 |
| George Osborne and Eric Pickles favour changes to planning regulations but |
oppose developments in their own backyards. Photograph: Martin Argles
For those wishing to protest against the "breathtaking hypocrisy" of Ministers who want to scar what's left of our countryside while protecting their own little bits of England, 38 Degrees have lanched a 'Save our countryside' petition. Readers may wish to add their names.
After yesterday's depressing story of religious duplicity, here something to inspire.
The image on the left is a 'finger painting' using a ?1.99 App on an iPod with a tiga.5danquot; screen.
Quite extraordinary.
Click here to see how it was done.
Members of the Church needed to be “transformed as persons so that people can see in us
some transformation so that they too will want to be drawn into that kind of life.?
- Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales in 2005
In 2005 the Church in Wales (CinW) issued a new teaching pack, The Rule of Life, to encourage members to engage more with 'a spiritual life in the Church'. Based loosely on the Rule of St Benedict it was designed to cover "prayer, study, service and community life". The "transformation" is a far cry from the Rule of St Benedict. Prayer, study and service have become politics, revision and despotism.
In 2015 the focus of the CinW is on being more relevant to society than engaging in a spiritual life. As the number of worshippers has declined 'community life' has become largely devoid of traditional religious spirituality. Today people talk of 'being spiritual' not in the religious sense but because they appreciate nature, crystals and joss sticks. People living in communities where tragedy has struck now leave bunches of flowers to rot against railings while local vicars indulge in massive candle lighting exercises to provide temporary comfort for the grief stricken who no longer have any concept of eternal life.
The CinW Handbook "Parochial Administration" explains members' expectations of a spiritual life in the Anglican Province of Wales: "Everyone lives in a parish although the form that a parish takes varies from one area to another. The parish is probably best defined generally as: "…an area under the spiritual care of a cleric (the ‘Incumbent’ or, in the correct meaning of the word, the ‘curate’) to whose religious ministrations all its inhabitants are entitled” this is sometimes known as the ‘Cure of Souls’." [My emphasis - Ed.] The 'Cure of Souls' has become almost meaningless now that spiritual care is governed by political correctness and conscience is allowed to rest only with the bench of bishops.
For many cradle Anglicans their spiritual life has become a question of 'how far can they stretch credibility in the face of increasing secularism in the Church'. Having established women's rights as the main objective of the Church in Wales, the bench now turns its attention to the destruction of Holy Matrimony under the guise of equality.
In September 2014 the Church in Wales announced a consultation to consider its position on same-sex marriages. It is clear from his closing remarks in an interview here which way Dr Morgan is facing: "These are complex issues, but the conversations in April clearly point to the fact that Governing Body members wanted to deal with the issue with greater pastoral sensitivity than for the re-marriage of divorcees." Dr Morgan added: "In the light of the results of this consultation, the Bishops intend to bring the matter back to the Governing Body with proposals for a way ahead." In other words it doesn't really matter what the consultations produce. The bishops will decide after ensuring that there are enough members of the Governing Body to dance to Barry Morgan's tune.
True, the re-marriage of divorcees has caused problems for the Church but re-marriage is not comparable with the union of same-sex couples. To be trapped for life in a loveless marriage does not obey God's commandment to love one another. While the privileged few escaped through annulment the majority suffered for their mistake until life's end. Much is made of the fact that same sex-couples love each other but it does not follow that Holy Matrimony should be bent to validate their desires. Civil partnerships were designed to ensure that same-sex couples living together enjoyed the same civil rights as heterosexual couples but activists are determined to substitute sameness instead of celebrating difference.
The moulding process has been evident in the media for some time, most graphically in the current series 'Sex and the Church' for BBC2 where Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch parades his personal preference for same-sex relationships as he "exploresdanquot; how "Christianity has shaped western attitudes to sex, gender and sexuality throughout historydanquot;.
