As a follow-up to suing me for $400,000, Bishop Michael Bird has sent me another personalised note inviting me to make a financial contribution – voluntary, this time – to his diocese. Optimism is a wonderful thing.
Hands Up Niagara!
4
Anglican priest denounces Christian Zionism as heresy
At a time when there are so many heresies to choose from in Western Anglicanism, it’s tempting to think that selecting Christian Zionism – which, whether you agree with it or not, can hardly be counted heretical since it does not deny any foundational doctrine – is little more than yet another attempt to bash the only Middle Eastern country that bears any resemblance to a sane democracy – Israel.
Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek counsels the Anglican Church of Canada to “work to curb its political influence”. This would be a first for the ACoC since almost all it does normally is seek to exert, not curb, political influence; thankfully, it exhibits just as much impotence in this as in everything else.
From here:
The Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, the Palestinian Anglican who heads the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem, told a conference in Vancouver April 23 that Anglicans were instrumental in developing the doctrine of Christian Zionism over hundreds of years, and should now work to curb its political influence.
British Anglicans as early as the 16th century promoted the belief that the Jewish people must be restored to the Promised Land of Palestine to fulfill a biblical prophecy before the Second Coming of Christ, said Ateek.
His speech began a three-day conference organized by the Canadian Friends of Sabeel at St. Mary’s Kerrisdale in Vancouver. The conference, Seeking the Peace of Jerusalem, was co-sponsored by the Anglican Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada and Friends of Sabeel North America.
[…..]
Theologically, Ateek said he objects to Christian Zionism—which he labelled “a Christian heresy”—on several grounds. It violates Christ’s message of love, justice and peace, he said. Its prophecy of the world ending in violence contradicts the view of a loving and merciful God. And it accepts, unquestionably, a tribalism evident in some parts of the Old Testament that is based on racial exclusivity.
To counter any possible objections that might be based on the Bible, Ateek advises selective use of the troublesome book; leave out the bits you don’t like:
He said that Anglicans should use the biblical text “as Jesus used it,” to convey messages of justice and love. He said that Jesus never quoted from books in the Hebrew scriptures of Numbers, Joshua or Judges or any passages that were “punitive, imperialistic or exclusionary.” Texts that appear to promote tribalism should be used carefully, if at all, said Ateek. He encouraged visits to Palestine and Israel so that people can “discover for themselves the reality on the ground.”
Ateek was introduced by Michael Ingham, well known for promoting unity, love and harmony in his former Diocese of New Westminster.
R.I.P. John Renbourn
I missed this in March: John Rebourn, an influential – to other guitar players – British guitarist died on March 26th, aged 70.
I spent much of my time at university trying to copy John Renbourn’s playing – with limited success, I might add. He would occasionally visit the smoky pub that my friends and I frequented and play; I always sat as close as possible to try and figure out what he was doing and later chat over a drink – usually about William Byrd, oddly enough.
The last time I saw him play was in Guelph a few years ago. Here he is in a recording made for the BBC:
Michael Coren received into the Anglican Church of Canada
On April 23rd Michael Coren was received into the Anglican Church of Canada at St. James Cathedral, Toronto. On the face of it, this seems a little schizophrenic since it was not too long ago that Catholics were Right. Still, of late, Michael has become increasingly rickety on homosexuality, a wobbliness that will slide much more easily into the doctrineless ACoC than into Roman Catholicism.
Diocese of Huron Dean quits
When Kevin Dixon was installed as cathedral Dean in the Diocese of Huron, an imam read from the Koran to celebrate the occasion.
Dixon has now moved on to become vice-president of operations at International Justice Mission Canada (IJM), an organisation dedicated to protecting the poor from violence throughout the developing world.
When he was employed by the Diocese of New Westminster, Dixon was one of the first rectors to offer blessings to same-sex couples during which time, Dixon was critical of J.I. Packer’s understanding of the Bible:
The Rev. Kevin Dixon, priest at St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Kerrisdale, meanwhile believes Packer is adopting a “literalistic” reading of the Bible.
“It’s important for people to understand that the holy scriptures is a very nuanced document. I think we need to allow people room to come to a new understanding,” said Dixon, the local newspaper reported.
“I have not always held the view that same-sex relationships are consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ, but now I do.”
More recently, Dixon has been occupying himself by observing the elections in El Salvador to verify the free exercise of the right to vote.
I’m not sure whether IJM is active in the Middle East or not, but if it is, perhaps Dixon could take his imam along to observe the violence – forgive me for being literalistic – inflicted on the poor by Islamic State.
Anglican priest, Noah Njegovan re-arrested
Noah Njegovan is the son of the Diocese of Brandon’s bishop, James Njegovan. Njegovan senior recently announced his plans to retire.
From here:
A 32-year-old man was arrested after an investigation revealed that he stole more than $200,000 from his former employer, according to Brandon police.
Police identified the man as Anglican priest Noah Njegovan, the son of Brandon Bishop Jim Njegovan. Civil court documents allege that Noah made trips to Sin City, and meals and massages were among the fraudulent purchases using a church credit card.
