Spied on NRO...

Kathryn Jean Lopez relays an e-mail she received about a recent Episcopal Church service in NYC.

This is hardly a rare occurrence at churches of my ex-denomination, as readers of Stand Firm in Faith are sure to know.

Pray today for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

Today is the first day of the annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. Tomorrow should bring the vote that will extract us from the heresy and apostasy of the Episcopal Church USA and into faithful association with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.

Convention should also restore the Rt. Rev. Bob Duncan to his calling as the Bishop of Pittsburgh.

Lord Jesus, please protect, defend, and guide the leaders both lay and ordained of our diocese as they meet and determine the future of Anglicanism in Pittsburgh. Let their hearts not be swayed or troubled by those who oppose. I pray especially for Fathers Paul, Terry, and Ethan, Deacon Marybeth, and our lay representatives Gene and Chad. May He be with you all. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen!

He Who Would Valiant Be

The Rt. Rev. Robert William Duncan, rightful Anglican Bishop of Pittsburgh, has been deposed by the heretical Episcopal Church.

Bishop Duncan has been recieved as a member in good standing of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone House of Bishops under the Most Rev. Gregory Venables.

I personally have been blessed, along with my family, by +Duncan's ministry. We will continue to be. In our hearts, he is still our Bishop! My prayers go out to Bishop Duncan, wife Nara, and to the members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh's Standing Committee - who are now the ecclesiastical authority here until our Diocesan convention early next month when assuredly the Diocese will realign with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone and call +Duncan back as our Bishop.

Christ Jesus, please sustain your faithful servant and Bishop, Robert
Duncan. Continue to guide him in his ministry as you have so well to now. Please
be with our Diocesan Standing Committee as they lead us to convention in October and from there to our new association with the Southern Cone.

I close with the text of what I know to be one of +Duncan's favorite hymns, and it is so fitting. You can listen to it here.

He who would valiant be ’gainst all disaster,

Let him in constancy follow the Master.

There’s no discouragement

Shall make him once relent

His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round with dismal stories

Do but themselves confound—his strength the more is.

No foes shall stay his might;

Though he with giants fight,

He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, Thou dost defend us with Thy Spirit,

We know we at the end, shall life inherit.

Then fancies flee away!

I’ll fear not what men say,

I’ll labor night and day to be a pilgrim.

Follow along with the whole situation at Stand Firm.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's article on Bishop Duncan's ouster is remarkably balanced and fair.

Prayers for +Duncan and the Church

Today is the day that the forces of revisionism and liberalism are supposedly going to depose the Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert William Duncan for standing firm in his faith in Jesus Christ and leading our diocese away from the heretical teachings of today's Episcopal Church.

No news from the House of Bishops' meeting in Salt Lake City as of yet.

I am proud that +Duncan is our bishop, and should he be deposed, I wholeheartedly support our diocese calling him back as our shepherd as soon as our realignment with a faithful province of the Anglican Communion comes to pass.

Lord Jesus, we know that through you all things are possible. Even at this late hour, please enter the hearts of those who lead your Church astray, and bring us all back to follow you alone.

Please pray for the Church, and Jesus' faithful servant, Bob Duncan!

Which is the Christian?

Compare the following Easter messages, and let me know which one sounds like a Christian, and which one should be a Unitarian or secular Humanist?

The Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, Missionary Bishop of CANA

Well?

Does he now have the creds for the ordination track?

Disgraced former Governor James McGreevey (D-NJ), now a non-ordination track student at the General Theological Seminary of The Episocpal Church in NYC, apparently has no shame.

In this story found at Fox News (and elsewhere), Mr. McGreevey (D-NJ) is apparently confirming the story that his former driver and campaign aide, Theodore Petersen, has stated that he testified to in a deposition; that the two of them engaged in "threesomes" with Mr. McGreevey's (D-NJ) estranged wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, prior to the McGreevey's sham (to him, not her, allegedly) marraige tainted by Mr. McGreevey's (D-NJ) unacknowledged sexual orientation.

Mr. McGreevey (D-NJ) is saying that this information has to be out in the open so they can "move on with their lives" and ostensibly for the sake of their 6 year-old daughter.

How exactly is having this story out going to help the McGreevey's daughter?

Is it just me, or does this play like James McGreevey (D-NJ) is upset that somebody else has been hogging gubenatorial sex scandal headlines?

Given the state of affairs in The Episcopal Church, this new revelation may have just punched Mr. McGreevey's (D-NJ) ticket for ordination, conscecration, and elevation to Presiding Bishop someday. He's certainly met what these days seems to be their threshold...

Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison

Prayers needed for the Church; Realignment Ahead!

Stand Firm reports that Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori is planning to depose my Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, prior to the Lambeth Conference later this year.

Locally, the Coalition for Realignment has launched within the Diocese of Pittsburgh. To quote from their close of the initial letter to the Diocese:

We are convinced that we have a great future as faithful followers of Jesus, and that for the vast majority in our diocese, that future will best be served by realigning with part of that large majority of Anglican Christians around the world who are unashamed of the Gospel. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

I'm proud that the Rector of my parish is one of the Coalition's steering commitee members.

