It seems to me that this will go to the wire in the House of Bishops, which is deeply appropriate considering the care that is given to them to guard the faith once delivered. It is upon the Bishops to decide the future of the Anglican Church of Canada.
For us here in Winnipeg, we are deeply aware of the Fathers grief.
All that can be done, has been. Simply pray, friends.
Peter: having just spent a couple of hours at the post-session reception, the straw poll says it could go either way. People have heard about the Lutheran vote (“our full communion parters”) and generally found it “surprising.”
The reduction of the % of votes needed from 60 to 50 will make this one really interesting.
Amen, Peter. And thanks again for all your good work
Peter: what a wonderful service you are providing. I remain hopeful our Bishops will be consistent and rally enough to defeat the resolution currently at issue. However, I am saddened to think wha kind of church we will be where our L & C are at odds with our Bs as has been so apparent thus far. Tonight, I will give a homily at our Taize service on the Isaiah 40 text: “Comfort, comfort ye my people” – maybe in the end all we can count on is God’s comfort.
This morning (Sunday) after rising, I opened my Bible at random and asked, “Lord, let my eyes fall on your Word for today”. The following is where it opened and my eyes fell on V.14.
Ephesians 4:13-15
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
Isn’t this interesting. Perhaps there is a message in here for the House of Bishops…..I find it exceptionally interesting how, now, all of a sudden, it looks like the Bishops can make this decision with a 50%+1 vote……incredible.
Oh well, like they say, “it ain’t over til the fat lady sings”. She will sing on this day, but what will be the song….one of joy or one of lamenting……. May The Holy Spirit truly infill those who are fence sitting today.
As Richard said in the previous Blog, as for me, I will leave the Anglican Church over this issue. If the GS doesn’t get this through this time, they will be hammering away at it next time and will continue as the liberals do until they get their way and destroy the Anglican Church of Canada as we have known it to be in the past.
God help us all in directing us.
This blog has been quite a gift – thank you, Peter. Still the whole proceedings leave much to be desired – an understatement? I am so tired of being held hostage by our Bishops. Follow the comments of the Bishop of Fredericton at their recent synod:
http://www.anglican.nb.ca/
Following the defeat of a motion that would have the Diocese endorse Integrity he said (in part):
“It is time to put this issue to rest,” he said. “We have had 30 years of monologue, we have not listened. We promised to talk about this at Lambeth 98. We must treat others as Christ would. The abstentions (to the Integrity vote) could have made a tie. It is time for us to be brutally honest with one another.”
Thirty years of a monologue? Does that speak enough of this Bishop’s approach to the honest, well thought-out, prayerful position of many of us? It seems as if he’s prepared only to hear “Blah, blah, blah…” and not what they are truly pleaing with him to hear. Who has not listened? Because the voted didn’t go his way it cannot be right? This kind of power is dangerous and especially in a Bishop. Who is not being “brutally honest”? What power of discernment does this Bishop have that he knows with certainty that those who abstained would have voted for the resolution? Might not, if he were honest, they have seen the resolution overwhelmingly defeated? These comments are almost surreal, but the tragedy is that they were made and he believes them. I pray for this Bishop to submit his will to God’s will – please join me in praying for him.
I am weary of hearing that I am being unreasonable, inflexable, inconsiderate, not open to the changes God has in mind for His Church – I pray that if I am wrong in what I believe – yeah, what I know to be God’s word on “the issue” – that He will correct me. I have listened, I have prayed, I have submitted my will to His – and I have been changed and convinced of my own errors and God has led me to hear His voice in this and many situations. It is not an easy position to take – but then He never said it would be, did He?
This is the type of “liberal fascism” that scares me – you are only right when you agree with me! That arrogance is surely sinful?
Why is it that if the vote went “his way” I know he would attribute it to the leading of God, the Holy Spirit, but because it didn’t go his way – well, it can’t possibly be God’s purpose.
MOST gracious God, we humbly beseech thee for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth; in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it Is in error, direct it; where any thing is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it; where it is in want, furnish it; where it is divided and rent asunder, make it whole again; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you Sal. You have put into words what many of us feel. I support Exodus International and have listened to the testimonies of the Zacchaeus Fellowship group. Incredible stories of God’s deliverance from the bondage of same-sex desires. We have a wonderful orthodox Priest, and after the vote will shall be praying on the Lord’s leading for our Church. I am so tired of being tired, I want to worship Jesus Christ without shame.
It will come down to the bishops. They vote second, and will have the benefit (if they need it) of seeing either a “close” one or an “overwhelming” vote. Depending on their responsiveness to being tossed to and fro, they may have their own personal internal threshold of passage. if it “looks” close they may back away, if it “looks” over 60% they may dive in (abdicating spiritual authority in the process).
The Lutheran decision may sway more of them than the folks on the floor. Then again, some may argue . . . “look the Lutherans have shut out SSB, so we need to provide that safe place “. Again not about Scripture, tradition, reason . . . but a purely carnal or cultural notion of “caring”. Caring, does not mean I have to agree with what you are doing, ask any pastor or priest who has had to deal with alcoholism destroying a family.
