Tag Archives: bishops gone wild

Why Muddled Delusions Galore (MDGs) won't help

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The Anglican church’s idea of ending poverty is to assemble a bunch of old people, many of them men in funny Add an Imagepurple dresses, and get them to hold up traffic by parading along a street waving meaningless placards. After their exertions, they naturally repair to a posh venue to gorge themselves on delicacies.

Anglicans will gather in Ottawa and New York on Thursday, Sept. 25, to renew their call for governments around the world to demonstrate their commitment to end global poverty and other social justice priorities outlined by the United Nations Millennium Development goals (MDGs).

This is how Anglicans plan on ushering in the New Jerusalem.

Allowing free trade is a different approach and, according to the National Post is one that actually helps the poor rather than merely increasing the already substantial girth of pot-bellied bishops.

More human beings have escaped poverty in the past 20 years than in any equivalent period in the history of the world.

Since 1990, China and India have pulled hundreds of millions of their people out of want. Their people eat better, live longer, and enjoy some measure of security. As they have prospered, they have in turn enriched the advanced world, selling us cheap goods and services and buying our food and technology.

Ominously, the anti-recession actions undertaken by the advanced countries may well aggravate the global trade collapse. The U.S. House of Representatives stuck a “Buy American” provision into its US$800-billion-plus stimulus package. The Senate has now extended the measure, with a requirement that “all manufactured goods” purchased with government money come from US suppliers. This protectionist amendment carries the strong backing of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

More than the dialogue that so fascinates Obama, what the world needs most is trade, more trade. It is up to him to champion it, for his own country’s sake, and the world’s.

I wonder when Rowan Williams will march for free trade? Shortly after taking a stand against the rampant heresies in the North American church, I expect.

Diocese of Niagara: Michael Bird justifies his behaviour to Rowan Williams

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Michael Bird, bishop of Niagara travelled to the UK to have a little chat with Rowan Williams:

In that interview I reviewed with him the multitude of task forces, hearings, Bishop’s statements, regional Add an Imageand parish meetings and the long list of Diocesan and General Synods that have discussed and wrestled with this issue [SSBs] since 1976.  I gave him a full account of our dealings with dissenting parishes and the court proceedings we have been involved in. I shared with Archbishop Rowan our experience of the incredible contribution that gay and lesbian people have made and continue to make in every aspect of our Church’s life and witness, and expressed the overwhelming desire on the part of two Synod’s to move forward with the blessing of committed same-sex relationships for couples who have been civilly married.  I also indicated to him my intentions with regard to my giving permission for these blessings to begin to take place.

Michael  Bird, the short one on the left,  travelled 3000 miles to explain to Rowan Williams that, far from doing what has been asked of all bishops, he has actually done the opposite. He is breaking the moratorium on same-sex blessings and, in a gracelessly unrestrained way, suing the pants off any parish that gets in his way.

Couldn’t he have told Rowan that with a phone call? It must be another Greening Niagara initiative.

Nevertheless, the wayward bishop, after shamelessly parading his furciferous behaviour in front of the big cheese, comes away with this impression:

It was a wonderful meeting and throughout our time together I felt listened to, respected and cared for and I am incredibly grateful for the privilege of having had this amazing experience.

Perhaps, behind his eyebrows  Rowan dozed off: I know Bird has that effect on me.

Hiltz Havoc

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Fred Hiltz, is at it again:

In his New Year’s Day address at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, Archbishop Hiltz said: “Across the board, irrespective of where bishops stand on the matter of blessing same-sex unions, no one is content with the continuing havoc created by cross-border interventions by Primates and bishops of jurisdictions other than their own. I remain committed to addressing the matter in the Communion and particularly at the meeting of the Primates next month in Egypt.”

First of all, the 26 ANiC parishes are very content to be under the jurisdiction of Greg Venables and the Province of the Southern Cone rather than the heretically inclined Anglican Church of Canada.

Secondly, the only havoc occurring is that being caused by Fred Hiltz and his bishops who are suing many of the ANiC parishes to seize their buildings for financial gain. On Tuesday, Hiltz is presenting this tripe to the rest of the Primates in Alexandria. I do hope they see through him.

Weasel Words from Colin Johnson, Bishop of Toronto

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From here

The bishops of the Diocese of Toronto are proposing to respond pastorally in the matter of committed same-sex Add an Imagerelationships.

