Category Archives: Diocese of Niagara

The state of Christian belief in the Diocese of Niagara

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All faiths are one, making Jesus not unique, his atoning sacrifice unnecessary and his incarnation irrelevant.

All religions are “manifestations of the Creator” including, presumably, the Pana Wave Doomsday Cult, the Happy Science Religion and the International Werewolf Religion and Secret Society.

Christians are not called to convert people of other faiths – why bother, they are all the same.

If the church jettisons everything that is peculiar to Christianity, society will respect and accept it. Or, as seems more likely, ignore it.

Bishop Michael Bird appears to be going along with all this.

So, the state of Christianity in the Diocese of Niagara is that it is no longer Christianity; it doesn’t even faintly resemble Christianity.

From the Niagara Anglican (page 4):

A great milestone of 20th century and early 21st century Christianity is that we have begun to learn to communicate with and understand other world religions. Whereas in the past we labeled non-Christians “pagans” and sought to convert them, now we realize that no theology is superior.

Theologians have long realized that, at the mystical level, all faiths are one. Even at the everyday level of belief, we can see that all religions are manifestations of the Creator and that all believers are called to worship God and to seek the well-being of all our neighbors, human and non-human.

Only when the leaders of the world’s religions work together, as political leaders are learning to do, will there be an end to war and environmental degradation. Both of these age-old activities hurt and destroy God’s holy creation: planet earth and its species.

Our church is beginning to rethink and restate our beliefs in ways that our society can respect and accept. We cannot turn back, only forge ahead, holding to the teachings and example of Jesus and his way of love. Forgiveness, compassion and courage are needed as liberals learn to articulate our faith and invite conservatives to consider it.

According to Bishop Michael in his recent visit to St. Thomas’, we are in the midst of theological and ecclesiastical turmoil of an order not seen since the Reformation. We have to get a handle on “Living the Questions” to help us reach out to those who have already asked such questions—those who long to return to the church and those who long to stay.

How churches are surviving in the Diocese of Niagara

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They are becoming community centres.

St. Peter’s in Hamilton, having been given to the diocese by the ANiC parishioners, is now no longer used for Christian worship, but is a community centre used by HARRRP.

St. Aidan’s in Oakville is still used part time as a church but seems to be placing most of its emphasis on becoming a community centre too; sharing its building with many service agencies is, apparently, now an act of outreach. Coincidentally, it also happens to bring in a lot of cash.

From here:

The ‘little church on the corner’ — St. Aidan’s — that serves Oakville’s West River and Kerr Village neighbourhood recently celebrated a new look…..

The first phase of the changes are now complete and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn,  Angelo Di Cintio of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Rev. Bishop Michael Bird of the Niagara Diocese were on hand to participate in the ribbon cutting at the open house.

A $130,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant in 2009 provided a springboard to get the project underway. More fundraising is underway and phase two plans are in the works.

To date, a new ramp and electric door at the church’s north entrance have been added to make the building more accessible.

The first floor of the building has been reconfigured to make the space more usable and comfortable for groups that meet there throughout the week.

As well, two new washrooms, a kitchenette and servery area, lighting and sound systems were completed this fall as part of phase one.

Through its local outreach, St. Aidan’s shares its space with many service agencies and partners who are able to offer innovative educational and support services for those in need.

St. Aidan’s has again become a hub in the community and a much needed gathering place for the neighbourhood, according to Fricker.

In partnership with organizations like T.E.A.C.H., the Halton Multicultural Council, Art House, Ace, Hopedale Nursery School and Kindermusik, to name just a few, quality programs that directly serve the needs of children, youths, seniors, and new immigrants are offered

The Diocese of Niagara wants to be recognised internationally for well trained and highly effective clergy

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From here:

By 2012, the Diocese of Niagara is recognized across Canada and internationally for its well trained and highly effective clergy and lay leadership whose life changing collaborative ministry is grounded in covenants between clergy, Bishop and parish.

If there is anything that the Diocese of Niagara has become known for internationally, it is the materialistic, rapacious greed it exhibits in trying to cling on to buildings for which it has little use other than to sell  in order to replenish its dwindling coffers. Nevertheless, there’s nothing quite as pretentious as church pretension, so the diocese is putting on a bold face – a lying bold face.

A priest – who really is an effective leader – regaled me with the tale of how he has been threatened by Bishop Michael Bird with cancellation of his license since he has left the diocese for another denomination because of theological differences with the diocese. Bird, unable to hold on to a priest with integrity and talent, is vindictively attempting to punish him because he has violated the most significant diocesan principle mentioned above: subservience – in newspeak, covenant – to the bishop.

The Diocese of Niagara, its bishop, his benighted vision and all diocesan hangers-on will be recognised by history an example of why fervent purging of the transcendent from Christianity is a bad idea.

Diocese of Niagara: Jesus was only a caricature of God

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From here: (page 3)

Jesus certainly had the character of God; his relationship with God was so close that his contemporaries called him the Son of God; but, without being irreverent, he was only a caricature of God. The author of the letter to the Hebrews chose his words most carefully to distinguish between God and Jesus Christ.

Michael Burslem, the author of this article in the Niagara Anglican, has laboured tirelessly over the years to diminish Christ’s divinity. He probably wouldn’t claim to speak for the whole diocese, but his articles are repeatedly published in the diocesan paper: I suspect he does.

He goes on to venture the following insight:

But is this to mean He is God of God or Light of light? Was God really born of Mary? Before we speak to anyone else about Jesus, I think we ourselves need to do some rethinking.

