Some of my grandchildren came to visit.
Visitors
7
Church of England bats sacrifice to Sterculius
From here:
CANTERBURY, England — Bats are making life unbearable for congregations by defecating on worshippers from roofs as well as bell towers, according to a report to the Church Buildings Council of the Church of England.
It’s a shame the CofE doesn’t accept this as an expression of diversity; it’s just as well Canada has the solution.
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The highlight of another Anglican year: Justice Camp
This year Justice Camp is in Edmonton and it is exploring such rivetingly interesting topics as “faith and the tar sands”. If only I could be absolutely certain that none of the jet fuel of the plane I would have to fly on would come from the demon tar sands, the temptation to attend would be irresistible.
From here:
Participants will choose from seven immersion experiences on topics ranging from the relationship between faith and the tar sands, urban responses to systemic poverty, and interreligious perspectives on land and human life. These are complemented by time for biblical reflection, worship, and relationship building. All of which will foster leadership for social justice skills in participants.
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Primate Fred Hiltz on Dung Duty
There is a rich satirical vein begging to be explored here, but current litigious exigencies prevent my going further than letting it speak for itself.
The Anglican Church of Canada has published a new calendar:
The calendar also features “Aldo’s friends,” including Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. The month of May has Hiltz performing “dung duty” with the Rev. Cynthia Patterson, co-ordinator of the national church’s suicide prevention program and the wife of Dennis Drainville, bishop of Quebec.
Drainville himself is the calendar subject for November, along with Aldo and his goat companion, Alli.
The only thing preventing the donkey and goat being ordained is fear of the stiff competition their theological insights would present to existing clergy.
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Creeping Congregationalism in the Diocese of BC
In an interview, the new bishop of the Diocese of BC, Logan McMenamie, mentions that the diocese is suffering from negativity and creeping congregationalism. Although the latter sounds a little like a skin disease, it is actually an understandable response to the diocese taking parish buildings from congregations that paid for and maintained them and selling them for its own gain.
From here (page 5):
We will continue to have some challenges to face but I feel they can be addressed. Some of the things the clergy talked about were lone ranger parishes, creeping congregationalism and negativity. I believe we can turn this around in a positive way and see these as opportunities for growth.
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Anglican Church of Canada repudiates the Doctrine of Discovery – some more
In its ceaseless quest for relevance, the Anglican Church of Canada has repudiated something developed in the 15th Century to justify colonising the New World.
The ACoC will undoubtedly beat its collective breast over the sins of its ancestors; after all, it’s so much easier to confess the sins of one’s forebears than to repent of one’s own sin.
What will probably be overlooked in all this is the ACoC’s current version of naked imperialism: taking parish buildings to which they are morally not entitled from congregations who voted to align themselves with another Anglican Province.
From here:
This spring the 17 members of the Primate’s Commission will start considering how to translate General Synod’s 2010 repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery into tangible action. The commission also has mandates to address the practicalities of reconciliation and the persistent injustices in Canada’s indigenous communities.
Its first meeting will likely be in Toronto, possibly in time to report to Council of General Synod in May. “The commission will make recommendations to General Synod in 2016 perhaps in the form of resolutions,” said Ginny Doctor, co-ordinator of indigenous ministries and staff support for the commission. Doctor said the commissioners seem eager and optimistic. “We didn’t have anyone say no. That means there’s a spirit.”
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Founding member of Greenpeace says global warming is not manmade.
Sorry, I meant to say “climate change”. I didn’t intend to be politically incorrect; really, I didn’t.
This is very bad news: now I will have to abandoned my Lenten carbon fast and find something serious to give up instead.
From here:
There is no scientific proof of man-made global warming and a hotter earth would be ‘beneficial for humans and the majority of other species’, according to a founding member of environmental campaign group Greenpeace.
The assertion was made by Canadian ecologist Patrick Moore, a member of Greenpeace from 1971 to 1986, to U.S senators on Tuesday.
