VirtueOnline Digest, Vol 17, Issue 34

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VirtueOnline Weekly News Digest
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Today's Topics:

1. Table of Contents (David Virtue)
2. VIEWPOINTS: September 8, 2017 (David Virtue)
3. Ugandan Archbishop Blasts Welby's Summit. He will not attend
Primates' Meeting (David Virtue)
4. GAFCON Chairman Says He will not Attend Welby's Gabfest in
October with Primates (David Virtue)
5. AUSTRALIA: ACNA Consecration Fallout (David Virtue)
6. WALES: Bishop Joanna makes history by leading worship at
Pride Cymru (David Virtue)
7. Transgender priest Rachel Mann made minor canon at Manchester
Cathedral: 'God did not reject me,' she says (David Virtue)
8. Britain loses its religion: Number of people who describe
themselves as atheists is at its highest EVER level (David Virtue)
9. Diocese of South Carolina and 29 Parish Churches File Motion
for Rehearing in State Supreme Court (David Virtue)
10. Secretary General clarifies ACNA position with Communion as
he reports to Standing Committee (David Virtue)
11. Understanding Generation Z (David Virtue)
12. Having Sex Has Nothing to Do With Your Identity (David Virtue)
13. Nashville Statement Reveals Deeply Polarized Christian
Community (David Virtue)
14. EVERYTHING IS GRACE - EVERYTHING IS CHRIST (David Virtue)
15. Al-Shabaab Kills 2 Police Officers Outside (Anglican) Church
in Kenya (David Virtue)
16. EGYPT: "War on terror" shuts down churches and prayer
(David Virtue)
17. 10. HUMILITY: What Does It Mean to be a Mature Christian
Disciple? - Philippians 2:1-13 (David Virtue)


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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:15:06 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Table of Contents
Message-ID:
<1504880106.117615....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

VirtueOnline Weekly News Digest - Desktop & Mobile Edition
www.virtueonline.org
Sept. 8, 2017

*************************************
VIEWPOINTS
*************************************

1. Nigerian Primate Nixes Welby's Summit * Ugandan Primate Blasts Welby
* CofE Irrelevant to most Brits...
http://www.virtueonline.org/nigerian-primate-nixes-welbys-summit-ugandan-primate-blasts-welby-c-e-irrelevant-most-brits-wales


*************************************
GLOBAL ANGLICAN NEWS
*************************************

2.Ugandan Archbishop Blasts Welby's Summit. He will not attend Primates
Meeting
http://www.virtueonline.org/ugandan-archbishop-blasts-welbys-summit-he-will-not-attend-primates-meeting

3.GAFCON Chairman Says He will not Attend Welby's Gabfest in October
with Primates
http://www.virtueonline.org/gafcon-chairman-says-he-will-not-attend-welbys-gabfest-october-primates

4.AUSTRALIA: ACNA Consecration Fallout
http://www.virtueonline.org/australia-acna-consecration-fallout

5.WALES: Bishop Joanna makes history by leading worship at Pride Cymru
http://www.virtueonline.org/wales-bishop-joanna-makes-history-leading-worship-pride-cymru


*********************************************
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
*********************************************

6.Transgender priest Rachel Mann made minor canon at Manchester
Cathedra...
http://www.virtueonline.org/transgender-priest-rachel-mann-made-minor-canon-manchester-cathedral-god-did-not-reject-me-she-says

7.Britain loses its religion: Number of people who describe themselves
atheists at its highest ever level
http://www.virtueonline.org/britain-loses-its-religion-number-people-who-describe-themselves-atheists-its-highest-ever-level


*********************************************
ANGLICAN NEWS IN NORTH AMERICA
*********************************************

8.Diocese of South Carolina and 29 Parish Churches File Motion for
Rehearing with state supreme court
http://www.virtueonline.org/diocese-south-carolina-and-29-parish-churches-file-motion-rehearing-state-supreme-court

9.Secretary General clarifies ACNA position with Communion as he reports
to standing committee
http://www.virtueonline.org/secretary-general-clarifies-acna-position-communion-he-reports-standing-committee


********************************
CULTURE WARS
********************************

10.Understanding Generation Z
http://www.virtueonline.org/understanding-generation-z

11.Having Sex Has Nothing to Do With Your Identity
http://www.virtueonline.org/having-sex-has-nothing-do-your-identity

12.Nashville Statement Reveals Deeply Polarized Christian Communit
http://www.virtueonline.org/nashville-statement-reveals-deeply-polarized-christian-community


********************************
HISTORY, THEOLOGY & SCIENCE
********************************

13.EVERYTHING IS GRACE - EVERYTHING IS CHRIST
http://www.virtueonline.org/everything-grace-everything-christ


*********************************
ISLAMIC PERSECUTION
*********************************

14. Al-Shabaab Kills 2 Police Officers Outside (Anglican) Church In
Kenya
http://www.virtueonline.org/al-shabaab-kills-2-police-officers-outside-anglican-church-kenya

15.EGYPT: "War On Terror" Shuts Down Churches And Prayer
http://www.virtueonline.org/egypt-war-terror-shuts-down-churches-and-prayer


************************************
DEVOTIONAL
**********************************

16. HUMILITY: What Does It Mean to be a Mature Christian Disciple? -
Philippians 2:1-13
http://www.virtueonline.org/10-humility-what-does-it-mean-be-mature-christian-disciple-philippians-21-13


END



------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:15:53 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: VIEWPOINTS: September 8, 2017
Message-ID:
<1504880153.117728....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I have come to the conclusion that God fully intends to let the
Episcopal church dig its own grave, and now Presiding Bishop Curry has
his hands on the shovel. --- The Underground Pewster

The study on religious affiliation by the National Centre for Social
Research found that the proportion of people in the UK who now describe
themselves as having no religion has reached more than half, 53 per
cent, of the public. --- Daily Mail Report

"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw
that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent." --- John
Calvin

The trouble with the Nashville Statement is that it's like poking an
angry bear in the eye with a stick. Going up to the violent and angry
mob and expressing disagreement goes against a deep-rooted inclination
to self-preservation. --- Anne Kennedy

U.S., Baptists are the largest denominational family. Roughly one-third
(32%) of all Protestants identify with some Baptist denomination, at
least three times the number who identify with the next largest
denominational families--Methodist (10%), Pentecostal (10%), and
Lutheran (8%). One in twenty identify with the Church of Christ or
Disciples of Christ (5%) denominations or with the Presbyterian
denomination (5%). Only three percent of Protestants belong to an
Episcopalian or Anglican denomination. Notably, nearly one in five (17%)
Protestants belong to independent Christian churches that are not
affiliated with any Protestant denomination. --- PRRI Report (2117)

The problem with identity politics is that it diminishes who we are as
individuals and turns us into little more than members of this or that
group. Then it pits us against each other in a battle to be the group
which was the most oppressed or did the most oppressing. It demands that
we continuously look back and focus on the wrongs committed in the past.
It blinds us to life in the here and now and the hard-won individual
rights we all have as members of Western liberal democracies. --- Andrew
Devine

What IS the point of Justin Welby? He is fiddling as Christian England
burns. Why is the Church of England leader giving his views on the
economy rather than filling emptying pews? --- Quentin Letts

We can put people on statues only if we remember that we shouldn't
really put anyone on a statue. --- Nick Spencer

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
Sept. 8, 2017
Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas Okoh will be a no show at Justin Welby's
Anglican summit next month (Oct. 2-6). He is primate of the largest
province in the Anglican communion (nearly 25 million souls), so what he
says and does matters.

The powerful GAFCON chairman has rejected an invitation to the gabfest,
as has the Uganda Primate Ngatali, whose province voted not to allow its
primate to be in the same room with a TEC presiding bishop.

Nicholas Okoh rebuked Justin Welby in a letter explaining his refusal to
attend, saying he had overseen a "repeated failure to preserve"
conservative teaching on sexuality.

Okoh heads the orthodox Evangelical network GAFCON, which represents the
majority of Anglicans globally. Welby wanted a second meeting (in two
years) next month in an attempt to resolve deep differences around
sexuality.

Okoh's snub comes as a challenge to Justin Welby's authority as the head
of 85 million Anglicans around the world and could fuel a de facto
separation between orthodox churches in Africa, South America and
South-East Asia (the Global South) and the liberal revisionist provinces
of the US and the West.

"Everything else is the same or worse," Okoh wrote, comparing Welby's
tenure to that of his predecessor, Rowan Williams. "There is endless
debate, the will of the orthodox Primates is frustrated and
misrepresented, false teaching is not being corrected, and nothing is
being done to halt orthodox Anglicans in North America (and maybe soon
elsewhere) being stripped of the churches that have helped form their
spiritual lives.

"In these circumstances, I have concluded that attendance at Canterbury
would be to give credibility to a pattern of behaviour which is allowing
great damage to be done to global Anglican witness and unity."

Pointing to deep divides over sexuality, Okoh said 'we are living in the
midst of the next great Reformation' in a reference to the great split
between Protestants and Catholics in the 16th century.

You can read my full report in today's digest.

*****

Leaders at Washington National Cathedral, the closest thing in the
country's capital to an official church, have decided after two years of
study and debate, to remove two stained-glass windows honoring
Confederate figures, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

Saying the stories told in the two 4-by-6-foot windows were painful,
distracting and one-sided, a majority of the Cathedral's governing body
voted to remove the windows Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, stone
masons were at work putting up scaffolding to begin taking out the art
that was installed 64 years ago.

"This isn't simply a conversation about the history of the windows, but
a very real conversation in the wider culture about how the Confederate
flag and the Old South narrative have been lively symbols today for
white supremacists. We'd be made of stone ourselves if we weren't paying
attention to that," said Episcopal Washington Bishop, Mariann Edgar
Budde.

The cathedral is the official seat of the Episcopal Church, a small
Protestant denomination that historically has counted many of America's
elite as members, including presidents from George Washington and James
Madison to George H.W. Bush. It is the second largest church building in
the country and is typically host to official events like presidential
funerals and official interfaith ceremonies on presidential swearing-in
days, including that of President Trump.

*****

The ACNA College of Bishops is gathering this week (September 5-7) in
conclave to discuss the report they had received from the Task Force on
Holy Orders earlier this year, specifically women's orders. This is the
beginning of our formal discussion as bishops, and I sincerely doubt it
will be the end of our prayerful deliberation on this important issue.
We are seeking to hear God's will for us as Biblically orthodox, and
faithful North American Anglicans, who are part of the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church, wrote Archbishop Foley Beach to ACNA
followers.

"As Anglicans, we are a conciliar Church in which decision-making and
authority are shared amongst the clergy and laity. If the College of
Bishops were to be united in discerning that it is God's will to move in
a different direction than that which is established in our Constitution
(see Article VIII, Section 2), it would need to be brought to the full
leadership of the Church for discernment (i.e. Provincial Council and
Provincial Assembly, see Article XV)."

This will be a make or break time on the thorny issue of women's
ordination. Traditionally, Anglo-Catholics have rejected it as have some
evangelicals including Archbishop Beach and CANA East Bishop Julian
Dobbs. But not all evangelicals are persuaded against the ordination of
women to the priesthood, including Mark Lawrence, Anglican Bishop of
South Carolina. His diocese currently includes seven women among its
ordained clergy.

In 2012, the task force was asked to develop resources to help guide the
bishops' future discussions on holy orders in general, and the
ordination of women in particular, Now it is crunch time.

*****

Is the Church of England relevant to the British people anymore? If not,
then why is it relevant to the wider Anglican Communion?

A new survey found that 15 percent of people in Britain consider
themselves to be Anglican, compared to about 30 percent in 2000. The
proportion of people who say they are Catholic has remained consistent,
however, at about 10 percent for the past three decades. About 6 percent
belong to non-Christian religions, an increase of 2 percent since 1983.
Seventy-one percent of people ages 18-24 said they had no religion, up
from 62 percent in 2015.

More than half of the people in Britain say they no longer belong to a
religion, according to data released September 5 by NatCen Social
Research.

