Bishop Andrew Asbil has a globally warmed Easter

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As I started to read the bishop’s Easter musing in the diocesan paper, I found my heresy antennae being soothed by the gentle balm of that most remarkable unguent: an Anglican bishop who believes in the resurrection. Or, at the very least, a bishop who does a passable imitation of one.

It all turned to dust and ashes as I approached the end of the article. What really interests the bishop isn’t a man coming bodily back to life who claims to be God, claims to take our sin away, claims to reconcile us to his Father and claims that through him we, too, will come back to life and live in eternity with no more pain, tears or woe. No, what really interests the bishop is global warming.

From here (page 4):

And now, it is the very garden that is under threat. Our over-reaching and grasping ways, our neglect and cavalier attitudes have put such a strain upon creation. As temperatures continue to rise, weather patterns shift, species once named so long ago slowly disappear. Some make predictions, some deny and some believe, some downplay while others wring their hands. And what about us? How do we as a people of faith respond?

The last question that is put to us in the Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Alternative Services is: Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth? We respond by saying, I will, with God’s help. It’s time to find our gardening tools, to take instructions from scientists and climatologists, mystics and children, farmers and monastics, Indigenous elders and theologians. It’s time to tend the garden with all our might, to avoid the moment when, try as we might, we cannot reattach the stem to the root. After all, when we confess that God is our helper, anything is possible. Christ is Risen!

Candidates for replacing Primate Fred Hiltz

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In July this year, Fred Hiltz is retiring as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Here are the replacement candidates:

The Right Reverend Jane Alexander of the diocese of Edmonton;

The Most Reverend Ron Cutler of the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada;

The Most Reverend Gregory Kerr-Wilson of the diocese of Calgary and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land;

The Right Reverend Linda Nicholls of the diocese of Huron; and

The Right Reverend Michael Oulton of the diocese of Ontario.

It goes without saying that they range from the theologically liberal to hyper-liberal and all are in favour of same-sex marriage.

The only surprise is that no married lesbian atheist was available to stand.

And the headlines become more raucous

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Here is one from the Daily Mail:

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby BANS gay bishops from bringing same-sex partners to global Anglican gathering in London to keep conservative church leaders happy

The paper goes on to note that “The future of an international Anglican church summit is at risk after gay bishops were told they could not bring their same-sex spouses.” So there is some good news: Lambeth 2020 may not happen or, as a consolation prize, it will be the last one.

The university hosting the event is under fire from students, one of whom claims it is putting Mammon over morals. And, since she is an “LGBT student” (all simultaneously? I wonder how that works?) doing a PhD in biodiversity management, she obviously has a firmer grasp on the finer points of morality than the collective efforts of Justin Welby his bishops, clergy and the university administration. Admittedly, that isn’t saying much.

The student notes that the university has sinned against the god of inclusion. She has a point: it’s the same god that the Church of England worships.

LGBT student Natalie Yoh, 25, who’s doing a PhD in biodiversity management, accused the university of putting income above moral values.

She said: ‘I was shocked that this is happening in Kent, which I have always thought of as an inclusive place.

‘I think it would suggest, whether rightly or wrongly, that they are putting their commercial interests above their moral values.

‘Whether or not they have made the decision about who is allowed to attend, they’re still choosing to host an event that’s being exclusive.’

Butterflies and babies

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On the first Sunday in May many ANiC churches will be celebrating sanctity of life Sunday:

As a diocese which affirms the sanctity of life we are encouraging all our parishes to make a special effort on Sunday May 6th (this was from last year) to affirm that life is a gift from God; gift from start to finish. This could take many forms in worship, prayer and teaching.

The Diocese of Niagara, on the other hand, has Earth Sunday:

As spring is with us, Creation Matters Working Group, a National Church group, encourages your parish to prepare to celebrate Earth Sunday, either on Easter Day — April 21 — or the following Sunday, April 28.

[….]

And for a small creature — the plight of the monarch butterfly seems to have motivated so many people to plant milkweeds.

I like butterflies as much as the next Anglican but to focus one’s effort on the plight of butterflies while ignoring that of tens of thousands of aborted babies seems to be straining out a gnat – or a monarch – while swallowing a camel.

Competitive inclusion

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One of my many character flaws is that I find it immensely satisfying when the Church of England, in spite of Justin Welby’s best efforts to be the Zeitgeist incarnate, is out-inclusioned.

The university that will host Lambeth 2020 is not happy that Kevin Robertson’s husband hasn’t been invited to attend: it is an inclusive university. To teach the Church of England a lesson in Christian inclusion, to show them how it’s done, to demonstrate good disagreement in action, to be a paradigm of reconciliation, the university will “ensure accommodation is available on campus” for Robertson’s other half.

For all intents and purposes, hubby will be there. Smile on.

From here:

A university which has come under fire for hosting an Anglican summit that will exclude same-sex partners is due to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury to raise “significant ethical concerns”.

The University of Kent, which is hosting next year’s Lambeth Conference, faced criticism when it emerged partners of gay bishops had not been invited.

The institution has now said it will ensure accommodation is available on campus for spouses affected who wish to be in Canterbury with their partners.