In making their proposal, the bishops made it clear they are attempting to work within the national House of Bishops’ 2007 statement on sexuality. In that document, the Canadian bishops said they are committed to “develop the most generous pastoral response possible within the current teaching of the church.”

At its monthly meeting of the Diocesan Council, held on January 29, 2009, the bishops outlined their proposal. The bishops plan to engage in a consultation process in order for the pastoral care of all Anglicans to be strengthened. They will implement their response when the bishops discern that it is appropriate.

The bishops’ proposal in offering a pastoral response is as follows:

  • Episcopal permission be given to a limited number of parishes, based on Episcopal discernment, to offer prayers and blessing (but not the nuptial blessing) to same-sex couples in stable, long-term, committed relationships, as an extension of the current pastoral norms.
  • Episcopal guidelines on the nature of the prayers/blessing will be established. A particular rite will not be authorized.
  • Episcopal permission for blessings will be required.
  • Evaluation of this pastoral response will be undertaken after one year.
  • No parish or clergy will be required to participate.
  • A Bishop’s Commission will be formed to create the guidelines, monitor activity and review.

Colin Johnson has realised that he is trailing in the contest for the title of the most heretical bishop in Canada. The lead was taken some time ago by Michael Ingham, followed closely by the bishops of Niagara, Ottawa and Montreal.

Not wishing to be left completely in the dust, but not having the guts to take the lead over arch-apostate Ingham, he has unequivocally – well, provisionally decided – ambivalently – on:

Blessing same-sex couples – well, long term same-sex couples.

Allowing parishes to bless same sex-couples – well, some parishes.

Praying for same-sex couples – well, not using an authorised rite.

Blessing same-sex relationships – well, not nuptial ones.

Agreeing with same-sex blessings – well, contingent on Episcopal discernment.

Getting on with same sex-blessings – well, make sure you ask him first.

Committing to following recommendations of General Synod and Lambeth – well, except the ones he disagrees with.

This message is brought to you with heartfelt conviction from Colin – the spineless wimp who is afraid to take a stand on anything, but wants to run with the pack – Johnson.

The Fashionable Vicar

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The latest fashions among the clergy were on display as local priests swapped pulpits for the catwalk.

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Fred, trying not to look too butch, strutted confidently along the catwalk modelling his flowing vestments in Winter White with blue accents by Wipple of Exeter.

When a bright-eyed, breathlessly flushed Fred was interviewed later, he confided that “Canadian clergy are no longer willing to put up with dirty, worn-out robes.” Gracefully twirling, he told us that “our women clergy have brought a fresh new look to garments. We call it Fresh Expressions.”

Diocese of Niagara: Consistency is not a hallmark of God's call

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Some delectations from the official organ of the Diocese of Niagara, a diocese of diversity, inclusion and lawsuits.

First a differing view as to the meaning of Fred Hiltz’s lugubrious meanderings when he popped in to say hello in January.

Time and time again, we have prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we understand ourselves to be acting in response to that guidance. Niagara has not weighed the pros and cons of making the decision to bless same gender unions. We have not positioned ourselves as conservatives and liberals contesting our own righteousness. The Diocese of Niagara is responding to what we believe is the call of the Holy Spirit – to create a rite to acknowledge a blessing that God has already conferred on same gender unions. This is not to suggest that other dioceses are wrong in their discernment of what God is calling them to right now. I have no trouble believing that God could be calling Niagara to one course of action while the call to other dioceses is different. Consistency is not a hallmark of God’s call.

One cannot expect consistency from the anthropomorphic god of the Diocese of Niagara.

It’s easy enough to allow that God is just fine with St. Down in the Slums shouting amens in between singing choruses and All Sable and Minks indulging in a weekly inhalation of incense while accompanied by a slightly off-key choir singing anthems which are somewhat beyond it.

Sex between two men or two women, though, is something the bible forbids, although liberals would argue that point. Either way, it is either forbidden for everyone or allowed for everyone; only a feeble-minded sub-Christian relativism would claim that God is inconsistent in this.

And while we are on the subject of feeble-minded relativism, there is this:

What would need to happen on a Sunday morning to make it meaningful and worthwhile for you to participate in worship?

