Should Churches Try To Target Men More?

From Patheos-

The Jesuit Post’s Jeff Sullivan, SJ has written a nice post on the changing cultural understanding of manhood in post-Sexual Revolution America.

In doing so, he connects this with the noted fact of higher attendance of women at church and higher general religiosity, and cites authors as saying that there is a “problem”: “American churches have adopted primarily feminine language and ways of interacting and exploring spirituality.” This is a theme that we sometimes hear from Traditionalists: the pre-Vatican II Church was more masculine (all that lace and brocade, probably) and the post-Vatican II more feminine. That “masculine” is better than “feminine” is so taken for granted that it is never explicitly mentioned.

Read more:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/inebriateme/2014/08/should-churches-try-to-target-men-more/#ixzz3BsQEBlmi

Priest sues Perth Archbishop

From Australia-

Rev. Terry McAuliffe is suing Perth Archbishop Roger Herft for defamation, claiming his reputation was irretrievably damaged by the head of Perth's Anglican Church.

Mr McAuliffe hit the headlines last year when he initially refused to hand back a valuable diamond bracelet he found in Inglewood - instead offering to sell it back to owners Clyde and Lesley Bevan for half its value.

More here-

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/24853788/priest-sues-perth-archbishop/

Number of women as clergy jumps for some denominations

From Chicago-

Some individual church denominations are reporting greater gains in the representation of women clergy and other ministers, but challenges remain.

Women ministers outnumber men in the Unitarian Universalist faith. They account for more than 58 percent of active ministers, up from 41 percent in 1994, according to a spokeswoman. Statistics were not available on the percent who serve in the lead role at their churches.

In the Episcopal Church, 48 percent of newly ordained clergy are women, according to a 2012 report by Church Pension Group. But employment among the newly ordained stands at 38 percent for women, compared with 62 percent for men.

More here-

http://www.suntimes.com/news/29137997-418/number-of-women-as-clergy-jumps-for-some-denominations.html#.VAG9UVYYEds

Episcopal women recall 1974 priesthood struggle

From Chicago-

Eleven women took on the all-male hierarchy and centuries of tradition in the Episcopal Church 40 years ago by being ordained as priests, and their audacious actions inspired an eighth-grader in Chicago to live out her dream.

The Rev. Fran Holliday was a teenager when she felt a call to the priesthood, but continually met closed doors until she read about the ordinations in July 1974 in Philadelphia. The story of one woman in particular, the Rev. Nancy Wittig, stood out.

"It was so inspirational to me," said Holliday, now associate rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. She wanted "to mark the event that was so practically and theologically important to the church" and invited Wittig to preside over three services in early August.

More here-

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-episcopal-women-40-years-later-met-20140829-story.html#page=1

15 Augustine Quotes That Helped Shape Modern Christian Thought

 From Relevant-


Even though he though died on August 28, 430, the writings of Augustine of Hippo remain as theologically relevant and spiritually insightful as they did 1600 years ago.

The man who became a beloved-Bishop and would eventually be remembered as Saint Augustine, had such a dramatic conversion to Christianity at the age of 33, that he explored the philosophy of Scripture with a passion that led him to write hundreds of sermons and some of Christianity’s most influential books.

Here’s a look at 15 Augustine quotes that have helped shape modern Christian thought.


Read more at

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/15-augustine-quotes-helped-shape-modern-christian-thought#laKKVhJc5KfWJyw3.99

Medics still at risk from Ebola virus

From The Church Times-

THE floating Christian hospital organisation Mercy Ships has halted its latest visit to West Africa, as a result of the Ebola-virus outbreak that is affecting the region.

So far, 1552 people are reported to have been killed by the virus, which began in Guinea but has spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. Another outbreak was reported last weekend in the Congo. On Thursday, the World Health Organisation warned that the number of cases could rise to 20,000 (3069 cases have been reported to date).

The MV Africa Mercy is now docked at the Canary Islands because it is not equipped for an infectious epidemic.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/29-august/news/world/medics-still-at-risk-from-ebola-virus

Suds, faith found at California laundromat

From California-


Over the long months that Victoria Mitchell lived in her car with her infant daughter, there was one bright spot in her life: doing laundry.

