Clergy alcohol abuse in The Episcopal Church

Posted on by
3

The Episcopal Church in the US is “mired in a ‘system of denial and helplessness’ over alcohol abuse” according to this report.

I must admit, I have considerable sympathy for the clerical alcoholics in TEC. After all, to be employed to believe something while secretly disbelieving it, to have to keep your fingers crossed behind your back while reciting the creed every week, to maintain the farcical illusion that your career is a vocation is going take its toll eventually. It’s enough to drive anyone to drink.

The Anglican Church in the US remains mired in a ‘system of denial and helplessness’ over alcohol abuse among its senior clergy, a damning commission has concluded.

It found the Church had done little to tackle the issue after a Baltimore cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run incident by the former bishop in the Maryland diocese, Heather Cook, who was drunk-driving.

Cook was jailed for 10 years in 2015 after she pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Tom Palermo, 41. She was found to have three times the legal blood-alcohol limit.

But a report, commissioned by The Episcopal Church’s bishops, examined a number of case studies and in almost every case found ‘the ecclesial structure and polity of our church proved to contribute negatively to the situation’.

‘Clericalism, a misunderstanding of hierarchy, the canonical autonomy of parishes and dioceses, and a polity that hinders the enforcement of expectations all contributed to inactivity by responsible persons and bodies,’ the report, published this week, said.

‘The commission has discovered that in many instances, church polity has impeded the ability of the church to intervene, assess and treat impaired people and care for the injured community.’

he commission exposed a fear of exposure to liability, friendships between church officials, the autonomy of dioceses and a ‘culture of forgiveness’ as reasons for why there was a failure to address alcohol abuse among clergy.

The Cook case rocked TEC to the core after it emerged she had previously been arrested for drunk driving and the bishop of Maryland, Eugene Taylor Sutton, admitted he thought Cook was drunk at a dinner two days before her consecration as bishop.

Following the case the Church’s House of Bishops condemned its ‘longstanding tolerance for the use of alcohol’ that, it said, ‘contributed to its misuse and has undermined a climate of wholeness and holiness for all’.

The report criticised the Church’s failure to hold a central database to record the employment history and disciplinary profiles of clergy saying it has ‘no capacity for verification’.

It said: ‘There is no clarity about who should see background checks or read the self-report questionnaires. Once again, people who are not qualified to analyze the data are often in a position of making process and outcome determinations.’

However it added systems would not create ‘the great culture shift’ needed in the Church.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry does evangelism

Posted on by
4

There are two ways to be incoherent: say something that means nothing; say something that can mean anything. The latter technique is preferred by Anglican clergy because it gives the illusion of Deep Thinking while providing an escape route when someone tries to pin them down.

Thus, when the Diocese of Niagara embarked upon the Decade of Evangelism many years ago, it spent nine and a half of those years attempting to define “evangelism” and six months producing reports that concluded “evangelism” was just another word for “inclusion” because, obviously, God would not exclude anyone or their behaviour, sexual proclivities or path to salvation no matter how perverse or arcane. Shortly after that most Christians left the diocese.

Now it’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s turn.

Curry, eager to be on the trailing edge of secular trends has been influenced by the twittering success of Donald Trump. He is tweeting his enthusiasm for evangelism; and making it mean anything – or nothing – at all:

I suspect the problem is that what motivates Curry et al is not saving souls from the fires of hell but filling emptying buildings and coffers. Such is his level of desperation, he is even willing to use the trappings of loathed fundamentalism to achieve his ends.

Justin Welby bows to Saudi Crown Prince

Posted on by
3

In this photo Welby may be pointing out to Mohammed bin Salman that his shoelace is undone; or warning him not to slip on a banana peel; or inviting the prince to inspect his head for lice.

Or he might have been bowing.

Welby is meeting with the Crown Prince to discuss Saudi Arabia’s “strong commitment to interfaith dialogue”, an idea so preposterous not even an ex oil executive whose scruples must have been numbed by the necessity of buying oil from an odious oligarchy should take it seriously. The country renowned for beating critics of its leaders practically to death, that practices the most barbaric excesses of sharia law, that mutilates women because it is “noble”, has no Christian churches. None. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic theocracy, a nasty, brutish, despotism which does not tolerate the public practice of other religions. There is no “interfaith” because there are no other state tolerated faiths.