He told The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee: ‘There is no scientific proof that human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are the dominant cause of the minor warming of the Earth’s atmosphere over the past 100 years. If there were such a proof it would be written down for all to see. No actual proof, as it is understood in science, exists.’
Moore pointed out that there was an Ice Age 450million years ago when CO2 was 10 times higher.
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Toronto School Board trustees ask whether nudity laws will be enforced at Toronto Pride parade
The Toronto District School Board is not known for its staunch social conservatism or as a haven for delicate prudes so, when a few of its members hint that they would like Canada’s nudity laws enforced at the Toronto Pride parade, it’s reasonable to take the request seriously.
As one of the members noted:
“This is a municipal matter and it has to do with the policing and the enforcing of the laws of Canada in the streets of Toronto,” he told CBC News. “If you were to do this in any other ward throughout the city at any other time of day during that same period, you’d likely be arrested.”
Naturally, there have been cries of “homophobia”:
Some have criticized the trustees’ motion as homophobic
Yet, if gay men and women truly want their lifestyle to be accepted as normal, surely they would want to be treated just like everyone else in every circumstance; to do otherwise is discriminatory. By not arresting an individual parading himself naked during the Pride Parade, the police are exhibiting a type of homophobia: the fear of treating homosexuals just like heterosexuals.
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Church of England vicar wants to marry his male partner
From here:
A gay vicar from Kilburn has vowed to marry his partner of 14 years despite the risk that he could be thrown out of the Church of England.
Fr Andrew Cain from St Mary’s with All Souls, revealed his engagement to fiancé Stephen Foreshew, an atheist, on Valentine’s Day.
He stated firmly that he planned to ignore edicts sent down from his own church leaders that described marriage as only a “lifelong union between one man and one woman”.
I have a suggestion for Messrs. Cain and Foreshew: move to Canada. Since the Anglican Church of Canada worships the triune god of Inclusion, Diversity and Homo-erotic sex, along with assorted demigods – eco-justice, utopianism and smudging among others – you will be welcomed with open arms. The additional benefit of your wife-husband being an atheist would make you a shoe-in. I’d start with an application to the Diocese of Montreal, if I were you.
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Anglican Church of Nigeria leaders must renounce homosexuality
From here:
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has introduced a clause in its constitution subjecting members, who intend to hold positions in church, to take an oath of allegiance to God denouncing homosexuality.
[…..]
The text of the vow reads: “I declare before God and his Church that I have never been a homosexual/bisexual or (have repented from being homosexual/bisexual) and I vow that I will not indulge in the practise of homosexuality/bisexuality.
“If after this oath I am involved, found to be, or profess to be a homosexual/bisexual against the teachings of the Holy Scriptures as contained in the Bible.
“I bring upon myself the full wrath of God and subject myself willingly to canonical discipline as enshrined in the constitution of the Church of Nigeria, so help me God.’’
One of the oath-takers, Mr Lucky Erhaikhuemen, 43, the Vicar’s warden of the church, said two decades ago the oath would have been of no significance in the Church of Nigeria.
“But with what is happening in Western countries and the churches there, there is a lot a pressure on church leaders and members here to compromise the teachings of the church.
“The oath is a guide and warning that those in leadership positions in the church must uphold scriptural teachings and point to the godly part to the younger generations,’’ he said.
There are a few things I find particularly interesting about this:
The first is that the opposite tends to apply in Western Anglicanism. For example, a priest applying for employment in the Diocese of Niagara can expect to be asked where he stands on same sex blessings. If he gives the wrong answer – the wrong answer is that he is not for them – he might as well move to Nigeria and seek employment there.
The second is, the remarks by the church warden that the oath is a reaction to Western pressure and 20 years ago would have been unnecessary is somewhat heartening. Indaba away, Justin Welby, Nigeria is not going to buckle.
Lastly, the Anglican Church of Nigeria is simply applying a Biblical principle to its choice of leaders. The probability of Western Anglican clerics foaming at the mouth when they hear about it is of no particular import, but as a side-effect, I find the mere anticipation of it profoundly satisfying.