That figure, covering 2016, is up from 48 percent in 2015. The center
said in a statement that the data reveals the proportion of people in
Britain who describe themselves as having no religion is at its
"highest-ever level."

The proportion of nonbelievers has increased gradually since the survey
began in 1983, when 31 percent of those surveyed said they had no
religion.

Most of the decline in religious affiliation has been among people who
previously belonged to the Church of England.

It was an unfortunate coincidence that on the day the British Social
Attitudes survey was released which announced that more than half (53%)
of the British public now describe themselves as having "no religion"
(and the share of the population who say they are CofE has fallen to
just 15%), Justin Welby was preaching from the Financial Times pulpit
about Britain's economy being "broken and unequal", reports blogger
Archbishop Cranmer.

And so we had a series of regrettable juxtapositions: the Telegraph's
'British capitalism is 'broken' because it leaves young people behind,
says Archbishop of Canterbury' set against 'Britain has more
non-believers than ever before as Church of England Christians make up
lowest-ever share'; and the Guardian's 'UK's economic model is broken,
says Archbishop of Canterbury' set against 'More than half UK population
has no religion, finds survey'; and the BBC's 'Archbishop of Canterbury
calls for radical economic reform' set against 'More than half in UK are
non-religious, suggests survey'; and the Daily Mail's 'Fury as Welby
says economy is 'broken and unequal' set against 'Britain loses its
religion: Number of people who describe themselves as atheists is at its
highest EVER level'.

All of which conspired to permit deputy church warden and Daily Mail
columnist Quentin Letts to ask: 'What IS the point of Justin Welby?',
whom he accuses of "fiddling as Christian England burns". He wants to
know "why the Church of England leader is giving his views on the
economy rather than filling emptying pews?"

Why indeed.

*****

The Diocese of the Rio Grande is seeking a new 10th Bishop. It has been
in the hands of a liberal The Rt. Rev. Michael L. Vono, but before him
it was in the hands of a godly evangelical in the person of Bishop Terry
Kelshaw. There is little to suggest it will go back to someone of his
caliber. The diocese did churn out Daniel G. P. Gutierrez, Vono's Canon
to the Ordinary, who later became the Bishop of Pennsylvania. Kelshaw
made him do his liturgics at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge,
where he was briefly exposed to an evangelical Anglican mindset. It did
not take, however, but word on the street is that he is open to
evangelicals and recently he put the Rev. Geoff Morin, an evangelical,
into the parish of St. Anne's Episcopal Church of Abington, following
the sudden death of The Rev. K. Brewster Hastings, an Evangelical
Catholic who died suddenly following complications from heart surgery.
The diocese will announce nominees on March 19, and an electing
convention is scheduled for May 5, 2018.

*****

Australian Anglican Appellate Tribunal to Consider ACNA Consecration
Participation. In a move that will clearly exacerbate tensions in the
Anglican Church of Australia, the Primate (Archbishop Philip Freier) has
referred to the Appellate Tribunal a number of questions concerning the
recent attendance by Archbishop Glenn Davies of Sydney and Bishop
Richard Condie of Tasmania at the recent ACNA consecration. Bishop Gary
Nelson, of North West Australia, is not named in the questions. You can
read the full story in today's digest.

*****

Anglican priests across Australia will be required to follow strict new
rules to protect children from abuse after legislation was passed by its
governing body.

Clergy and church workers will now be required to abide by a code of
conduct which they had previously only needed to treat as
recommendations.

"It covers things like transport, no corporal punishment, issues of
touch and photographs," Royal Commission Working Group chair Garth Blake
said.

Stricter screening of sex offenders in parishes will also apply and
could even result in some being turned away. Blake said core standards
like not abusing children had been in place since 2004, but now all of
the guidelines would be mandatory unless there was "a good reason" for
not following them.

"This will mean the same standards apply throughout the church and which
I hope will mean wherever a child is in Australia ... there will be the
same level of safety," he said.

The Church also agreed to be independently audited for its compliance
with the new rules, with the results to be made public.

*****

The new Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy, supports marriage
equality, but will not challenge the stated position of the church.
Goldsworthy says every Anglican, from clergy to parishioners, would have
to examine their own beliefs on marriage equality. Goldsworthy says
though 'the Anglican church's position is that in Australia marriage is
between a man and a woman', she has an 'inclusive' approach.

Goldsworthy was among the first group of women ordained to the Anglican
priesthood in Australia in 1992, became the first female bishop in 2008,
and this week became the first woman elected to the position of
Archbishop.

She told Guardian Australia she knew what it was like to be at the
center of a debate about the traditions of the church and said that
experience could make people "a little more open" to others trapped by
those same traditions.

*****

The Church in Wales elected the Rt. Rev. John Davies as Archbishop of
Wales. John Davies has served as the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon for
the past nine years. He will be the 13th Archbishop of Wales.

He succeeds the ultra-liberal Dr. Barry Morgan, who retired in January
after 14 years as the leader of the Church in Wales. His election is
also historic, as this is the first time a Bishop of the Diocese of
Swansea and Brecon has been elected as Archbishop of Wales.

Archbishop John was elected, having secured a two-thirds majority vote
from members of the Electoral College on the second day of its meeting
at Holy Trinity Church, Llandrindod Wells.

A source told VOL that he was the only candidate with any orthodox
credentials and he regarded his election as a "miracle."

*****

The American religious landscape is undergoing a dramatic
transformation. White Christians, once the dominant religious group in
the U.S., now account for fewer than half of all adults living in the
country. Today, fewer than half of all states are majority white
Christian. As recently as 2007, 39 states had majority white Christian
populations. These are two of the major findings from this report, which
is based on findings from PRRI's 2016 American Values Atlas, the single
largest survey of American religious and denominational identity ever
conducted. This landmark report is based on a sample of more than
101,000 Americans from all 50 states and includes detailed information
about their religious affiliation, denominational ties, political
affiliation, and other important demographic attributes. The full PRRI
report can be viewed here:
https://www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-christian-religiously-unaffiliated/

*****

The 2016 Episcopal parish reports are out and we will have more on that
next week. Meantime, one tidbit is that St. Thomas in Washington DC,
where Gene Robinson is bishop-in-residence, lost half its attendance and
60 percent of members since 2011. That's a steep drop in just five
years. It's a gay parish in the Adams Morgan neighborhood that has been
engaged with a redevelopment campaign for its property. They recently
brought in a new priest-in-charge in 2016 who is in a same-sex marriage.

*****

The next meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-17) will take
place in Hong Kong following a decision to move it from Sao Paulo in
Brazil because of the thorny issue of human sexuality and marriage which
is enveloping the Anglican Communion like a black cloud.

A press release from the ACNS shrouded it in episcospeak, saying it
thought that the leadership of the Church would need time to deal with
pastoral issues arising from the discussions. Sodomy has not gone down
well in this predominantly Catholic country and the Anglican Episcopal
Church of Brazil is on the wrong side of history. They faced a huge
revolt several years ago when the Diocese of Recife left and took most
of its adherents. The province has never fully recovered.

The Primate of Brazil, Archbishop Francisco de Assis da Silva, expressed
disappointment at the decision not to go to Sao Paulo, but said he
recognized why it had been taken. Hong Kong emerged as a possible
replacement during committee discussions. It was felt the territory had
the resources to step in and also the experience, having hosted ACC-12
in 2002.

*****

It is with deep regret and sadness that I report that the Rev. Dr. Wayne
Buchanan, former priest at Maine and St. Brendan's Anglican Mission,
pled guilty this week to "one count of possessing sexually explicit
material of a minor under the age of 12" and will serve a one-year
suspended prison term sentence and two years' probation.

The 63-year old priest was found guilty of a Class C felony level crime
that includes no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 12.
He also is required to register with the Maine Sex Offender Registry.

Justice Patrick Larson noted that the sentence was the result of a
negotiated plea between the defendant and prosecutors. The prosecuting
attorney, Assistant District Attorney Toff Toffolon, told the court that
there is no evidence that Buchanan disseminated child pornography or
that he had any sexual contact with minors. Since being charged,
Buchanan has "engaged in extraordinary rehabilitation efforts," Toffolon
said.

Buchanan's attorney, Richard Hartley, told the court that "a lot of
work" went into the case.
"What sets this apart is what my client has done since," Hartley said.
"It really is exceptional."
According to Hartley, Buchanan sought counseling to deal with "what has
been a long-recognized condition" and has gone as far as to start "a sex
offenders anonymous program here in Ellsworth."

Buchanan resigned as pastor of the Tremont Congregational Church and St.
Brendan's Anglican Mission on Jan. 7, 2016, the day after state police
executed the search warrant. He was deposed from holy orders by his
Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs.

I have a personal stake in this case, as I have known the defendant for
more than 25 years and regarded him as a close personal friend when we
both lived near each other in West Chester, PA. This betrayal runs deep.
I ask prayers for his wife Nola and their two grown children.

*****

I had lunch this week with a young Millennial Anglican Evangelical
Christian by the name of James Syrow. He's a hi-tech kid with big
ambitions for orthodox Anglicans in the 21st century. He understands
Generation Z, the next group the church must evangelize or face going
out of business.

An interview I did with him includes much material church planters will
need for the future.

Here are a few observations:

They are aged 15 -- 25.
They are conservative, unlike liberal Millennials raised by Sixties'
liberal parents.
They are not particularly Democrat or Republican. They are
reactionaries.
They like Donald Trump! Why?
They like his tweets. It's how they communicate.
When Trump tweeted covfefe to a bewildered nation and many thought he
was showing early signs of dementia, Generation Z loved it. "Have you
had your covfefe today," they tweeted.
They don't like drugs or gay marriage, and they HATE tattoos.
My friend says 'Generation Z' is the most conservative since WW2!
Computer games and internet use meant they had 'less time and
opportunity to participate in traditional risky behaviors'. That's gotta
be a plus for sure.

So, the BIG question is, how and who reaches them for Jesus Christ? When
I get an answer to that question I'll let you know.

One thing is for sure, Generation Z has more in common with Baby Boomers
than any other group, which means that going forward might just mean
going back. Stay tuned. Read the full story in today's digest.

*****

I could not end these VIEWPOINTS on a higher note than this video. A
Hezbolla Islamic terrorist is converted by the Risen Christ in prison.
You can see it here:

https://ashenden.org/2017/09/05/hezbolla-islamic-terrorist-is-converted-by-the-risen-christ-in-prison/amp/

All Blessings,

David W. Virtue DD
VIRTUEONLINE



------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:16:07 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Ugandan Archbishop Blasts Welby's Summit. He will not attend
Primates' Meeting
Message-ID:
<1504880167.117739....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Ugandan Archbishop Blasts Welby's Summit. He will not attend Primates'
Meeting
Current Instruments of Communion are broken, says Primate Ntagali
Anglican Consultative Council has flagrantly disregarded the wisdom of
the Primates
"Tear in the fabric" of the Anglican Communion has not been healed; it
has gotten worse
All that remains in common are robes and vestments, he says

EXCLUSIVE REPORT

By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
September 7, 2017

The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, says the
consecration of TEC Bishop Gene Robinson was the breaking point for the
Anglican Communion, a tear in the communion at its deepest level that
has never been repaired. As a result, he will not attend Archbishop
Justin Welby's primatial summit next month in Canterbury.

"Every attempt to repair the torn fabric and heal the betrayal has made
the situation worse. Collective decisions made by the Primates sitting
together have not been implemented by two different Archbishops of
Canterbury or his staff. The Anglican Consultative Council has
flagrantly disregarded the wisdom of the Primates. The inability of
these so-called "Instruments of Communion" to bring healing and godly
order to the Communion of Anglican Churches has created a vacuum for
chaos to multiply and flourish. The "tear in the fabric" of the Anglican
Communion has not been healed; in fact, it has gotten worse."

Archbishop Ntagali says that as both GAFCON and the Global South have
recognized, the current Instruments of Communion are broken and are not
serving the cause of Christ through Anglicanism.