In other news, next week Justin Welby will be meeting with Satan to foster reconciliation, begin interfaith dialogue, and persuade him to turn down the temperature in hell.

From here:

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a private meeting Thursday with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, where he made a “strong commitment” to interfaith dialogue, the archbishop’s office said.

During the hour-long visit at Lambeth Palace, the pair discussed the crown prince’s reform plans and Welby — the head of the Anglican church — expressed his concerns about the treatment of Christians in Saudi Arabia.

“The Crown Prince made a strong commitment to promote the flourishing of those of different faith traditions, and to interfaith dialogue within the Kingdom and beyond,” the archbishop’s office said in a statement.

“The archbishop shared his concern about limits placed on Christian worship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and highlighted the importance for leaders of all faiths to support freedom of religion or belief, drawing on the experience of the UK.”

Bishop elect Susan Bell and #MeToo

Posted on by
Reply

Noel Edison is the choir director at the Diocese of Niagara’s St. John the Evangelist church in Elora:

Under Noel Edison, its conductor for the past twenty years, the choir leads the congregation in Choral Mattins twice monthly, in the occasional Evensong and in the Choral Eucharist on other Sundays.

I should have said “was the choir director”, because Edison was relieved of his position after allegations of sexual misconduct came to light. St. John’s website still has him listed in the position, but a local paper has this to say:

ELORA — One of the few professional church choirs in the country is facing a pressing question — what happens now that their star conductor is gone?

That’s the dilemma facing the parish choir at St. John the Evangelist Church in Elora, after the departure of longtime music director Noel Edison amid sexual misconduct allegations.

[…..]

Edison has also voluntarily stepped down from his role as the music director at St. John’s, a role he’s had since the 1980s.

There is more here, here, here, and here.

As often seems to be the case with this type of allegation, there are claims that Edison’s sexual indiscretions were not a particularly well kept secret: everyone knew but no one said anything:

I find a lot of the comments from choristers and TMC/EFS disingenuous. EVERYONE knows that, at best, he has been ethically and sexually inappropriate for years. At worst, criminal. His house parties are famous. Comparing notes about “inappropriate Noel moments” is something many southwestern/GTA singers do. He is a likeable man and a great conductor, but that doesn’t make him a saint.

Interestingly, the newly elected bishop in the Diocese of Niagara, Rev, Susan Bell,  sang in the Elora choir during the period that Edison was philandering. Did she know and not tell? After all, the #MeToo movement was not the cultural hit it is today and the diocese, keenly sensitive to the caprice of the zeitgeist, might have been blissfully indifferent to Edison’s sexual antics; why should its paid choristers be any different?

The Reverend Canon Susan Jennifer Anne Bell:
In addition to academic work, another area of interest is in vocal performance. After studying for two years in England – in London and then Oxford, on my return I was a professional member of the parish choir at St. John’s Elora for 2 and a half years from 1992-94 before proceeding to theological college in Toronto.

Fred Hiltz: Me Too

Posted on by
3

#MeToo is an internet placard wielded by those who wish to advertise their disapproval of sexual harassment.

It was on conspicuous display at last night’s Oscars, which is ironic since Hollywood, in its persistent profiting from sexual exploitation, bears an uncanny resemblance to a whorehouse. The Oscars are a yearly self-congratulatory saturnalia of the brothel owners and their accomplices. The producers and directors are the pimps, the actresses – and actors, these days – the prostitutes, and the rest of us the johns, eager to salivate over the latest display of, not Jennifer Lawrence’s talent or intellect since they don’t exist, but the rest of her.

The Anglican Church of Canada in the form of its leader, Fred Hiltz, is embarrassingly eager to demonstrate its relevance by jumping on the latest bandwagon. And, in this case, perhaps it is fitting since the main preoccupation of the church has become sex: homoerotic sex.

Unhappily, #MeToo when brandished by Anglicans has a more poignant ring to it: that of a societal runt, ignored and unchosen, whimpering “me too” as it is left behind, chasing impotently after the cultural fads it can never compete with and for which it is supposed to be a corrective.

