What Will Happen to The Communion Partners?

Do you remember the Communion Partners? Sure you don't, unless you happen to be a keen-eyed observer of the Anglican scene in North America. So here's a refresher. The Communion Partners are trads who stayed in the Episcopal Church (TEC) as a kind of righteous remnant, witnessing against the pink revolution that took over their church.

A Communion Partner With The Covenant

They hoped, perhaps they still do, that when TEC gets disciplined by the Communion for going gay, they, the Communion Partners, will be recognized as the true voice of Anglicanism in North America. And all without the pain and grief of getting sued by your rainbow rulers for leaving the church. Don't want to incur the stainless steel fury of your liberal overlords, eh?

An Alien in The Corn

But what's happened? It looks like the conservatives who left TEC, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), are the ones who're being seen as authentic Anglicans in the US. After all, their leader, Archbishop Foley Beach, was given a voice and vote at the primatial gathering in Canterbury, and his church wasn't sanctioned, but TEC was. So it's starting to look like ACNA is seen as the true Anglican franchise in America, even if it's not formally counted as such.

I'll leave you with a question. What would happen to the Communion Partners if, three years from now, TEC has refused to repent and is kicked out of the Communion, and ACNA isn't? Perhaps a picture speaks louder than words.

Good luck, Communion Partners.

LSP

Primates Meeting 2016

As everyone knows, the Primates of the Anglican Communion are meeting together next week at Canterbury Cathedral in an attempt find a way forward for the world's third largest denomination. 

It's a bold call, because the Communion is home to two irreconcilable points of view, or religions, even. Archbishop Cranmer describes the two factions as Eloi and Morlocks.

On the one hand, there's the libs, who've taken over Western Anglicanism. Their version of Christianity means championing priestesses, gay marriage, abortion, gender transitioning and fighting the Weather. They think Islam is a religion of peace and their leader is the Episcopal Church (TEC), which is richer than a trainload of Nazi gold. They represent a shrinking 20% of the Communion. Gavin Ashenden describes them as cultural Marxists.

Then there are the provinces of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and the Global South, which stand for biblical orthodoxy, at least as far as marriage is concerned. For them, Tracy shouldn't marry Stephani, and Darryl shouldn't leave Paula to shack up with Kevin and become a bishop. These represent 80% of the Communion and are primarily African. They take a dim view of lesbian bishops and want the gay West to repent; if it doesn't, they're threatening to leave the Communion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who's taking time off from hustling for spare change outside Detroit's Cobo Hall, wants to re-imagine his non-Communion in such as way as to allow these two polar opposites to live together. David Virtue doesn't think he has it in him and likens the upcoming Primates Meeting to a battle of Britain 2.0. But what do I think, so-called "LSP"? 

For what it's worth, I think the fight within Anglicanism, which mirrors that in society at large, will be overtaken by three things: militant Islam, the visceral hatred of secular left nihilism, and financial collapse.

Is that alarmist? I hope so, and in the end, there will be one church, visible and militant against the enemy. I doubt that will be based out of Canterbury.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

German Bishops Apply to Join Anglican Communion

In a surprise announcement, the Catholic German Bishop's Conference, Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, has applied to join the Anglican Communion. Citing a desire to avoid "church dogma," Bishops Conference spokesperson, Dr. Hans Langendörfer SJ, stated that the move would be a "logical next step."

Via Ignatius -- ‘It seemed to us the logical next step in our pilgrimage of faith,’ said spokesperson Dr. Hans Langendörfer SJ. ‘We asked what the doctrinal requirements for entry were, and when we discovered that there weren’t any, we decided to go ahead. German Catholics lay great emphasis on the exercise of individual conscience as opposed to slavish adherence to Church dogma.’

Lambeth Palace is said to be seriously considering the application, along with marriage equality.

Ubi Petrus,

LSP

Archbishop of Canterbury in Black Friday Mall Brawl

Shocking photos reveal the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, scrapping with Black Friday shoppers at a Michigan mall.

The maul brawl erupted after Welby tried to wrestle a discounted flat screen T.V. out of the hands of a single Mother. "I waited all night to get my Vizio," said Toya Laquanda, "Then Welby come in and try and take it!"

Onlookers were outraged by Welby's attempted T.V. grab,  and one angry shopper faced off against the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, in what soon became a full-on slugfest. 

The fight ended when mall security was called, but not before a bruised and battered Welby disappeared into the Black Friday crowd of bargain hunters.

Lambeth Palace has not commented on the incident.

LSP

Diocese of Gloucester Captured by Astronaut

What started off as a routine mission on the International Space Station became something spectacular, as astronaut Scott Kelly saw the Diocese of Gloucester, flying high above the earth.

“We see here what appears to be a long, white diocese, maybe the Bishop of Gloucester herself,” said the astronaut. “It looks to have two lights on it, one on each end.”

The Diocese of Gloucester

Others disagree, stating that the off-planet anomaly isn't the Diocese of Gloucester, or its bishop figure, Rachel Treweek, but a UFO.

"When an astronaut tweets a photo of a UFO," said UFO expert, Steve Waring, "you can bet people notice it. Scott Kelly likes to send out photos of the view from the windows of the space station… and they look cool. This one however has a cigar shaped glowing UFO with a metallic body in it. The UFO is about 25 meters long and 150-200 meters away. It looks like Scott was trying to hint at the existence of aliens. Message received Scott, and thanks."

