Don't use religion to divide people, warns Welby

From The Church Times-

RELIGIOUS leaders must counter the lure of extremism by demonstrating that different faiths can co-exist without becoming violent, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

It is too easy for violent radicals to persuade the impressionable that those from other others faiths were "bad" while they were "good", Archbishop Welby said. Much of the conflict he has seen around the Anglican Communion was justified on religious grounds, and this was spreading to the UK too.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2015/13-march/news/uk/dont-use-religion-to-divide-people-warns-welby

Pope Francis Enters His Third Year of Scolding of Introverts

From National Review-

He preaches mercy for everyone except them, when the Church needs them more than ever. ‘I want the Church to go out into the streets,” Pope Francis told a cheering crowd gathered for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, four months after he was elected pope. “¡Hágan lío!” he exhorted them, in the spirit of creative destruction: Make a mess! Take care, he added, not to become “closed in on” yourselves. On other occasions, he has urged priests to leave “the stale air of closed rooms” and has characterized traditional Catholics as “self-absorbed.” An extrovert, Francis attaches a positive moral value to extroversion — and, as if it followed by some logical necessity, a negative moral value to extroversion’s complement, introversion.
Read more at:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/415346/pope-francis-enters-his-third-year-scolding-introverts-nicholas-frankovich

Today in women’s history: Church of England ordains women priests

From Peoples World-

On March 12, 1994, the Church of England for the first time ordained 32 women at Bristol Cathedral. As the women were ordained in alphabetical order, Angela Berners-Wilson is considered the first woman to be ordained in England.

Ordination of women marked a momentous passage out of the exclusive male domination of the church, although other denominations within Christianity and in other faith traditions had already begun the process of opening up to women. In part this movement was a response to the growing worldwide feminist movement, and also to the increasing secularization of the population in advanced industrial nations. Church attendance in England is presently at an all-time low. Many churches have all but closed down for lack of interest and support.

More here-

http://peoplesworld.org/today-in-women-s-history-church-of-england-ordains-women-priests/

Is Obama Really a Christian?

From The National Review-

Seven years after Jeremiah Wright came to national fame as President Obama’s radical pastor, a man who declared “God damn America” from the pulpit, the president’s faith is still a matter of controversy. With a new presidential election looming, it’s apparently urgently important for members of the media to know whether Republicans such as Scott Walker believe that President
Obama is a Christian. 

Walker’s answer — “I don’t know” — is not one the media want to hear. But how can any man know another man’s heart — especially the heart of a person he’s never met? Who but God knows our deepest beliefs? To the extent that a president bares his soul to anyone, it won’t be to a reporter or to any person likely to speak to a reporter. Thus, any pundit or commentator who purports to declare what a president “really believes” on matters of faith should be viewed with deep suspicion.
Read more at:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/415266/obama-really-christian-david-french

New online tool maps Episcopal Church ministries

From ACNS-

An innovative partnership between the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and Episcopal Relief & Development has resulted in a new online tool – the Episcopal Asset Map - to learn more about local ministries and to enhance them.

The Episcopal Asset Map is an online service showing the location and the array of ministries offered by Episcopal congregations, schools and institutions throughout the United States in dioceses that are participating in the project. The Episcopal Asset Map is available at no fee.

“I deeply value the important work diocesan and local leaders have put into building the Episcopal Asset Map thus far, and hope that more dioceses will join in the coming months,” said Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer of The Episcopal Church and Episcopal Relief & Development ex-officio board member. “I know that both The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and Episcopal Relief & Development are supporting this endeavor with training and resources to encourage widespread participation.  The collaboration and partnership between these two important service organizations of The Episcopal Church is a great asset to our mission.  It is very exciting to watch the map bloom with information that will lead to new connections, partnerships and ministries.”

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/03/new-online-tool-maps-episcopal-church-ministries.aspx

God, Reason, and Our Civilizational Crisis

From Public Discourse-

The way that a culture understands the nature of God shapes its conception of man, reason, and society. Though this presents enormous challenges for the Islamic world, it also has significant implications for the sustainability of Western civilization.

