This is one of the most interesting birthday cards I have ever received. Judging by the signatures, it is from all my friends in the Diocese of Niagara (I really did receive this in the mail today):
An interesting Birthday Card
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Up yours, Greg Gutfeld
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDMzHlkB-Yg]
How the Anglican Church of Canada responds prophetically to the culture
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMT1FLzEn9I]
H/T T19
Diocese of Niagara: conning for Jesus
Bishop Ralph Spence only put in an appearance at St. Hilda’s when he wanted money. His last social call was to scrape up support for the Anglican “Survive and Thrive” campaign.
The bishop, in the slightly lowered tones of someone revealing clandestine plans that others are not privy to, confided to us that some of the money would be used to lay off priests who were no longer up to preaching the gospel to an online – although not yet tweeting – generation. We needed new blood and some of the old would have to be disposed of to make room for the new.
We were naively sympathetic to the plea since we were attempting to use liturgy and music in ways that could attract the un-churched while keeping the gospel message intact; we assumed the bishop’s intent was similar. At the time Ralph didn’t bother to share the plan that was undoubtedly fermenting in his mind: to appoint priests that would further the diocese’s liberal agenda and to remove those who would not. We are seeing the fruit of this labour in Ralph’s successor’s determination to forge ahead with same-sex blessings.
Today, an evangelical priest will not find employment in the Diocese of Niagara unless he first states his support for Michael Bird’s schemes to proceed with same-sex blessings; the diocese tells us that this is the epitome of diversity. The diocese is no stranger to the well tested technique, “tell a lie often enough, loud enough, and long enough, and people will believe you.”
This brings me to the Diocesan financial statement and budget, wherein you will see:
Personnel Transition and Severance (a diocesan euphemism for lay-off), 2008 actual of $660,178 and 2009 budget of $265,000. One wonders what the exit interviews are like: “Sorry to have to let you go, but you’ve been reciting the Creed too often on Sundays; here’s your money; keep your mouth shut”.
Also, there is a 2008 actual legal expenses of $30,717 and 2009 budgeted expense of $14,000. The diocese is attempting to relieve ANiC of over $200,000 to cover its lawyers’ costs in 2008; where are these lawyers’ costs reflected in the budget? Similarly, since the diocese is still unwilling to negotiate and eager to litigate, the $14,000 budget for 2009 appears a little meagre.
Could they be hiding these costs to pull the wool over the eyes of ACoC members who might otherwise be questioning why their offerings are being used to sue fellow Christians?
Go away Galloway
The Post has a good perspective on Canada’s refusal to allow George Galloway entry:
It’s a mystery to me why anyone cares what George Galloway thinks, no matter what the issue. From what I understand, he’s a self-promoting British MP of no particular stature, who specializes in making inane remarks, the better to draw attention to himself. We have plenty of those in Canada, why import more from Britain?
I derive considerable satisfaction from observing Galloway’s frustration at the idea that he is unable to unleash one of his bombastic jeremiads within Canada. Nevertheless, even though the ostensible reason for his exclusion is his financial support of terrorist organisations, in the interest of free speech it might have been better to let him in and froth at the mouth for a while.
After all, the only person who would have listened is Jack Layton.
Peace in our time
From here
Iran responds to Barack Obama’s video appeal with nuclear pledge
US President Barack Obama’s appeal for a ‘new beginning’ with Iran has been met by a pledge to turn on the country’s nuclear power plant this year.
Mr Obama sent Iran an unprecedented videotaped message offering a fresh start in diplomatic engagement after decades of US hostility to the Islamic Republic.
In an unusually swift reaction to Mr Obama’s overture, Aliakbar Javanfekr, an aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Iran welcomed “the interest of the American government to settle differences”.
But he said that the US government “should realise its previous mistakes and make an effort to amend them”.
Obama’s grovelling overture to Iran reminds of something; now what was it? Oh, yes, this:
[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmwmuPTa0To]
Except Neville Chamberlain was less naive.
B minor Mass. Et in Spriritum Sanctum
From Bach’s B minor Mass, Karl Richter
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dpOgCoAZLs]
Gay couple sue Christian hotel owners
From here:
Gay couple sue Christians for barring them from hotel bed
The Christian owners of a seaside hotel may be prosecuted after refusing to allow a gay couple to stay in a double room.
