The topsy-turvy world of the Church of England

Feather in her cap for Christina Rees, CBE                    Source: Royston Crow

'Hats off to Christina as she’s awarded CBE from Prince Charles' was the news headline in the Royston Crow yesterday. Described as a leading church figure who played a major part in the campaign to introduce female priests, Ms Rees was spokesperson for the Movement for the Ordination of Women in the run up to the vote for women priests in 1992 and chaired Women and the Church for more than 13 years, successfully campaigning for women bishops.

As the ACNS put it: The CBE is an Order of Chivalry that was created by King George V in 1917 and is awarded to British nationals who have made a significant achievement for the United Kingdom. It was awarded to Christina Rees in recognition of her services to the Church of England. The motto of the order is “For God and the Empire” indicating the absurdity of an award for secularising the Church.

Hat on for the Ven. Jan McFarlane Archdeacon of Norwich who is to become the sixth Suffragan Bishop of Repton in the Diocese of Derby. The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham James, said: "Jan is greatly loved and much admired in the Diocese of Norwich. She has been a fine communicator of the Christian faith in the local and regional media, and an archdeacon who has won the confidence and affection of lay people alike".

Such a fine communicator that disaster was turned into success inArchbishop opts for delusion:

As Communications Director for the Diocese of Norwich the Venerable Jan McFarlane is not simply being reunited with her former theological college fellow student, Justin Welby. She has demonstrated her skill as a communications person by her ability to turn a disaster into a success, well illustrated in an interview here after the news that according to the 2011 census, the City of Norwich was rated the most godless city in England but apparently the good people of Norwich are "doing their church-going differently" -ie, not going to church!

The trend continues. "Merseyside Christians are increasingly snubbing Sunday church services, according to new figures." The same in Durham, Wakefield, Worcester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, Chelmsford, Lichfield and Lincoln, all showing significant decline in church attendance since 2009.

The Church of England is slowly dying as congregations are set to halve over 30 years (here). That is hardly surprising when failure is regarded as success.

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Another nice mess

As my friend Barack said to me George, "Well, here's another nice mess we've gotten o urselves into!"

The world and his wife it seems are piling on the pressure to tell us Brits that we should remain in Europe. To leave would be a catastrophe. If that is so, why in the world has Dave 'gotten' us into this mess at enormous cost financially and politically?

'Paddy Pantsdown' wagged his finger throughout BBC Question Time on Thursday as he previewed what President Barack Obama was to say about American blood being shed in Europe in the US's contribution to the 1917 - 1918 and the 1941- 1945 wars fighting for freedom in Europe. As Albert Steptoe once said, it might have been the '17 - '18 and '41 - '45 wars for them but it was the '14 - '18 and '39 - '45 wars for the rest of us.

All in the 'IN' camp at home and abroad appear to be reading from the same news sheet prepared and circulated by No 10. That is in addition to the ?9 million of tax payers money they have spent on circulating propaganda for the 'IN' campaign. So much so that it is difficult to trust anything that is said or written about the consequences of leaving Europe.

Paddy Pantsdown claims that every important world organisation and every world leader "with the exception Vladimir Putin" wants us to remain in Europe. Indeed, the President of the United States has gone so far as to threaten that the UK would be left at the back of the queue when negotiating future trade deals with the US if we left, not that Obama will be President in that eventuality. But so much for friendship and our 'special relationship'. When self-interest rears its head it is OK in the US but not in Great Britain!

For many I suspect the head says IN but the heart says OUT. The decision would be easier if the self-perpetuating bureaucracy in Brussels desisted from regulating everything they can think of plus anything else they had not thought of when it comes to light. If Turkey is allowed in that will allow another flood of economic migrants with all the dangers already apparent as they try to impose their alien ideology on their hosts. The last thing we need is more failed multiculturalism.

My feeling is that the British people have had enough of being told what to think and what to do and are inclined to vote with their hearts, sink or swim.

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Demonising

The great and the good (in their own eyes), the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, prominent among them, have taken to the moral high ground to condemn Brexit for demonising immigrants. In fact they are demonising Brexit voters for taking a reasoned look at the persoalan and the dangers for our children and grandchildren of uncontrolled immigration.

Some more facts. Brexit is FOR immigration but in a orderly, controlled manner. In stark contrast to the Prime  Minister whose failure to answer a direct question admits his own failures, when asked if he thought there should be an upper limit on immigration the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn frankly replied, ‘I don’t think you can have one while you have free movement of labour’.

Dr Morgan complains about the "language of feardanquot; in apparent ignorance of the reality of what has been happening in the world while he has been promoting same sex marriage. If we remain in the EU our UK borders will be open to around half a million immigrants already waiting in Europe to qualify for Europen citizenship with many more to come.

According to leaked estimates from the German authorities, each person granted asylum is likely to be followed by between four and eight family members. Meanwhile Christians areassaulted by Muslims in refugee camps because they are Christians. Some have beenthrown overboard by Muslim immigrants to drown before they reach the camps.

Many immigrants are young, unaccompanied males unaccustomed to the freedom of women in the West to dress as they please. This has been taken as an invitation to molest and even rape them while the authorities cover up many of the stories to avoid spreading alarm. A son of immigrants, Lawyer Nazir Afzal is so worried about the situation that he has expressed his concern that the influx of young, male migrants risks tipping the whole balance of European society.

