Ecumenism Restarts In The North

Rood Screen at Nashotah

Back from Nashotah House Seminary, Wisconsin, and the first meaningful Anglican-Orthodox dialogue since the 1970s and the descent of Western Anglicanism into the pelosian spectacle it is today. Now that traditional Anglicans have split from the pelosianites talks can begin again, and they did, in the frozen wilds of the North. I found Metropolitan Jonah, leader of the OCA (Orthodox Church in America), compelling; here's an excerpt:

“We stand at a crisis which threatens to undermine the very basis of our culture… only by standing together, united by one Faith, one Heart one Church, will we be able to withstand the onslaught of licentiousness... and fight against it. There is in materialism, there is in secularism only despair.”

Powerful words and, I think, true.

Bishop Melchizadek & Metropoloitan Jonah

I liked what the Chancellor of St. Vladimir's Seminary had to say as well, for example, “A heavy diet of low-cal theology has left our Church emaciated and thin.” Well said, Fr. Hatfield; I hope the discussion between the two Churches continue and that 'low cal' turns into something more substantial. You can read more about the event at Virtueonline if you like.

God bless,

LSP

Its In The Numbers

'Bonnie' Anderson, President, House of Deputies

Still in Wisconsin at the Anglican-Orthodox conference at Nashotah House Seminary; compelling addresses by Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America. His theme is that we can't afford disunity in the face of increasingly aggressive secularism and resurgent Islam, to say nothing of Our Lord's prayer that we should "all be one." Jonah gets my vote, unlike the pelosian Episcopal Church, which is being cagey about it's numbers. As found at Bible Belt Blogger via Stand Firm:

That didn’t match what I’d been led to believe by a very reliable source. So I asked Anderson and the Presiding Bishop about the numbers during the press conference. Here’s what they said:

BIBLE BELT BLOGGER: The ASA and membership figures for 2008 have been compiled. I’m wondering if those were shared with the Executive Council this week and what the ASA and membership figures show for 2008 for the domestic dioceses.

PRESIDENT ANDERSON: Yes. (Clears throat). Excuse me, yes, they’ve been, um, circulated to the Executive Council via electronic means but we’re not going to be talking about those per se. Our agenda’s pretty full and we’ll probably be taking those up in the future at our next meeting.

BIBLE BELT BLOGGER: Can you share, though, what the results are?

PRESIDENT ANDERSON: We don’t know. I mean we have it written out but we’ll be posting it I’m sure as soon as we’re, they’re, approved and available. But yes, you’ll be able to get them.

LOCKWOOD: But presiding bishop, can you tell us what they show?

PRESIDING BISHOP JEFFERTS SCHORI: I, I’m sorry. I’m not able to comment on that at the moment. I don’t have it in my head.

BIBLE BELT BLOGGER: Do you know approximately? Can you give an approximation? Are they up or down?

CHURCH PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER NEVA RAE FOX: Frank, we need to move on now. Um, I believe the presiding officers have indicated that the figures will be available at a later time, but not right now. Thank you.

So there you have it. The numbers have been circulated, not passed out. The figures have been shared with the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, but the theologian/scientist can’t comment on them because “I don’t have it in my head.”

Based on the above, do you think the statistics — if they were in the presiding bishop’s head — would be good news or bad news for this badly divided denomination?

Thing's don't seem to be going too well for Boy Bishop Schori and her friend "Bonnie". Hopefully they'll be better for trads in the Diocese of Fort Worth and the OCA, but more of that anon.

God bless,

LSP

Just Tell It Like It Is.

Metropolitan Jonah

Spent the last couple of days holed up in the Press Room at St. Vincent's Cathedral, Bedford, developing carpal tunnel syndrome and trying to put out something meaningful about the first Provincial Assembly of the new 'Anglican Church in North America', or ACNA for short. Well, its not shooting, riding, or vicariously connected with your friends catching huge great fish but it was a bit of history in the making - especially Metropolitan Jonah's address this morning. He called for the full communion of Orthodoxy with the new Province. Excellent but what would Anglicans have to do to make this happen? Jonah pulled no punches:

"Full affirmation of the orthodox Faith of the Apostles and Church Fathers, the seven Ecumenical Councils, the Nicene Creed in its original form, all seven Sacraments and a rejection of ‘the heresies of the Reformation.' His Beatitude listed these in a series of ‘isms’; Calvinism, anti-sacramentalism, iconoclasm and Gnosticism. He went on, the ordination of women to the Presbyterate and their consecration as Bishops has to end if intercommunion is to occur."

Nice one Jonah, all good grist for the LSP mill, not that I have a problem with the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son, you understand, but what about ACNA?

Scary New York Boy Bishop

The last I heard more than a few had a perverse regard for Calvinist anti-sacramentalism - but at least they're not dismal devotees of the Sharia peddler that occupies the throne of Augustine, or fans of the Boy Bishop in New York either; maybe that will save them in the end.

I hope so, much as I dislike the 'heresies of the reformation' and the various detestable enormities of Sola Scriptura, infantile hymns and slavish devotion to Puritan 'divinity'. Despite all that, and far more, I'd like to see ACNA succeed because I think they really do want to believe the Faith, which is no bad thing. Only time will tell if they find it.

More of that anon. Looking forward to another episode of 'Horse & Stable' tomorrow a.m.

Cheers,

LSP