Every month, Mitchell would trek to a local laundromat and take advantage of Laundry Love, a growing faith-driven movement that helps those who are homeless or financially struggling by washing their dirty clothes for free.

snip

Kassoff, his arms laced with tattoos, recalled a time in his life just over 10 years ago when he was in a similar situation to many of those who come — addicted to heroin and living in his car. At his lowest point, he said, he started attending services at his local Episcopal church.

More here-

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Suds-faith-found-at-California-laundromat-5720408.php

Liberia’s Cuttington University, diocese at epicenter of Ebola crisis

From ENS-

Liberia’s Cuttington University, located near one of the epicenters of West Africa’s Ebola outbreak, is reaching out to its surrounding communities while worrying about the epidemic’s impact on the now-closed school’s future, and mourning the loss of graduates and friends.

Meanwhile, throughout Liberia and Sierra Leone, Episcopal Relief & Development is in regular contact with local church partners who “are leveraging their widespread presence and trusted reputation to alleviate suffering and contain the Ebola outbreak” that has killed at least 1,427 people in West Africa since March 2014, according to an Aug. 27 press release.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/08/28/liberias-cuttington-university-diocese-at-epicenter-of-ebola-outbreak/

Church banned from using altar to serve cups of tea

From the Telegraph-

For many Christians, the altar is the most sacred part of any church.

Covered with a white cloth, it is the holy place where worshippers kneel to receive Communion and feel closer to God.

However instead of the body and blood of Christ, one church group has applied to use their blessed altar to serve tea, biscuits and orange squash.

Worshippers at the St Michael and All Angels Church in Uffington, Lincolnshire, wanted their oak altar to double up as a place to “serve refreshments”.

But Mark Bishop, chancellor for Lincoln, and a judge of the Church of England's Consistory Court, decided the altar could only be used for worship, not to serve snacks.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11059974/Church-banned-from-using-altar-to-serve-cups-of-tea.html

The Seal Cannot Be Broken: Priestly Identity and the Sacrament of Confession

From ABC Australia-

The Anglican Communion has demonstrated, yet again, how eager it is to keep up with changing times. In line with society's greater recognition of the devastation wrought by child sexual abuse, a recent Synod has sought to remove any impediment to good professional practice and individual conscience by allowing individual priests to report on serious crimes they may have learnt about through confession.

It has not taken long for commentators to wonder if the much slower moving Catholic Church will eventually follow suit. Thus, while Alison Cotes congratulates the Anglican Church in Australia for giving short shrift to the inviolability of confession, she also wonders if "in the fullness of time, the Roman Catholic Church will also see that what was good theology in 1215 may not be so useful, or even moral, 800 years later."

More here-

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2014/08/27/4075554.htm

Magdalene House: Helping Women in Transition

From Arkansas-

Work is underway to provide funding for a home and sanctuary for women recovering from violence, prostitution, trafficking, addiction and incarceration.

Friday's fundraiser, held at St. Paul's Episcopal, was a way to introduce Magdalene House to the public. The house is modeled after facilities in Memphis and Nashville, that serves as safe, supportive transitional housing for women coming out of prison and on their way to rebuilding their lives. Most or all have drug addictions, were sexually abused as teens and were prostitutes.

Magdalene Fayetteville's first home will house six women for two years and will provide safety, acceptance, and access to medical and dental care, therapy, education and job training free of charge.

More here-

http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/magdalene-house-helping-women-in-transition/28841/g5TBFymiF06DxR5sKonezg

Yale Episcopal chaplain Rev. Bruce Shipman digs deeper

From The Washington Post (Follow up to a post from yesterday)-

Time to revisit Rev. Shipman, the Episcopal Chapman at Yale.  Readers will recall that Rev. Shipman wrote a letter to the N.Y. Times, responding to an op-ed about growing violent anti-Semitism in Europe, suggesting that the “best antidote would be for Israel’s patrons abroad to press the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for final-status resolution to the Palestinian question.”  I pointed out that by holding Jews responsible for anti-Semitism, Rev. Shipman was engaging in unacceptable victim-blaming. Let me put it even more bluntly now: he is blaming the victims of racism for the existence of racism.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/08/27/yale-episcopal-chaplain-rev-bruce-shipman-digs-deeper/

Update from Iraq – Canon Andrew White

From Iraq-

My Dear Friends,

How I long to be able to tell you positive things here. So for a moment I will not tell you the negatives. This is the week of our children’s first communion, it is one of the biggest events in the churches year. Each day the children come for several hours of intense study. There is such excitement. Yesterday as I sat down with the children I asked them why they were so excited. 