Branded an extremist and banned from the UK for exposing the truth about Islamic ideology, the lead video shows Robert Spencer explaining that while there are moderate Muslims, there is no moderate Islam.

Inanother video 'moderate' Muslims all agreed that "the punishment described in the Quran and the Sunnah whether it is death, whether it is stoning for adultery, whatever it is, if it is from Allah and his Messenger, that is the best punishment ever possible for humankind and that is what we should apply in the world". These Muslims do not regard themselves as "radical extremists" and none of them liked "extreme Islam".

The irony in this situation is that while the Archbishop of Wales condemns people for demonising immigrants he is closing their eyes to the dangers we face. His latest pet theme is the furtherance of LGBT causes but the biggest threat to gays is Islam. What is more, Dr Morgan claims to stand up for minorities while he ignores minorities in his own church who oppose his secular notion of religion. He can't have it both ways.

We can not properly protect ourselves and our children unless our Sovereignty is restored.

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Yesterday's man

It doesn't say much for the new Archbishop of Wales when the old is invited to share his destructive views with Bangor clergy school.

Barry Morgan of all people! Wrecker in chief of the Church in Wales with his radical policies spouting a load of old cobblers.

He persists in perpetuating the myth that the clergy have to do everything - apart from working together.

There are some clergy who pull above their weight but there are others who are bone idle. I could give him a few names.

In reality hard working, conscientious clergy have simply had enough of politics. Many of the more able have jumped ship leaving Ministry Areas in Wales in a sorry state. Who better to blame than long suffering laity for supposedly leaving it all to the clergy.

Morgan should realise that many of the problems have been caused by forcing out hard working laity leaving the Church of Wales on the verge of collapse.

He doesn't give a damn for them, nor do the increasing numbers of senior staff left in charge while area cooperatives struggle to survive with inadequate pastoral support.

When he retired he pledged that he would not interfere. Another broken promise.

Sad, deluded and failure are three words that spring to mind.

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Off message

"Transgender Anglican priest" the Rev Sarah Jones

Source: Twitter@SarahJonestoo

The Rev Sarah Jones prides herself on being the first transgender priest in the Church of England. She illustrates the fact on her Twitter account using her profile picture to push what she appears to regard as her prime priestly ministry.

Her appointment as vicar of the City Parish of St John the Baptist, Cardiff, in the heart of Wales' capital city sends a clear message regarding the priorities of the bench of bishops despite the rejection of their policies by the Governing Body.

Imported by the bishop of Llandaff as if there were no suitable candidates in the Church in Wales for this high-profile, civic church position, her message is clear. LGBT LGBT LGBT with transgender as the latest buzz.

Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

The reverse is happening.

Advocates of the ordination of women who claimed that there was no biblical objection to women presbyters now ignore clear warnings about morality, cherry picking verses that appear to support their case and ignoring others.

It has gone further. Men can now choose to be regarded as women and vice versa with a special welcome for transgender people in the Church of England while traditionalist Anglicans continue to be marginalised. Transgender people are actively encouraged to become Church of England priests on the pretext that "the church's reputation as being unwelcoming towards gay and transgender people is causing young people to stay away."

On thesame wavelength as the four Church of England bishops in the diocese of Oxford currently in the news, the Welsh bench of bishops continue aping bishops in the collapsing US Episcopal Church despite many obvious signs of failure.

They need to be disciplined but there is no discipline. A law unto themselves, they do as they please. Hence the slide into obscurity.

The archbishop continues the disastrous policies of his predecessor, but faster. Bangor carries on regardless of endless criticism. Having lit the rainbow touchpaper the 'tree-eating' bishop of St Asaph sits back and contemplates the next copse. St Davids and Llandaff  dwell on misandry and the promotion of transgenderism while Monmouth fades away without explanation or comment.

There is no recourse. They continue taking the money and look forward to unearned pensions on the backs of pew sitters who are expected to dig ever deeper to support the unsupportable.

It could only happen in the Church.

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Joanna's US training jolly

Joanne with TEC friends of St Davids                                                            Source: Church in Wales

Another episcopal jolly, again to the United States where Joanna, bishop of St Davids, attended the Living our Vows conference in Richmond, Virginia as part of a three-year programme for newly appointed bishops, run and sponsored by the Episcopal Church of America (TEC). - FromPobl Dewi, September 2019.

Why?

TEC is a failed institution. Dominated by feminized men then by presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Barry Morgan's heretical mentor, under the current presiding bishop, Michael Curry, it is all about love, a euphemism for liberality.

Despite TEC's record of failure, the Church in Wales and the Church of England continue to look to TEC for inspiration as if they have a death wish.

Decline continues apace as the Anglican Church here and in the US insists on making itself relevant to society, abandoning 'otherness' in the process when society couldn't give a fig for the Church.

Joanna and June need no lessons in becomingrelevant to society.

Already leaders in promoting fashionable causes one wonders what TEC could possibly teach them other than fulfilling their archbishop's promise of 'more of the same - but faster'.

Katharine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

(TEC), acting as mentor to @BishopJuno and Bishop Joanna.      Source: Twitter

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