though, the real problem is the substitution of a subjective experience derived pseudo-faith for faith that has been revealed by God:

As an Anglican priest likely to accept Rome’s offer I urge Synod to think again. We reach a crossroads and clarity is vital if pain is to be kept to a minimum. Either the Church of England wants to profess the revealed faith or one being revealed through innovation. So set your course that your members might know where they stand.

In truth the continuing desire to consecrate women is answer in itself. So I urge no provision at all but sincere commitment to release buildings and funds to those whose future lies elsewhere. Stop fudging, it no longer works, and what you are going to do, do quickly. Amiable separation is preferable to an abusive, damaging union.

I admire that last paragraph for its invincible optimism. The fact is Anglicanism in the West has little interest in Christianity – instead, it is obsessed with power, institutionalism and money: as in North America, the lawsuits will begin as soon as those whose future lies elsewhere switch allegiance and try to stay in their buildings.

What is also quite likely is – to take a leaf out of the ACoC book – procrastination through conversation; woolliness through waffling. Or as Fred Hiltz might put it: “embracing our differences in a Spirit-led watershed moment by having more conversation – that’s an action which makes me proud to be Anglican.”