"Of the Anglican Communion, I've asked myself, "What do we have in
common?" We no longer have a common Prayer Book. We do not all share the
same common heritage tracing back to the Church of England -- some
Provinces were not evangelized by the Church of England. At times, I
wonder whether we really share a common faith! If we are not walking in
the same direction, then how can we walk together?

"For the most part, all that remains in common are the robes and
vestments worn during worship services. Perhaps we could say that we
have a common interest in Wippells Vestment Company in London and C.M.
Almy Vestment Company in New York. But, is this enough to hold us
together? Is this enough of a reason to meet?

Ntagali says he will not be attending the Primates Meeting in October
that has been called by the Archbishop of Canterbury because, as an
African, "Abarya kamwe," means "one eats with those one agrees with or
are in agreement with." Or, as the prophet Amos and our Lord Jesus said,
"Can two walk together unless they are agreed?"

The evangelical archbishop said the Anglican Communion's reason for
being has much more substance than "we meet," as Archbishop Tutu noted.
Yes, "we meet." But, "we meet" because we have a common faith in the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is revealed in Holy Scripture
and under whose authority all life is lived in abundance. "We meet"
because we have agreed to be yoked to Jesus and to walk together on his
narrow path that leads to life.

"As the common faith of Anglicanism has eroded, if all that holds us
together is robes, then surely, as Paul said of those who do not believe
in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, "We are of all people most to be
pitied." (1 Corinthians 15.19)

Ntagali said the relationships within GAFCON give a glimpse of the
future of an Anglicanism that "meets" because of a common faith in Jesus
Christ and his Word, and a common mission to share the Gospel of Christ
crucified and risen with the whole world. These things are captured very
well in the Jerusalem Declaration and it's why I believe its use as a
unifying confession of faith is the future of global Anglicanism.
"Abarya kamwe!"

END



------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:17:26 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: GAFCON Chairman Says He will not Attend Welby's Gabfest in
October with Primates
Message-ID:
<1504880246.118398....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

GAFCON Chairman Says He will not Attend Welby's Gabfest in October with
Primates
Everything in the Communion is worse now under Welby than it was under
Rowan Williams
Endless debate, the will of the orthodox Primates is frustrated and
misrepresented, says Okoh
False teaching is not being corrected, says Nigerian Archbishop
We are living in the midst of the next great Reformation, he says

By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
September 5, 2017

The Anglican Primate of Nigeria and chairman of the GAFCON Primates
Council says he will not attend a Primates meeting next month in
Canterbury called by Justin Welby, because it would only "give
credibility to a pattern of behavior which is allowing great damage to
be done to global Anglican witness and unity."

Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas Okoh said GAFCON's energies and those of
the Church of Nigeria will be devoted to "hope and promise for the
future, not to the repetition of failure."

Archbishop Okoh ripped Welby saying that the only difference between the
present and 2008, when GAFCON was formed, is that we have a different
Archbishop of Canterbury. Everything else is the same or worse.

"There is endless debate, the will of the orthodox Primates is
frustrated and misrepresented, false teaching is not being corrected,
and nothing is being done to halt orthodox Anglicans in North America
(and maybe soon elsewhere) being stripped of the churches that have
helped form their spiritual lives."

At the last gathering of primates in Canterbury the Episcopal Church was
sanctioned and told it could not make key decisions for the communion,
but that was never implemented. Michael Curry was later invited by Welby
to meet the Pope in Rome.

"I attended the Canterbury Primates Meeting held in January 2016 because
I believed it might be possible to make a new start and change the
pattern of repeated failure to preserve the integrity of Anglican faith
and order. I was disappointed," wrote Okoh in his September letter to
GAFCON followers.

"The Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka the following April
neutered the Primates' action to distance The Episcopal Church of the
United States (TEC) from Communion decision making. TEC has not
repented, and continues to take aggressive legal action against orthodox
dioceses. For example, the congregations of the Diocese of San Joaquin
are currently having to turn over their places of worship to TEC, which
has no realistic plan for filling them with worshippers. At the same
time, the Diocese of South Carolina is now facing the potential loss of
many of its historic buildings."

Okoh says his disappointment was shared by the other Global South
Primates who gathered in Cairo last October and he concluded in the
communique then that the 'Instruments of Communion' (which include the
Primates Meeting of course) are "unable to sustain the common life and
unity of the Anglican Churches worldwide" and do actually help to
undermine global mission.

"In these circumstances, I have concluded that attendance at Canterbury
would be to give credibility to a pattern of behavior which is allowing
great damage to be done to global Anglican witness and unity. Our
energies in the Church of Nigeria will be devoted to what is full of
hope and promise for the future, not to the repetition of failure."

Okoh counted the argument by Welby that the church should not break
fellowship over matters which do not directly go against the ancient
creeds of the Church, saying that the Creeds were derived from the
Bible, and it is the Bible which is the Church's supreme teaching
authority.

This truth is recognized in the GAFCON Jerusalem Statement where it
says, "The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and
in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as
are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to
be found in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common
Prayer and the Ordinal."

Creeds have authority, but only because they are "agreeable" to
Scripture, so false teaching is not just what is opposed to the creeds,
but what is opposed to Scripture, wrote Okoh.

"This is basic to our Anglican origins and how Anglicans should
understand the Church. If Christians are never to break fellowship
unless the disagreement is about the teaching of the creeds, the
sixteenth century Reformation five hundred years ago, when the great
doctrines of grace were at stake, must be seen as an error."

Okoh said the Communion is living in the midst of the next great
Reformation. "In our day there is broken fellowship over homosexual
practice, same sex marriage and the blurring of gender identity, none of
which are mentioned in the Creeds, but all of which contradict
fundamental biblical understandings of marriage and human identity.

"The question that GAFCON presents is therefore not a choice between
unity or disunity, but what sort of unity? A unity that includes those
who persist in rebelling against God's Word is a false unity. So is a
unity that undermines collective decision making as a communion. This
makes our mission difficult and the purpose of our calling as a global
communion becomes questionable. The creeds developed as a way of
preserving the true unity of the Church in faithfulness to the
Scriptures and that is what GAFCON also seeks to do as we face the
challenges of the twenty-first century."

END



------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:17:46 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: AUSTRALIA: ACNA Consecration Fallout
Message-ID:
<1504880266.118414....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

AUSTRALIA: ACNA Consecration Fallout

By John Martin
THE LIVING CHURCH
http://livingchurch.org/2017/09/04/acna-consecration-fallout/
September 4, 2017

The June 7 consecration of Andy Lines as an ACNA missionary bishop for
the United Kingdom and Europe continues to make waves, not least in
Australia. Four Australian bishops have asked their primate, the Most
Rev. Philip Freier, to request a judgement from the Appellate Tribunal
the (church's court of appeal) on whether the three bishops who took
part in the consecration violated the Australian church's constitution.

The letter of complaint is signed by Bishops Andrew Curnow (Bendigo),
Kay Goldsworthy (Gippsland, recently elected Archbishop of Perth), Bill
Ray (North Queensland), and John Stead (Willochra).

"Archbishop Glen Davies and Bishop Richard Condie participated in the
consecration of a bishop for Europe in the Anglican Church of North
America (ACNA), a church that is not a member of the Anglican Communion
and is not in communion with the Anglican Church of Australia," they
wrote.

"We believe that this action raises fundamental questions of
ecclesiology in respect of the Anglican Church of Australia. Failure to
have the questions which arise from the actions of the Archbishop of
Sydney, the Bishop of Tasmania, and the Bishop of North West Australia
properly determined will mean that our fellowship in the college of
Bishops will be gravely impaired," the letter said.

Archbishop Freier wrote to his colleagues before the consecration,
asking that they not participate.

Tensions about the participation of Australians in the Lines
consecration will affect sessions of the Australian General Synod,
meeting Sept. 4-8 in Maroochydore, Queensland.

Child protection will be one of the most pressing issues under
consideration, and is casting a long shadow. A Royal Commission drew
attention to serious failures, in particular in the Diocese of
Newcastle.

The consecration is unlikely to be directly debated on the floor of the
synod. It does, however, raise issues for relationships within the House
of Bishops.

There are precedents for irregular consecrations within Anglicanism. Not
least of these is Sydney's long-standing support of the Reformed
Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (formerly the Church of
England in South Africa), which has included participation in
consecrations.

*****

Bishops taken to court of appeal in Australian Anglican feud
Archbishop Freier has asked the church's Appellate Tribunal to rule on
the dispute

By Harry Farley
https://www.christiantoday.com/
September 1, 2017

A feud between Australian Anglican leaders has boiled into the open with
three bishops referred to an appeals court over a dispute surrounding
the church's response to gay marriage.

The Archbishop of Sydney, the Bishop of Tasmania and the Bishop of
Northwest Australia took part in a ceremony in June to consecrate rebel
bishop Andy Lines offering 'alternative oversight' to conservatives
disaffected by the perceived liberal drift of Anglican churches in
Europe.

But fellow Australian bishops objected to their role, questioning
whether it breached church law to appoint someone outside the official
worldwide Anglican Communion.

Now Australia's top bishop, Philip Freier, the Archbishop of Melbourne,
has referred their complaints to the church's court of appeal who will
offer a legal judgement.

Urging their boss to act, the Bishops of Bendigo, North Queensland,
Gippsland and Willochra, say their conservative colleague's part in the
ceremony 'raises fundamental questions of ecclesiology' and threatens to
make relations between bishops 'gravely impaired'.

The church's Appellate Tribunal will now give a legal view on the
fallout but cannot hand down direct punishment on disciplinary action.

The legal war between the bishops is likely to overshadow the church's
synod, which will meet in just a few days time from 3-9 September. It
comes as Australia is split by a vicious political debate on whether to
allow gay marriage.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Glen Davies, the Bishop of Tasmania, Richard
Condie, and the Bishop of Northwest Australia, Gary Nelson, were among
the 11 primates, three archbishops, and 13 diocesan bishops from member
churches of the Anglican Communion who participated in the ceremony in
Wheaton College, Illinois, on June 30.

He was consecrated by the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a
splinter body from the official Anglican church in the US -- The
Episcopal Church with other leaders from around the world taking part.

Davies, justifying his role, said he felt compelled to after the
Scottish Episcopal Church, another member of the 80-million strong
Anglican Communion, voted to allow gay marriage.

'As you will all know, I consider such an action to be a travesty of the
rule of Christ, of the doctrine of the Book of Common Prayer, and
therefore abandonment of the principles of Anglican doctrine,' he wrote.

'I consider that such a departure from the teaching of Scripture, 'the
ultimate rule and standard of faith', casts doubt upon the nature of our
communion with the Scottish Episcopal Church.'

Condie also wrote openly before the ceremony, apologising 'for any
unintended hurt caused to our collegial relationships' but saying he had
to act.

'The consecration is an emergency measure to protect the precious gospel
of Jesus Christ, his authoritative word in the scriptures, and faithful
Anglicans who have been marginalised by this schismatic behaviour...
So-called 'cross-border interventions' by bishops into other dioceses
are to be shunned in normal circumstances. However, when the gospel is
at risk, these kinds of unusual measures are needed.'

It comes after Freier, their superior, urged his bishops not to take
part.

'I take the view that communion -- koinonia, is a gift of our Lord to
his Church and that in our context it is the Anglican Church of
Australia, through its constitution and the framework it establishes,
that determines how this is expressed in practical terms,' he wrote.

He added it was not 'for us individually, acting independently, to
determine with whom we are in communion or to act unilaterally to that
end. I do not think that it is for individual dioceses in the Anglican
Church of Australia to determine with whom we, as members of that
Church, are in communion. We must act in accordance with the
Constitution that binds us as the Anglican Church of Australia.'

Lines had his permission to officiate withdrawn by Southwark diocese
after his consecration.



------------------------------

Message: 6
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:18:03 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: WALES: Bishop Joanna makes history by leading worship at
Pride Cymru
Message-ID:
<1504880283.118469....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

WALES: Bishop Joanna makes history by leading worship at Pride Cymru

By Brecon and Radnor Reporter in Community News
http://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk
31 August 2017

THE first female bishop in Wales has made history by leading worship at
Pride Cymru -- a three-day festival in Cardiff celebrating sexual
diversity.

The Bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy, was joined on Saturday
(August 26) by members of the LGBT+ community and others at the
#FaithTent.

She took part in a discussion about faith and sexuality before leading
Pride's first ever Communion service.

Pride Cymru's Big Weekend began on Friday and took place on the lawns of
Cardiff City Hall, in the heart of the capital city.

The #FaithTent was run by the Gathering -- an LGBT+ church for everyone
-- in partnership with the Christian group, CATAC -- Changing Attitude
Cymru.

Other Church in Wales leaders also took part in events at the
#FaithTent, which this year focused on welcoming refugees and asylum
seekers.

#FaithTent coordinator, the Revd Delyth Liddell, a chaplain at Cardiff
University, said before the event: "We are delighted to be welcoming our
first ever Bishop to the #FaithTent, this year, Bishop Joanna. The
#FaithTent is all about radical welcome to a place of sanctuary,
spirituality and sacred sensitivity, whatever your beliefs and faith.
Our speakers throughout the weekend will be focussing on radical
religious inclusivity for all, with a particular focus on how we welcome
refugees and asylum seekers.

"The importance of being out in the community, sharing God's love and
acceptance for all, regardless of our sexuality or gender, cannot be
underestimated. Year on year we have stories of people who come to the
#FaithTent believing that God does not want them. The #FaithTent is
there to show them that they can have faith in God because God has faith
in them."

Bishop Joanna is no stranger to firsts as the canon from Llandrindod
Wells became the first woman to be ordained as a bishop after her
election as the 129th Bishop of St Davids in November last year.

The married 58-year-old who led the West Radnor ministry area was
previously the Rector of Glan Ithon in the Diocese of Swansea and
Brecon.

After her historic election she spoke publicly about the "sexism" and
sexist attitudes she had fought against in the early stages of her
career.

She was a pioneering campaigner for women's ordination in the Church in
the 1980s and 1990s and was among the first group of women priests to be
ordained in Wales.

She set out on the road to becoming Wales' first woman bishop after what
she describes as an "epiphany" during a chance visit to Winchester
Cathedral, on the way back to Wales from a family holiday at the age of
16.

"I found myself in what I later discovered was the Epiphany Chapel," she
recalled. "I can't remember what happened but I came out with a sure
sense that God was calling me to ministry. I had no real idea what that
involved, whether it was possible or whether there were women doing it.

"I remember the stunned feeling I had knowing I had been called to this
strange and new thing.

At the time of her election as Bishop last year, Canon Joanna said:
"Being someone who was at the beginning of women's ministry in the
Church in Wales, when there was a certain amount of animosity, it gives
me a certain amount of staying power and determination to persevere
through difficult circumstances and the possibility of finding joy,
excitement and nourishment in unexpected places, and making alliances."

Canon Joanna is not unused to taking on the somewhat starchy attitudes
of the senior hierarchy in the Church in Wales as is being shown in her
leading the way at Pride Cymru. Indeed it was due to fighting this early
era of sexism in the church that Canon Joanna has to thank for meeting
her husband. She said: "I wasn't allowed to go to the Church in Wales
theological college because I was told there weren't any ladies' loos.
so I had to go to an English one. I said jokingly that I was going to
bring back an English ordinant, but that's what actually happened."

END



------------------------------

Message: 7
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:18:15 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Transgender priest Rachel Mann made minor canon at Manchester
Cathedral: 'God did not reject me,' she says
Message-ID:
<1504880295.118446....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Transgender priest Rachel Mann made minor canon at Manchester Cathedral:
'God did not reject me,' she says

By Ruth Gledhill EDITOR
https://www.christiantoday.com/
June 4, 2014

A person's view on sexuality, a 'test' used by many in evangelical
circles to determine whether a Christian is 'sound' or 'saved', could
soon be a thing of the past, according to the lesbian cleric recently
made a minor canon of Manchester Cathedral.

Canon Rachel Mann, 44, said she believed a shift was currently taking
place in the area of sexuality in the same way it did on slavery two
centuries ago.

She was honoured with the title of Minor Canon at Manchester, which has
the second highest LGBT population in the country outside London, for
her work as resident poet at the cathedral. The honour also signals
however a potential tectonic shift in the established Church's
often-tormented approach to the issue of sexuality. Could it mark the
beginning of an era where it is possible to be both an 'orthodox'
Christian yet 'liberal' on the gay issue?

Canon Mann, priest-in-charge of St Nicholas Burnage near Didsbury in
south Manchester for six years, was born a boy, in the working class end
of Hartlebury. The Bishops of Worcester until recently lived in the
castle, which is at the posh end of the village.

She realised at just five that she had what is now called 'gender
dysphoria' and has written eloquently about her journey to her true
self, a trans lesbian, in her book Dazzling Darkness, a best-seller in
LGBT church circles. In her poetry book, The Risen Dust, she also writes
movingly about her spiritual journey.

She "came out" in her twenties and finished "transitioning" in 1995. Her
birth certificate now, "joyously!" she says, has her as "female", made
possible by the Gender Recognition Act of 2004. The law, and therefore
the Church, sees her as a woman at every level. "I see myself as a woman
too," she says. "However, it's important that I also acknowledge my
journey so I also see myself as a 'trans woman'. This is by way of
contrast with someone like yourself who queer theorists and theologians
would call a 'cis woman.' This is an area of controversy in the trans
community because increasingly trans people are asking for the option to
call themselves, for example on official documents, as trans rather than
'man' or 'woman'. I am really too middle-aged and settled to see myself
as anything other than as a woman."

Also in her early twenties, she felt "pursued" by God in the way that
many young adults called to the priesthood describe their vocation. She
could not lose the image she had of Jesus as a remarkable figure, the
"ideal man", although she felt put off by what she knew of church. This
changed after the day she was in her office at Lancaster University,
where she taught philosophy, and was overwhelmed by the urge to pray.
She offered herself to God, if there was indeed a God to hear, and to
her surprise felt a response come back.

"I sensed God was there but more than that, God did not reject me. I
know part of the reason I resisted for so long was the sense of how
could God love someone who identified as a lesbian, who was trans. I had
imbibed so much of that prejudice we see in the Church."

She is conscious of living in something of a "bubble" in Manchester
where it is not out of the ordinary to be an LGBT Christian. When the
seemingly-harsh pronouncements of the House of Bishops, such as the
February missive, are set aside, she says, the Church on the ground
reflects the complexity of views that exist also in wider society.
"There is a whole range of views, but my experience on the ground is
that people want to meet others where they are at." Pioneers such as
Steve Chalke have, she says, helped change things significantly. She is
also part of a new group, Diverse Church, made up primarily of young,
gay evangelical Christians, that is not as yet widely known but is
exerting a perceptible influence at the grass roots among youth.

END



------------------------------

Message: 8
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:18:29 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Britain loses its religion: Number of people who describe
themselves as atheists is at its highest EVER level
Message-ID:
<1504880309.118544....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Britain loses its religion: Number of people who describe themselves as
atheists is at its highest EVER level
Number of UK adults who describe themselves as atheist at its highest
ever level
More than half - 53 per cent - now say they have no religion, up 5% on
2015
Decline in religious affiliation has hit the Church of England
particularly hard
Just 15% of people consider themselves Anglican - has halved from 30% in
2000
Bishop said: 'We care about numbers, but only because we care about
people'
And the Bishop of Liverpool added: 'no religion is not the same as
atheism'

By KEILIGH BAKER FOR MAILONLINE
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
4 September 2017

The number of British adults who describe themselves as atheist has
reached its highest ever level.

The study on religious affiliation by the National Centre for Social
Research found that the proportion of people in the UK who now describe
themselves as having no religion has reached more than half, 53 per
cent, of the public.

The number of people who describe themselves as having 'no religion' is
up five per cent from 48 per cent in 2015.

The proportion of non-believers has increased gradually since the survey
began in 1983, when the proportion saying they had no religion stood at
31 per cent.

The decline in religious affiliation is hitting the Church of England
particularly hard. Just 15 per cent of people in Britain consider
themselves Anglican, half the proportion who said this in 2000.

But the Bishop of Liverpool said: 'No religion is not the same as
atheism.'

The proportion of people describing themselves as Catholic has remained
relatively stable -- at around 1 in 10 -- over the past 30 years. Around
1 in 20 (six per cent) of people belong to non-Christian religions.

The fall in religious affiliation has been driven, at least in part, by
young people.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, said: 'We do
care about numbers, but only because we care about people'

In 2016, seven in ten (71 per cent) of young people aged 18-24 said they
had no religion, up from 62 per cent in 2015.

There has been a decline in religious affiliation among all age groups
between 2015 and 2016, but among the oldest people, those with no
religion are in the minority.

Four in 10 people aged 65-74 say they have no religion and this drops to
27 per cent of those aged 75 and over

And when it comes to the Church of England, young people are
particularly underrepresented. Just three per cent of those aged 18-24
described themselves as Anglican, compared to 40 per cent of those aged
75 and over.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, said: 'Of course
it's always troubling for the institution of the church to see numbers
declining and to hear how younger people are less and less engaged with
the life of the church.

'But the church is not an institution. The church is that community of
men and women whose lives are centred on Christ.

'We do care about numbers, but only because we care about people. But
most of all we care about that vision of justice and peace for all that
is given us in Christ, and we will get on with living and sharing that
vision with a few dozen people, a few thousand people, or a few million
people: whoever it is that responds to the call of God in Christ.'

The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, said: 'In this modern
world people are more willing to be honest and say they have 'no
religion' rather than casually saying they are 'CofE'.

The number of people who describe themselves as having 'no religion' is
up five per cent from 48 per cent in 2015

'This honesty is welcome. Of course the latest BSA figures bring a
continuing challenge to the churches, to speak clearly of our faith into
a sceptical and plural world.

'But saying 'no religion' is not the same as a considered atheism.
People's minds, and hearts, remain open.

'God remains relevant. The church remains relevant.'

Roger Harding, Head of Public Attitudes at the National Centre for
Social Research, said: 'This increase follows the long-term trend of
more and more of us not being religious. The differences by age are
stark and with so many younger people not having a religion it's hard to
see this change abating any time soon.

'The falls in those belonging to the Church of England are the most
notable, but these figures should cause all religious leaders to pause
for thought.

'We know from the British Social Attitudes survey that religious people
are becoming more socially liberal on issues like same sex relationships
and abortion. With falling numbers some faith leaders might wonder
whether they should be doing more to take their congregation's lead on
adapting to how society is changing.'

MailOnline has contacted Atheism UK for comment.



------------------------------

Message: 9
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:19:21 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Diocese of South Carolina and 29 Parish Churches File Motion
for Rehearing in State Supreme Court
Message-ID:
<1504880361.118654....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Diocese of South Carolina and 29 Parish Churches File Motion for
Rehearing in State Supreme Court
Court has issued a standard that negatively impacts religious
organizations over similar secular organizations

COLUMBIA, S.C. (September 1, 2017) -- Citing significant departures from
both state and federal precedents, the Diocese of South Carolina and 29
parish churches today filed a motion for rehearing in the South Carolina
Supreme Court regarding its recent ruling in Appellate Case No.
2015-000622. In 2012, the Diocese of South Carolina, along with 50 of
its congregations voted to disassociate from The Episcopal Church. In a
complicated and sharply divided ruling consisting of five separate
opinions, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled on August 2 this year that
parishes which had "acceded" to the national church's 'Dennis canon' are
subject to a trust interest in their property by The Episcopal Church
(TEC). Only eight congregations were judged to have full rights to
retain their property.

In a decision that partly reversed the February 2015 Circuit Court
ruling of Judge Diane Goodstein, the Supreme Court significantly changed
court precedents in multiple areas and divested the property rights of
at least 28 congregations and over 20,000 church members.

