Category Archives: Anglican Church of Canada

Rev. Laurel Dykstra and Lini Hutchings imprisoned for chaining themselves to a tree

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Then the chief captain came near, and took him [Paul], and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. Acts 21:33

In the early church, the civil authorities were inclined to bind Christians with chains for spreading the Gospel.

Today Anglican clergy bind themselves with chains because they don’t like the civil authorities spreading oil through a pipe.

We can thank the Anglican church for this deeply profound new understanding of Christian chain hermeneutics.

From here:

The only two protesters arrested at the Trans Mountain pipeline project to be found guilty of civil contempt of court have been sentenced to seven days in jail and ordered to pay $2,000 of the company’s legal costs.

Anglican priest Rev. Laurel Dykstra and Lini Hutchings, one of her parishioners, were taken into custody May 25 after tearing down a fence and chaining themselves to a tree at the company’s tank facility in Burnaby.

Like dozens of other protesters who were arrested, they were charged with criminal contempt of court.

But in August, Dykstra, a 52-year-old mother of two, and Hutchings, a 48-year-old mother of two, saw those charges dropped by the Crown.

The Crown set aside charges against 15 other protesters, but proceeded with criminal contempt charges against more than 200 others.

Among the protesters who had their charges dropped, Trans Mountain elected to proceed with civil contempt of court charges only against Dykstra and Hutchings, according to their lawyer.

Financial problems in the Anglican Church of Canada

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Here is a recent twitter feed generated by the Council of General Synod meeting:

Someone had the temerity to ask a pertinent question:

These are the items [along with helpful editorial comments in brackets like these] preoccupying the luminaries in the meeting; could there be a connection between this and falling revenues?

  • intentional discipleship; [as opposed to the unintentional discipleship practiced hitherto]

  • becoming a post-colonial church; [the real worry should be becoming a post-existing church]

  • honouring the emergence of Indigenous churches;

  • imagining the church God is calling us to be; [or imagining the church we wish God was calling us to be]

  • learnings from the Consultation of Anglican Bishops in Dialogue; [learnings?]

  • supporting the witness of the church in Holy Land; [shrivelling to extinction – at least, the Anglican variety]

  • sustainable development goals; [advice from an organisation unable to sustain itself]

  • migration and human trafficking; [about time: the bishops are planning on taking migrants into their own homes]

  • gender-based violence; [we like non-gender-based violence]

  • state-sponsored or sanctioned violence; and [except for socialist state sponsored violence. And Islamic state sponsored violence. And communist state sponsored violence. And…. so on]

  • interfaith dialogue and collaboration [we really prefer other religions to Christianity]

The pressing problem of orcophobia

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The Anglican Church of Canada is fretting about racism again, along with a few other isms:

The words of Archbishop Dawani also came to mind for the Primate in relation to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which takes place in 2018. This year also marks the 35th anniversary of the sixth assembly of the WCC, which took place in Vancouver and saw then-Primate Ted Scott serve as moderator. At that assembly in 1983, members of Christian churches joined together against social ills including racism, sexism, militarism, and violation of human rights.

“We confess these threats are as great today as they were more than three decades ago,” Archbishop Hiltz said. In March 2018, the WCC held its Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Arusha, Tanzania, out of which had come a “powerful statement” to Christ’s church throughout the world, The Arusha Call to Discipleship, which also drew inspiration from African spiritual traditions.

As is often the case with the Anglican Church of Canada, the root of the problem has not been unearthed. The ACoC is toying with superficial peccadilloes: it’s really all Tolkien’s fault, the underlying problem is orcophobia. Does anyone seriously think this fellow would stand a chance when applying for a bishop’s job? A clear case of racial prejudice; also, he doesn’t look gay enough.

From here:

Is Lord of the Rings Prejudiced Against Orcs?

The story, which appears in Duncan’s new collection An Agent of Utopia, was also inspired by Michael Moorcock, who has criticized Tolkien for depicting creatures such as orcs, trolls, and goblins as intrinsically evil.

“It’s hard to miss the repeated notion in Tolkien that some races are just worse than others, or that some peoples are just worse than others,” Duncan says. “And this seems to me—in the long term, if you embrace this too much—it has dire consequences for yourself and for society.”

How to do Anglican Interfaith

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From here:

The largest and oldest interfaith gathering in the world, this year’s parliament took place from Nov. 1-7 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Toronto-based event brought together an estimated 10,000 people from 80 countries, spanning more than 200 different religions, faiths, and belief systems, for a week of programs, discussions, and interactive experiences.

The Anglican Church of Canada had an official booth in the exhibit hall, where clergy and volunteers were on hand to speak to attendees, and share information about the church national.

The Rev. Dr. Scott Sharman, Animator for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in the Anglican Church of Canada was one of the official representatives on site.