From here:

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, identified two ways that the church can respond to #MeToo and help combat sexual misconduct.

Firstly, the church must express its solidarity with those who are coming forward and sharing their experiences.

“I think we need to especially support the front-liners who are breaking the silence and instilling in others the courage to come forward and tell their stories,” the Primate said. Noting the “overwhelming” prevalence of predatory behavior on the part of many men, he added, “I think the church needs to be solidly standing beside women who are coming forward to tell their stories and to demand justice and to look for healing.”

Rev. Susan Bell to be new bishop in The Diocese of Niagara

Posted on by
11

From here:

The Reverend Canon Susan Bell, a pioneering priest and former school chaplain, has been elected to serve as the next bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara. Born and raised in Hamilton, she will be the first woman to serve as diocesan bishop since the diocese was founded in 1875.

Bell will continue the “progressive ministry” of her predecessor, Michael Bird. Bird’s ministry included progressive lawsuits, the progressive seizing of buildings, progressive building closures, a progressive mass exodus of orthodox believers and progressive financial troubles.

The newly-elected bishop will build on the “prayerful, prophetic and progressive ministry of outgoing Bishop Michael Bird, who served as Bishop of Niagara for the past decade,” the diocese said in a news release.

It will come as no surprise that Bell supports same-sex marriage:

My opinion remains unchanged from what I said on the floor of General Synod 2016:   that I would be voting in favour of a change in the marriage canon. I have taken a long journey which has included much study, prayer, many conversations and a deep investment in relationships until I arrived at a place of peace on this issue.

I would preserve the status quo in the lead up to General Synod 2019 and would be proud to cast my vote in favour of equal marriage in the Anglican Church of Canada.

The Anglican Church of Canada employs a neo-pagan priest

Posted on by
15

Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck, an Anglican priest from the Diocese of Saskatoon, calls himself a ‘ChristoPagan’. He practices magic, is a Druid, a Pagan and an Animist.

He doesn’t have a conventional congregation on which to inflict his bizarre and, probably demonically inspired antics, but he does talk to and pray with the “people” inhabiting what the less fanciful among us would regard as inanimate objects.

When he isn’t praying with trees, chatting with the Lady of the Lake or communing with the person embodied in the beef he is masticating, he teaches other Anglican priests to do so in the University of Saskatchewan. This is the future of the Anglican Church of Canada – if it had one.

It goes without saying that Beck supports same-sex marriage.

Ironically, his bishop, David Irving, doesn’t seem particularly bothered by all this: the Anglican Church of Canada is tolerant enough to employ Druids but fires orthodox Christians.

You can listen to an interview with Beck here:

And read a CBC article here:

I am a ‘ChristoPagan’ … I practice magic, study the runes, and talk to trees and fairies; …and I am a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

AND I’m an ordained priest in the Anglican Church of Canada.  For 15 years I’ve preached and pastored churches in my diocese.  I’m a regional dean, and I train other priests, deacons, and lay ministers.

…But it has been a very interesting journey for me, almost thirty years of intense reflection and “internal inter-faith dialogue”, culminating finally in a fully blended path.

Am I alone in this?  Are there others out there who are living bi-spiritual lives?

[…..]

“I do identify myself as primarily Christian – heavily influenced and really spiritually transformed by neo-paganism. Specifically it’s about bringing in the feminine face of the divine. Bringing in the pagan valuing of nature as sacred. And the pagan sense of the world as alive and magical.”

He believes both can work together.

“It’s about recognizing that that tree that I’ve been praying beside, is actually alive and conscious and praying with me. It’s about recognizing that if I’m having beef for supper I know who I’m eating, not what I’m eating.” he says. “I’m what you call a Christian animist…and the basic premise of animism is that the world is filled with a myriad of neighbours…After you do that for a few years, for me anyway, something crystallizes about where I find my place in the universe.”

Fred Hiltz denounces gun violence

Posted on by
7

Fred Hiltz has taken his cue from protesting teenagers and denounced USA gun culture. It’s no surprise, since Anglican clergy seem to have difficulty digging up an original thought of their own and the higher one ascends the ecclesiastical totem pole the deeper one must excavate before hitting coherent thought.