Grounds for Rehearing

While there are multiple legal issues in the ruling that merit
rehearing, the most crucial are possibly the constitutional ones
controlling cases of religious property. As stated in the conclusion to
the petition: "The majority has fashioned a neutral principles standard
for religious organizations under South Carolina property, trust and
corporate law that admittedly would not be applied to secular
organizations. It then applied it to religious organizations today in a
fashion it did not do 8 years ago involving the same issues between the
Plaintiff Diocese, The Episcopal Church and a parish church. It does so
when no appellant asked the trial court, either during trial or post
trial, to apply such a standard. As a result, the majority would
transfer the real and personal property of South Carolina religious
organizations, many of whom preexisted The Episcopal Church and the
United States, to a New York religious organization. This establishment
of one religion over another impacts the choices these South Carolina
religious organizations (and those associated with them) made in the
free exercise of their religion. They chose to disassociate, exercising
their right of association under the United States and South Carolina
Constitutions which this Court has recognized. Yet, according to the
majority, that constitutionally protected decision, requires a massive
transfer of centuries old real and personal property when it would not
be required for a secular South Carolina organization."

The petition concluded: "These are serious issues for Respondents,
Appellants and for all religious organizations in South Carolina. This
Court should grant a rehearing."

The petition pointed out that the Court's ruling will severely disrupt
the business lending and title insurance relationships of any religious
organization that has a national affiliation.

Motion to Recuse

A motion to recuse Justice Kaye G. Hearn was also filed by the Diocese,
the Trustees and the same parish churches. It was signed by 26 South
Carolina attorneys of record in this case and was based on the expert
affidavit testimony of Nathan M. Crystal, Professor and Adjunct
Professor of Ethics at the University of South Carolina and NYU Schools
of Law and Lawrence J. Fox, Professor of Ethics at Yale University.

LINKS:

A copy of today's filed Petition, Motion and Affidavits can be found
here:

http://www.diosc.com/sys/images/documents/tec/2017-09-01-petition-for-rehearing.pdf

http://www.diosc.com/sys/images/documents/tec/2017-09-01-motion-to-recuse-and-vacate.pdf

http://www.diosc.com/sys/images/documents/tec/crystal_affidavit_2017_8_29.pdf

http://www.diosc.com/sys/images/documents/tec/fox_affidavit_2017_8_30.PDF

Supreme Court's Current Ruling and Video of Oral Arguments:

http://www.sccourts.org/opinions/HTMLFiles/SC/27731.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu8CShvWcC8&feature=youtu.be

Judge Goodstein's Orders from Trial Court:

http://www.diosc.com/sys/images/documents/tec/15_2_3_final_order.pdf

http://www.diosc.com/sys/images/documents/tec/goodstein_denies_reconsider_2_23_25.pdf

South Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct

Canon 2 -
http://www.sccourts.org/courtreg/displayRule.cfm?ruleID=501.0&subRuleID=Canon%202&ruleType=APP

Canon 3 -
http://www.sccourts.org/courtreg/displayRule.cfm?ruleID=501.0&subRuleID=Canon%203&ruleType=APP

History of the Case and The Diocese of South Carolina:

http://www.diosc.com/sys/legal-media

END



------------------------------

Message: 10
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:19:37 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Secretary General clarifies ACNA position with Communion as
he reports to Standing Committee
Message-ID:
<1504880377.118652....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Secretary General clarifies ACNA position with Communion as he reports
to Standing Committee

VOL critiques this story.

ACNS news release
September 5, 2017

The Secretary General, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has stressed that
the Anglican Church of North America is not a province of the Anglican
Communion. Speaking to ACNS as he delivered his report to the Standing
Committee, Archbishop Josiah said he wanted to correct any suggestion
that ANCA was the 39th province of the Communion rather than Sudan,
which was inaugurated in July.

"It is simply not true to say that ACNA is part of the Anglican
Communion," he said. "To be part of the Communion a province needs to be
in communion with the See of Canterbury and to be a member of the
Instruments of the Communion. ACNA is not in communion with the See of
Canterbury -- and has not sought membership of the Instruments.

"There is a long-standing process by which a province is adopted as a
province of the Communion. It was a great joy for me to see Sudan go
through this process and it was a privilege to be in Khartoum in July to
see it become the 39th member of the Communion. ACNA has not gone
through this process.

"ACNA is a church in ecumenical relationship with many of our
provinces," he went on. "But that is also true of many churches,
including the Methodist, Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches."

Speaking to the Standing Committee, Archbishop Josiah described the
creation of the new province of Sudan as a particular highlight of his
first two years in post. He said the new province had started well, but
needed the support of the Communion. He said Christians were a minority
in Sudan and would need to adopt a different approach compared to those
in South Sudan where they were a majority.

In his report, the Secretary General spoke on a wide range of issues
including unity; growth and evangelism; the Task Group set up after the
Primates' gathering and meeting in 2016 and how his role had changed.

He said the distinctive feature of the Communion was the balance between
what united and what divided. The Communion was united by its fellowship
and identity in Jesus Christ, but could be divided by different
circumstances, different cultures and different priorities.

"It is part of my personal mission to encourage all to celebrate our
unity and to seek to understand and overcome any differences," he said.
"My prayer is that this mission would be accepted and adopted by all
leaders across the Communion. It is a sadness and concern that some
appear to seek division and to form factions interested in expressing
only their own view and to gaining power and influence to dominate other
opinions."

He said that arrogance in some parts of the Communion where some
Anglicans felt they alone were the Church, was causing hardships. Such a
rejection of others meant the refusal of help from other Anglicans. As a
result, people were suffering.

The Secretary General spoke of his extensive travels during his time in
office and said he had been encouraged by the vigor and variety of
Anglicanism. He said the next phase of his work would have a more
external focus and would include promoting greater awareness of the
nature of the Communion and its different cultural contexts.

With a month to go to the Primates' meeting in Canterbury, the Secretary
General also spoke of the work done by the Task Group which was set up
after the last meeting in 2016 to help the Communion walk together
despite differences. He said the group was 'really working' and had
tackled virtually everything asked of it.

"We are practicing risky, healthy, honesty with ourselves," he said.

On funding, the Secretary General questioned whether provinces who made
no contribution to the Communion should continue to be able to vote. He
said every province should aim to give something.

The Archbishop also spoke about innovative ways of evangelism he had
encountered in Dallas and Connecticut. He paid tribute to the new
primate of Kenya for his determination to concentrate on developing the
church in rural and urban areas and on reaching out to Muslim neighbors,
rather than focusing on division. He stressed that inter-faith
relations, particular with the Muslim community, remained close to his
heart.

END

VOL RESPONDS

First, it is the Anglican Church in North America, not the Anglican
Church of North America. Small point.

Second, while the ACNA is not recognized by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, it is part of the Anglican Communion because it is a member
of GAFCON, whose constituent members are primates of the Anglican
Communion. Fearon is correct as far as the official structures of the
Canterbury Anglican Communion is concerned. GAFCON and Global South are
both recognized as Provinces in the Anglican Communion.

Third. The ACNA would never be recognized by the Anglican Communion
Office, not because they are not officially Anglicans, but because it
only recognizes The Episcopal Church as the only legitimate expression
of Anglicanism in North America. Ditto for Canada. TEC pays enormous
sums of money to keep the ACC office afloat in London. TEC pays Fearon's
salary, allowing him to rove the world spinning his pluriform truths and
radical inclusive notions to vibrant African provinces in the hope they
won't buy into GAFCON and they will buy into his reconciliation ideas,
which to date have reconciled no one and nothing. II Cor. 5 gives us the
blueprint for reconciliation.

Fourth. Fearon comes from the Anglican province of Nigeria, where he is
no longer welcome and when his time is up in London, he might be given a
failing TEC parish as his reward, and where he would be eligible for a
pension.

Fifth. Fearon said the distinctive feature of the Communion was the
balance between what united and what divided. The Communion was united
by its fellowship and identity in Jesus Christ, but could be divided by
different circumstances, different cultures and different priorities.
"It is part of my personal mission to encourage all to celebrate our
unity and to seek to understand and overcome any differences." That is
not going to happen. He should read what his former boss, Archbishop
Nicholas Okoh, just wrote in his September letter to GAFCON members
saying that he will not attend Welby's Gabfest in October to be in the
presence of liberal Primates like Michael Curry and Fred Hiltz.

Everything in the Communion is worse now under Welby than it was under
Rowan Williams, wrote Okoh. Endless debate, the will of the orthodox
Primates is frustrated and misrepresented, and false teaching is not
being corrected. Okoh went on to say that, "We are living in the midst
of the next great Reformation" which presumably has nothing to do with
the Anglican Communion Office in London, which is little more than a
shill for Justin Welby.

Not only is Okoh not attending the Primates' meeting, neither is the
Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali of Uganda, whose province voted never to allow
their primate to be in the same room with a TEC Presiding Bishop. If you
add Kenya, Rwanda, the Congo, West Africa, South America (Greg Venables)
and South-East Asia, then more than 75% of the entire Anglican Communion
will not be represented at this upcoming Primates' gathering!

Sixth. Ironically, ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach was not invited even as
an observer to this illustrious gathering in October! Perhaps Welby
didn't want a repeat of what happened in Canterbury last time when
Archbishop Beach was invited. Welby doesn't want a witness to the
bullying that went on their last time.

Seventh. Fearon said there was arrogance in some parts of the Communion
where some Anglicans felt they alone were the Church, was causing
hardships. You don't think he is talking about his former boss, Nigerian
Primate Nicholas Okoh, do you? Truth is the "arrogance" comes from
people like Fearon who believe they can manipulate orthodox primates in
the name of "inclusion" and "progressivism" to satisfy his American
paymasters and the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose "radical inclusion"
views on sexuality are anathema to the Global South. The "arrogance" is
believing you can change God's mind for him.

Eighth. What about "false teaching" does Fearon not understand! The
primate of the largest province in the Anglican Communion accuses Welby
and his fellow liberals of rejecting Scripture's authority and Fearon
tries to whitewash it all with fine talk of "reconciliation." Who's
deluding whom?

Nine. Fearon talks about the "innovative ways of evangelism in Dallas
and Connecticut." Really! Dallas is evangelical, Connecticut is as
liberal as the day is long. Bishop Ian Douglas hasn't got an evangelical
bone in his body. His predecessor tore out the handful of evangelicals
in the diocese and the last one -- Fr. Ron Gauss, rector of one of the
largest orthodox parishes in the northeast, got the heave-ho from
Douglas because he wouldn't go along with the revisionist views of
Douglas. Douglas got the property, reconciliation did not work there.
Making nice with Islam means giving them empty parishes because the
bishop can't sell them to anyone else.

Ten. Interfaith talk means TEC is slowly going out of business and they
are happy to sell their parishes to up and coming Muslim Imams, but NOT
to fellow Anglicans, because Mrs. Jefferts Schori would not allow it.

Eleven. If the major players of the Anglican Communion will not be
present at Welby Wonker's Hall of Primates, what will it all amount to
apart from a press release saying how wonderful everything is in the
communion; welcome the new Sudan province and make themselves feel good
(about themselves) and leave TEC to pick up the tab.

PS. Note to the Africans attending; Fly First Class. Curry will be happy
to raid TEC's Trust Funds to make sure you go to and fro in comfort.

END



------------------------------

Message: 11
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:19:51 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Understanding Generation Z
Message-ID:
<1504880391.118673....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Understanding Generation Z

By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
September 7, 2017

I had lunch this week with a Millennial Anglican Evangelical Christian
by the name of James Syrow. He lives in today's world, where social
media and the Web rule, whether some people like it or not. He has never
read a paperback in that form. Nor need he.

What he educated me about is the next generation of Americans known as
Generation Z. He lives in their world and hires them for his media
company, and what they teach us about America's future may surprise you.

Who are the Generation Z? They are the next generation after the
Millennials, aged 15 -- 25.
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/move-over-entitled-millennials

Where the Millennials are indulgent, the Gen-Z are cautious; where the
Millennials are self-obsessed, the Gen-Z inherited this world of
selfishness and aspire to find ways to serve and give back. Millennials
were raised in indulgent and stable '60s families, but the Gen-Z live
amidst divorce and broken homes, longing for the family they've never
had. Where the Millennials seek to undermine social mores, the Gen-Z
find themselves in a broken world and look for ways to put it back
together.