They basically said that when they were baptised their parents had promised that they would follow Yesua but now they have decided themselves. I was able to give each of the children a mega-voice solar powered bible, we have had many donated to us from “Leading the Way” in Australia and Northern Ireland. These bibles have been such a cause for joy amongst us, some are also going to be given to the people in the North who have had to flee leaving everything including their Bibles. So amongst the devastation there has indeed been the joy of our Lord.
More here-

http://frrme.org/canon-andrews-blog/

10 MORE Things Churches Can’t Do While Following Jesus

From Patheos-

First, let’s just be clear: I’m not saying it is impossible to do these things if you’re following Jesus.

But, I am saying that if you are doing these things you aren’t following Jesus while you do them – because they aren’t what Jesus would do.

Not all churches are doing these things, but there’s enough who are that it’s more than worth talking about.

Also, this is also not meant to be a complete list or even a “Top Ten” list. After all, I’ve already written a list of 10 other things (well, mostly other) the Church can’t do while following Jesus.
This is just a list of ten things that come to mind for me when I think about what the Church is doing that it seems to me Jesus wouldn’t care for very much.

Read more:

 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thegodarticle/2014/08/10-more-things-churches-cant-do-while-following-jesus/

Site helps churches connect digitally with worshippers

From CBS-

Whether it's the Bible, Quran or Torah, for centuries religions have worked to get the word out. Now, congregations are embracing the digital world to build their communities, CBS News' Elaine Quijano reports.

When Sean Coughlin was growing up, his Christian faith was always a big part of his life.

"I played baseball and went to church, that's really all I did," Coughlin said.

But after he moved to New York as an adult, he was frustrated with the challenges of finding a congregation on his own.

"I know there are dozens of sites to help you find a doctor or a restaurant or a vacation but no good sites to help you find a place of worship," Coughlin said.

So he quit his corporate job and started FaithStreet.com, a directory for religious institutions across the country.

More here-

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/faithstreet-com-helps-churches-digitally-connect-with-worshippers/

Mississippi notified of successful canonical consent process

 From ENS-

The Office of Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has notified the Diocese of Mississippi that Bishop-Elect Coadjutor Brian R. Seage has received the required majority of consents in the canonical consent process.

As outlined under Canon III.11.4 (a), the Presiding Bishop confirmed the receipt of consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction, and has also reviewed the evidence of consents from a majority of standing committees of the Church sent to her by the diocesan standing committee.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/08/26/mississippi-of-successful-canonical-consent-process/

Episcopal chaplain at Yale: Jews are to blame for anti-Semitism for not making peace with genocidal enemy

From The Washington Post-

Speaking of moral obtuseness (or how “Palestine makes you dumb,”) I reprint for you in full Rev. Shipman’s letter as published today in the New York Times:

To the Editor:

Deborah E. Lipstadt makes far too little of the relationship between Israel’s policies in the West Bank and Gaza and growing anti-Semitism in Europe and beyond.

The trend to which she alludes parallels the carnage in Gaza over the last five years, not to mention the perpetually stalled peace talks and the continuing occupation of the West Bank.

As hope for a two-state solution fades and Palestinian casualties continue to mount, the best antidote to anti-Semitism would be for Israel’s patrons abroad to press the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for final-status resolution to the Palestinian question.