In Wales the softening-up process saw the Standing Doctrinal Commission of the Church in Waleshark back to the past to justify Barry's stance and provide ammunition for his acolytes to use in the so-called consultations. The only thing missing is a return to the ducking stool for recalcitrant worshippers.
The results of consultations are used as evidence only when they are favourable to the bench. Personal preference is put before the good of all the church while others wait to see which way the wind blows before voting to keep in favour with Barry and his bench sitters.
The duplicity of the bench of bishops is evidenced by the following two paragraphs from the Doctrinal Commission's Report:
148. The results of the Lancet?S Survey on Sexual Attitude and Behaviour
published in 2013 underline this sense that what is taking place currently is a
significant departure and is not simply the next step in greater permissiveness
in relation to sexual practice. Whereas in 1991 less than 50% of men, and
53% of women, felt that ?Adultery in marriage is always wrong? The present
study shows these percentages to have increased to 66% and 70%
respectively. It also shows that, while in 1991 25% of people thought that
there was nothing wrong at all with same sex relationships, this figure has
increased to approximately 57% today.
149. Pastoral accommodation hints that we offer an unconditional hospitality to
those with whose practice or prohibition we might instinctively disagree.
Those who promote this approach would argue that it would define a new
arena in which it becomes possible to listen more deeply for the voice of the
Holy Spirit, ?Not only in the thoughts, words and lives of those with whom one
agrees but in the contributions of those one believes to be wrong?.
Note "Pastoral accommodation hints that we offer an unconditional hospitality to those with whose practice or prohibition we might instinctively disagree" and reflect on the treatment of cradle Anglicans who have not replaced faith with secularism. Why is it more acceptable in the Church in Wales to be homosexual than to be a traditional Anglican?
No matter whether the gay community represents 1.5% of the population or 10%. A relative few will want to avail themselves of any opportunity for a church wedding. It may be the first and last time they attend church apart from gay clergy seeking approval of their circumstances. Set against the number of Anglicans for whom this could be the last straw, the Church in Wales is certain to be the loser. By the time Dr Morgan retires he will have effectively killed off Anglicanism in Wales while playing his politically correct tune. As for The rule of St. Benedict:
"Always we begin again."
It is never too late Barry.
 |
| Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes Source: Christian Today |
The bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes has criticised American religious leaders who support Donald Trump, saying they cannot justify their Christian faith.
Bishop Bayes told the Guardian: ?Some of the things that have been said by religious leaders seem to collude with a system that marginalises the poor, a system which builds walls instead of bridges, a system which says people on the margins of society should be excluded, a system which says we?Re not welcoming people any more into our country.
That's rich coming from one of the Church of England's senior bishops who is to chair a new charity aimed at promoting greater acceptance of LGBT people.
Most of the bishops of the Church of England along with the bench of bishops of the Church in Wales have no persoalan with marginalising faithful Anglicans, building walls to exclude them for remaining faithful to scripture and tradition.
The Bishop of Liverpool is to chair a new charity aimed at promoting greater acceptance of LGBT people by working with religious organisations around the world. He has been named as chair of the Ozanne Foundation, whose director Jayne Ozanne is a high-profile Anglican activist for LGBT inclusivity.
The Ozanne Foundation believes in a world where "all are accepted and equally valued", implying that they are not despite their over representation from bishops' thrones to church pews chairs based on the most recent statistics of just over 1 million (2.0%) of the UK population aged 16 and over identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB).
The charity's trustees and council of reference include the Dean of St Paul's, David Ison, Rev Steve Chalke, Ben Bradshaw MP and the Dean of St Albans, Jeffrey John, someone well known to readers for his personal interpretation of scripture in support of personal preferences.
Bayes said: "The Church of England has committed herself to what our Archbishops have called radical new Christian inclusion, and has publicly stated that we are against all forms of homophobia. If we mean this, and I believe we do, then we need to find appropriate ways of welcoming and affirming LGBTI people who want their love recognised by the Church."
The duplicity is mind blowing. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not excluded from the church. They appear to be in the driving seat. To claim that their 'love' is not recognised by the Church without a shred of supporting evidence is disgraceful when same sex marriage is clearly the objective.