UFO with aliens in it, or Diocese of Gloucester?

You, the reader, be the judge.

LSP

A Zombie Communion, Archbishop Welby Calls a Primate's Meeting

It's happened, the moment we've all not been waiting for, when the head of the world's third largest denomination, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, calls a Primates meeting. It's going ahead, the letters are out, and the Primates have been invited to meet, face to face in Canterbury, June, 2016.

So what's it all about? To find a way forward for worldwide Anglicanism to somehow exist while holding irreconcilable differences within itself. Here's Welby:

Useless

"Our way forward must respect the decisions of Lambeth 1998 (which upheld Scriptural teaching on marriage)... recognising that the way in which proclamation happens and the pressures on us vary greatly between Provinces. We each live in a different context.

“The difference between our societies and cultures, as well as the speed of cultural change in much of the global north, tempts us to divide as Christians: when the command of scripture, the prayer of Jesus, the tradition of the church and our theological understanding urges unity."

Zombies

Roughly translated: The Anglican Communion can continue as one big tent provided everyone agrees to disagree and by the way, to break unity with the big tent is against Scripture, Tradition and the will of Christ himself. So take that, trads. If you split from us and our lesbian bishops, you're being disloyal Christians, and anyway, take a pill, it's all contextual anyway.

The GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) Primates weren't slow to answer:

"It is on this basis that the GAFCON Primates will prayerfully consider their response to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s letter. They recognize that the crisis in the Communion is not primarily a problem of relationships and cultural context, but of false teaching which continues without repentance or discipline."

Pathetic

False teaching which continues without repentance or discipline? Right on, and Welby's way forward doesn't seem to envisage much of that, if any at all. But it's a moot point; the Anglican Communion hasn't been a communion since the 1970s, when women were ordained and the orders and sacraments of its various provinces were no longer mutually recognized.

At best, Anglicanism since then has been a fellowship of Churches held together by "bonds of affection," but even these have been strained beyond breaking point by the radical liberalism of what Welby refers to as the "global north."

Oh! I have a Barbour! Whatever.

This has resulted in a so-called Communion that exists in name only, a Zombie Communion of Provinces that don't recognize one another's sacraments, orders, faith or morals. In other words, a sham.

House Elf

Welby has dared to call this hollow man together in the New Year. He shouldn't be disappointed if it blows up in his face.

Welby is known variously as Dobby, Sharkey, House Elf, and Chino.

LSP

Twilight Of The Birds

Sunset over the killing fields

or

Tragic metaphor for the Anglican Communion?

Managed to get out with a gun and have a go at the birds. There weren't many flyers and I missed rather more than I hit; still, got enough for a decent dove snack tomorrow. And all that's more than fine by me because I love shooting - hit or miss - and I love getting out in the country. I find there's a freedom in it. Anyway, hope to revisit the fowling grounds on Friday for more dove and maybe a rabbit or two; saw lots this evening but held off.

On another theme, my philosopher friend GWB alerted me to Wittgenstein's contempt of Mahler; who'd have thought it? Here's what he said:

“If it is true that Mahler’s music is worthless, as I believe to be the case, then the question is what I think he ought to have done with his talent. For quite obviously it took a set of very rare talents to produce this bad music.”

I don't have a dog in the fight, so to speak, because I don't listen to the despised Mahler, but I like the quote. Just think, you could swap out 'Mahler' and 'music' for 'The Archbishop of Canterbury' and 'theology', or 'Ragsdale' and 'ethics', or 'ACORN' and... etc.

Good shooting.

LSP

Episcopalien

Image of Boy Bishop from NY Times Magazine

Back in Texas after journalistic foray to California and TEC's triennial General Convention. So what was it all about? Something called "gender identity expression" apparently, which means:

Lifting a self-imposed ban on consecrating "LGBT" persons as bishops

"Developing" same sex blessing rituals

Suing any Episcopalians who disagree and want to get out

Telling the rest of the Anglican world to get with the program or get lost

At least that's the way the world's media saw it, which prompted Jefferts Schori, pictured above, to accuse the press of "so much misinformation". Perhaps she didn't like headlines such as "House of Deputies Goes Gay", or "Retired Bishop Denies Sacrament of Marriage". Maybe she didn't appreciate attention being drawn to the fact that TEC's new budget earmarks $4 million for lawyers to sue parishes and dioceses that are busy leaving her pansexual union - at a rate of around a thousand people a week.

Anyway, as a simple country priest who likes horses and guns I don't think you have to be a genius like St. Thomas Aquinas to work out the fact that some changes in doctrine are valid developments and some aren't. The criterion, I suppose, is consistency and what TEC's been up to in Anaheim is the opposite of around 2000 years worth of teaching and scriptural warrant on Faith and Morals.

Except for a minority of Provinces on TEC's declining payroll, the vast majority of the Anglican Communion knows this and looks set to break off an already tenuous relationship with Jefferts Schori's denomination. My feeling is that she knows this and simply doesn't care.

Why? I'll stick with earlier thoughts about aliens - some say they have a large base on the dark side of the moon, I'd recommend looking a little closer to home, at 815 2nd Ave. NYC and The Episcopal Church Center.

Cheers,

LSP

PS. Here's a link to the famous fighting monkey, Jacco Macacco.