Diocese of Montreal elects first female bishop

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MiGThere isn’t anything surprising about that, of course. Nor is there anything surprising about this:

Irwin-Gibson listed nine priorities, of which the sixth was “to continue the Diocese of Montreal’s inclusive policy of ordaining partnered gay people.” She was the only one of four whose statement mentioned the topic.

The only surprising thing is that a suitable “partnered gay” person couldn’t be found for the position of bishop; the diocese had to make do with Irwin-Gibson instead. Still, at least she mentioned the priority of looking for more “partnered gay people” to ordain.

What happens when the transcendent and Christianity part company

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Easter Day becomes Earth Day.

Postulants for this new religion are given the LED of Christ and repeated baptisms in waterless showers. The Koinonia of the malodorous must piously recycle, reuse, compost and abstain from braking, accelerating, dirty investing and driving on flabby tires. If that isn’t heaven on earth, I don’t know what is.

In lieu of public self-flagellation with bound copies of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, backsliders, will be permitted to recite 100 Hail Marks of Mission under the direction of an eco-bishop. Indulgences may be purchased here.

From here:

An Easter people respond to climate change by proclaiming the good news, by proclaiming the good news through taking actions that honor our Creation……

Here are some things we can do:

1) Use water efficiently. Every time you shower, wash your hands, wash dishes, or drink water, give thanks for this resource and consider how you might avoid wasting it.

2) Reduce waste and recycle. I just spoke with someone this week who has a friend who has two young children, but together as a family they have pledged to go an entire year with zero waste. Perhaps you can’t get to zero waste, but consider how you might reduce your waste, by composting, using reusable products or buying products with less packaging.

3) Drive smart, avoid hard accelerations or braking, get regular maintenance, check your tire pressure. Or better yet, give the car a break now and then and take public transit. On your next car purchase, buy a fuel efficient vehicle.

4) Use LED light bulbs.

5) Reuse and recycle all you can.

6) Review your investments and divest from those companies known to be the biggest polluters. Start with the much published list of the 200 dirtiest companies.

7) Write letters to our leaders and tell them combating climate change must be a priority.

Same-sex blessings are more for the benefit of gay Anglican clergy than laity

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The Diocese of Montreal authorised a liturgy for same sex blessings in 2010 and, since then, a grand-total of zero people have taken advantage of it. However, since 2010, the Diocese has ordained two male clergy “married” to other men. It’s hard to resist the conclusion that the Anglican Church of Canada has torn the Communion apart not, as it would like us to believe, for the benefit of the all the gay couples battering at church doors desperate to have Anglican approval for their domestic arrangements but for a few self-serving gay clergy.

From here:

Locally, a focus of the debate was resolutions adopted by the diocesan synod in 2007 and 2008 urging him [Bishop Barry Clarke] to approve a liturgy, not for same-sex weddings, but to bless marriages already solemnized in a civil ceremony. He did so in 2010. There has been no public indication that anyone in the diocese has made use of this arrangement since then.

However, the bishop has ordained several partners in same-sex marriages, including the Rev. Donald Boisvert, now the incoming principal of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College, as deacons and priests and welcomed some from other dioceses, including Dean Paul Kennington of Christ Church Cathedral. Opponents of same-sex marriage protested against these actions.

Diocese of Quebec’s strategy to attract new members

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According to its bishop, Dennis Drainville, the Diocese of Quebec is on the verge of extinction. In 2009, he lamented that he could be “the last bishop of Quebec”. There is nothing that upsets an Anglican bishop quite so much as the withering away of bishops.

But now the Diocesan newspaper is fighting back to attract new members! In a bold seeker friendly gesture, the paper has published this image to illustrate the atoning death of God’s Son on the cross. Or daughter – or something:

Crucified Woman

Rev. Dr. Donald Boisvert appointed principal of Montreal Diocesan Theological College

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Donald Boisvert assumes his new post on September 1st 2015.

The mission of the MDTC states that:

We are committed to a ministry of theological education which, in the context of a worshipping community, is grounded in the revelation of scripture, shaped by our Anglican tradition, and open to ecumenical collaboration.

This ministry equips the whole people of God “for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” [Ephesians 4: 12-13] Consonant with this vision, our mission is to edify the ministry of the Church through programs of ordered learning that encourage the development of those intellectual competencies, practical skills, and spiritual gifts that make for mature Christian witness and service.

This seems to be a fairly straightforward statement that any orthodox Christian seminary might make. It just goes to show that one cannot take the claims of Anglican seminaries particularly seriously.

Boisvert, is gay, lives with his spouse, Gaston, and has written a book, “Out on Holy Ground: Meditations on Gay Men’s Spirituality” in which he extols the holiness of phallic worship and gay sex.

He is unclear on whether the time that he “publicly cruised other men, or participated in some of the more arcane rituals associated with S/M sex” was before or after he attached himself to Gaston but, either way, the seminary must believe its students will benefit from being led by someone who appreciates the finer points of holy gay cruising, S/M sex and phallic worship. For the edification of the church.

Church of England considering calling God “she”

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Over the last ten years the Church of England has lost 4.5 million members whereas the number of Muslims in the UK has increased.

To stem the tide, the CofE is considering doing more of what has already prompted so many to depart: call God “she”:

“Most people think of God as a bearded man in the sky… probably white himself. This is not just a gender discussion,” says Rev Stowell.