They are post-partisan, dissatisfied with both parties and the political
establishment. Instead they are reactionaries, and seeking to do away
with current world order of divorce, abortion and gay marriage
altogether. Their grandfathers and grandmothers and the world they never
knew are what they aspire for.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3790614/They-don-t-like-drugs-gay-marriage-HATE-tattoos-Generation-Z-conservative-WW2.html

They like Donald Trump! Why?: Because he seeks to overturn our death
oriented culture, which was created by political correctness..

They despise political correctness, and love Trump's tweets. It's how
they communicate. They are digitally native, meaning they've never known
a world before the Internet.

When Trump tweeted covfefe to a bewildered nation and many thought he
was showing early signs of dementia, Generation Z loved it. "Have you
had your covfefe today," they tweeted.
They don't like drugs or gay marriage, and they HATE tattoos.

My friend says 'Generation Z' is the most conservative since WW2:
http://nypost.com/2017/07/01/why-the-next-generation-after-millennials-will-vote-republican/

They are more conservative than some older generations who viewed drugs
as liberating. They, in a world now saturated with drugs, find them
dangerous.

They are more cash savvy than all but the prewar generation, and they
'don't have enough time' to engage in 'risky activity'.

They are more conservative on gay marriage, transgender rights and drugs
than Baby Boomers, Generation X or Millennials! Think about that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/opinion/sunday/do-millennial-men-want-stay-at-home-wives.html

When asked to comment on same-sex marriage, transgender rights and
cannabis legislation, 59 per cent of Generation Z teenagers said they
had conservative views.

There's much more where this came from, and the BIG question is, who
will recognize the opportunities and reach this generation for Jesus
Christ? When I get an answer to that question, I'll let you know. Stay
tuned.

James Syrow runs a digital and website ministry in Philadelphia, called
Media Dei .https://mediadei.org/ He teaches churches and nonprofits how
to communicate in the world we live in, and is up to his elbows in Gen-Z
employees. No one in his company is older than 23.

END



------------------------------

Message: 12
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:20:07 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Having Sex Has Nothing to Do With Your Identity
Message-ID:
<1504880407.118707....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Having Sex Has Nothing to Do With Your Identity

By Grayson Gilbert
http://www.patheos.com/
August 31, 2017

One of the more pernicious secular doctrines pushed upon the cultural
proselytes is the notion of finding personal identity within the realm
of sexuality. Sex used to be something humans did -- now it has become
part of their perceived essence of humanity. It has become woven into
the fabric of our very being, for though many would deny a proper
metaphysics of personhood, sex has nonetheless penetrated the soul-body
composite. The implications of this are grand-sweeping, for the
conversation is not simply relegated to heterosexual, homosexual,
pansexual, transsexual, etc., expressions. It has moved beyond the
boundaries of sexuality to the person itself.

While one may have formerly jettisoned a proper metaphysics of
personhood for the sake of scientific enterprises (i.e. -- there is no
soul or mystical property of mankind), we find when sexuality is the
dominantly driving factor, precisely the opposite has happened (i.e. --
there is no set biological or genetic property to mankind). Now, even a
rudimentary understanding of physiology and biology ought to sweep such
a proposition aside, yet the current reality Western society has written
is ahistorical. What do history and science have to do with each other
in this particular discussion? Everything.

What we are finding is the redefinition of what makes humanity special
-- yet it is in the fundamental degradation of humanity itself. Rather
than highlight that which makes humans unique in all of creation (i.e.
that we are moral, emotive, psychical beings bearing the Imago Dei),
Western society highlights that which makes humanity similar to all
other mammals: sex.

This has profoundly practical implications upon many Christians who,
unbeknownst to them, have embraced such foundations in approaching an
understanding of personhood. Many classifying as Reformed Christians
have embraced such a taxonomy, if only subconsciously, when they
bifurcate biblical, sexual norms in lieu of popular entertainment. One
recent example I can recall, which has been no subject of small debate,
would be those who find "liberty" in watching movies or television shows
with pornographic content.

The crux of this particular issue comes in a mocking of piety -- as if
taking seriously the admonition of Paul to flee from that which is not
worthy to behold begets legalistic tendencies. However, one such
individual was uncharacteristically frank when he expressed, in defense
of his favorite show, far too many Christians are missing the "cinematic
marvel of our day" all because of a little bit of artful sex on screen.

Another, seemingly unaware of his double-speak, issued a statement
similarly as frank in saying the "pietistic" Christians who abstain from
such things are hypocritical -- simply because there is no perfect form
of entertainment. The natural premise he sets forth: sex on screen is no
big deal because there are other worldviews being offered that are
antithetical to the Christian walk. Beyond being guilty of arguing from
hyperbole, he too seems to hold a low view of personhood, as if sex is
detached from the equation. God forbid you were to get these two men
speaking on the evils of homosexuality, though.

Many who claim the moniker "Christian" have embraced a sexual worldview
antithetical to the Scriptures in that they have adopted a similar
understanding of the culture, albeit, aligned with more conservative
values. Perhaps the more sinister implication of this outlook is in the
fact that they decry homosexuality, yet attend little to their own
hearts on the matter of sexual immorality in popular entertainment.

Or, perhaps the truly sinister implication is found in the notion that
personhood is still thought of in concepts of one's sexuality. Rather
than leaning left, it is the mirroring of principles to the right; it is
the expression of the same conviction in a sexual identity, just on the
opposing side. In some sense or another, refraining from participating
in such an identity, therefore, exposes one to experiencing a form of
humanity devoid of some inherent meaning. This is at the heart of the
battle over a biblical understanding of sexuality and particularly why
sexual deviancy has long made strides within the greater culture.

Yet this same, problematic line of reasoning carries through to how the
church understands and relates to singles in her midst. Contra 1 Cor. 7,
wherein Paul expresses he wished all could be as him (remaining single,
with a singular, undivided purpose in serving the Lord) the church has
revealed her dirty-little-secret: single Christians are good and all,
but marriage is divine. Just how many young singles are reminded around
the holidays of their enigmatic and functionally awkward singleness?
What a regrettable message to be sending to these wonderful people. Even
more regrettable is the statistical reality of extramarital sex and
usage of pornography amongst singles.

But the problem runs deeper still. Even within the confines of a
marriage, far too many Christians have proposed the marriage is lacking
without sexual expression. Now, in some cases this may be correct (a la
1 Cor. 7 again), but let's say, for the sake of the argument, you and
your spouse are prevented from being able to share in the wonderful gift
of sex for the remainder of your lives. Will the marriage survive? We'd
like to say yes -- but the staggering reality, even amongst those
professing Christ and a conservative sexual ethic, betrays such an
answer. If it is not indulgence in an extramarital affair, it is in
pornography.

To be clear -- I am not drawing a correlation between the two people
groups, as if married couples provide causation for singles to be drawn
into premarital sex and pornography. Likewise, I am not drawing a
correlation between the husband and wife -- as if the potential for no
sex provides causation for infidelity. Rather, I am drawing a
correlation between the concept of sexual identity and sexual immorality
within both society and the church. When one embraces a faulty
understanding of a metaphysics of personhood, in that sexuality is a
necessary component of what makes humanity special, and for all intents
and purposes, fulfilled, we invariably see the fruits of such
conclusions in our ethics, or lack thereof.

When one links sexuality to the fundamental understanding of what
constitutes humanity, rationalizations abound to justify particularly
sinful and heinous acts. For all of humanity, yet especially the
Christian -- sexuality is not intrinsically linked to what confers
personhood. Instead, expression of personhood is surmised in the Imago
Dei -- that we are created in the image of God, both male and female.
There is no composite, sexual experience in the Triune Lord; even Christ
in the flesh did not partake in sexual expression of any sort.

Fundamentally then, we must realign to an understanding that makes much
of the good gift of a proper, biblically defined sexuality -- yet
emphatically reject such a good gift is necessary to experience the
fullness of the Imago Dei. Singleness (no sexual activity) is as good,
if not better in respect to singular, undivided devotion to the Lord, as
the marriage between one man and one woman where sexual activity does
take place.

While indeed, marriage is a wonderful gift and expresses the reality of
the relationship between Christ and His own bride, it is not the sole
means by which such an expression occurs. Interestingly, it is not the
act of sexual intimacy which displays the mystery of the gospel -- it is
the marriage itself. Yet of particular interest is that this marriage,
in just the same way as the single Christian, is to be presented as a
covenantal act wherein both seek to live as if they are unmarried. That
is, though they have this covenantal obligation to one another and a
naturally divided focus, they must live with singular focus, as husband
and wife, with the express purpose of devotion to the Lord.

This in no part downplays the significance and beauty of sex that is
honoring to the Lord (i.e. -- within the covenant of marriage between
one man and one woman). However, it fundamentally rejects the idea that
the fullness of personhood or the fullness of joy is experienced in the
act of sex. Rather, the fullness of humanity is evidenced in likeness to
their Creator as they set about to worship and enjoy Him forever, which
is fundamentally linked with the act of a willful submission to His
decree. It is an intrinsically Trinitarian expression, in that just as
God maintains perfect and full fellowship within the Godhead, so too can
Christians experience complete joy in Him.

It is only when we bifurcate the link between the sacred and the
secular, or the physical and the spiritual, one finds the sole rule of
sexual autonomy expressed. There has yet to be a genuine disturbance in
their soul as they watch a fellow image-bearer be ravished for
entertainment and sexually self-gratifying purposes. At the heart of
this is a fundamental denial of their personhood in exchange for the
cheaply defined identity the culture finds in sexual expression. For too
many professing Christ this seems to be a deeply entrenched lie they
wish to believe is true.

Grayson Gilbert blogs at PATHEOS.COM



------------------------------

Message: 13
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:20:22 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Nashville Statement Reveals Deeply Polarized Christian
Community
Message-ID:
<1504880422.118778....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Nashville Statement Reveals Deeply Polarized Christian Community
Leading World Anglicans Signed it. No Episcopal Bishops Signed On

By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
Sept. 4, 2017

A landmark document on human sexuality -- the Nashville Statement -- is
being viewed by many church leaders as deeply polarizing in today's
Culture Wars as thousands of churches capitulate their biblical witness
on morals, even as their churches empty and die.

A preamble to the statement reads thus:

As Western culture has become increasingly post-Christian, it has
embarked upon a massive revision of what it means to be a human
being...Will the church of the Lord Jesus Christ ...hold fast to the
word of life, draw courage from Jesus, and unashamedly proclaim his way
as the way of life? Will she maintain her clear, counter-cultural
witness to a world that seems bent on ruin? We are persuaded that
faithfulness in our generation means declaring once again the true story
of the world and of our place in it--particularly as male and female.

It lists 14 beliefs, including a rejection of the idea that marriage can
be homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous, and affirmed that God has
designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong
union of one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to
signify the covenant
love between Christ and his bride the church...a position the church has
maintained for 2,000 years.

Predictably, Christian progressives vehemently denounced the whole
document as bigoted and worse.

Evangelical leaders from across the denominational spectrum welcomed and
applauded the Statement for being clear, biblical, culturally relevant,
prophetic and Gospel-centered, even as the shrill cry of pansexualists
said it was pastorally insensitive towards gay people, filled with
homophobia and hate, viewing the Nashville Statement as unnecessarily
antagonistic toward some of the very people whose commitment to a
biblical sexual ethic means they are living out costly obedience.

Ironically, some of the signatories to the Nashville Statement publicly
stated their struggle with same-sex attraction, and clearly do not feel
that the statement is "antagonistic" towards them.

Leading world-class Anglicans like Dr. J.I. Packer signed the Statement,
as did the Rev. Dick Lucas, Rector Emeritus St. Helen's Bishopsgate, a
leading evangelical witness to the city's business district for decades
and Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St. Ebbe's Church, Oxford, UK also had no
difficulty signing onto it as did Dr. Michael Reeves president and
professor of theology at Union School of Theology in Oxford, England.
VOL has confirmed that Canon Michael Green, England's best known
Anglican evangelist and the author of more than 50 books has now signed
the Statement.

