Reverend Glynn Cardy leaving Anglican parish of St-Matthews-in-the-city

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He is off to join the Presbyterians. I don’t know whether Anglicans or Presbyterians will be rejoicing; Glynn Cardy has been instrumental in erecting heretical – known in Anglican circles as “controversial” – billboards outside his church.

From here:

The Reverend Glynn Cardy is leaving the inner-city Anglican parish of St-Matthews-in-the-city for St Luke’s, a Presbyterian church in Remuera. He takes up the job in October.

St Matthews has gained a profile for its billboards which often challenge ideas about marriage equality, homosexuality and solo mothers.

Rev Cardy says even though his new congregation will be Presbyterian and not Anglican, the job at St Luke’s was too good to say no to. He says that includes welcoming gay and lesbian people into the congregation.

In a recent interview he denied the personhood of God, making nonsense of Christianity and a mockery of his supposed calling:

There is a strong tendency to make God into a being. This “being” God, albeit with super powers, is usually male, with personality and prejudices.

My experience of God is more akin to a source of energy or power. That power is best known in mutual loving relationships.

Hence the phrase “God is love” is not describing a divine being who loves, but is using the word G-o-d to describe a transformative loving energy.

Fred Hiltz thinks marrying same-sex couples is going to be controversial

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Very astute.

From here:

The primate said he was not surprised that the resolution asking the Council of General Synod to prepare a resolution for 2016 that would change the marriage canon to allow same-sex marriage “sparked some difficult moments.”

Asked to comment on opinions expressed by some members that there wasn’t enough time to debate on the merits of the resolution, Hiltz said, “It doesn’t matter what kind of resolution you have on the floor that’s going to change the marriage canon of the church so that same-sex couples can be married. It’s going to be controversial.”

Reacting to statements made by some members that allowing same-sex marriage is a big leap from the blessing of same-sex unions, the primate said, “None of that surprises me. There’s nothing new in that perspective; that’s been there in the life of the church for many years.”

Saying “[t]here’s nothing new in that perspective” is evading the point.   For years, the Anglican Church of Canada has been boring everyone – well, Anglicans, most of whom already have one foot in the grave – to death with explanations of why blessing same-sex couples is not the same as marrying them. The former, supposedly, is not against “core doctrine”; no-one is suggesting that the church is going to embark on the latter, we were assured, so there is really nothing to worry about.

Now the ACoC is going to vote on performing same sex-marriages in spite of all protestations to the contrary; naturally no priests would be compelled to perform same-sex marriages. Given the church’s duplicitous performance thus far, does anyone believe that?

The most superfluous exhortation at the Anglican Joint Assembly

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14-07-2013 8-44-39 PMAt the end of a Eucharist at the Anglican Church of Canada’s Joint Assembly, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, one of the invited guests, dismissed the congregation with: “Get Up. Get Out. Get Lost”.

Hundreds of people felt excluded by the dismissal: there were, after all, only three people present who were not already lost.

Some loathsome words

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Exclusion – to exclude this word through an insufficiency of inclusiveness would be a heinous act of exclusion.

Inclusion – see the above in reverse.

Missional – there used to be no such word; it now exists through ecclesiastical fiat by virtue of its obligatory appearance in every pious pronouncement of today’s church. It means: “the church will die if we continue to look inward, therefore we will we have conversations about looking outward as we continue to look inward”.

Conversation – see above: meaningless Anglican prattle.

Spirit – Anglican meaning: any spirit at all as long as it is not the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

Journey – Anglican meaning: “aimless meandering”. In today’s church, being on a journey is an excuse for avoiding making the decisions necessary to becoming a Christian.

Stewardship – real meaning: “the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving”. Anglican meaning: “we want your money”.

Vision – Anglican meaning: “wishful thinking”.

Vision 2019 – wishful thinking after the Anglican Church of Canada has ceased to exist.

Raising awareness – what is wrong with “make people aware of”?

Healing dialogue – Anglican meaning: kicking a conservative in the testicles while he is being distracted by conversation (for “conversation”, see above).

People of faith – anyone who believes anything, including (sorry to use that word) atheists who believe that God doesn’t exist.

The Diocese of Niagara will keep asking me for money

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Obviously the previous fundraising effort cunningly disguised as a $400,000 lawsuit was not enough. I just received this email from the Diocese of Niagara:

THANKS! and….. please help if you can!‏

A couple of days ago when we asked to “send a kid to camp” we had a wonderful reponse.  Not only did people register children, but we were offered money to help children who needed financial assistance. There are many generous people in the Anglican community and we are very thankful.  There is still room in the camp if you have a child or know of a child who wants to go to this terrific camp…….

We need $1175.00.  We’re hoping that one or more persons can help us with this.  If you can help fund these children in any way, please either contact Canterbury Hills or if you prefer, the Diocesan Treasurer – Jody Beck.  In advance thank you so much for your generosity!

How should I respond to such a heartfelt plea?

Dear  Diocese,

I would love to “send a kid to camp”. Unfortunately, due to circumstances created by someone you know quite well, all my spare cash – and much that isn’t spare – is finding its way into the hands of lawyers.

Jody Beck, if you happen to see this, could you spare a few hundred thousand? In advance thank you so much for your generosity!

Anglican Journal print edition distortions

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The Anglican Journal, in its print edition, is carrying the “Bishop sues Blogger for Defamation” story (page 12), but has made an interesting change to the online article.

The online Journal article correctly says this:

The bishop is seeking $400,000 in damages as well as legal costs. The suit also seeks “an interim and a permanent injunction requiring the defendant and any Internet service provider or host sites to remove or cause to be removed the web site found at www.anglicansamizdat.net and any and all defamatory material that the defendant has posted or caused to be posted anywhere else on the internet; an interim and permanent injunction prohibiting the defendant from publishing or causing to be published any further comment about the plaintiff.”

That is what is in the statement of claim. Since the complained of items comprise about 1% of all posts on Anglican Samizdat, by seeking an injunction to shut down the entire blog, the statement of claim is clearly attempting to stifle my charter guaranteed right of freedom of expression.

The print version conveniently leaves out: [t]he suit also seeks “an interim and a permanent injunction requiring the defendant and any Internet service provider or host sites to remove or cause to be removed the web site found at www.anglicansamizdat.net and, by doing so, erroneously implies that the bishop is merely seeking removal of the 31 posts in dispute:

The bishop is seeking $400,000 in damages as well as legal costs and the removal of all the defamatory material posted.—Leigh Anne Williams.

And, of course, at this point the material is only allegedly defamatory.