In total, more than $200,000 in fraudulent purchases were made, documents state — including cash advances, payment of meal, bar and hotel bills and a trio of trips to Las Vegas.
Njegovan junior denies any fraud or misappropriation of funds. No doubt Njegovan’s trips were his way of bringing the good news of the Anglican Church of Canada to ladies working in the massage parlours of Sin City. A generous pastoral response, I think it’s called.
Earth Day Dopiness from the Diocese of Montreal
God dwells in creation, therefore God, in a way, is creation making the earth God’s body; Jesus is God, or the earth, so when we wound the earth we re-crucify Christ. Get it? No, me neither.
This is from the Earth Day sermon delivered by Rev. Elizabeth Welch:
The sins of others wounded Christ’s body and our sins are currently wounding the earth. The theologian Sally McFague writes that one way to approach our relationship to the earth is with the understanding that the earth is the body of God. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda adds that Christianity proclaims a God who dwells in Creation, is not then the earth in some sense the body of Christ which we are continuing to crucify?
Pollinating in the Diocese of Huron
The Diocese of Huron, having given up on the idea of saving men, has turned its attention to saving bees. Unconcerned by the fact that those who have not received the salvation of Christ are eternally screwed or, as Jonathan Edwards put it, unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, they are at least making sure that the rotten covering is well pollinated.
From here:
Doing their part to restore balance to the local ecosystem, Anglican churches throughout the Diocese of Huron have planted pollination gardens to feed area bees as part of the Garden4Bees project.
May 3rd is Sanctity of Life Sunday in ANiC churches
For more information on what pro-life Anglicans in Canada are doing, please go to the Anglicans for Life Canada webpage here and Facebook page here.
As the heading says, in ANiC churches May 3rd is Sanctity of life Sunday.
The Anglican Church of Canada has Earth Day Wednesday instead.
Bishop Michael Bird defends the sale of St. Matthias, Guelph
St. Matthias Anglican Church in Guelph has been sold by the Diocese of Niagara for $2 million to a property developer who intends to build a six story apartment building on the lot. Residents in the surrounding area are less than happy about this and are protesting the sale. The local paper recently published an editorial implying that the Diocese of Niagara is behaving more like a corporation – in an “unflattering sense of the word” – than a church. Developers are expected to be motivated by profit, churches are not:
In the story of what’s next to come to a former church property in south end Guelph, a development firm has frequently been framed as a villain in the narrative.
Whenever that happens, it’s a convenience for the current owner-vendor of the property.
That’s the Anglican Diocese of Niagara.
It’s the stakeholder in this chronicle that decided to put the former St. Matthias Church lands up for sale – and to choose the big-bidding developer, whose intentions could easily have been anticipated by the diocese. The diocese has confirmed that it received two purchase offers from churches but they were “substantially lower” than the offer it tentatively accepted.
The diocese had every right to accept whatever bid it wanted to in this process. But it must accept that in making this decision it will be regarded as behaving corporately – in an unflattering sense of the word.
Michael Bird, unhappy at the thought that there are villains at work in all this, has responded:
I strongly disagree with the editorial board’s characterization that there are villains in this story. The Diocese, the developer, members of city council, concerned citizens and others are each playing a role in what has become a very thorough planning process. I continue to have every confidence that the needs and well-being of Guelph citizens will be of primary concern.
[….]
Today our congregations in the city of Guelph continue to proclaim Jesus’s message of love and hope and justice, particularly in this season of Easter.
I note that Jesus’ message of salvation is missing from the list.
Apparently, the reason the building has been abandoned and sold is so the congregation can “focus on ministry”:
In 2013, the St. Matthias congregation voted to take leave of their building to focus on ministry in the community rather than the upkeep of a building and property.
What ministry, you might be wondering? Well, advertising Earth Day, for one. And being a member of Proud Anglicans for another – evidently the massive influx of LGBTQetc Anglicans was insufficient to keep the place afloat.
The organisation of local residents opposed to the sale has its own perspective on how effectively St. Matthias has managed to “focus on ministry in the community” since its closure:
From our perspective, there does not seem to any continued Anglican ‘ministry’ in this neighbourhood. We have not seen a public service, prayer meeting, flyer, social event or any other invitation in the two years since the church closed. The site itself has been vandalized and/or signs empty, for most of that time.
The Diocese’s director of justice, community and global ministries, Rev Bill Mouse clearly had not been briefed by the bishop when he admitted in an interview that, in the end, it all came down to money:
It came from the congregation’s size and their ability to financially support the ministry and the property.
A United Church minister was “baffled and disturbed at the diocese’s decision”. He approached the diocese to cooperate in setting up:
a spiritual centre — a place where different religious traditions could meet, celebrate in their own tradition but co-operate for the sake of the neighbourhood.
Normally this type of mushy mult-faith amalgam would be right up the Diocese of Niagara’s street but, in this case, there was no response from the diocese. Well, $2 million is a lot of money.