In the U.S., ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach signed the statement as did
CANA East Bishop Julian Dobbs.

However, once-upon-a-time charismatic priest of the evangelical Church
of the Good Samaritan, Paoli, PA, now Bishop of Central Florida, Greg
Brewer tweeted: "The #NashvilleStatement fails in Christian witness and
is tone deaf to the nuances of Jesus. It is caricature not witness.
Lord, have mercy!" REALLY! In an e-mail to VOL he confirmed, "this will
do nothing to bring anyone to faith in Jesus Christ. So- why?" Ah, maybe
because (homo)sexuality is an ontological issue, a creation ordinance,
an issue that has eternal consequences if indulged in...if one is to
believe what the Apostle Paul says.

The Episcopal Bishop of Springfield, Dan Martins, an Anglo-Catholic,
also said he would not sign the statement. In an e-mail to VOL he wrote;
"It is no secret that I hold the theological position that marriage was
instituted by God in creation as a lifelong sacramental relationship
between one man and one woman. It is also no secret that I hold the
theological conviction that genital sexual activity between persons
outside of that context of marriage falls short of God's will and design
for human sexuality and human society. So, there is obviously material
in the Nashville Statement (which I have really only scanned, not read
closely) to which I could give mental assent.

"However, I will not be signing it. The lesser reason is its affirmation
of Adam and Eve as historical persons, a belief which is not required by
Christian orthodoxy and to which I do not subscribe. (The belief that
human beings are fallen creatures, under the thrall of sin and death,
however, *is* required by Christian orthodoxy and I do subscribe to it.)
The greater reason is the rhetorical tone of the Nashville Statement. It
is combative and pugnacious. It speaks the truth, but it does not speak
the truth in love."

For the record, one of the affirmations read, "WE AFFIRM our duty to
speak the truth in love at all times, including when we speak to or
about one another as male or female."

VOL requested comments from bishops Bill Love (Albany) and George Sumner
(Dallas), both of whom claim to be orthodox in faith and morals but did
not get a response.

Clearly the Statement framers were not going to be led down the primrose
path of felt pain or misplaced compassion. When next the Church condemns
adultery and fornication will clergy be condemned as heterophobic and
hate-filled?

Among the more than 150 evangelical signers that included scholars from
most of America's seminaries was the Rev. Dr. Robert Gagnon, whose
in-depth book, The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutic
offers the most thorough analysis of the biblical texts relating to
homosexuality, powerfully challenging attempts to identify love and
inclusivity with affirmation of homosexual practice. No liberal or
revisionist pastor or theologian has seriously undermined or challenged
his arguments. He does justice to the biblical texts and to current
scientific data as no one else has.

Christian Concern, a UK Blog said this; "We applaud the clarity,
conviction, compassion and courage of the Nashville Statement. It is a
statement for our time when Christian moral values are under attack. It
is a statement that all Bible believing Christians can unreservedly
affirm and be grateful for. At the same time, it says nothing new. It
affirms the same beliefs and practices that the Church has upheld
throughout church history."

What the statement over and over affirms is that sexual behavior outside
of marriage between a man and a woman is the lightening rod issue. The
statement nowhere condemns or names persons only behavior that is
biblically proscribed and theologically errant.

Sadly liberals, progressives and a number of Evangelicals have fallen
into the trap of putting feelings, emotions and 'my story' ahead of
truth.

Today, churches in the West are in shambles with decades of liberal
theology leading to the moral quagmire it now faces emptied of substance
and the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Even as progressive
churches cry out that they are inclusive, diverse and progressive, they
repeatedly and continually fail to draw in the crowds, while upstart
evangelical churches (many are now buying defunct episcopal churches)
grow and thrive.

The Jerusalem Declaration (like The Nashville Statement) said this; "We
acknowledge God's creation of humankind as male and female and the
unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one
woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the
family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for
a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for
those who are not married."

The Rev. Dr. Albert J. Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, said he signed it as an expression of love for
same-sex attracted people.

"The very fact that the statement made headlines and was greeted with
shock and surprise in some quarters underlines why it was needed. We
believe that human dignity, human flourishing, and true human freedom
are at stake. We know that two rival visions of what it means to be
human are now fully apparent. We stand by the vision affirmed in the
historic Christian faith."

In the interests of full disclosure, I signed the Nashville Statement.

END



------------------------------

Message: 14
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:20:36 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: EVERYTHING IS GRACE - EVERYTHING IS CHRIST
Message-ID:
<1504880436.118806....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

EVERYTHING IS GRACE - EVERYTHING IS CHRIST
Festival of Augustine of Hippo, Teacher of the Faith, 28 August

By Roger Salter
Special to VIRTUEONLINE
www.virtueonline.org
September 1, 2017

GRACE

For who makes you to be different from anyone else? What do you have
that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as
though you did not?
1 Corinthians 4 : 7.

The plague of the human heart is boastfulness. And boastfulness is an
aspect of the root of sin and the cause of the Fall - pride! This is the
great and deadly infection of our nature that drives us from God and
prevents our willing return.

We are inveterate boasters and habitual boosters of our ego. We may not
be noticeably vocal or given to parading ourselves but we console our
sense of entitlement to superiority and worth by pampering the soul with
whispers of encouragement. Life is literally a matter of "one man over
against another" as Paul observes 1 Corinthians 4:6). Human existence is
highly competitive rather than genuinely co-operative. We are always in
search of the features and factors within ourselves that make us
distinctive and admirably different. Constant comparisons contrive to
increase our confidence or compensate for any wounding of our conceit (a
set of excuses).

So human beings occupy themselves by creating classes of people on the
basis of position in society, quality of performance in life, and the
degree of prosperity gained. We live in a system that divides "them from
us". Praise in some form or other is the pursuit of our nature through
talent, success, wealth or appearance. Everyone craves their space
beneath the spotlight and the acknowledgement that somehow they are
better than others.

This is the broad application of the apostle's words and it underscores
the folly and vanity of life. For whatever we have that could be
considered as good, virtuous or beneficial comes from God in his
providence. Brain, beauty, or any natural brilliance is his gift and not
the fruit of our attainment. So Paul says, "Why boast in what you have
received?" In these few words he denounces and demolishes the sin of
bragging. Such is our pride - irrational and perverse.

But Paul is exercising a more profound discernment than human attitude
in worldly life and affairs. He is drilling to the core of pride in its
very worst form - spiritual arrogance - gloating that annihilates grace,
the sense that we are worthy, even in the slightest way, of God's
approval and favour. Even in a life that professes dependence on the
Lord there can lurk a smug sense of contribution to salvation and
control over God in his dealings with us. "What do you have that you did
not receive?" It is grace that distinguishes the believer before God -
his own sovereign choice of them, his own action on their behalf, and
his effective work in them. No believer or child of God can boast one
iota concerning their rescue from evil and its inevitable doom. From
first step to finish in our personal history recovery to God and all its
benefits is a matter of grace alone. A lesson scarcely learned.

God has no tolerance for the boaster. He resists the proud - "I hate
pride and arrogance" (Proverbs 8:13).

Augustine recognised this fact very clearly: "If you want to be cast
forth from grace, brag about your merits" (On the Psalms).

CHRIST

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think
how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Romans 13:14).

Paul was completely convinced that getting right with God was utterly
and totally a matter of grace allowing for no human contribution
whatsoever. But what about the matter of remaining in grace? Augustine
knew the strength of the propensity to sin before and after conversion.
Our purification before God and increasing likeness to him in holiness
is a gradual and lifetime process. Progress in sanctification is a
lifelong fight. How shall perfect righteousness be effected within us if
we are so weak and wayward?

These words from Paul to the Romans, living in such a decadent and
depraved city as they did, spoke so powerfully to Augustine that he
credits them with his conversion. Augustine was well aware of his sexual
impurity and bodily proclivity. He prayed for resistance to temptation
but with the proviso - but not yet! He experienced the power of sin as
unconquerable addiction. He knew that his will could not resist pleasure
and desire. Grace has to adjust our wills - bend, incline them towards
God. We need a new heart through regeneration without which we cannot
forsake or loathe sin.

The answer to every Christian's fear of succumbing to sin and separation
from God is found in the wisdom of the apostle, "Clothe yourselves with
the Lord Jesus Christ".

Grace makes provision for our protection and perseverance. Grace makes
provision for our preservation. Just as it commences our safety in
Christ so it concludes our safekeeping in him. Grace is not an
impersonal power or magic concoction infused into our being like the
injection of a therapeutic serum. Grace is is the presence, power, and
merciful goodness of the Lord at work in us and for our eternal
wellbeing. Grace is God doing us good. Grace is the Lord Jesus
perfecting our redemption outwardly on the cross and inwardly in the
heart. Grace is God at work in benevolence and compassion putting things
right for us and within us.

Christ is the embodiment of grace, its source, and the capacious Vessel
that outpours grace freely upon us and without desert on our part. Grace
is not a "thing" from a heavenly dispensary that we dose ourselves with:
it is "Thou" who lavishes kindness upon us.

Augustine learned that in spite of his strong inclinations and lingering
fears Christ in Person was enabling victory over his evil yearnings.
Christ deigned to be his all-over armour and the one who would triumph
over his enemies within and without.

Salvation is all of grace - salvation is all of Christ.

It is dishonouring to God to think that he cannot save us from
ourselves, sweetly draw us to himself, and guarantee to save us
ultimately. Two of Augustine's favourite portions of Holy Scripture can
thrill and encourage us in a similar way. We are God's because he makes
us so. Our security in him is impregnable because daily he makes it so.



------------------------------

Message: 15
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:20:49 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: Al-Shabaab Kills 2 Police Officers Outside (Anglican) Church
in Kenya
Message-ID:
<1504880449.118805....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Al-Shabaab Kills 2 Police Officers Outside (Anglican) Church in Kenya
Al-Shabaab Surpasses Boko Haram as Africa's Deadliest Terror Group, Data
Shows

By Anugrah Kumar
Christian Post Contributor
http://www.christianpost.com/
Sept. 4, 2017

Somali men parade as members of al Shabaab in the capital Mogadishu,
Somalia,

Two police officers guarding a church on Kenya's southern coast were
killed on Sunday by gunmen who are believed to be from Somalia's
Islamist militant group al-Shabaab.

The gunmen attacked the police officers at the Anglican Church of Kenya
in Ukunda in Kwale County Sunday morning, according to Reuters, which
said they took two AK-47 police rifles as they ran away on their
motorbike.

"It is too early to say who may have been involved but you can almost
pinpoint al-Shabaab elements from the nature of the attack," regional
Police Chief Larry Kiyeng was quoted as saying.

However, Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya claimed it was not a religious
attack.

"The attackers were clearly after the guns. I urge police officers to be
on high alert because it's unfortunate that we have lost two officers in
the line of duty who were guarding faithful," Business Daily quoted him
as saying.

Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects.

"Security personnel are pursuing the criminals. We shall not rest until
we get the two firearms and arrest the criminals," Kutswa Olaka, the
Kwale county commissioner, was quoted as saying.

Kiyeng, meanwhile, said, "We cannot rule out terrorism. The attack is
not normal robbery. Their intention was to steal the weapons and plan
other attacks."

The American Center for Law and Justice recently said that al-Shabaab
has an estimated 9,000 jihadis at their disposal.

In July, the terror group carried out door-to-door raids in villages in
Kenya, where the militants hunted down and killed seven Christians.

In August, al-Shabaab militants killed another four Christians in
Kenya's Lamu County, beheading three and burning alive another.

The group is also infamous for the mass slaughter of 148 people at
Garissa University in April 2015, when the militants specifically
searched for Christian students to kill, separating them from the
Muslims.

In June, data collected by Armed Conflict Location and Event Dataset and
analyzed by Africa Center for Strategic Studies suggested that
al-Shabaab is now the deadliest terror group in Africa, more dangerous
than Nigeria-based Book Haram.