What could we do or what should we avoid to create an experience of community that is life-giving, life-affirming, and life-changing for you?

The answer to this is obvious: every Sunday when I drive to church, I pass a local “Y”. It has a full parking lot and inside there are rooms filled with hot, sweaty worshippers. It is about as meaningful and worthwhile as the average Diocese of Niagara service, it builds community and it probably is life-giving in that its adherents may live a bit longer than slobs like me who drive past.

The god that is worshipped here is the body; not too different from the various and sundry gods – green, political, utopian, shamanistic, unitarian – comfortably ensconced in the diocese.

And here we have the only activity that is still recognised as sinful by the Diocese of Niagara: earning a lot of money:

The spread between the rich and the poor in this country is sinful.
For the top 100 Canadian CEO’s the average annual earnings are $10,408,054. The head of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion based in Waterloo, Ontario, pocketed more than $51,000,000. How much is enough?

Hang on a minute, don’t CEO’s count in God’s house with its many mansions? What about inclusion?

Is the writer of the article, John Ripley, exhibiting envy? It probably doesn’t matter, since that was struck off the diocesan list of sins in the synod of 1973.

Diocese of Niagara: a succession of shame

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The rot in the Diocese of Niagara started many years ago and has been passed down through the laying on of hands to each new bishop: John Bothwell, Walter Asbil, Ralph Spence and now Michael Bird.

John Bothwell began his reign of error in 1972.

In the early 1980s a friend of mine believed that God was calling him to become a priest in the diocese of Niagara; since he was a Christian, this was a brave move. Things went well for him academically, but John Bothwell had devised a test to weed out the undesirables in Niagara priests.

Before the final interviews candidates were made to watch a movie. Not just any movie, but a hard-core pornographic movie of homosexual men performing acts upon one another that normal people would rather not think about. The ostensible reason for this was to prepare the would-be priests for real life in the sunny Niagara Peninsular; indiscriminate inclusivity being paramount, any expressions of disgust were predictably used to filter out judgemental and diversity-intolerant candidates. To his credit my friend failed the test. Subsequently, after steeling himself for the inevitable assault on his sensibilities, he did become a priest

The reason that the diocese of Niagara is in the heretical mess that it is in today is because the way was carefully prepared by Bothwell and the subsequent troupe of delinquent, scelestious theomaniacs posing as bishops that followed in his footsteps.

Even though Michael Bird is a prat extraordinaire, not all the credit for Niagara’s heterodox buffoonery can be laid at his doorstep: in order to prosecute his folly, he stands on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Which is just as well considering his height.

Federation Determination

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In April 2008 the Anglican Essentials Federation said this:

Our approach, within Federation, to effecting this change has been to quietly, faithfully, persistently work within our congregations, dioceses and synods to build God’s Kingdom. As your leadership, however, we sense that the time has come to change our approach. The “quiet” approach has simply not been working. The “faith once received” has been so altered as to be unrecognizable in many parts of our Church. Our “quiet”, non-confrontational approach has simply not stemmed the tide.

[………….]

The policy of the Anglican Essentials Federation is not that we will “stay” but that we will “stand”. As leaders of Federation, we have determined that it is now time to chart a new course. You will see this unfold over the next weeks and months as we take a higher profile, unequivocal stand.

We, as leaders of Federation will publicly take a stand. We expect Bishops committed to orthodox Christian teaching, historic Anglican practice, and our position within the Anglican Communion to take a stand, particularly in the House of Bishops’ meeting next month.

This looks promising: perhaps we are going to see some action from the Federation.

Not so fast! In November, 7 months later, following the Federation Consultation there is this.

About 50 conservative Anglican leaders, including eight young theological students, gathered in Toronto for a one-day consultation on Nov. 25 and emerged with a determination to remain within the Anglican Church of Canada. They came from 16 dioceses across the country.

Since the Federation has made a request that they and ANiC not ‘demonise’ each other:Add an Image

Without any intentional demonising – in 7 months the Federation has drifted from a policy of ‘not staying, but standing’ to one of being determined to stay in the ACoC. Reports from the Consultation relate that it was a tightly controlled meeting where the real crisis facing the ACoC was ignored with fierce resolve.

