Tag Archives: Fred Hiltz

Christmas according to Fred Hiltz

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It’s all about the UN Millennium goals, and speaking up for – not, you will note, directly helping, a task too difficult for today’s enervated mainline denominations – the poor.

Instead of celebrating the most important event in the universe’s history, the arrival of the Incarnate God, born of a Virgin, sinless, sacrificed for us and our only means of reconciliation with the Father, we have prosaic, idolatrous utopianism. A religion emptied of transcendence.

From here:

With Christmas approaching, Archbishop Fred Hiltz today urged Anglicans, via a CBC radio interview, to think about the poor and disadvantaged, saying the church “must be in the world and for the world” as Jesus Christ was.

In the gospels, “we see quite clearly that he [Jesus] cared as much for people’s physical well-being as their spiritual well-being,” Hiltz said when asked by CBC Toronto Metro Morning’s Matt Galloway about why he’s asking Anglicans to become stronger advocates for social justice. “The church has a moral obligation, rooted in the gospel and in the teaching of the prophets long before Jesus. We have a moral obligation…to speak up for those who are disadvantaged, for the poor and for the downtrodden.”

[….]

Hiltz noted that eliminating extreme hunger and poverty was one of the UN Millennium goals (to which Anglicans worldwide have been asking their governments to demonstrate commitment).

An Anglican panegyric to Nelson Mandela

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From Fred Hiltz:

Today the world mourns the passing of one of the greatest men of our times.  Nelson Mandela’s life is the story of the prisoner who became the president of his beloved country.  He is the icon of South African’s long road to freedom from apartheid.  He is “the father of our nation”, writes Desmond Tutu, “the pride of our people.”

[….]

Mandela is destined to be remembered in the calendar of holy men and women through the ages.   To give ourselves to the work of “transforming unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind, and to pursue peace and reconciliation among all people,” (the Fourth Mark of Mission) will be to truly honour his life and his labours.

During the 1950s, Mandela was appointed commander in chief of the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) – Spear of the Nation. This organisation was responsible for blowing apart men, woman and children in places like shopping centres, cinemas and government buildings. Torture and executions were routine at ANC detention camps, a favourite of Mandela’s wife, Winnie, being to put a gasoline filled tire around someone’s neck and set fire to it.

It’s all part of “transforming unjust structures of society”.

Fred Hiltz silences bishops with civility

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It isn’t easy to stop bishops talking, but Primate Fred Hiltz has found a new weapon to wield in the ceaseless struggle to silence garrulous bishops: he is compelling them to be nice to each other, thus leaving them with nothing whatsoever to say.

The trick appears to be to convince them to engage in “quiet and theological reflection”: the bishops are locked in separate soundproof rooms where, no matter how well projected and resonant their battology, they cannot be heard.

Anyone who has had to listen to an ACoC bishop preach a sermon would applaud this effort.

The primate is concerned that this may inhibit the bishops from making “clear, public statements to the church” – something that last occurred by accident in 1945.

From here:

The latter, a twice-yearly gathering of Canadian Anglican bishops is one of the livelier meetings the Primate chairs. The house has seen hot conflict over theological issues, especially same-sex blessings and scriptural interpretation.

Hiltz has worked to cool the mood. As chair and liturgical leader, he’s given the bishops more time for quiet and theological reflection. He’s said his goal is to ensure that bishops do not leave these meetings more tired than when they came.

Yet some view this new civility as a kind of “silencing,” says Hiltz. Heading into a new triennium, he wonders how the bishops should balance personal reflection with the need to discuss hard topics and make clear, public statements to the church.

Fred Hiltz visits St. John's Shaughnessy, fails to plant flag

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In a touching display of anti-triumphalism, Fred Hiltz chose not erect an Anglican Church of Canada victory flag during his recent visit to St. John’s Shaughnessy.

Or perhaps it dawned on him that to win an empty building whose maintenance is draining $20,000 from diocesan coffers every month is a victory that, in the annals of empty victories, makes Pyrrhus look like an amateur.

From here:

As always, the Primate has been busy visiting dioceses across Canada. He highlighted his pastoral visit to three parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster that were returned to the diocese after a legal battle. For three days the Primate visited with people, accompanied by the Very. Rev. Peter Elliott. The Primate brought and blessed an Anglican Church of Canada flag for St. John’s Shaughnessy, but refrained from raising it because he did not want to convey a message of victory over those who had chosen to leave these parishes.

According to Michael Moore, Canadians don’t lock their doors at night

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Michael Moore is convinced that, because there is so little poverty in Canada, we don’t lock our doors at night:

18% of Americans live in poverty. In Canada, it’s a little over 1%. That’s why Canadians don’t lock their doors,” he wrote

Mike, you really need to talk to Fred Hiltz so you can get your stories straight. Canada is awash with poverty:

The Anglican and Lutheran churches in Canada have asked the federal government to adopt recommendations made by a House of Commons committee to “immediately commit to an action plan to reduce poverty in the country.

I’m off to bed now – after I unlock my front door.

Fred Hiltz preaches healing and reconciliation at St. John’s, Shaughnessy

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From here (page 3):

Archbishop Hiltz started his address by thanking us for giving him the opportunity to worship together and by stating that the SJS community had been very much in his thoughts and prayers over the past few years as we addressed the tensions within the diocese. “We are all in need of healing and reconciliation and I want to acknowledge with deep gratitude your steadfastness to the Anglican Church of Canada, its worldwide mission and loyalty to the work of the Diocese of New Westminster.”