It comes after a gay bishop whose husband has been barred from attending the once-in-a-decade Anglican summit at the university accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of bowing to homophobia.

Kevin Robertson, a bishop in Toronto, was told by Archbishop Justin Welby that his husband, Mohan Sharma, could not attend the conference because of opposition from ultra-conservative church leaders.

Anglican ripples of sorrow

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In a world where, for their faith, Christians are being persecuted, tortured, set on fire, beheaded, scorned, sued and, if they are the lucky ones, ignored, it takes a tragedy of cosmic proportions to send “ripples of sorrow” through a community already numbed by such tribulation.

And it has happened in Canada of all places. Toronto bishops are lamenting; their lachrymose wails can be heard echoing in the chilly sanctuaries of empty churches from Toronto to Niagara.

All because Bishop Kevin Robertson’s hubby was not invited to the party: the Lambeth 2020 party.

I have to stop now, my keyboard is covered in tears.

From here:

It has been a long tradition for bishops’ spouses to be invited to attend Lambeth as well. However, this bidding has not been extended to same-gender spouses, including Bishop Kevin Robertson’s spouse, Mr. Mohan Sharma. This act of exclusion is troubling to us. While we recognize that the issues involved in a decision of this nature are many-faceted, we wish to express our dismay and sadness at the pain that this causes all of us within the College of Bishops, but in particular Bishop Kevin and Mohan as our friends and co-labourers in the gospel. St. Paul expressed it well in 1 Corinthians 12:26, If one member suffers, all suffer together with it…

We also acknowledge that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision not only touches Bishop Kevin and Mohan directly, but also sends ripples of sorrow, both locally and globally, especially within the LGBTQ community. Our diocese is strengthened, inspired and deepened by the faith and witness of our LGBTQ clergy and laity. As St. Paul continues in verse 26, …if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.

Lexical misgendering

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The Oxford English Dictionary, having succumbed to contemporary gender voodoo, is including gender-neutral words in its latest edition.

You can now misgender someone and rest secure in the knowledge that you have not perpetrated a grammatical atrocity. In your gaol cell.

From here:

It’s a new issue that has proved a modern minefield – as the way we identify ourselves evolves and changes at a rapid rate.

But now The Oxford English Dictionary has introduced gender-neutral words to help us.

Editors said the latest additions were an ‘attempt to grapple’ with the sensitive topic.

These include ‘hir’ and zir’ as alternative pronouns to him, his or her, ‘peoplekind’ rather than mankind, and ‘Latin@’ as a gender-neutral term for someone of either sex from Latin America.

Meanwhile, the verb ‘misgender’ could apply to anyone who unwittingly or intentionally uses a pronoun that is not preferred by the person.

Father Jonathan Rowe is eager to perform same-sex marriages

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The rector St. Michael’s and All Angels Anglican Church in St. John’s can’t wait to get started; we must assume the queue of same-sex couples outside the church demanding ecclesiastical approval of their coupling is so long it’s causing traffic congestion.

There’s one thing to be said in Rowe’s favour: at least he’s honest about what the Anglican Church of Canada is up to:

Father Jonathan Rowe says it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when for the Anglican Church of Canada to allow for same-sex marriage in its parishes

Most clergy are too timid to admit this.

The principle under which Rowe seems to be operating is that if something is legal in Canada, the church should approve of it. Same-sex marriage is legal in Canada. But then, so is smoking cannabis, abortion, adultery and pornography.

From the CBC:

One Anglican parish in St. John’s is ready to allow same-sex couples to get married under its roof — but is caught in the middle of a waiting game.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005.

“Things seems to take a long time to happen in the church, and for an institution that’s 2,000 years old, that kind of makes sense,” said Father Jonathan Rowe, rector at St. Michael’s and All Angels Anglican Church in St. John’s.

Rowe said the Anglican Church has been having conversations regarding human sexuality, same-sex unions and most recently, same-sex marriage.

On Sunday, Rowe’s parish passed a motion during their annual meeting to request permission from the Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador to, “offer the sacrament of Holy Matrimony to all couples who are legally entitled to marry in Canada, as soon as such an option becomes possible in this diocese.”

Justin Welby attends a “blame an Islamophobic politician” event

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Although he isn’t specifically mentioned, I imagine the political leader Welby and the organisers had in mind was Trump. The temptation to place blame on such an easy and obvious target would be too difficult to resist. Even during Lent.

Justin Welby was greeted by applause when he promised better “education” for children in CofE schools. Church of England Madrasa has a distinctive ring to it.

From here:

Action needed after New Zealand attacks, gathering at London mosque told

Political leaders must consider what responsibility they might carry in allowing Islamophobia to thrive, a gathering at a London mosque has been told.

[….]

The Most Rev Justin Welby was applauded when he made a commitment to discuss how, through the teaching of an estimated one million children at Church of England schools “we can be more effective in our education to be one people”.

He also pledged that the church will stand with Muslims who are being persecuted, apologising if such solidarity has been lacking in the past.

He said: “For Muslims who are under threat we will be with you, if we have not been with you sufficiently yet, and if we have not, I am so sorry.”