Al-Shabaab is also seeking to retaliate for Kenya's troops fighting its
militants in Somalia. Kenya's troops have been in Somalia, which shares
a long border with Kenya, since 2011.

It is estimated that al-Shabaab killed at least 400 people and injured
over 1,000 in more than 100 attacks between 2011 -- when Kenya sent its
troops to Somalia -- and 2014.

Al-Shabaab splintered from a now defunct group of Sharia courts, the
Islamic Courts Union. It has been fighting to overthrow the Transitional
Federal Government, created in 2004 and backed by the African Union, the
United Nations and the United States. Since the outbreak of the 1991
civil war, which overthrew President Siad Barre's regime, most parts of
Somalia have had no formal government. The transitional government
controls only a small part of the country.

END



------------------------------

Message: 16
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:21:02 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: EGYPT: "War on terror" shuts down churches and prayer
Message-ID:
<1504880462.118860....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

EGYPT: "War on terror" shuts down churches and prayer

By Ashraf Ramelah
VOICE OF THE COPTS
https://www.voiceofthecopts.org/
Aug. 30, 2017

Imagine walking through your village to church to pray during the final
days of fasting for the Feast of Assumption. You find police barricades
blocking all roads to the sanctuary. At a check point you see your
priest petitioning the heavens. State police forbid your entrance and
give the same reasons they always do -- excuses well known to Christian
Copts. You have no permit to pray and you must stop irritating Muslims
with whom you share your village.

You are accustomed to it. You've always been told on the slightest whim
that you need a government permit to pray in the church and even inside
your home in the village of Al-Furn, and that goes for all other towns
across Egypt. Yet no actual law or code exists requiring anyone anywhere
in Egypt to have a permit for prayer. Meanwhile, Christians in this
little town of four hundred Coptic families live with the familiar
weekly scene of neighboring Muslims praying in the street -- blocking
public transportation and ceasing passage. Complaints are never lodged
against them demanding the nebulous "permit." They are free to do so.

It is not the only village to be targeted by the Sisi regime's state
police in the Upper Egypt area of the country which is heavily inhabited
by Christian Copts. There was Ezbet Nakhla in Abu Qarqas, Qum Al-Loufi
village in Basmalut and Taft Al-Kharsa at Al-Fashn Center in Beni Suef.
All received their share of obstruction to worship. Furthermore, when
police take illegal actions to harass Christians and halt worship, Copts
begin to fear it gives license to Muslim mobs.

In the case of the Virgin Mary Church, it is known that Muslim
intolerance was not the motivation behind the police barricade even
though so often their complaints cause such responses from law
enforcement. Virgin Mary's priest, Botrus Aziz, claimed that local
Muslims said nothing this time and gave no objections to the planned
celebrations for the end of the fast on Sunday, August 20.

The regime maintains the police were sent to protect Christians in
religious practice from possible terror attacks.

However, two days later when the congregation gathered in the street,
law enforcement disappeared. Men, women and children of the Virgin Mary
Church, having no other recourse, entered the street on the eve of the
Feast to celebrate mass. Christians were left wide open and vulnerable.
Apparently the police were no longer concerned with potential
infiltrators.

It is speculated that the state may have been retaliating against Bishop
Makarius and his courageous remarks to the public two weeks earlier
about the status of religious discrimination in Al Minya Diocese. He
correctly stated that 15 more church doors are bolted, and 70 villages
are not permitted to have a church at all. It seems that Virgin Mary
Church may have been next on the hit list for the steady shut down of
churches, a total of 58 so far that are inaccessible to Copts due to the
regime's concern for "security."

With this in mind, some believe that the police barricade of the Virgin
Mary Church was the state's attempt to create a "vacancy" status for the
church building. If so, the Church would not succeed in meeting the
"grandfather" requirement of sound construction by deadline at the end
of September in compliance with the state's new Law 80-2016 (9/28/2016)
governing church buildings. Virgin Mary Church could then be legally and
permanently shut down by the state.

In the regime's zeal for "protecting" Christians the state has expanded
its harassment by demanding burdensome paperwork from the church. The
church must submit a report in advance to state security with date, time
and place of religious activities, listing its participants. After the
bus attack and murder of Coptic Christians earlier this year by Egyptian
Islamic-jihadists crossing Libyan borders Egypt is clamping down on
Christian religious trips and conferences and requiring details upfront
for security reasons. In addition to these controls, the previous terror
attack brought about the closing of the Coptic Monastery to any future
visitors, ending a long religious tradition.

One can't help but feel that jihadists are winning here. State
regulations and errant police follow through with controls over the
jihadi targets to strip Christian Copts of religious freedoms. That's
one of the aims of terrorism. Already there are 58 churches inaccessible
to parishioners due to the state's requirements for security.

It is unconstitutional in Egypt for law enforcement to construct a
barricade of churches and prayer on any basis other than intelligence of
a planted bomb or other form of terror attack. Clearly, the latter was
not the case in Al-Furn. Copts have decided not to accept the
"irritating Muslims" excuse and the baseless "permit required" reason
from the police. They have responded to this incident by petitioning
President Al-Sisi, the prime minister, and the local governor, forcing
them to confront the injustice. The petition signed by forty-four
Christians from the village states,

"Are we required to stand on trial on the charges of praying after
police officers insulted our dignity? On the morning of August 20, we
were subjected to insults, and we were prevented from praying and
performing religious services as usual. We were surprised by the
presence of police forces in the village to prevent us from reaching our
church. Furthermore, they later prevented us from leaving our homes.
After our meeting we found that we were incriminated as criminals or
outlaws."

Despite hard evidence of the state's guilt of harassment and
discrimination using both legal and illegal means, Copts remain hopeful
and convinced that Sisi is their champion bringing about the right
change slowly. Impressions frozen in time on the day the military head
consented to be the people's man enable Copts to remain confident in
Sisi doing what he promised. Copts trust the president.

>From the onset of his political career, Sisi promised equality and
freedom of worship. Viewing government through relativism -- comparing
Sisi to former President Morsi and the dreaded Muslim Brotherhood --
blinds Christian Copts to Sisi's record which is scant improvement, if
any, over the Mubarak dictatorship.

Dr. Ashraf Ramelah is the founder and president of Voice of the Copts



------------------------------

Message: 17
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:21:33 -0400
From: David Virtue <da...@virtueonline.org>
To: "virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org"
<virtue...@listserv.virtueonline.org>
Subject: 10. HUMILITY: What Does It Mean to be a Mature Christian
Disciple? - Philippians 2:1-13
Message-ID:
<1504880493.119140....@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

10. HUMILITY: What Does It Mean to be a Mature Christian Disciple? -
Philippians 2:1-13

By Ted Schroder,
www.ameliachapel.com
September 10, 2017

"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,
because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble
yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up
in due time" (1 Peter 5:5-6).

The enemy of humility is selfish pride. "Ignorance -- nothing but sheer
ignorance -- ignorance of self, of God, and of Christ, is the real
secret of pride." (J.C. Ryle)

Maturity brings humility. The older and wiser you get the more you
realize how little you know and how far short of God's purpose you fall.
Youth is full of hubris -- insolent pride. The mature Christian disciple
can accept criticism because he acknowledges that he is a sinner in need
of salvation. Atheism is ignorance of the gift of life and salvation.
God "gives all people life and breath and everything else... For in him
we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:24,28). "For from him and
through him and to him are all things" (Rom 11:36). Recognition of being
created and in the need of salvation, of being contingent on God's grace
and dependent on his mercy and power results in humility and
thanksgiving. Failure to acknowledge this leads to self-deception and
ingratitude.

"Cosmic ingratitude is living under the illusion that you are
spiritually self-sufficient. It is taking credit for something that was
a gift. It is the belief that you know how best to live, that you have
the power and ability to keep your life on the right path, and protect
yourself from danger. That is a delusion, and a dangerous one. We did
not create ourselves, and we can't keep our lives going one second with
his upholding power. Yet we hate that knowledge, Paul says (Rom
1:18-21), and we repress it. We hate the idea that we are utterly and
completely dependent on God, because then we would be obligated to him
and would not be able to live as we wish. We would have to defer to the
one who gives us everything....When good things come to us, we do
everything possible to tell ourselves we accomplished that or at least
deserve it. We take the credit." (Tim Keller, Prayer, p.196)

An awareness of our blessings from God leads to humility. Knowing that
God gives us life: that every breath we breathe is a gift, and that we
could not exist from moment to moment except by the power of Christ who
sustains all things by his powerful word (Heb. 1:3). Knowing that we can
live and move and have our being on this planet Earth through God's
provision of gravity, without which we could not operate. Knowing that
light and warmth, the passing of the seasons, our senses of sight,
hearing, taste, touch and smell are gifts from God's hand. Acknowledging
the gifts of family and friends, the ability to personally relate to
others, for love and companionship, the comforts of home and the ability
to sustain ourselves through work. Being grateful for the wisdom of
God's revealed Word in the Scriptures, for the gift of forgiveness
through the costly death of Jesus on the cross, the plan of salvation,
the illumination and empowering of the Spirit, the fellowship of the
church, for the promise of resurrection to eternal life, for the hope of
the Gospel. All this is from God and not from ourselves. We are the
recipients of his grace. We are humbled by the extravagance of his
blessings.

If we are humbled by our knowledge of God and his blessings, we act out
our awareness in our relationships with others. Pride is thinking that
you are better than others. Humility considers others are better than
you and that you owe everything to God. Jesus said, "Learn from me for I
am gentle and humble of heart" (Matt 11:29).

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only
to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very
nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!
(Phil 2:3-8).

Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).

Humility is doing for others. The danger of a consumer society is that
we think that we are entitled to be served and that we are not humble
enough to be willing to do what it takes, to do the jobs that are needed
in order to be productive, to take care of ourselves and our families.
Many think that they are too proud to do menial labor, or to work hard,
or to suffer in order to be exalted later in life. There is little
humility in our celebrity-driven popular culture and educational system.
The ability to confess your sins and to ask for forgiveness is rare.
Time spent in front of screens or playing video games leads to selfish
pride and idleness. Too many feel that they are entitled to an easy life
that caters to their own needs rather than the needs of others. The
apostolic rule is, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thess
3:10). Teddy Roosevelt said, "Nothing in this world is worth having or
worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty."

Ben Sasse writes,

So much of modern American life seems to be about finding more efficient
ways of shirking responsibilities.... We think it's important for our
kids to learn how to suffer...Neither our children nor your children
will grow up to be free, independent, self-respecting adults if we hand
them everything without the expectation of something in return. It isn't
the way the world works, and it's irresponsibly unkind. (The Vanishing
American Adult, p.139f.)

Jesus gave up his entitlements and came down from heaven to us. He
suffered and died for us. That is the definition of humility in the
Gospel. It is giving up something that we think we deserve in order to
look out for the interests of others. Marriage and family is based on
this sort of humility -- the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of
our children. Parents give up their entitlement to a happy and
comfortable life in order to look out for the needs of their children.
If they are not willing to do that they shouldn't have children. The
parents who are willing to humble themselves for their children find
that later on they are exalted as they reap the fruit of their labors.

How can we retain our humility? (1) We can retain it by realizing the
facts. How ever much we know, we know very little compared with the sum
total of knowledge. How ever much we have achieved we have achieved very
little in the end. However important we may believe ourselves to be,
when death removes us, or when we retire from our position, life and
work will go on just the same. (2) We can retain it by comparison with
the perfect. It is when we go and see or hear the expert that we realize
how poor our own performance is, e.g. tennis, golf, music, preaching.
And if we set our lives beside the life of the Lord of all good life, if
we see our unworthiness in comparison with the radiance of his stainless
purity, then pride will die and self-satisfaction will be shriveled up.

O God, our Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance;
admits its mistakes; recognizes its need; welcomes advice; accepts
rebuke. Save us from pride in our knowledge, and make us think of the
great ocean of truth all undiscovered before us. Save us from pride in
our achievement, and make us to remember all that we still have to do.
Save us from pride in our performance and make us to remember how far
short of perfection our best must still fall. (William Barclay)



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