Fred Hiltz visited the three ex-ANiC parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster this weekend in order to boost the morale of the diminished diocesan congregations.
At St. John’s Shaughnessy, he begins by giving his views on what has happened. To summarise:
He is aware of the pain that the congregation felt on seeing parishioners leave; he doesn’t mention that 800 left and 40 stayed, nor that most of the “pain” was experienced by the 800 whose building was seized by the diocese.
Schism wounds the body of Christ. Hiltz fails to mention that his bishop, Michael Ingham, was the primary instigator of the schism when he proceeded with same-sex blessings even after primates representing the bulk of the Anglican communion begged him not to.
The whole experience has been stressful. Quite right: 40 people maintaining a building built for 800 is stressful – and expensive.
The congregation at St. John’s – all 40 members – have remained “steadfast”, an attribute that has “not gone unnoticed” and is “exemplary”. Since the congregation is costing the diocese $20,000 per month to maintain, it could scarcely go unnoticed and if it is, indeed, “exemplary”, the ACoC will be bankrupt even sooner than my most optimistic prognostications.
Here is the audio of the introduction:
Further into the sermon, Hiltz talks about his view of the place of Scripture in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Scriptures have a “central place” in the church”, but are subject to the “contemporary cultural context in which they are heard”. Thus, Africa’s “cultural context” makes homosexual activity sinful, while Vancouver’s makes it wholesome – all of which makes Scripture nonsense:
Further on, Hiltz tells us that “in sexuality debates in the church, the one piece we keep missing is context, pastoral context. Who are the people God is calling us to serve?” The answer to this rhetorical question appears to be: those in a homosexual lifestyle – by affirming their lifestyle as holy.
Incurable insomniacs can listen to the entire sermon here:
I am continually struck by how perfect Hiltz is to preside over the demise of the ACoC.
If the man had a clue, he lost it.
Lawrence Auster’s writings from ten years ago are more incisive of what’s happening presently than Fred Hiltz’ sermons of two days ago.
——————
ARE WE ENTERING THE FINAL STAGE OF NIHILISM?
In his short and seminal book, Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age, Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose delineated four stages of Nihilism, defined by their ever-increasing indifference or hostility to truth. The first and mildest stage of Nihilism is Liberalism. The Liberal does not believe in truth, higher truth, absolute truth, or Christian truth. Yet he retains “the name of truth, and the names of those truths men once regarded as absolute.” The next stage of Nihilism is Realism (though I think a better name would be Materialism). The Realist aggressively denies all higher truth, he says that only the material, the physical, the lower, the purely deterministic, is true. The Vitalist in turn reacts against the unbearably meaningless and sterile world that has been created by the Liberal and the Realist. He seeks a revived meaning and vitality in life, but without challenging the Liberal’s and Realist’s assumptions about truth or seeking a restoration of the truths they have destroyed. On the contrary, since the truth offered by Liberalism is so weak and vague, and the truth offered by Realism is so deadening and depressing, the Vitalist rejects the very idea of truth:
“The falseness of an opinion,” said Nietzsche, “is not for us any objection to it…. The question is, how far an opinion is life-furthering, life-preserving … ” When such pragmatism begins, Nihilism passes into the Vitalist stage, which may be defined as the elimination of truth as the criterion of human action, and the substitution of a new standard: the “life-giving,” the “vital”; it is the final divorce of life from truth. [Nihilism, p. 50].
In the Vitalist stage of society, people deliver themselves over to an unending search for sensation and excitement, for the exotic and the experimental, for ever-greater freedom and satisfaction of desires, for the “riches of diversity,” for the transforming “energy” that is produced by a society in constant change and motion—and with all these things being seen as, even explicitly promoted as, a substitute for any inherent truth and goodness in existence.
As Vitalism reaches its peak, the final stage of Nihilism starts to appear. This is the Nihilism of Destruction, “a rage against creation and against civilization that will not be appeased until it has reduced them to absolute nothingness.”