Please pray for the church, for our Bishops +Robert and +Henry, for all faithful priests and deacons in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and for the parishes - like my own - for whom 2008 will be a year of decision, action, and unabashedly standing for Christ's Gospel.

Common Cause Partnership Statement

The bishops of the Common Cause Partnership have concluded their conference in Pittsburgh and have issued a wonderful statement outlining the direction ahead for Biblical, orthodox Anglicanism in North America.

Discussion thread at Stand Firm.

Thanks be to God for the faithful leadership of the assembled bishops! Please continue, as I am, to pray for all of Christ's Church and for all of our faithful bishops, priests, and deacons. The way forward will be frought with difficulties and strife. The forces of revisionism will assuredly stop at nothing in attempt to keep the faithful under their secular non-Gospel of so-called "social justice".

In the words of Martin Luther, "A Mighty Fortress is our God":

Did we in our strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabbaoth, His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

Amen, and AMEN!

The HOB Statement

Text of the statement available at Stand Firm.

My reaction:

1) By and large the liberals like it, which can't be good.

2) It does nothing to shelter or remove faithful dioceses, parishes, clergy, and laity from under the authority of revisionists. Their extended DEPO isn't good enough.

3) There is no repentance involved.

I'm going to write more extensively on the topic shortly, but in the end, the revisionists fail to admit (although I am sure they know the facts full well) publicly that the divide is not over homosexuality, but over Biblical truth. They deny it, and we will never surrender the one, true faith in Christ Jesus.

Let's see what comes out of the Common Cause meeting. Keep checking Stand Firm, TitusOneNine, and Anglican TV. And of course, continue to pray for the Church!

Father, please pour out your Holy Spirit upon the Bishops meeting in Pittsburgh. Strengthen their resolve. Show them the path You intend for us. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

HOB: Reactions to the Weekend, Monday, Looking Ahead

Well, the Episcopal HOB certainly looks like it is going to discard any possibility of complying with the Primates' requests. The eventual statement looks like it will fall somewhere in between "we've already complied" and "there's nothing we can do, because only General Convention can speak for the church."

Read up on the details at Stand Firm or TitusOneNine (Site links only, too many individual articles to read!)

The only real interesting item that came out of yesterday's HOB presser is that Jon Bruno, Bishop of Los Angeles, seems to have claimed that rites for same-sex blessings don't happen in his diocese, at least not without his permission. Funny, since Stand Firm has documented here, here, here, and here the public acknowledgement of such services. Furthermore, Baby Blue has documented that not only did one of these happen in his diocese, Bishop Bruno presided at it!

Bishop Bruno probably was taken aback by the source of the question, since it came from The New York Times. Memo to liberals: the liberal press is only your friend so long as you are as liberal as they are.

From the left (view at your own risk):

Elizabeth Kaeton on why it's ok for liberals not to follow any rules in advance of their agenda since we know it's right and the rest of the world hasn't caught up yet.


Looking forward though, today begins the Common Cause Partnership meeting of Bishops here in Pittsburgh! The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, will be addresing the conference as part of the opening Eucharistic celebration tonight. Wish I could attend in person, but Kevin Kallsen at Anglican TV says he'll be streaming the event live.

Addition: Make sure and watch the Anglican TV interview with +Duncan.

An Amazing Address!

The Most Rev. Mouneer Anis, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East and member of the Anglican Primates' Standing Committee, has delivered an incredible, faithful, Godly address to TEC's House of Bishops.

Read it all at Stand Firm in Faith.

Some excerpts:

My friends, like you, we want to be relevant to the culture in which we live. More importantly, we want to be salt and light to our societies. That is not an easy calling but it means we must remain distinct and humble at the same time. Without being distinct we cannot be salt and light; without humility we will not represent the one who said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” We are also continuously challenged whether we should allow the culture to transform the Apostolic Faith we once received, or if we should allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform our culture as it has in the past. As we struggle to answer this question we must never divorce ourselves from the faith that countless men, women and children died to protect. I believer that if we faithfully serve the Church of Christ, He will continue to fulfill his promise that the gates of Hades will not prevail against her...

And:

Anglicans are aware with humility that we are not “the” church but we are one member of the body of Christ, the one Holy Catholic Church. We proclaim this every week in our churches. This places upon us the responsibility to listen to and respect our ecumenical partners.

My friends, you may believe you have discovered a very different truth from that of the majority in the Anglican Communion. It is not just about sexuality, but about your views of Christ, the Gospel, and the authority of the Bible. Please forgive me when I relay that some say you are a different church, others even think that you are a different religion...

And:

With respect, I have to say that those who would prefer to speak of laws and procedures, constitutions and canons, committees and process: you are missing the point! It is our mutual loyalty and fellowship, submitting to one another in the common cause of Jesus Christ that makes us of one Church one faith and one Lord.

And:

I know that you value personal freedom and independence. The whole world learns this from you. You need to demonstrate this by securing freedom for the American orthodox Anglicans who do not share your theological direction. Show your spirit of inclusiveness when you deal with them...

Amen, Amen, AMEN!