Sharman described Canadian Anglican attendance at PoWR as a “ministry of presence” and a valuable opportunity to converse with people about “where Anglican expressions of Christianity fit within the wider world of inter-religious dialogue, and ways that we can find common ground.”

“Within our history, [there has] always been a tradition that has been able to find ways to live in dialogue across different approaches and different perspectives on theological issues,” Sharman said.

“That’s kind of been hardwired into Anglican DNA within the Anglican family. […] Certainly it’s important just because so many of the economic and political and social and ecological issues of our time deeply involve how people think about the world, and how people structure their communities and think about the meaning of life and make decisions. Religion is part of how that happens.”

Overheard later in the Anglican booth: “whatever you do, don’t mention Jesus. I did once, but I think I got away with it.”

Primate Fred Hiltz responds to Jacob Worley firing

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Rev. Jacob Worley was hounded out of the Anglican Church of Canada by liberal bishops. In retrospect, it might have been the best thing that could have happened to him since he is now rector of St. Andrew’s Church in the ACNA Diocese of Fort Worth.

Primate Fred Hiltz has responded to a request for an impartial inquiry into Worley’s firing. Here is the letter from Hiltz and the response from  Rev George Eves, which makes the point that Worley’s offence was a thought crime: he disagreed with Canon (IV.2) but was willing to abide by it. Definitive proof that, notwithstanding its claim to the contrary, the Anglican Church of Canada is unwilling to tolerate opinions that run contrary to its liberal ethos.

April 5, 2018
The Rev. Canon George Eves
30 Saunders Drive
Quispamsis, NB E2E 1J7

Dear Canon Eaves,

I hereby acknowledge receipt of your letter of March 6th and the correspondence urging Anglicans to write letters, to sign a petition calling for “an impartial inquiry into the Worley affair”, and to make a Love Offering for Mr. Worley and his family.

I have thought much about how to respond and I pray that what follows reflects the clarity and charity with which I was intent in writing.

As you know Canon Eaves, in the polity of The Anglican Church of Canada, the Primate has no jurisdictional authority anywhere. All such authority resides entirely in the hands of the diocesan bishops and the metropolitan archbishops of the ecclesiastical provinces.

You will know too, that the election of bishops is an entirely provincial matter. Each ecclesiastical province has its own Canon on The Election of Bishops. Within the said Canons, there is reference to the necessity of consent to an election.

In Canon 4 on The Election of Bishops in the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon, Section (b) reads as follows.

(b) Objection to the election of a Bishop may be taken on any of the following grounds:

  1. That the person elected is not thirty years of age.
  2. That he or she is not a Priest in Holy Orders of the Anglican Church of Canada or of some church in full communion therewith.

iii. That he or she is deficient in learning, training or experience.

  1. That he or she has either directly or indirectly secured or attempted to secure the Office by an improper means.
  2. That he or she is guilty of any crime or immorality.
  3. That he or she teaches or holds or has within five years previously taught or held anything contrary to the Doctrine or Discipline of the Anglican Church of Canada.

In the case of The Rev. Jacob Worley, consent to his election was withheld on a matter of discipline, not doctrine. Mr. Worley’s view on marriage was not the issue. What was at issue was his view that it is acceptable and permissible for a priest of one Church of the Anglican Communion to exercise a ministry in the geographic jurisdiction of a second Church without the permission of the Ecclesiastical Authority of that second Church. Mr. Worley gave the bishops of the Province no indication of a willingness/readiness to change that view. That was the ground on which objection to his election rested. The section with respect to “objection” in Canon 4 (BCY) concludes with the statement, “The decision of the House of Bishops shall be final.”

Notwithstanding this decision, there was at a subsequent Electoral Synod, a move to place Mr. Worley’s name on the ballot and the Archbishop had to declare that the nomination was not in order.

With respect to the termination of Mr. Worley’s ministry in Smithers, it is a matter of public record that the Archbishop acted only after consultation with diocesan leadership. In a written statement to the diocese, he described the severance package offered by the diocese as “beyond the minimum requirement of the law”. I am not convinced that Mr. Worley was treated as unjustly as some claim.

I believe that in withholding consent to Jacob’s election, the bishops of the Province acted in the best interests of the Church; and that in terminating Jacob’s ministry in Smithers, the Archbishop and those in leadership roles within Caledonia acted in the best interests of the diocese.

Accordingly, I will not act on the call for an inquiry into these matters.