It strikes me that with the Massachusetts decision legalizing homosexual marriage, our society may be passing from the Vitalist stage of Nihilism to the full-blown Nihilism of Destruction.
November 20, 2003
This ought to be -the most discussed- topic I’ve ever known discussed in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Now, lets start to lay down some facts here
It is good to see as much in the picture as is possible
Law Courts mentions ‘Process of the burden of proof’
One Fact:
1968:
Canadian Laws were changed in order to make it easier for divorcees to be remarried
After that:
The Anglican Church of Canada changed its’ Marriage Laws to allow for the remarriage of divorcees
Now with Gays:
Integrity was started as a gathering place
Vancouver Chapter had 12 members whereas others has 6 making Vancouver one of the larger ones
Kinsey Report in the 1950s mentioned 10% of the population is gay & lesbian
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada did a study not too long ago found out to be 3% of the population is gay & lesbian
The United Church of Canada was the 1st to address these issues with its’ motto ‘Dare to be first’
I’m from a United Church of Canada background but became an Anglican in 1982 was Confirmed at St John’s (Shaughnessy) Anglican Church under Archbishop Hambidge.
At that time felt St John’s was a good role model for renewal of an old line Parish or Church; however, The Diocese of New Westminister felt, “St John’s (Shaughnessy) is -closed, old fashioned Low-Anglican- is the way St Paul’s on Pendrell & Jervis used to be, we’re trying -not to encourage this!”
A very nice older woman at our Church mentioned, “There’s always been gays and lesbians around, they’re our friends, we play with them but there were these -new kinds of gays and lesbians that came into St Paul’s on Pendrell & Jervis wanting changes to doctrines and all of this has gone on from here…”
From around 1972 till 2002 this was discussed with around 70% in favour most don’t mind 3-10% of the population; furthermore, this resulted in a walkout at Synod followed by around 1 Million in legal fees don’t know if the money came from the Church funds put there by people tithing or not?
This has been like a bad divorce mentioned in one comment
This has split and divided Anglicans against each other.
It used to be kind of interesting to visit other Parishes but now is not as easy
2014 St John’s (Shaughnessy) has performed 2 same sex blessings and Christ Church Cathedral has performed 4 and St Paul’s on Pender & Jervis had performed none from June till the end of 2014 but the new staff was not familiar with what went on before she came in June, 2014.
24 min in sermon Primate Fred Hiltz mentioned, “In the Body of Christ -we need on another-…”
Can we get along and appreciate one another?
Do we?
For the first time in History the Archbishop of Canterbury visited the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church of the USA
That’s good and that’s also -pretty serious- like some kind of emergency which it was
Our Rector mentioned, “We need a Pope, we’ve been operating without a Pope for 400 years….”
Under Henry the 8th broke away from the Roman Catholic Church of which Henry wanted to remain in.
The Church Government Structure is quite a lot like the Roman Catholic but has a Council rather that a Pope
This is a Counciliar Government over a Papal Government
The Queen
The Archbishop of Canterbury
The Council
The Provinces
They ‘Dialogue to Maintain the Bonds of Affection’
This has been going on much more nowadays with the Church heads in the world getting together.
This was nothing but a commercial to try and get orthodox Christians to return to the apostate leadership. Tragically we see clearly the apostate leadership of the Anglican Communion – particularly within the ACoC and the TEC – with no attempt whatsoever to clean house. We have also witnessed the ABC adopting the views of the civil government whereas his job is to show Christian leadership by witnessing to society. This is the reason that the appointment of the ABC should be totally within the Church and not subject to the civil government. The current status clearly indicates that the appointment is really made by the civil government with little, if any, input by the church. Until the Church starts to do its job by witnessing to society the church – notice the small “c” – will only be a church, i.e. a social club with no real standards. The church only encourages people to believe in “god” – again notice the small “g” – but does not lead them to the worship of the real GOD.
I pray that the apostate bishops and other clergy will be brought to repentance so the Gospel can again be preached to the world.