The implication appears to be that, no matter what the ACoC does, the Federation will stick by them through thick and thin. I hope that is not so, since it would be a clear case of setting an organisation above the gospel. Hiltz, Ingham and Bird etc, will undoubtedly capitalise on this determination by publicly parading the tame conservatives so all can witness the benign inclusiveness of the ACoC politburo.

Another sad but inescapable consequence of this determination to stay within the ACoC, is that the money given by conservatives will be used to help finance current and future litigation against ANiC parishes; and conservatives are the group who are likely to be the biggest financial contributors.

The St. Jude's Newsletter: ideological borborygmus

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The St. Jude’s Oakville newsletter is now online here. In it, Martha Tatarnic, priest-interloper at St. Hilda’s tells us (I am not repeating comments already made here):

Martha Tatarnic – Pastoral Care Coordinator

I have had many occasions since my appointment to St. Hilda’s on September 15th to brag about St. Jude’s. Now that I am the part-time priest-in-charge in this unusual ministry setting, I am invited to many more diocesan meetings than I ever have been in the past. At synod council meetings, Mission Strategies meetings, and various other gatherings of diocesan staff, I have been able to share the good news that in the midst of a very unfortunate situation, the community of St. Jude’s has stepped up to the plate in a remarkable way to demonstrate true Christian generosity, neighbourliness, and vision.

I am sure St. Jude’s parishioners are well-meaning decent people. Which means they have been conned by the Diocese of Niagara: through the latest court ruling, St. Hilda’s, ANiC has no access to its church building during the times it conducts its Sunday services. St. Jude’s parishioners – who already have their own building – in a spirit of ‘true Christian generosity, neighbourliness’, have set up camp in St. Hilda’s building, displacing its rightful owners. Parishioners of St. Jude’s: you are being used by the diocese in their bid to steal our building.

When I started in September, there actually was no ‘remnant.’ There was one woman worshipping there regularly who is a chaplain in Hamilton and who decided to come to St. Hilda’s following the split to see if she could offer some ministry to the parish. I literally was sent to a parish with no people.

Thank you, Martha for admitting that the Diocese of Niagara has no use for this building – other than to sell it.

And not only does the church have no people, it also has a building that is tied up in an ugly law suit between the Network and the Diocese and is therefore essentially being treated like the child of a divorce, with specific terms of joint custody laid, which each party is required to follow to the letter.

The law suit was instigated by the diocese. We, St. Hilda’s ANiC, have made repeated overtures to the diocese to settle this out of court. The response has been consistent: the diocese wants to see this ‘played out in court’. So, yes, it is ugly; and the author of that ugliness is your employer, Martha.

It paints a rather bleak picture, doesn’t it? From the second that my appointment became public, however, St. Jude’s has joined me in my new ministry.

The ‘new ministry’ is that of playing pawn in the vindictive game of ‘persecute the Christians’ that the diocese is engaged in.

It is a heartbreaking loss to our communion that St. Hilda’s and three other parishes in this diocese Add an Imagebelieve they can no longer walk with us in the journey of faith.

Funny, the diocesan hearts I saw in the courtroom didn’t appear that broken to me; I did note a certain level of frustration, though.

The particular ‘journey of faith’ that the Diocese of Niagara has embarked on is one where it has departed from the Christian faith; so, no, we cannot accompany you.

And yet, despite that total breakdown of the principles of Christian community, week by week, there is ‘Church’ – in the widest sense of the word – happening in this parish building.

No, it is not ‘Church’ that is taking place in St. Hilda’s building: it is a dog-in-the manger occupation.

I will say though, that as difficult as it is for me to leave, it is time. I have had the privilege of being here a great deal longer than assistant curates typically stay in one place, and it is without a doubt my time now to assume leadership in my own parish. At this point, it looks like there are two appealing and viable options for where that ministry might take place starting in January. I hope to know in the next few weeks which of those two places God will lift up as being the one for me at this time. It is no secret that one of those two places might very well be St. Hilda’s.

Martha: you cannot possibly be so callow as to think that the diocese will keep this building open for your current bogus congregation. If the enticement the diocese has offered you is that of parish priest at St. Hilda’s, you have been deceived; if the diocese wins the building, it will be sold to help pay its mounting debt.

However, if you persist in the delusion that the parish of St. Hilda’s will be your reward, please contact me as I am trying to sell a used car.