Why the CoE rejected Ashworth's proposal

The Cartoon Church has the best explanation of why the Ashworth proposal was rejected. You really must see the wee cartoon. you'll find it here

Lent is coming

It hardly seems possible but in a few days Great Lent will begin. I'd like to share something from Bruce Gardener who long ago gave me permission to quote him here at TTLS.

My sisters and brothers,

As a teenager Lent was a time for giving up something. That notion followed me well into adulthood. Then, through the help of some wonderful clergy, I began to look at Lent as a time to engage in a discipline of some kind in an area of my life where I thought it appropriate.

For many years now, I have tried to engage in and maintain a discipline for the days of Lent. This year I would like to challenge all on this list to join me in an act of discipline that will benefit some of the least among us.

My idea, which I will present shortly, came about through a birthday dinner for a couple of friends. Six of us went to a nice restaurant to celebrate. Actually it was one of those wonderful Brazilian restaurants where everything is grilled over an open fire and they keep bringing food as long as you want it. It's truly a place to become a walking example of gluttony if one is so inclined.

As I thought about the cost of that meal, I realized that what six of us had spent in one evening on food and wine what was probably an entire year's wages for some of our sisters and brothers in Haiti.

Despite the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed the celebration, it brought to mind the reality that even the poor in the United States are wealthy by much of the world's standards.

It also brought to mind that when I give thanks to God for the blessings I enjoy, my constant promise is to share part of my blessings and bounty with others.

Thus I came up with an idea: For the entire Lenten Season, whenever I go out to eat, pick up fast food to bring home, or dine in a similar fashion, I will make a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development in an amount equivalent to what I spent on "outside" food. My plan is to keep track of what I spend and make my donation on a weekly basis with the designation that it go to relief efforts in Haiti.

My challenge to all on this list, but especially to those in the United States, is a simple one: Join me in making such donations. My preference is that Episcopal Relief and Development be the recipient of such donations, but giving the donations to other Haitian relief agencies would also accomplish the goal. Earmarking donations for the relief of the indigenous communities hit by the recent ice storm would also be acceptable.

The challenge does not include anyone's regular grocery shopping, etc. It only applies to the situations I described above.

I'm asking that this be taken on as an additional discipline. I'm not asking anyone to give up dining out for Lent. I'm not asking anyone to cut back on anything. I am asking that we take on this discipline as a way to share our bounty with those who are in such desperate need in Haiti.

Being sensitive to the situations of our sister and brother deputies and bishops who do not live in the United States, I do not want to see this challenge to help Haiti become a burden to them. Some already endure some of the same conditions as exist in Haiti. So the challenge is directed specifically at those of us who live in the United States.

I am fully aware of the economic issues that face many of us. At the same time, I have a hunch that even those of us facing our own economic challenges are still in the "blessed category."

I have no plans to "track" any of this. I'm not really interested in having a bunch of folks chime in and say they will accept the challenge. I'm interested in us doing something primarily for our sisters and brothers in Haiti. The Diocese of Haiti is already trying to look after the needs of 25,000 people. The sheer enormity of knowing that is overwhelming to me.

We are so blessed; let us give thanks - in deed and donation, and not just in voice.

Bruce Garner
Exec Council

ACNA not in communion with the Mother Church

Another dark day in Duncanville has dawned.

As far as the Mother Church is concerned ACNA is not part of the Anglican Communion. Instead, the General Synod of the Church of England has voted to accept that ACNA wishes to be part of the Anglican Communion. But, that's not the same as is part of the Anglican Communion.

The GS also agreed that there are ways for ACNA to become part of the communion and that those ways need to be followed.

The anticipated resolution was amended to read

(a) recognise and affirm the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family.

The votes were

264 in favour
4 Against
2 Abstentions

The resolution also stated that the membership in the AC "raises issues which the relevant authorities of each need to explore further." It also called for more study and another report later this year.