“I think if [young people] are seeing people saying that God is not an old, white man in the sky and that God is inclusive of everybody, then that will interest people, especially if they’ve got the idea that Christianity is male, pale and stale.

“If we’re debunking that myth… of course that’s going to bring people to explore faith more.”

Muslims have no plans to similarly self-destruct by calling God “she” and, as yet, the CofE’s inclusivity does not extend to transgendering Satan – insofar as they still believe in her, of course.

The Diocese of Niagara’s continuing mission in Guelph

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Alienating the residents:

Protest2

From here:

Protesters seek meeting with Anglican bishop over sale of Guelph property

GUELPH — Passionate but peaceful protesters gathered outside St. George’s Anglican Church in downtown Guelph on Sunday morning to send a message to the church’s bishop.

As parishioners filed into the Woolwich Street church, roughly 25 members of two south end community groups handed out literature and marched on the sidewalk with signs critical of Bishop Michael Bird of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara.

While the protesters made it clear they have no issue with St. George’s Church itself, they felt it was another way to try to pressure Bishop Bird to meet with them and discuss the sale of property on Kortright Road that is the home of the former St. Matthias Anglican Church.

The Bishop was not at Sunday’s service.

And while the behaviour was cordial and polite, the signs and words of the protesters were a little more barbed.

“I think the bishop should meet with the people. Jesus met with everybody, sinners and non-sinners, so why would the bishop not meet with the people,” said Bruce Taylor of Citizens for Community.

The property in question, on the northeast corner of the intersection of Kortright and Edinburgh roads, has been sold to HIP Developments, which has gone to the Ontario Municipal Board to try to get the property rezoned from institutional to specialized residential.

HIP Developments plans to build a six-storey, 81-unit residential complex.

Opponents feel it is the wrong use for the 0.81-hectare site and want to preserve the land and property for community use.

“The church should practise what they preach,” said Filippa Mirotta, who has lived near the property for 30 years.

She and others felt the church was intent only on maximizing its financial return on the property rather than the social implications.

“The church has a moral responsibility,” Mirotta said. “The church is not in the business of making money.”

Linda Davis of the McElderry Community and Friends group said they have asked three times for a meeting and were turned down each time.

“We want to meet with him face to face and he continues to shun us and treat us with disrespect,” Davis said. “It’s a very sad situation.”

United Church of Canada: Rev. Gretta Vosper, atheist

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The Anglican Church of Canada is behind the times in competitive coming out. ACoC clergy are still contenting themselves with coming out as gay: very yesterday. The United Church has a clergywoman who has come out as an atheist.

From here:

My congregation belongs to The United Church of Canada, probably the most progressive Christian denomination in the world. It ordained women over seventy years ago and has been ordaining openly LGBTQ leaders for decades. But theologically it remains in the closet about the human construction of religion and all its trapping. I couldn’t stay in that closet.
I came out as an atheist in 2001.

As an atheist, Vosper thinks any experience of God, “commitment, love, engagement, kindness, concern, empathy, humility, wonder” must be attributed to materially enflamed neurons rather than a numinously excited spirit. This, of course, means that her neurons making the following statement are no more valid than mine making the opposite statement. All thought is reduced to nonsense.

“human heart” is used metaphorically – let’s be clear; the experiences we are speaking about, no matter what we call it, are much more likely neurological

All this has been too much for even the United Church of Canada; it has decided to review the Rev Vosper’s “effectiveness” – presumably, other than how effectively she is driving people out of the United Church:

A regional body of the United Church of Canada will interview a clergywoman who is an outspoken atheist to see about her “effectiveness.”

In June, the Toronto Conference of the UCC will enact a formal process known as a review regarding the Rev. Gretta Vosper, an author and founder of the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity who is also a professed atheist.

Internationally, the Rev. Vosper is not alone in her uncloseted clerical atheism: according to this report, 2% of Church of England clergy – that’s around 560 clergy – are atheists. For example, Rev David Paterson said, during an unguarded spasm of random neurological misfiring:

…. there was no conflict in preaching while being unable to believe in God. “Within my congregation I would take the line that how you feel about God is not in the least dependent on whether you think God exists or not. I preach using God’s terminology, but never with the suggestion that God actually exists.

Who needs Dawkins and Hitchens when the church has its very own Vosper and Paterson?

The Father’s Love

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I originally wrote this song for one of our daughters who was going through a difficult time. I’ve posted it before but here it is again, this time for a friend whose funeral we will be attending tomorrow.

He died of Alzheimer’s but knew the Father’s love well; he has now been welcomed through heaven’s door:

Love so strong, to give your Son to death; He knew no sin.
To open heaven’s door for us where we are welcomed in.

Anglicans protest biosolids

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From here:

Partially-processed human waste—known in the industry as “biosolids”—are being dumped onto a 320-acre patch of former ranch land not far from where the Spius Creek flows into the Nicola River, and concerns about the safety of the practice have led local First Nations to impose a moratorium on the practice and local concerned citizens to enforce a blockade to keep more waste from entering the valley.

[…]

From the very beginning of the protest, many of the strongest voices have been Anglican.

Due to exposure to the endless indaba-ized conversations indiscriminately inflicted on the attendees of Anglican Church of Canada Synods, many Anglicans possess a unique awareness of the toxic effects of partially-processed human waste.