Monthly Archives: September 2013

The Love of God Fits Everyone

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One of St. Hilda’s parishioners wrote a children’s song over 80 years ago. In 2010 he asked me to set it to music. Two of my grandchildren introduced it to the congregation then and, since they are visiting from Australia, they joined me to sing it again today.

Here is the song’s author, his wife and a few others::

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Here are the words:

The love of God fits everyone,
it comes in every size.
it comes in every colour
And lights a billion eyes.

His miracles are everywhere –
the earth, the air, the sea,
and everything that’s in them,
including you and me.

The time of God is evermore,
a never ending line,
and his hand is everywhere
and here in yours and mine.

The love of God fits everyone,
it comes in every size.
it comes in every colour
and lights a billion eyes.

Today was “Back to Church Sunday”

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Back to Church Sunday is not to be confused with returning to Christ, of course; this is, after all, the Canadian Anglican Church.

In 2009 Toronto bishops dressed up in all their finery and handed out leaflets outside Union Station:

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There hasn’t been a repeat performance by the bishops. As one observer noted:

Well intentioned, but . . well, those of my friends who are not now churchgoers wouldn’t go to church because a scary, robed bishop gave them a leaflet.

He has a point: the Anglican Church of Canada in its desperate quest for relevance, contorts its beliefs to accommodate contemporary culture – from same-sex marriage to there being many ways to God to having no set dogma at all, just community whose commonality is doctrinal incoherence.

The one thing that visibly separates bishops from the common herd is the one thing they won’t give up: dressing up in robes and pointy hats. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Anglican Planet: Bishop charges journalist with libel

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Read the whole article here:

AN ANGLICAN JOURNALIST has been charged with making libelous comments about a bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada. On Feb.19th, David Jenkins was served personally with a statement of claim for defamation of character from the diocesan Bishop of Niagara, Michael Bird.

[…..]

Another Anglican bishop, Grant LeMarquand, the Bishop for the Horn of Africa, who, like Bird, has also been criticized on Samizdat, commented in an online discussion on the Anglican Journal website: “I have been criticized on the same blog site but it never crossed my mind that a lawsuit was an option. In fact, that the Bishop of Niagara would even consider such an action as this attempt to silence criticism and dissent should make us all cringe. Should the bishop win his case, the principle of free speech will be diminished and all Canadians will all [sic] be lessened as a result.”

Jenkins said that “the pleadings are now closed and we will commence the discovery process on Oct. 17th.”

As the article notes, the next step in my little adventure is the Examination for Discovery which will occur on October 17th. For those who feel inclined to pray, I would value your prayers for wisdom on that date.

Anglicans in Ottawa Pride parade dress more modestly than other participants

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Here is the standard of modesty that Ottawa Anglicans had to beat:

Less than modest

It wasn’t easy, but the six participating Anglican parishes put their heads together and came up with the innovative but, I must say, less than entirely inclusive idea of putting clothes on. Notwithstanding their modest attire, they still managed to stay “in touch with the theme of this year’s Capital Pride Festival” and that, after all, is what Christianity is really all about:

modest Anglicans

More here:

Among the hundreds of parade participants were scores of Anglicans from at least six parishes: St. Alban’s, Church of the Ascension, St. John the Evangelist, St. Michaels and All Angels, St. Marks, and St. James the Apostle. Marching as a group under the banner of Integrity Ottawa, they formed largest Christian group in the parade.

“We have found this to be a wonderful opportunity to make clear that there are parishes in our diocese who are intentional in their welcome to the GLBT community,” wrote Ron Chaplin of Integrity Ottawa, on the diocesan email list. Although Anglican marchers dressed more modestly than many of the participants, many seemed in touch with the theme of this year’s Capital Pride Festival – “Be Loud, Be Proud.”

Coming soon to a church near you: Erotic Justice

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The Anglican Church of Canada tirelessly proclaims its gospel of social justice. In reality, however, the Canadian Anglican Church is rapidly progressing – or regressing, depending on one’s perspective – from social justice to erotic justice. The term has not been adopted by any Anglican dioceses yet but – it’s coming. I expect the Diocese of New Westminster will be the first with its lapdog, Niagara, eagerly following.