One must wonder how much defeat is enough before the schismatics recognize the facts. But facts mean nothing to schismatics. ACNA and the so called Global South couldn't care less what the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Mother Church thinks about them. The Schismatics are an organization to themselves. Everyone and everything else is irrelevant to them. They have issued their Fiat: "We are the Anglican Communion" and that settles it. Duncan said that back in 2007:

“Never, ever has [the Archbishop of Canterbury] spoken publicly in defense of the orthodox in the United States ... the cost [of not supporting us] is his office. The fact is that the Archbishop of Canterbury has not led in a way that might have saved his office and might have saved Lambeth. In this crisis, we’ve had no leader to lead."

Asked if he thought that being in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury was essential to being Anglican, Bishop Duncan said that being obedient to scripture is of greater importance than being recognized by Canterbury.

The question is, of course, obedience to whose interpretation scripture? Is divorce included in that scripture, or women showing up at Duncanland's shrines wearing pants included?

As for the CoE vote, ACNA wasted no time in putting their spin on the vote. According to their web site, unless one knows the whole story, one would think that the CoE welcomed ACNA with open arms. You may read the spin here.

It's interesting to note that ACNA now claims 800 congregations. The numbers just keep changing in Duncanland.

The Guardian's Savitri Hensman puts it in prospective

In tackling racism, and ongoing opposition to caste inequality in some parts of the world, churches have sometimes had to upset otherwise virtuous people who were oblivious to the evils of certain kinds of demeaning practices. Deep-seated prejudice and institutionalised discrimination against women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people also blight not only the lives of those on the receiving end but also, ultimately, everyone. It is time for the Church of England to be bolder in challenging inequality of every kind.

The Lead has a good post on the vote. Mark Harris posts here. There is also an excellent artilce in The Guardian that's worth a read.

Duncan loses property

According to the Episcopal Church News Service, a judge has ordered Duncan and has schismatic group to turn over control of all diocesan assets. The order is dated 29 January.

According to a spokesman for the Diocese of Pittsburgh,

The diocese plans to quickly make arrangements so that all parishes may again have access to their investment funds that were frozen by financial institutions during the legal proceedings.

The group led by Duncan said Oct. 29 that it would appeal the ruling once the court issues a final order directing it to transfer the property to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America

Duncan told the diocese he leads that he wanted "to assure you that we will continue to work diligently for the protection of all our parishes and for the good of our mission and ministry."

The Honourable James' order says that financial institutions and repositories, trustees and fiduciaries must only act on instructions from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, that no real property can be sold or its current occupants removed without a court order, that holders of "altar artifacts" are answerable to the diocese as to their use (and that they cannot be sold or transferred to another location without a court order) and that people or entities who have borrowed money from the diocese (close to $1 million) are answerable to the Episcopal diocese.

Duncan's diocese has 20 days from Jan. 29 to give the Episcopal diocese the financial records, documents and other electronically stored information it needs to hold and administer the property.

There are two versions of the order: a confidential version and a public version from which financial account information has been removed.

The Judge ruled in October that "regardless of what name the defendants now call themselves, they are not the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America."

He ruled that the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh "did not cease to exist" after the 2008 convention vote because it was created by the Episcopal Church and the church now recognizes that those Episcopalians who did not follow Duncan now make up the Episcopal Church's continuing diocese.

The most interesting part of the order states that

Recipients of “altar artifacts”.. ,may not sell, transfer, or move the artifacts to another location without the permission of the court.

Apparently the court agrees that memorials to and purchased with funds given to the local parish are the property of TEC, not the local group in power at the moment.

Now that the property is lost - and let's face it, the courts are going to continue to rule in favour of TEC - we'll see another of the schsmatcs' lies exposed. We've heard them repeat the mantra "It's not about the property." Well, we'll see, but Duncan promises to continue the fight to retain what he says doesn't matter.

I think there will be a slight spin to that mantra as the mostly Trinity trained graduates are forced to turn over the keys to Duncan's Kingdom.

Let's see how much aid comes from the Southern Cone and the Africa based non-communion. I wonder how swiftly the funds to build new buildings will arrive. Let's not hold our breath.

UPDATE: The Post Gazette has an article about the decision it today's paper.