In 1992, the political scientist Samuel Huntington ignited a debate among scholars of politics and international affairs when he proposed that civilizational differences would be an increased source of conflict in a post-Cold War world. Widely seen as a competitor to the “end of history” thesis proposed by Francis Fukuyama, Huntington’s argument was developed in the pages of Foreign Affairs before being expounded in book form in 1996. It acquired more traction—and criticism—in the wake of 9/11 and Islamic jihadism’s subsequent expansion across the globe.

More here-

http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/03/14516/

Youths turning to Jihad because mainstream religion not ‘exciting’ enough – Welby

From The Telegraph-

Young people are turning to Jihad because mainstream religion is not "exciting" enough, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Most Rev Justin Welby told faith leaders that Britain’s religious communities must do more to provide an alternative to extremism which gives young people a “purpose in life”.

He also warned against being too quick to brand people and groups with strong views on religious matters as extremists.

Nothing will ever be achieved if the only conversations which take place involve “nice people talking to nice people about being nice”, he said.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11463635/Youths-turning-to-Jihad-because-mainstream-religion-not-exciting-enough-Welby.html

Anglican Leaders From Across Africa Meet in Cape Town

From All Africa-

Anglican Church leaders from across Africa are being hosted at meetings in Cape Town by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town.

The leaders include Archbishops, Bishops and other members of the Council of African Provinces of Africa (CAPA), a body which coordinates and articulates issues affecting the Church and communities across the continent.

The council, chaired by the Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi, represents Anglicans in 26 countries from 12 church provinces.

The meetings, which are happening in South Africa for the first time, include Primates (the leaders) of churches and members of the CAPA Standing Committee.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201503110965.html

Holy Trinity: 'We have not broken away'

From Savannah-

It’s been one year since Church of the Holy Trinity in Ridgeland made the decision to disassociate from the national Episcopal Church and remain in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

It’s been one year since life-long members of the church have parted ways, joining other houses of worship and also breaking ties with family and friends.

While the Diocese of South Carolina has commonly been referred to as the ‘breakaway church’, Holy Trinity’s Rev. James Gibson says this portrayal is simply inaccurate.

“Our contention is that we have kept the faith, we have stayed within the historic faith of the church and that our diocese, in the decision it has made to disaffiliate with the national church, is not ‘leaving’ the church,” Gibson said. “We have not broken away, we have branched out and sought a greater unity with the worldwide church.”

More here-

http://savannahnow.com/hardeeville/2015-03-11/holy-trinity-we-have-not-broken-away

"Seismic shift" required to equip all Anglicans as evangelists – Abp Welby

From ACNS-

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has set out his vision for a Church in which every Christian shares "the revolutionary love" of Jesus Christ.

In the inaugural Lambeth Lecture, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby focused on the third of the priorities he announced on taking up his ministry two years ago: evangelism and witness.

He described evangelism as “the Good News of the coming of Jesus Christ into this dark world… not simply [good news] because without this light we are in the dark, but also because it comes to us unwarranted, unsought, without our initiation.”

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/03/seismic-shift-required-to-equip-all-anglicans-as-evangelists-abp-welby.aspx

Anglican Primate Preaches Detribalised Nigeria

From Nigeria-

The Bishop of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Diocese of Abuja, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh has called for a united and detribalized Nigeria, in order for the country to grow and developed to its desired height in the face of the challenges confronting it.

Okoh who made this call at the official flag-off of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the church said that the challenges affecting the nation, which is as well affecting the church is the issue of tribalism and the absence of unity.

According to the clergyman, the issue of unity in Nigeria is what the church has taken upon itself to teach the people during the anniversary celebration, adding that it wants to unite Nigerians and make the issue of tribalism less attractive.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201503100549.html

Episcopal leader in spotlight after bishop charged in Baltimore hit-and-run

From Baltimore-

Just over two months ago, when Heather Elizabeth Cook, a newly ordained Episcopal bishop, was involved in an accident that left a bicyclist dead, the tragedy made headlines around the world, while sparking controversy within and outside the church.