Love has many forms. To imply that love is not recognised by people who are opposed to the redefinition of marriage is not just unworthy of the bishop, it is difficult to understand how people holding such views can justify their Christian faith.
 |
| The bishops of St Asaph, St Davids, Monmouth, Llandaff (Abp), Swansea & Brecon and Bangor. |
Credit: South Wales Argus
The Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of the Church in Wales to "all the faithful" concerning admission to Holy Communion of all the baptised "by virtue of their Baptism alone" has been published on the Diocese of St Davids web site. It can be read here. Its contents remained secret until it was introduced at the recent meeting of the Governing Body (GB) of the Church in Wales raising some suspicion that another round of duplicity might be expected from the Bench of Bishops.
Fine details have yet to emerge but whatever one's views on the subject one thing is clear, the Bench of Bishops has been inconsistent. They hark back to history and tradition to support their case in this instance while scripture and tradition have been confined to the bin on just about every other matter under Archbishop Barry Morgan's guidance.
Dr Morgan's final GB Presidential Address provided an excellent opportunity to sum up the current state of the Church in Wales as he prepares for hisretirement as the longest serving primate in the Anglican Communion. That, instead, he chose to bend Holy Scripture to support his views on the divisive issue of same sex marriage rather than address the decline in membership of the church under his leadership suggests that his political agenda always takes precedence over the spiritual well-being of his flock.
Rumour has it that Dr Morgan wants one more liberal feather in his hat before he retires in January, the appointment of the first woman bishop in Wales. The diocese of St Davids will become vacant when Bishop Wyn Evans retires in October. Originally a monastic community founded c. AD 589 by Saint David, the Patron saint of Wales, St Davids has been a centre of pilgrimage since the Cathedral was built the 12th century. The shrine was regarded as so important that it was decreed that two pilgrimages to St Davids were equivalent to one to Rome, three were equivalent to one to Jerusalem. St Davids remains an important centre of pilgrimage to this day.
When David died in the year 589 the monastery is said to have been 'filled with angels as Christ received his soul'. St David'sfinal words to his followers were: 'Be Joyful. Keep the Faith. Do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.'
If a political gesture is allowed to take precedence over faith in the appointment to the See of St Davids it will be the final nail in the coffin for the faithful.
A Call to Persevere
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
FromThe Letter of Jude
 |
| St Asaph Ordinations 1997. The deluded Abp Alwyn Rice Jones said the devil had been at work when the measure originally fell! Photo: Church in Wales |
Women priests in the Church in Wales who protest that they want nothing more than to be treated equally with men will be celebrating their difference in the six Anglican Cathedrals across Wales on 7 January, 2017 in special Eucharists of adulation.
Preachers partial to their persuasion have been chosen to provide the adulation they desire as 'trailblazers' in the church while ignoring plummeting attendance figures. After 20 years of women priests the number of worshippers who regularly attend Church in Wales services has fallen to around 0.8% of the population of Wales and continues to fall year by year, a perverse measure of success.
 |
| St Deiniol’s Women Only logo. CinW |
The Archdeacon of Llandaff, Peggy Jackson, who convenes the exclusive St Deiniol?S Group said: "The Church in Wales has every reason to celebrate and be grateful for the ministry of these first women priests. They have brought rich and diverse gifts into the sacramental life of the Church, and have inspired many women since to offer themselves for public ministrydanquot;.
It is difficult to see how Cafe style worship, Pet and other animal blessing services, Messy church and the like have 'brought rich and diverse gifts into the sacramental life of the Church'. Such services may have inspired many women to offer themselves for public ministry but for their own reward among dwindling, ageing congregations in which many cradle Anglicans, too old to change allegiance, feel captive.
The duplicitous Archdeacon has done everything in her power to wipe out opposition to her secular view of the church. She stymied any opportunity for alternative sacramental provision in a Code of Practice designed for exclusion while pretending to be inclusive.