In closing, I want to address the claim that some are making that within our Church those who hold a conservative view on matters of doctrine and orthodoxy are being increasingly marginalized. Some claim that opportunities for ministry are discouraged or denied. I challenge that view on the grounds of the very spirit and ethos of Anglicanism. Within our tradition, there is a broad range of theological perspective on any number of matters of faith and order. That is our heritage. It is who we are. Within The Anglican Church of Canada conservatives and liberals, evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics, Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples strive in marvelous ways to embrace their unity in Christ. Within the household of faith, we all need to make room for one another. As St. Paul would say, we need to be “forbearing in love making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) I see these kinds of efforts being made with integrity within our National House of Bishops, and I believe current work among the bishops is exemplary for the whole Church.

Grateful for your care and concern for our beloved Church, I assure you of my obligation and joy with you to lift its life heavenward, day-by-day.

With respect,
I am,
Sincerely in Christ,
Fred J. Hiltz
Archbishop and Primate

Here is the response:

The Most Reverend Fred Hiltz Aug. 27, 2018
Primate,
Anglican Church of Canada

Thank you for your letter of April 5, 2018 in response to mine of March 6.
I am sorry not to have gotten back until now but I will use a long absence from home as at least part of my excuse. I also wanted to wait until ample opportunity was given to all who wished to sign the petition.

I am attaching a list of the names and dioceses of those who did so. While I am disappointed at the numbers, it is somewhat heartening to know that support came from across the country. I have heard from a few that they did not sign the petition because they felt that further dialogue with the powers that be would be pointless.

To me this was even more disappointing!

Therefore, I appreciate your taking the time for a detailed response. Although it was indeed clear and charitable (for which I also thank you), I find that it almost completely fails to address my main concern. Perhaps this was  because, in part, I did not make myself entirely clear, hence I will try once again to do so.

You make it plain that you agree with the actions taken in regard to Mr. Worley both by the provincial House of Bishops in annulling his election and the Archbishop in dismissing him from his parish. These were taken, you affirm, “in the best interests of the Church” but you made no effort to explain why you think this to be the case.

According to all accounts, including your own, “the ground on which objection to his election rested”, was that “Mr. Worley gave the bishops of the Province no indication of a willingness/readiness to change his view” that it is  “permissible for a priest in one jurisdiction of the Anglican Communion to exercise a ministry in the geographical territory of a second Church without… the permission of that second Church”.

In other words, Mr. Worley’s election was annulled because he disagreed with a disciplinary Canon (IV.2). Although he committed to abide by this Canon, this was not enough for the House of Bishops (or yourself, apparently). It was demanded of him that he change his view as well.
In your letter you make much (and rightly so) of our Anglican ability to embrace a broad diversity of theological opinion. I myself have benefited greatly from this in my own career. However, Mr. Worley’s opinion on Canon IV.2 prevented his being acceptable as a bishop. No diversity allowed here.

In the case of Mr. Robertson, we have the opposite result in what seems to be a parallel situation. He was elected and confirmed, it being known full well that he did not agree with the present Marriage Canon, a matter of doctrine, no less. Objections were raised but swept aside as Mr. Robertson was deemed a “priest in good standing” (as was Mr. Worley) and his consecration allowed to proceed.

How can this not be clear evidence of a double standard? Why was it demanded of Mr. Worley alone that he both conform to Canon law and also agree with it? This is an extraordinary and unprecedented requirement, totally out of step with the Anglican way. It was clearly not required of Mr. Robertson regarding the Marriage Canon.

If the intolerant action of the House of Bishops in B.C. is allowed to stand unchallenged, unexplained, and, indeed, supported by leaders like yourself, reassuring words regarding our Church’s rich heritage of toleration will ring hollow.

To many they will instead sound like the death knell of a great tradition.
Yours truly,
The Rev. Canon George R. Eves

Suicide prevention in the Anglican Church of Canada

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The church has hired two new suicide prevention workers. You might suppose that their focus would be on the recovery of those unfortunate enough to have accidentally overdosed on ACoC sermons. But no, they will be working on Indigenous suicide prevention, a worthy endeavour, without doubt.

The irony is that while these new hires will be working to prevent suicide among Indigenous people, as indeed they should, many of the rest of the clergy are perfectly happy to go along with, and even attend, bless and sanctify, state assisted suicide simply because it is now legal in Canada.

For example, the new bishop of Toronto, Andrew Asbil was present at a recent joint euthanizing.

From here:

The Anglican Church of Canada has hired two new suicide prevention workers as part of its Indigenous ministry.

Jeffery Stanley, a master of divinity student at the Vancouver School of Theology, began work June 25; Yolanda Bird, a former member of Council of General Synod (CoGS) with extensive experience working with children and youth, began July 3.

Each will be responsible for helping deliver existing suicide prevention programs in the dioceses in their areas, as well as helping develop new ones, said Indigenous ministries co-ordinator Canon Ginny Doctor. Their work will also include developing teams of volunteers in dioceses where the need for suicide prevention is especially high, she said.