What Hiltz failed to mention is that a number of ANiC trustees are still being sued personally by the Diocese of New Westminster.

The church that brought us the generous pastoral response, holy listening and experiential discernment, is now striving for the apogee of absurdity with healing lawsuits.

Fred Hiltz meets with Justin Welby and warns him about ACNA

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Hiltz-WelbyOne of Fred Hiltz’s recurring nightmares is that Canterbury recognises ANCA and ANiC, making ACNA an official North American Anglican province with ANiC as one of its dioceses. In order to forestall this calamity, Hiltz has taken his “ongoing concern” to Justin Welby.

It’s worth noting that a contributing factor to the judge’s decision to award the ANiC church buildings to the Diocese of New Westminster was that they are held in trust for “Anglican worship”. By the judge’s reasoning, since the ACoC is the only recognised Anglican Church in Canada, Anglican worship and doctrine, no matter how perversely bizarre, is set by it and no-one else.

If ACNA is recognised by Canterbury, it would mean that the beloved nonsense emanating from Hiltz’s beloved church would no longer be the sole official measure of Canadian Anglicanism.

Welby, apparently, is “very appreciative” of ACoC contributions to the Anglican communion. Things like the pioneering work on suing Christians, ejecting them from their buildings, inhibiting world famous theologians such as J. I. Packer, filling the ranks of its clergy with partnered homosexuals and performing the Vagina Monologues in a cathedral.

There aren’t many Anglican Provinces that can make those claims.

From here:

The leader of the Anglican Church of Canada has emerged from his Dec. 6 meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury-elect, Justin Welby, feeling “very optimistic about his leadership.”

Archbishop Fred Hitz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, noted Welby’s “extensive ministry of reconciliation” and told the Journal that, “I get is a sense that he wants to be personally pro-active to build relations.

[….]

During his meeting with Welby, Hiltz said he mentioned ongoing concern about efforts by the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) to be recognized by the Church of England. Composed of Anglicans who have left the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church in the U.S., ACNA describes itself as “an emerging Province in the global Anglican Communion.”

Hiltz said he requested that if bodies of the Church of England are to meet with representatives of ACNA, “in fairness, they should also meet with us to get a better picture.” Welby was “very appreciative” of the place of the Anglican Church of Canada in the Communion and the contributions it has been able to make, added Hiltz.

 

The Anglican Church of Canada is going broke, Primate calls it a teaching moment

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But what is it trying to teach? Fred Hiltz seems to think that structural changes are the answer, while Dennis Drainville wants to “focus on mission” – although by “mission”, he means more vigorous leftist political agitation rather than the saving of souls.

James Cowan wants to “view the challenges as an opportunity”, a sure sign that he was asleep for most of the meeting.

It doesn’t seem to have occurred to anyone that perhaps the malady is a consequence of the beliefs of the Anglican Church of Canada not the inadequacy of its structures, programs or bogus “missions”.

If what most of the church leadership believes is nonsense – and it is – why would God bless the church, why would people give it money and why does it deserve to survive?

From here:

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, kicked off the fall meeting (Nov. 15-18) of the Council of General Synod (CoGS) in Mississauga, Ont. by urging members to view declining revenues and a looming budget shortfall as a “teaching moment handed to us by God.”

What’s needed now, said Hiltz is “transformational change.” He called on members to find “the courage to let go of our deep attachments to old ways and structures” and to “dare to imagine new scenarios.” In recent years, the church has attempted to effect change but “the structures don’t really look very different,” Hiltz noted.

CoGS members are being asked to discuss ideas that support priorities set out in the church’s 10-year strategic plan, Vision 2019. These priorities include envisioning a more streamlined structure for General Synod. The work being done at CoGS is part of a series of discussions that will take place over the next eight months leading up to General Synod 2013 in July. In January, Hiltz is convening a national consultation in Toronto to look at the future of church.

In its written report to CoGS, the financial management committee (FMC) has stressed that “revenues have been declining more rapidly than expected” and as a result, anticipated deficits for 2013 and beyond “have materialized much earlier than expected.”  This weekend, CoGS will be asked to approve a 2013 budget with a proposed deficit of $513,000.

Rob Dickson, FMC chair, cited declining membership as a factor for the deficit. Diocesan giving has been declining annually at an average rate of 3%, said Dickson, adding that capital fundraising initiatives undertaken by the national office in partnership with dioceses are “not a quick fix.”

 

Fred Hiltz goes to Lambeth to discuss the Anglican Covenant

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From here:

Over the next few hours, they discussed several matters, among them the Anglican Covenant and the educational guide posted last summer on the website of the Anglican Church of Canada. “Archbishop Williams had obviously read our material, and he seemed appreciative that Canada was giving the covenant a fair hearing,” says Feheley.

I had no idea that Paul Feheley had a sense of humour.

Jack Layton for Primate

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Yes I know he is dead, but he’s not much more dead than the current Primate and he’s a definite fit for the job:

He was passionate about issues of justice.  He walked with the poor and the marginalized.  He cared about the impact of the economy on health care, housing, and education.

[…..]

His entire public life was characterized by a profound commitment to the common good.  He was a champion of human rights, and a passionate environmentalist.  Proud to be Canadian he cared deeply about our place among the nations.  In his final letter to all of us he wrote, “Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world.  We can be a better one—a country of greater equality, justice and opportunity.”