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