Anglican clergy lose their warm blankies

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In their ceaseless quest for relevance, Anglican Church of Canada clergy are once again dismantling racism by standing on blankets and feeling the pain when they are whipped out from under them.

Once the blankets are all gone, they begin the thumb sucking exercise.

From here:

An interactive learning experience to teach the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada through colonization and the resulting loss of land, the KAIROS Blanket Exercise involves participants standing on a large number of blankets which are gradually removed, allowing them less and less space to stand on. Throughout the exercise, participants read texts that take them through the experience of pre-contact, the making and breaking of treaties by European settlers, colonization, development of reserves, the residential school system, and ongoing Indigenous resistance.

Following the blanket exercise, council members gathered again in a circle and opened up for discussion. Many related personal life experiences sparked by their participation in the blanket exercise. Some non-Indigenous members expressed feelings of shame at their descent from settlers who had gained from the historical subjugation of Indigenous Peoples. Meanwhile, some Indigenous council members recalled the pain that they felt due to racism and the intergenerational trauma rooted in colonial policies such as the residential school system.

Anglican Journal may scrap print edition and editorial independence

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I hope it doesn’t disappear altogether: less to make fun of.

From here:

The Anglican Journal’s print edition may be discontinued after a “lengthy transition period” and its mandate as an editorially independent news source may be changed under possible scenarios now being considered by a working group, the Council of General Synod (CoGS) heard Friday, June 1.

The paper is presently editorially independent: in other words, it isn’t the official voice of the church. This doesn’t mean that it is unbiased, of course: it is so biased in favour of the liberal theology of the Anglican Church of Canada that discarding editorial independence would make little difference to the content and would at least be more honest. The reason for maintaining a façade of independence is the yearly $596,627 subsidy from Canadian Heritage, only granted if it maintains editorial independence.

Sixty-five per cent of the 400 randomly surveyed Anglicans said they thought the Anglican Journal should be “the official voice of the Anglican Church of Canada” with only 35 per cent preferring that it retain its current status as “An independent, ‘arm’s length’ observer of the Church.”

Bishops “were asked a different question, but it was a parallel question and less than 50% of bishops think that the current mandate of independence is important, and they estimate that about a third of their folks find it important. And, lo and behold, it was a third of the folks who answered the survey,” said Alexander. “I have the sense that bishops have their finger on the flock fairly closely.”

On the other hand, over half of General Synod members and about 75 per cent of diocesan editors feel the Journal’s editorial independence is important, he said.

“Having an independent editorial policy makes the paper more credible as a news source,” Alexander quoted a respondent of the General Synod survey as having commented; “As an unofficial, and, as it were, non-partisan paper, the Journal acts as a fair dealer, offering news from a variety of perspectives,” wrote another.

The Anglican Church of Canada has developed a neurotic dislike of all things binary: there are no definitive decisions or conclusions. It seems to me obvious that this is because the ACoC is too cowardly to take a stand, preferring obfuscation and ambivalence in the hope that no-one will notice that it no longer believes in anything of import.
The fact that the ACoC is so opposed to binary decisions is a strong indicator that there must be something good about them. Musing along those lines, it occurred to me that the real world which is generally regarded as analogue in nature, may in fact be a digital creation masquerading as analogue. Rather like an analogue quartz watch whose hands don’t move smoothly, but appear to at first glance. This might provide an elegant solution to Zeno’s paradoxes.

I bet the “we” mentioned below typed this on a digital computer using nasty binary logic:

“We’re beginning to realize it’s not a binary discussion… ‘either you’re an official voice, and therefore you’re some kind of Pravda, or you’re independent’,” he said. “Editorial independence and diversity of views are not necessarily yoked together.”

Archbishop John Privett to retire

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Anglican Church of Canada bishops are fleeing their vocation faster than a dog runs from his own excrement. Privett joins bishops Michael Bird, Fred Hiltz, Colin Johnson, and Donald Phillips in their escape from the asylum.

Privett’s most recent accomplishment of note was to fire, for no particularly good reason that he was willing to identify, Jacob Worley, a conservative priest in the Diocese of Caledonia.

From here:

Dear Friends,

Many of you will know that in July, I was blessed to be able to take a 6 day silent retreat at St. Bueno’s Retreat Centre in Wales. It was for me a time of intentional discernment.  During the course of that retreat it became clear to me that the time had come for me to retire from my ministry as Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province and as Bishop of Kootenay. The only question that remained was the timing of the announcement and my retirement.  Before the summer was over, I knew that it would be this spring and had decided that I will retire as of May 31, 2018.  I have informed the senior Bishop of the Province, Bishop Larry Robertson, the Provincial House of Bishops and our Diocesan Council of my intention.