Ministry used to be about others, not self, but that has changed. It is about self-advancement at the expense of others. In the following video, self-proclaimed activist Dr Una Kroll talks about her supposed call to priesthood in the Anglican Church and why she abandoned it to become a Roman Catholic.
It is easy to understand how people with little or no understanding of theology might be moved by Kroll's self-justification but acounter view on Christmas Day 2010 by another woman doctor, a Roman Catholic lawyer and theologian quietly counters the self-centred delusions of women claiming to have been called by God.
The author of Bread Not Stones, Dr Una Kroll had a "dramatic and unconventional journey to Rome"
Six years later she [Kroll] recognises “how essential [conversion] was for me.” She explains it thus: “It was not until I came to be enclosed” in the Catholic Church – making it impossible for me to carry out the public ministry of a woman priest in the Church of England – that I understood that confinement within this anchorage not of my making could ultimately lead to freedom.”Indeed, she discovered that she could point towards the mystery of unconditional love “without insisting that my views were right and everyone else’s wrong .” [My emphasis - Ed.]
I vividly recall the misery Dr Kroll and those of her persuasion caused many devout Anglicans who could not accept that feminism trumped faith. Hard for lay people, it was a desperate situation for many clergy, the more so if they were supporting families. Many priests followed their conscience (the Cost of Conscience) and left the Anglican church but others stayed to become zealous converts to the liberal cause, compromising their faith and leading others astray.
Determined to justify their defection many priests have become fellow-travellers of feminists imported by trendy bishops to enhance their liberal credentials. Some are accommodating but others take joy from belittling anyone who in conscience remains faithful to the historic faith of the Anglican Communion.
Many Anglicans have simply given up as each new animo has taken its toll. Consultations have been ignored when the results have not been to the liking of the bench of bishops resulting in unwelcome change being forced on church members. Anglicanism has left them stranded as the church accepts every secular fad in a vain attempt to be more relevant to society. As they become more liberal their tolerance of others who fail to adopt the whims of the new order are excluded and overlooked by trendy, so-called bishops of the church.
The women celebrating their own success are not typical of Anglican women. Writing for The Conservative Woman, Kathy Gyngell's view is that women clergy will be the death of the Church of England:The Church of England tests my loyalty sorely. My local church clergy ‘team’ is almost entirely feminised. In my neck of the woods, there is literally no escaping them, or their dumbed down approach to their ‘calling’. To a woman they appear to be labouring under the impression they are running a Sunday school. That is how we are treated. Full article here.
Feminising the Church continues. Jesus said, "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven' ". Regarding Jesus' words as sexist, Women and the Church (WATCH) prefer "Our Mother who art in heaven" as though the Saviour had no idea what He was talking about. And it spreads. How about clergy having Christmas Day off for more family time? (here). - Here am I, Send me, but only on my terms - if I am available.
If you still don't get it, this video sums up New Anglicanism.
As the Rev Dr Peter Mullen succinctly put it in his blog,All Things Considered,And the word was made trash.
The last word comes from His Honour Philip Price QC, husband of the Revd Canon Mari Price, former Hon. Chaplain at Archbishop Barry Morgan's Llandaff Cathedral. Judge Price is retiring as Chair of the Standing Committee of the Church in Wales after 11 years? Service. He sums up the politically correct attitude of a church hierarchy that has become completely divorced from the reality of their situation.
His misplaced confidence is contrary to the evidence of decline presented to the Governing Body over many years but ignored by the like-minded as a minor item on their rencana. He said,
“It has been a great privilege to have worked with so many gifted and committed people on the Governing Body over the years and to have been part of an era which brought many changes to the Church in Wales. For me, the most significant of these changes has been women’s ministry – first as priests and now as bishops. I am glad to have been associated with that cause during the critical years and delighted to see it come to fruition this year with the election of our first woman bishop. That’s a terrific milestone and one which I am confident will enable the Church to grow in strength as it serves the people of Wales.”