Marvin M. Ellison, a gay Professor of Christian Ethics at Bangor Theological Seminary, has written a number of books on the subject, one of which is entitled Erotic Justice. In the book, he argues that sexual expression should be liberated from “frameworks of control” like marriage: eroticism is a good in and of itself. Sexuality, he says, has become intertwined with ableism (yes there is such a thing), racism, sexism and heterosexism. It’s all Christianity’s fault, of course, so because of its “sex-negativity and moralistic, controlling bent with respect to sexual expression, traditional Christian teachings must be critiqued”

Well, you get the picture: sex with anyone or anything in any combination is intrinsically good. When I was growing up in the 60s I remember this concept well; except it wasn’t tarted up with bogus theological justifications. We called it screwing around.

Atheism to be taught to Irish schoolchildren

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So says the headline of an article in the Guardian. Rather than base the curriculum on the premise that something doesn’t exist, an endeavour that is patently absurd – like, to borrow a well-worn saw from atheism, running a school whose founding principle is that fairies don’t exist – the course is actually an outlet for the silly books of atheism’s evangelists.

The question is, once the children have been introduced to the idea that there is no God and that they live in a universe where, as Richard Dawkins puts it, “there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference”, what is to prevent them growing from self-absorbed little stinkers into solipsitic adults who trample on anyone who is weaker because they care for nothing and no-one but themselves? The answer is: nothing; and that is what will bring on the howling wilderness.

In a historic move that will cheer Richard Dawkins, atheists in Ireland have secured the right to teach the republic’s primary schoolchildren that God doesn’t exist.

The first ever atheist curriculum for thousands of primary-school pupils in Ireland has been drawn up by Atheist Ireland in an education system that the Catholic church hierarchy has traditionally dominated.

The class of September 2014 will be reading texts such as Dawkins’ The Magic of Reality, his book aimed at children, as well as other material at four different primary levels, according to Atheist Ireland.

Up to 16,000 primary schoolchildren who attend the fast-growing multi-denominational Irish school sector will receive direct tuition on atheism as part of their basic introduction course to ethics and belief systems.

Anglican Church of Canada statement on Peshawar and Nairobi

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Whatever you do, don’t mention Islam; or Muslims; or jihad; or al-Qaeda. Best to concentrate on the futility of violence, love, justice, compassion, sprinkled with a few references to the myths we no longer believe in like the Resurrection – you know the routine. Oh, and don’t forget to bring in at least one Mark of Mission.

Actually, the statement isn’t that bad, although I can’t help noticing that the only time the Anglican Church of Canada manages to keep politics out of its pronouncements is when doing otherwise would necessarily drag in Islam, Muslims, jihad and al-Qaeda – oops, sorry, I wasn’t supposed to mention them.

Violent attacks on civilians in Pakistan and Kenya over the weekend remind us that peace is a fragile reality, always vulnerable to those who trust in the power of death to define and shape the world. Whether such attacks target Christians, as the bombing outside a Peshawar church did, or shoppers, as in Nairobi, it is the business of the disciples of Jesus to bear witness to the ultimate futility of violence, even as we express compassion and practical concern for its victims.

We follow the One whose death and resurrection unmask that futility and embody that compassion. Canadian Anglicans can hardly imagine what it is to live under the sort of fear imposed by the attack in Peshawar. We can only watch and witness to the courage and faithfulness of sisters and brothers in that place and give thanks for their continuing witness to the power of love, especially where it is bitterly opposed by those wielding death.

[….]

The fourth Mark of Mission calls us “to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.”

Bishop Patrick Yu’s remarks in the Toronto Back to the Anglican Future Conference

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Bishop Patrick Yu is a bishop in the Diocese of Toronto. He is a self-proclaimed conservative bishop who has decided to stay put in the Anglican Church of Canada.

He spoke towards the end of the Toronto Back to the Anglican Future Conference and Sue Careless, Senior Editor at the Anglican Planet, recorded and transcribed what he said. She kindly gave permission to post his remarks here.

You can draw your own conclusions about Bishop Yu’s remarks, so I will confine myself to just one thing that struck me:

In the second paragraph Bishop Yu laments the limited theological diversity of those attending the conference and in paragraph six, perhaps forgetting what he said in paragraph two, laments the presence of “people ordained by other communions sitting in this room [who] still tend to plant churches in Toronto”. Evidently a diversity too far.

Bishop Patrick Yu. Photo: Sue Careless

Bishop Patrick Yu. Photo: Sue Careless

On Sept. 18th when Dr George Sumner, Principal of Wycliffe College, opened the last ten minutes of the Back to the Anglican Future Conference to a question-and-answer period, Patrick Yu, the area bishop for York Scarborough in the Diocese of Toronto, stepped up to the podium at St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Bloor Street and used the full ten minutes to deliver the following comments:

I would like to speak on a point of privilege.