Cook — who was drunk at the time of the accident, according to Baltimore police and prosecutors — had been made a bishop despite an arrest on DUI charges four years earlier. The Dec. 27 crash raised questions about how the Episcopal Church, already split over dogma and facing steep membership declines, chooses its leaders.

And it has put the stewardship of the national church's presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, in the spotlight.

More here-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-md-cook-and-tec-20150303-story.html#page=1

Rio Grande Episcopal diocese sees ‘change of identity’

From Albeuquerque-

At the time of her 2008 visit to Albuquerque, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori headed a congregation torn, both in New Mexico and nationally, over the role of gays and lesbians in the church.

The Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande was preparing to select a new bishop to replace former Bishop Jeffrey N. Steenson, who resigned in 2007 to join the Roman Catholic Church over the issue.

Several New Mexico congregations had split from the diocese and others were discussing similar moves.

More here-

http://www.abqjournal.com/551955/abqnewsseeker/rio-grande-episcopal-diocese-sees-change-of-identity.html

Rachel Held Evans defends exit from evangelicalism, calls Christians to celebrate sacraments

From RNS-

From the soil of the blogosphere, Rachel Held Evans has grown into a powerful voice in American Christianity. She is author of “Evolving in Monkey Town” and the New York Times bestseller “A Year of Biblical Womanhood.” But those who have followed her writings often note that her thinking has become increasingly progressive–especially on hot button theological issues such as gender and sexuality. This shift culminated in her leaving evangelicalism for Episcopalianism.

Next month, Evans will release “Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church,” a book that oscillates between stinging critiques of American Christianity with prescriptions for how she believes we can more faithfully participate in church life going forward. Here she explains what she believes is the key to revitalizing the church and defends her exit from evangelicalism.

RNS: You say that the way to stop the exodus of millennials from churches isn’t cosmetic–better music, sleeker logos, more relevant programming, etc. Why are these methods ineffective in your mind?

More here-


http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2015/03/09/rachel-held-evans-defends-exit-evangelicalism-calls-christians-celebrate-sacraments/

Taking a vacation

We'll be back March 11th.

RIP - The Rt. Rev. Orris G. Walker, Jr., has died.

From Long Island-

February 28, 2015

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I have received word that the Right Reverend Orris G. Walker, Jr., died early this evening.

The family will be making arrangements in the coming days. That informaton will be shared with the diocese as soon as it is available.

Please keep Bishop Walker and his family in your prayers and remember them at the altar this Sunday.

Bishop Walker became the Bishop Diocesan of Long Island in 1991 after serving as Bishop Coadjutor from the time of his consecration and ordination in 1989. He was bishop for 21 years, retiring in 2009.

His episcopate championed the cause of full inclusion of women in the ordained ministry of the diocese. He was the first to ordain women in the diocese and was responsible for facilitating the full inclusion and participation of women in all aspects of diocesan life.

More here-

http://www.dioceselongisland.org/news_spotlightDetail.php?RIP---The-Rt.-Rev.-Orris-G.-Walker-Jr.-has-died.-137

How about a living wage for our poor clergy?

From The Telegraph-

The Church of England has blasted the trumpet for social justice: all should be paid a “living wage”, enough to maintain a basic standard of living. Ironic, as clergy called to serve the Church itself are not paid a “wage” at all but a “living”.

My husband Shaun has given his life to the Church; 14 years as a vicar. He regarded himself (as did we, his family) as literally “living” the role, night and day – in the way he brought up his children as much as how he preached.

He was never off duty, and neither were we. People knocked in the middle of the night, and we welcomed them in. Strangers called during supper, and we shared it. Even clergy, however, need to live.