Hiltz has grave concern over gun violence, leaving the impression that he is unwilling to fritter his limited reserve of concern on less conspicuous forms of violence: violence against the unborn, for example which claims the lives of almost 1 million babies per year in the USA.

Predictably, Hiltz offers a political solution – the church is, after all, more interested in politics than religion – rather than a Christian solution, namely modification and, I’m sure, eventual scrapping of the Second Amendment. Western Anglicanism, for the most part has given up on heaven or hell in the afterlife and is focussing what little energy it has left in cheering on socialist utopianism with carefree disregard of the resulting nastiness when the goal is attained.

Clerical distaste for guns can quickly dissipate when personal safety is in jeopardy: TEC’s first homosexual bishop, Gene Robison, was protected by armed guards during his consecration. Anglican gun culture at its finest; perhaps the guns were blessed beforehand.

From here:

What is remarkably notable in the aftermath of this recent shooting in Florida is the tremendous resilience of the young people in standing up and speaking out with grave concern for the gun violence that is tearing apart families and communities. While some people note that many of the shooters have serious mental health issues or have links with terrorist groups, and that needs to be acknowledged, many others are asking deeper questions about “the gun culture” across the United States. Some question an all-or-nothing approach to the Second Amendment in an age of automatic weapons. Some question why many Americans so vehemently defend that right. Some question the measures around gun control and the extent to which they can be enforced. Some question access to semi-automatic weapons that can fire dozens of rounds within seconds.

One young man reminded a rally in Florida, that addressing these issues was not about being Republican or Democrat, but about being human. These students are speaking out with a courage and conviction that cannot go unnoticed. Their cry for reform will not pass soon as some might expect and others might hope. Many Americans are joining them and crowding the roads to places where legislation is considered, including those to Capitol Hill in Washington.

The Diocese of Niagara’s cathedral is running out of money

Posted on by
5

There is a passage in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited where Charles is short of money and appeals to his father. This is his father’s reply:

“Well, I’m the worst person to come to for advice. I’ve never been ‘short’ as you so painfully call it. And yet what else could you say? Hard up? Penurious? Distressed? Embarrassed? Stony-broke?” (Snuffle.) “On the rocks? In Queer Street? Let us say you are in Queer Street and leave it at that.”

Let’s just say that the Diocese of Niagara is in Queer Street and leave it at that.

Except Peter Wall, the cathedral rector, has a vested interest in keeping the place and his job running a little longer.

It isn’t often I find myself in agreement with Wall, but one thing he said in the article below rings true: “God is not inside that building”. No indeed, he was driven out decades ago.

Wall’s solution to the steady exodus of Christians from the diocese is more innovation, in spite of the fact that innovation – a euphemism for excursions into radical heresy – is what drove the faithful out of the diocese in the first place.

Perhaps this is the real reason Bishop Michael Bird has quit. He wants to leave before all the money is gone.

In Hamilton, the Anglican Church is especially eager to capitalize on capitalist culture. It recently invested in a major renovation at Church of the Ascension, relocating the kitchen, offices and hall to the church proper, so it could sever or lease the rest of the 160-year-old Forest Avenue building. Ten blocks away, at Christ’s Church Cathedral on James North, plans for a new development are also under way.

“We can’t afford to maintain this place forever on the amount of money it’s costing us,” says the Very Rev. Peter Wall, the cathedral rector and dean of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara. “The only way we can do that is to do something that contributes to the sustainability of this place and allows us to have a greater impact on the community.”

Very Rev. Peter Wall, Cathedral Rector, Christ’s Church Cathedral

Since Wall arrived at the Cathedral in 1998, the number of Anglicans in the Hamilton area has declined more than 23 per cent. His church alone has lost about 50 families in the past 30 years.

Though Wall is mum on the details of the development, he says he’s committed to maintaining the integrity of the mid-19th century gothic cathedral — a soaring stone structure with heritage designation inside and out. Still, the church must innovate if it wants to survive.

“God is not inside that building,” he says. “We don’t have to tiptoe in and say, ‘where is he?’ and look under all the pews.

“That’s bad religion, that’s hocus-pocus, that’s nonsense. And that’s what killed the church.”