Peter and Hazelmary Bull are facing an unprecedented court case under controversial new equality laws.
Martyn Hall, who lives with his civil partner Steven Preddy, has lodged a county court claim for up to £5,000 in damages alleging ‘direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation’.
Last August, the Bulls received a letter from Stonewall, the gay rights organisation, saying it had received a complaint and warning the hotel it was breaking the law.
The following month Mr Preddy, from Bristol, rang to book a double room for two nights.
Mrs Bull, who took the call, said last night that she had wrongly assumed that he would be staying with his wife before she accepted the booking.
When Mr Preddy and Mr Hall arrived, they were told by the manager, Bernie Quinn, that the hotel could not honour the booking.
The couple told him he was acting illegally before leaving and reporting the incident to police
The Chymorvah Hotel lists its rules:
Here at Chymorvah we have few rules, but please note that as Christians we have a deep regard for marriage (being the union of one man to one woman for life to the exclusion of all others).
Therefore, although we extend to all a warm welcome to our home, our double bedded accommodation is not available to unmarried couples – Thank you.
It’s obvious Messrs Hall and Preddy knew about the hotel rules before making the booking. In which case, they were not really looking for a seaside holiday at all, but were out to make a point by deliberately searching for accommodation where they knew they could challenge Christian principle with vacuous 21st Century secular equality. It is significant that no unmarried heterosexual couple has felt the need to sue the hotel – probably because there are plenty of other hotels in the area. Not to mention the fact that heterosexual unmarried couples do not feel the need to engage in a crusade to establish the normality of their behaviour.
Anjem Choudary and donkeys
Occasionally, a sufficiently serious religious news item appears that I find it necessary to eschew irony in order to assess, in a serious and sober way, the exigent theological quodlibet.
Today, we are looking at the tendency of man, in this post-Christian era, to be attracted to donkeys. It may not have occurred to you, but it has occurred to the burrophobic, Anjem Choudary:
He said: ‘If a man likes another man, it can happen, but if you go on to fulfil your desire, if it is proved, then there is a punishment to follow. You don’t stone to death unless there are four eyewitnesses. It is a very stringent procedure.
‘There are some people who are attracted to donkeys but that does not mean it is right.’
Anjem Choudary advocates stoning homosexuals caught in the act – but only if they happen to be observed in flagrante by four people; personally, I would simply make the coupling paramours pay for psychiatric counselling for the onlookers to help them cope with the trauma.
What is missing from all this, is the penalty for the donkey lovers.
How do Anglicans and Lutherans share office space?
The Anglican Church of Canada is proposing to share office space with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada:
Anglicans and Lutherans plan joint gathering, consider sharing office space
Sharing space for national offices in the future would result in a “huge cost saving,” said Archbishop Hiltz. But “this is not something that is simply driven by our current financial circumstances,” he added. “There’s no question that has some impact, but I really think that what’s driving it is the commitment that we made as churches in 2001.”
Possible scenarios for sharing office space haven’t been worked out yet, said Archbishop Hiltz. “A shared office might be that one office moves into the other or together we move into a brand new location and open a new office together. Or certain areas of ministry are centred out of the ELCIC office, and other areas of ministry of centered out of the Anglican office,” he said. “Who knows what could come of this? There could be an ecumenical office that could represent more than Anglicans and Lutherans.”
I am sure that the sweetness and harmony that exists between the Diocese of Niagara and ANiC in sharing parish buildings can be used as an archetype for sharing office space with Lutherans. One could ask for no more than the dissilient magnanimity displayed by the diocesan lawyer in this message of inclusiveness and tolerance:
“that the Incumbents, Church Wardens and congregants now associated with the ANiC not attend or be present at the properties on Sunday, May 11, 2008 from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and each Sunday thereafter.”
In addition, the lawyer specifically asked us to post this “timely and direct communication” on the Anglican Essentials website, “requesting that members of the three ANiC congregations not attend or be present on the properties from 7:00 a.m. To 10:00 a.m. this Sunday and on subsequent Sundays.”
Lutherans, watch your back.