(Rev.) BRUCE M. SHIPMAN
Groton, Conn., Aug. 21, 2014

The writer is the Episcopal chaplain at Yale.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/08/26/episcopal-chaplain-at-yale-jews-are-to-blame-for-anti-semitism-for-not-making-peace-with-genocidal-enemy/


Shipman's response-

http://yaledailynews.com/crosscampus/2014/08/26/episcopal-chaplain-responds-to-backlash/

A message from Bishop Shaw

From Massachusetts-

Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE sent on Aug. 25 the following message to clergy and parish and diocesan leadership:

My Sisters and Brothers,

As my date of retirement nears, I want to be in touch with all of you and to thank you for your continued expressions of care and concern.  We have known since the beginning, when I was diagnosed with brain cancer in May of last year, that we are dealing with a difficult kind of cancer.  We have been hopeful in the therapies we’ve pursued over these months, but we now know that for me there is no cure.  At the recommendation of my medical team, I’ve decided now to pursue a course of treatment that will provide a good quality of life, though for how long, we can’t be sure.

More here-

http://www.diomass.org/diocesan-news/message-bishop-shaw

Priest raises eyebrows with Gosford Anglican Church signs on race, gay marriage and the media

From Australia-

Father Rod Bower is not your average priest. The Anglican Church minister is on a mission to keep religion relevant, and is using his parish notice board in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast as a way to get noticed.

"We have a voice out into the wider community that a lot of other parishes don't have," Fr Bower told 7.30.

And while he has attracted a legion of younger fans on social media, he realises that not everyone agrees with what he is doing.

"Some people are really comfortable and excited about that, other people are very anxious and cautious about it," he said.

More here-

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24821546/priest-raises-eyebrows-with-gosford-anglican-church-signs-on-race-gay-marriage-and-the-media/

An Ancient Prayer Saved My Faith

From Patheos-

An ancient prayer saved my faith.

A friend in college had invited me to attend a nearby Episcopal church. It was a disorienting place with its vaulted ceilings, stone columns, and ornate stained glass. Even more so were all the books I had to keep up with, the strange customs, and the weirdly dressed parade that began the service.
It was strange. And beautiful.

Then the priest began the service, and the opening prayer he said was unlike any opening prayer I’d ever heard.

Unlike any prayer at all.

He said what I later came to know as the Collect for Purity.

Read more:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidhenson/2014/08/an-ancient-prayer-saved-my-faith/#ixzz3BUom3xsf

Juan David Alvarado elected bishop of El Salvador

From ENS-

The Rev. Juan David Alvarado (left) was elected bishop of the Anglican-Episcopal Church in El Salvador on Aug. 23 at St. John the Evangelist Church in San Salvador.

His consecration/installation is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2015.

Alvarado, 52, will succeed the Rt. Rev. Martín Barahona who is retiring.

It was the second time the church elected a bishop in its 84-year history, according to news reports. During El Salvador’s 12-year civil war that ended in 1992, then Bishop of Panama James H. Ottley. Long considered a missionary diocese, prior to Ottley, El Salvador was overseen by bishops from Northern Mexico and Nicaragua back to 1969.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/08/25/juan-david-alvarado-elected-bishop-of-el-salvador/

Episcopal Bishop Andrew Wissemann's grandchildren remember a funny, caring, spiritual 'grampy'

 From Massachusetts-

It's not everyone who has a beloved grandfather who is also a bishop, known for his people skills, love of reading and gardening.

Yet, 27-year-old David Wissemann, of Sunderland, was happy to have had that relationship with the Right Rev. Andrew F. Wissemann, the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

The younger Wissemann was seated, with other family members, at the reception that followed the Aug. 25 liturgy and burial of the bishop at Christ Church Cathedral. He died Aug. 20, in his mid-80s, in Longmeadow. He had served as bishop from 1983 to 1992.

"He was a great man and his spirituality was evident. He was always so caring and generous, even near the end of his life," he said, with wife Jessica Marsh Wissemann, 27, adding, "And he was funny."

More here-

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/episcopal_bishop_andrew_wissem.html

Christians In Britain 'Forced To Hide Their Beliefs', Dominic Grieve Says

From Huffington UK-

Christians in Britain are being forced to hide their beliefs and exclude themselves from public life because of efforts by "an aggressive form of securlarism" to "push faith out of the public sphere," the former attorney general has said.

Dominic Grieve, who lost his post in the July reshuffle, said the "sanitisation" would "lead to people of faith excluding themselves from the public space and being excluded".