I’ve done my rethinking and left the diocese.

Diocese of Niagara litigation costs

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For the first time that I’m aware of, the Diocese of Niagara has included the cost of suing ANiC parishes in a financial statement.

You can find the statement here and the relevant line shows that in 2009 the diocese, while not preoccupied with distributing free hugs, spent $395,895 on lawsuits:

Where did this money come from? It wasn’t budgeted – and it still isn’t. It presumably came from the diocese’s primary source of income: the diocesan assessment. That means that with a total assessment in 2009 of $3,044,139, 13 cents out of every dollar contributed by Diocese of Niagara parishioners was used to sue fellow Christians.

The financial statement goes on to declare that the diocese was the defendant in the 2009 legal action; it was actually the plaintiff – the instigator of the suit – as can be seen here. In addition, even if the diocese does finally win all the litigation, it will not recover its legal costs; of the $395,895, only around $80,000 of  was recovered.

Diocese of Niagara publishes its religion of works

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And they are green works. The list is here and includes the 10 pieces of dogma to which a person must adhere to be fit for green heaven.

Just as in real Christianity, some of the articles of faith are harder to comprehend than others: a notable example is the difficulty in deciding whether to use a garbage bin, green box or blue box to chuck your Niagara Anglican in before reading it. The diocese suggests the pious family will ensure that “[e]veryone in the home has been “trained” in the correct use of the blue, green and regular garbage bins.”

It goes without saying that:

Low flow shower heads are installed
Single use plastic bottles are not used in the home
Fair trade coffee and other products are used in the home
At least two days a week are designated as meat free
Organic Ontario food is bought when possible
One day a week the car stays in the garage

And so on. As you can see, the Diocese of Niagara is keen to inflict  its 21st C version of self flagellation on parishioners and is encouraging family members to inform on one other when a miscreant is caught sneaking a bite of non-organic Texas beef by the light of an incandescent bulb in between swigs of water from a plastic bottle. With non-fair-trade coffee to follow. Violators will be incarcerated in the nearest Justice Camp for re-education.

Diocese of Niagara seminar: Ten Simple Things to Improve Your Parish Income

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The Diocese of Niagara is holding a seminar entitled: Ten Simple Things to Improve Your Parish Income. It includes the following, but notably absent is preach the Gospel:

Rejuvenate your Stewardship Team
Simmer your Stewardship all year long
Frame your Narrative Budget [what on earth does that mean?]

Build on Strengths
De-mystify DMM
Advocacy – Our Biggest Need

Try Something Different
Challenge the Money Myths
Run a “Thirteenth Month” Campaign

Get Insights
Healthy Parish Checklist
Parish Giving Analysis

Encourage Clergy
Effective stewardship announcements
45 Scriptural Resources about Stewardship

Also absent is the number one strategy: sue churches that used to be part of the diocese so you can sell the buildings they paid for.

Diocese of Niagara: 22 tips on increasing parish revenue

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The Diocese of Niagara has published 22 preaching tips on how to extract more money from parishioners. The inane, clichéd and profoundly meaningless “We are a people of the story” predictably appears in number 4 and number 8 reveals the level of diocesan desperation in that it makes the unprecedented recommendation of using the Bible:

Use the Bible. From the very first book of the Bible, the image of God is one of an abundant, lavish giver. If we are created in God’s own image, then to deny that, we are not allowing ourselves to become what God has made us to be. Look for biblical stories about gratitude and abundance. Remind parishioners that Jesus talked more about money than he did about heaven or prayer.

Number 23 has been omitted for some reason; here it is:

23. If none of the above work, sue the congregation, take their building, sell it and tell everyone you were forced to sue them to preserve heritage diocesan assets for future generations.

Marriage in the Diocese of Niagara

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It’s not what it used to be. A comment from someone prompted me to take another look at the Niagara rite of blessing of civil marriage: it would be used for the blessing of same-sex partners (one of whom has to be baptised – why?), but, presumably could be used to bless heterosexual civil unions too. We are assured in the introduction that the “rite is innovative” – and indeed it is as an excercise in maudlin sentimentality:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now, there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two persons, but there is one life ahead of you.
Go now to your dwelling to enter into the days of your life together
And may your days be good and long upon the earth

From there it lurches recklessly into the assertion that same-sex attraction and its fulfilment is a sacred God-given gift and a bodily expression of Christ’s perfect love:

In your mercy you befriend those who wander in loneliness and shame, those oppressed because of difference, those who do not know the value of their unique and sacred gift; and by your Holy Spirit you awaken in them the dignity of humankind and the responsibility of embodied love, as perfected in Jesus Christ, who loved and gave himself for us, showing us the way to intimacy with you and with one another.

None of which overshadows the Proclamation of the Word with its suggested secular readings. Here is one from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, “We two boys together clinging” – a poem about gay love:

WE two boys together clinging,
One the other never leaving,
Up and down the roads going, North and South excursions making,
Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
Arm’d and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving.
No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering, thieving,
threatening,
Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water drinking, on
the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking, feebleness
chasing,
Fulfilling our foray.

Or the couple could select “The Road Goes Ever On”. While it works pretty well in Lord of the Rings, I wonder if the happy couple look forward to wading through the festering marshes of Emyn Muil, only to end up in Mount Doom where the bride will have his finger bitten off and thrown into the molten lava, ring and all.  Although – maybe that’s an apt metaphor.