This conference is not as geographically and theologically as diverse as the Toronto Congress [of 1963] was. I wish it was more theologically diverse.

In this Diocese [of Toronto] people are not judged or driven out by their theological convictions. We have canons and even bishops who self-identify as conservatives. I was a founding member of Fidelity, a group set up to have a conservative discussion about homosexuality. Paul Feheley was the vice-president and we still have our jobs. [Feheley is currently Principal Secretary, Primate’s Office of the Anglican Church of Canada.] I do not want any students or clergy or international guests to think that here in the Diocese of Toronto we persecute conservatives.

The question was asked: “How can we support conservatives? I have two comments. I would like to question the definition of the word ‘orthodox’. Are there only 1,000 orthodox priests in the United States? I known they are in a bad way but surely there are more than that? We can define orthodoxy in terms of one’s belief in the Trinitarian formularies of the Church, in one’s commitment to Christ, in adherence to the Scriptures, and the historical creeds. But I have been guilty in the past of putting those who disagree with me theologically as unorthodox.  As someone has said, “Orthodoxy is my doxy and heterodoxy is your doxy.” I have met unfortunately unorthodox conservatives as well as orthodox liberals and the converse is also true.

I have personally suffered as a conservative who did not leave the church and there was guilt by association internationally. I think that when we castigate people in the United States and Canada or both if you are there [staying in the church] you must be in the ranks of sinners. It makes conservatives who decide to stay in this church very fearful.

I am the first Chinese bishop and the only one in Canada and I must say that all of the four Chinese churches in Toronto have adopted a conservative stance towards the issue of homosexuality. And it is to their great surprise, disdain and anger when someone ordained a bishop from the Province of Rwanda comes without their knowledge and begins to lure their parishioners away. And I understand that other people ordained by other communions sitting in this room still tend to plant churches in Toronto. That does not help conservatives who stay in the church. And as speaker once said: “If we are not at the table, we cannot contribute to development in the future.”

Lastly, a lot has been spoken about being victims. I caution you – particularly our international friends – to be very cautious in listening to victim narratives. In Canada victim narrative is one of the most powerful political forces around. Our gay and lesbian friends have used this narrative very powerfully and very successfully. For those who attempted to claim victim it is a very tempting short-term tool but in the long term it is very damaging. It helps you to think of yourself as always the outsider. My counsel is to go into the church and act as if you own it, because it is your church. This church is for conservatives and liberals. My mentor Professor Oliver O’Donovan who was one of the authors of the St Andrews Day statement said: “We invite everyone who confesses the Trinitarian formularies of the Church into this discussion.” So when we protest about being excluded, let us be aware not to exclude others from the conversation.

I also speak as the convener of the Evangelism and Church Growth Initiative of the Anglican Communion. Now it is called Anglican Witness. I have to say that people’s experience of Lambeth [2008] was very different. I agree with Archbishop Ian Ernest that evangelism is a difficult topic here as well as in your diocese. When people think about Lambeth they think about sex. Actually the other issue that was very prominent in the report of the indaba discussions was the strong commitment to evangelism. My organization was a follow-up of that.

Let me share with you my own five years of involvement in that organization. When you talk of evangelism with people from Nigeria and Canada and Solomon Islands and South Africa and Burundi there is very little disagreement even though our perspectives on certain theological issues must be very different. So it seems to me we can talk about the Anglican Communion in terms of its organization, and indeed in terms of its issues and problems but when we do that we would commit our resources in a certain way. But if we commit our resources in terms of evangelism and mission, it seems to me that the things that divide us, the problems that seem intractable, may not be so intractable after all.

I’m very glad that Justin Welby spoke to us. We met in London… He said: “I have only two priorities for my archepiscopate. One is reconciliation and the other is evangelism.” My prayer for the Communion is not overcoming [differences] as that seems more difficult but with our differences and with our imperfect instruments we will take into account and deeply embrace the mission and evangelism that is God’s call to us. Then we may discover that we have a Communion after all. God bless you and that’s my response of my privilege.

***

Dr. Sumner then concluded with: “Part of our hope is free exchange, hearing and being heard, candor, parrhesia, free expression. That is certainly our goal at Wycliffe College: theological reflection with a free expression of views. That is a good thing. Our promise was 9pm. Our time is done.”