Mr Grieve, who is a practising Anglican, said Christianity could be a “powerful force for good” but said that Christians should not be “intimidated” or “excluded”.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/24/christians-in-britain-hiding-beliefs_n_5704227.html

Church Demolition - Villagers, Anglicans Go to War Over Land

From Nigeria-

It is simply a situation that can be likened to the villagers battling God as villagers in Oze village, Nkwelle Ezunaka Oyi local government area of Anambra State battle Ebenezer Anglican Church in the town. Both parties claim ownership of the land on which the church demolished was built. Though there had been claims and counter claims over the rightful owner of the premises by the two parties, the dispute got to a head with members of the church discovering, to their amazement, that the church building, they had spent so much money to erect, was reduced to rubbles.

Their first action was to embark on a peaceful demonstration to drive home their anger over the demolition and, apart from blaming the people of Nkwelle Ezunaka for the demolition, they accused the state government of encouraging the community to perpetrate the action.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201408250890.html

Church doing a non-stop Bible reading

From Georgia-

 For 72 hours straight, members of St. Anne's Episcopal Church are participating in a special project — reading the entire Bible aloud. They began at 9 a.m. Thursday and will go non-stop until worship at 10 a.m. today.

"The Bible is important to us and central to who we are," said the Rev. Lonnie Lacy, pastor of St. Anne's. "We see this as worth our time — a special, holy project that connects us and the scripture."

He told The Tifton Gazette Thursday that when they reach the final chapter, Revelation 22, they will pause worship and everyone will read the final chapter together. They are live-streaming the reading online at www.ustream.tv/channel/st-anne-s-mass.

More here-

http://www.tiftongazette.com/news/article_da542f22-2b96-11e4-bf90-001a4bcf887a.html

Trinity Renewed: Keller Links Health of Episcopal Church to Community

From Little Rock-

He may only be “interim” dean and rector of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, but the Rev. Christoph Keller III has no intention of being a place holder.

When he took office six months ago, Keller told Little Rock developer Rett Tucker, a longtime church member who helped recruit Keller, that he intended to be an “energetic interim.” To that end, Keller has launched an effort to reinvigorate the cathedral, which will mark the 130th anniversary of its downtown founding on Oct. 30.

He has committed to serving the cathedral for two years.

Keller links the redevelopment of the cathedral and the redevelopment of downtown.

“There are two different kinds of redevelopment going on,” he said in a recent interview. “There’s the redevelopment of downtown, of which the cathedral is a part, and there’s also a redevelopment and kind of a turnaround effort going on at the cathedral. I think that they are mutually reinforcing in a small way.”

More here-

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/100394/trinity-renewed-keller-links-health-of-episcopal-church-to-community

We sold Primate Akinola’s N19m vehicle for N600,000

From Nigeria-

MEMBERS of a robbery gang which went against the warning in the Holy Book which says ‘Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm’ by attacking the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Peter Akinola on December 24, 2013, along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, are now singing like canaries at the Special Anti Robbery Squad unit of the Ogun state Police Command, after they were arrested in the process of launching another assault on unsuspecting members of the public.

Their arrest also revealed that the cleric was not the only popular victim of the gang members, as they opened up and confessed that they were the ones who dispossessed the notable football mathematician, Chief Segun Odegbami of his Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) sometime ago between Aro and Wasinmi along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.

More here-

http://www.tribune.com.ng/crime-2/item/14107-we-sold-primate-akinola-s-n19m-vehicle-for-n600-000

'Our Great Big American God': a wry history of America's very patriotic Deity

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-

Matthew Paul Turner’s “Our Great Big American God: A Short History of Our Ever-Growing Deity” attempts to tell the story of how Americans’ perceptions of God have changed over the course of American history.

Mr. Turner briefly traces the last 400 years of American history through the perspective of Christianity and its leaders. Many Christians believe that this is a history that has been molded and changed by God, but Mr. Turner attempts to answer a big question: “Has America changed God?”

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/books/2014/08/24/Matthew-Paul-Turner-offers-a-wry-history-of-America-s-very-patriotic-Deity-Our-Great-Big-American-God/stories/201408240020#ixzz3BJ1QfniB