The living wage is calculated at £9.15 an hour in London, £7.85 an hour elsewhere. Now the Church itself is squirming because it pays less, though this week it has promised to pay “at least the living wage” by April 2017.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11441293/How-about-a-living-wage-for-our-poor-clergy.html

Selma churches plan Unity Walk on Sunday

From Alabama-

Members of churches in Selma will gather on the south side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, March 1, at 2 p.m., then walk into the city as a show of unity. They will then gather in Song of Selma Park for a prayer service.

The walk is in the opposite direction of the Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965 and the annual commemoration of Bloody Sunday, which will happen the following weekend.

"Walking back across the bridge is a way to symbolize that God is working to unify Selma," says the Rev. Jerry Light, pastor at First Baptist Church of Selma. "We are making a witness to the fact that the community is hungry to work together for a positive future."

The churches will carry a Unity Quilt as a banner, made from 176 quilt squares sewn together as a symbol of healing.

More here-

http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2015/02/selma_churches_plan_unity_walk.html

Exclusive interview with Episcopal Priest who counsels convicted killer Kelly Gissendaner

From Georgia-

Rev. Cathy Zappa is the first to admit she feels helpless. She said there is little she can do to comfort Kelly Gissendaner, a woman who has become her friend. Gissendaner is schedule to be executed by the state of Georgia Monday for masterminding the murder of her husband, Doug Gissendaner.

"She has changed," said Rev. Zappa.

Rev. Zappa met Kelly four years ago when she was teaching theology to inmates.

She says Gissendaner graduated with a certificate and went on to teach a few classes and even preached once at a service in prison.

More here-

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/2015/02/27/episcopal-priest-gissenbaner-murder-death-row/24159959/

Malcolm Boyd dies at 91; Episcopal priest took prayer to the streets

From Los Angeles-

The Rev. Malcolm Boyd, the Episcopal priest whose book "Are You Running With Me, Jesus?" took prayer out of church onto the city streets in a slangy vernacular not found in Sunday missals, has died. He was 91.

Boyd died Friday under hospice care in Los Angeles from complications of pneumonia, according to Robert Williams, spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Boyd delivered riffs on life's grittier problems — the white racists afraid of integration, or teenage girls who get pregnant — with a candor that was rarely heard from a priest leading a community at prayer.

He wrote more than two dozen books, many of them about people who did not fit the blue-sky ideal. But none of his prayers for them were as raw and urgent as those in the 1965 collection that sold half a million copies.

More here-

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-malcolm-boyd-20150228-story.html#page=1

University Of The South Unveils Giant Statue Of Female Private Part In Library [PHOTOS]

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department Tennessee Division-

Officials at Sewanee: The University of the South excitedly unveiled a massive golden clitoris statue on Wednesday afternoon. There was a reception.

The giant golden clitoris will reside in the main library at the Episcopal Church-affiliated liberal arts school in Tennessee for two weeks.

The sculpture is part of a project called “CLITERACY” by feminist artist Sophia Wallace.

Sewanee’s Women’s Center has publicized the big unveiling on social media with hashtags including #SolidGoldClit and #yeaSEWANEEScliterate, Campus Reform notes.

More here-

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/26/university-unveils-giant-statue-of-female-private-part-in-library-photos/

Justin Welby, The Archbishop Of Canterbury, Wants YOU At Lambeth Palace

From Huffington-

Ever wanted to kick it with the Archbishop of Canterbury? Here’s your chance.

Justin Welby, the senior bishop of the worldwide Anglican Communion and a self-described “spiritual magpie,” is looking for a few good young men and women (aged 20 - 35) to live with him in London’s Lambeth Palace.

The one-year residency comes with a pretty choice digs -- Lambeth Palace has been the residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the 13th century. The 16 young people will be living in cottages on the leafy grounds of the palace, which is located right on the River Thames in central London. Forty commuters from the London area are also invited to participate in evening and weekend programs.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/24/lambeth-palace-anselm_n_6746396.html

Second female bishop Barbara Darling broke ground in Anglican Church

From Australia-

Barbara Darling was Australia's second woman Anglican bishop and retired as Bishop of the Eastern Region of Melbourne Diocese at the end of 2014.