Thanks be to God for witnesses such as ++Anis! Thanks and prayers also for Matt Kennedy+ and the others at Stand Firm and TitusOneNine who are our eyes and ears in New Orleans.

HOB Meeting Updates

Stand Firm reports today about resolution proposals from +Jenkins (Bp. Louisiana) and a group of other "Camp Allen/Windsor" Bishops using language that is more in line with the Windsor Report and both the Dromatine and Dar es Saalam Primates' communiques.

I have mixed reactions to these proposals:

1) I am hopeful - and prayerful - that there is enough of an orthodox belief within the HOB that these proposals will see the light of day.

2) The association of two ACN Bishops - +Stanton (Dallas) and +Schofield (San Joaquin) - with +Jenkins' proposal is somewhat encouraging. On the part of +Schofield, I am somewhat surprised he's associated with it given San Joaquin's in-progress actions to disassociate with TEC.

3) I do not think that these proposals go far enough; I am still very uneasy to have any presence under the structure of TEC, barring true repentance on the part of the HOB.

4) The fact that there has been no statements yet from +Duncan (Pittsburgh, and ACN Moderator), +Iker (Ft. Worth), or +Ackerman (Quincy) gives me pause.

While I believe that the HOB and TEC are inexorably fixed on their revisionist course and that neither of the conciliatory (to the AC Primates) proposals have any hope of passing a vote in the HOB, I do know that with God all things are possible. I'm concerned that if such a resolution would pass it pulls the rug out from those of us standing firm for traditional Christianity and against the theological innovations of TEC.

Please continue to pray for Christ's Church, often and loud!

Jesus, please continue to pour out your Holy Spirit onto the House of Bishops. Show them the path. Strengthen them all with your grace, that their words and actions may not be just theirs, but yours. Amen.

The Rt. Rev. Bill Love writes his diocese

+Love is the Bishop of Albany, an Anglican Communion Network diocese. His words from a pre-HOB meeting letter to his flock:

I invite you to join me in praying that the Holy Spirit will come mightily upon this House, touching and transforming the hearts and souls and minds of every Bishop here, helping us to discern and carry out the will of God. May His will and only His will be done. Just as Paul encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, may we too have a Damascus road experience in which we, the House of Bishops, are convicted of that which is not of God, repenting and asking His forgiveness of our sins, and then be given the grace to be faithful and obedient in exercising our ministry as bishops in God’s holy Church, keeping Jesus Christ at the center of all that we do.

Amen, amen! His will be done. Lord, come have Your way with us!

Hat Tip: TitusOneNine

House of Bishops Meeting - Pray for the Church!

The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops meeting begins today in New Orleans. Let us all pray, that even at this late hour, repentance will be chosen over innovation.

Let us all pray today for the whole of Christ's Church!

Father, we pray today for the bishops assembled in New Orleans. May they all be filled with your Holy Spirit and truly "defend the faith" as they are called to do. We pray especially for Rowan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as he struggles with the leadership and unity of the Anglican Communion. I also want to lift up to you Robert and Henry, my diocesan bishops; may you continue to strengthen and encourage them in their stand for traditional and orthodox Christian faith. I pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.

Finally, the best sources of news and commentary coming out of New Orleans will likely be:

Stand Firm in Faith
TitusOneNine
Anglican TV

Check them out regularly!

Matt Kennedy+: Preliminary View on the Primates' Communique

Father Matt Kennedy of Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, NY and the excellent Stand Firm in Faith site has posted his first, albeit brief, analysis of the Primates' communique.

Primates' Meeting Results

The report from the Primates' meeting is out - the real "meat" is down near the bottom under "The Key Recommendations of the Primates".

I have not had the chance to read over the communique carefully, but have given it a quick skim. My early take is that it is positive for the orthodox, evangelical Anglican Christians in the United States. Early takes from our side (see the usual go-tos of Stand Firm and TitusOneNine) are also encouraging.

Early takes from the reappraiser side of the equation (see here, here, or here) are up in arms over this, so that is also encouraging.

Please continue to pray for the Church!

Does the Anglican Communion have a future?

Early reports from the close of the Anglican Primates' meeting out of Tanzania today indicate that it could be a deciding moment for the future of the Anglican Communion. I'm going to wait until more information is available to comment on substance, but I have added two links under "Sites on My Mind" to Anglican churches in whom orthodox, Anglican Christianity is flourishing:

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
The Church of Uganda

Please pray for the Church - not just for Anglicanism, but for the whole of Christianity. We are under siege.

Anglican Primates Meeting

The meeting of the Anglican Primates has started in Tanzania. Follow along with the action from what I believe to be the most trusted sources:

Stand Firm in Faith
TitusOneNine

As reports come out of Tanzania, I'll be commenting.

Pastoral Letter from +Duncan

The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, has issued the linked pastoral letter to our diocese. May God continue to be with our Bishop, and please pray for him and the Church.

Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church - Christian or Not?

Kevin Kallsen & Dr. Bill Witt dissect Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori's interview with Religion Editor Frank Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Draw your own conclusions on her theology. I've drawn mine.

Check out the rest of the stuff on Anglican TV too!