Peace.
I don’t know whether to be sad or glad about Fred’s election as Primate – sad or glad for the ACC, sad or glad for the Diocese of NS/PEI. During his regime and that of his predecessor, Arthur Peters, the Diocese has seen a concerted programme of centralization that increasingly spells the end of parishes and the parochial ministry in favour of the bureaucratic church. Under Fred’s leadership, the Diocese and the number of parishes and churches have shrunk and indeed the whole thing is pretty close to bankruptcy with no thought for the future. No parishes, no diocese, no national church (hooray!?) We are and have been at the mercy of consultants. One of the most telling features of Fred’s episcopacy has been his shepherding the Synod of NS/PEI to vote to become bankrupt rather than see any diminishment of funds to the national church. The most populous diocese is anything but the most prosperous but sending $ 500,000.00 per annum to Toronto is far beyond the capacity of the diocese. The Leap for Faith fundraising campaign has not been an overwhelming success and indeed the small amount that it has sought to raise already tells the story, not to mention that a good part of the funds are spoken for. More seriously, Fred has attempted to define the viability of parishes, not in terms of their canonical obligation for clerical stipend, but in terms of diocesan allotment. This simply undermines the ministry and threatens parishes completely. Unlike other parts of the country, maritime parishes are their own corporations. Pressures have been constantly upon them to sacrifice their assets (meager as they are) to the diocese. Some parishes recognize that they cannot do so legally or canonically.
The game has been named and it will probably get ugly. He may be glad to be out of it but his new position will surely keep pressure on the Diocese of NS/PEI to keep paying what they cannot afford while more and more parishes bite the dust, exhausted and wearied, betrayed and destroyed. The history of the Fredericton Diocese and what is now NS/PEI was the idea of a church in every community – in the light of increasing gas prices, the idea of the mega-church after burning, metaphorically or literally, the little churches, seems more and more ridiculous. Our little churches are not the main problem. The problem is a loss of heart and soul for the rural ministry.
All this is not unlike what you are witnessing at GS. The assumption is that GS can and will decide what the Faith is for Anglicans as if it were the doctrinal magisterium of the ACC which it isn’t. The Solemn Declaration is a self-limiting document but under Michael and Andrew and surely Fred, too, that is dismissed and ignored. The GS as magisterium is synodical overreach big-time. The limits on synods are very clear and have been clearly over-ridden. In the larger communion, the necessity has been realized for a mechanism to hold the churches of the Communion accountable to the foundational principles of Anglicanism, principles which are named as the BCP, the Ordinal and the Thirty-nine Articles. The direction given by the Primates at Dar es Salaam was most encouraging – their communiqué and the draft covenant but this is regard as a form of ‘papalism’ by the North American churches who resist any limits to the narcissism of their own sense of autonomy.
[...] Day Six – News 6.0 – ESSENTIALS BLOGGER: For such a time as this [...]
Thanks again Peter for your dedication in spreading the news – you will not know how helpful it has been.
We’ll be lifting up Synod this morning as we gather around the Lord’s table.
Thank you for providing the play by play of the synod. I agree with a previous comment made as well, that if the issue is not resolved this time, there will be three more years of trench warfare and defying the status quo from this time. Ingham’s msg on the latter was a clear indication where things are headed.
What has bothered me is the playing with the procedure and constantly shifting issues into catagories of (un)belief where there is the least line of resistance. This was also accomplished on the BAS and women’s ordination.
I see nothing godly in that, just plain politicking and agenda by stealth.
The Lutherans have solved nothing just delayed the inevitable there.
I think that there will be a line-up forming behind Tony Blair…
Ric
Dear Peter:
What a welcome service you’re providing on this blog. It’s been invaluable to this blogger, and to so many others.
The proceedings as I’ve watched them remind me that the pooling of ignorance in search of truth is not the best standard of the Church; and that self-confident radicals operating through synods are NOT the equivalent of an ecumenical council, nor a Pope, nor the doctrine and worship of the Anglican formularies. Trying to change fundamental moral and theological realities by such means is deeply offensive not only to the magisterial Reformation, but the wider catholic church now and down the ages.
The real challenge here is not the power to make stuff up according to the spirit of the age or social engineering or our good intentions, but to ask “By what authority?” and “Where shall we draw this or any line?” That question is the ghostly giant striding through the General Synod hall.
May the witness and example and prayers of Blessed Saint John the Baptist– patron-saint of Canada– through the blessing of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit forestall this destruction we are willing upon ourselves, this departing from God’s express will and purpose.
Endelss debate and discussion of settled matters will not do; or if made to do, they won’t do very well. The liberal ANglican circle is not beign drawn ever-wider, but is shrinking into irrelevance and evil andconfusion and schism.
Pray for me, as sinner,
Binks
CaNN Webhamster