She notched up many significant firsts: the first woman to be given tenure as a theology lecturer at Melbourne's Ridley College, one of the first women ordained in the Anglican Church of Australia, one of Melbourne's first women priests, a first woman vicar, and the first woman bishop in Victoria.

On the day of her consecration as a bishop she was described as having been a role model for all women in the Anglican Church from the time she first became a licensed lay worker in 1981.

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/second-female-bishop-barbara-darling-broke-ground-in-anglican-church-20150226-13p9lg.html

‘Jihadi John’ attended a C of E school

From The Church Times-

THE man identified as 'Jihadi John' - the notorious Islamic State terrorist filmed beheading Western hostages - attended a Church of England primary school in West London, it has been reported.

Mohammed Emwazi, who was born in Kuwait but grew up in Britain, was said to be Jihadi John by the Washington Post on Thursday. He attended St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School, near Paddington, from 1996.

He later studied computing at the University of Westminster before leaving for Syria in 2013. He became infamous after appearing on numerous Islamic State videos, with his face covered by a black mask, waving a knife at the camera before appearing to murder hostages including journalists and aid workers.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2015/27-february/news/uk/jihadi-john-attended-a-c-of-e-school

She asked God, ‘Are you serious? If you don’t want me to do this I will stop.’

From The Washington Post-

Becky Zartman, 29, is assistant rector at St. Thomas’ Parish, an Episcopal church near Dupont Circle in Washington. She lives in Southeast Washington. This is an edited transcript of her interview with writer Laura Sessions Stepp.

I was born in central Pennsylvania, a sixth-generation Episcopalian. My parents went to church every week; it’s just what you did. I was an acolyte before I could read, and in Sunday school, I would ask so many questions that my priest would finally say, “Does anyone else besides Becky have a question?”

I had always known I wanted to be a priest, and in early 2005, two years before graduating from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., I approached the priest in my home town – who had replaced my childhood priest – for his backing. In the Episcopal Church, you need your local priest’s support to enter seminary and start the process of becoming ordained. This man didn’t think women should be priests. So I started the process at a church in Gettysburg and halfway through that process, the priest in Gettysburg left.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/she-asked-god-are-you-serious-if-you-dont-want-me-to-do-this-i-will-stop/2015/02/26/b7533562-bc4c-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html

Church Writes to U.N. Group

From The Living Church-

With the 2015 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) meeting on the horizon, the Episcopal Church submitted its first official written statement [PDF] to the 59th Session last October, detailing persistent challenges to women’s empowerment and gender equality and offering action steps.

This year, UNCSW will undertake a review of progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 20 years after its adoption at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The document outlined 12 Critical Areas of Concern in which progress needs to be made to empower women and girls.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/church-writes-un-group

Ruling expected soon in Fort Worth Episcopal Diocese dispute

From Ft. Worth-

A decision may be imminent on which of two rival groups claiming to be the true Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth should be awarded control of millions of dollars worth of property in the 24-county Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

At a hearing Friday before state District Judge John Chupp, both sides in the long-running dispute asked for partial summary judgments and each side gave proposed orders detailing why their group should win out.

“Essentially that means we are not going to have a jury trial,” said Suzanne Gill, a spokeswoman for the group led out of the national church by Bishop Jack Iker. “The judge will make his own decision.”

Frank Hill, an attorney for churches loyal to the national Episcopal Church, said rulings on most of the dispute could come this week.

Read more here:

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/article11176544.html#storylink=cpy

Barnabas Aid director convicted of sexual assault

From World Magazine-

Patrick Sookhdeo, one of the founders of the Christian charity Barnabas Aid International and an expert on Islamic extremism, was found guilty of sexual assault and intimidating two witnesses.

A British jury upheld charges on Monday that Sookhdeo, 67, groped a female staff member in his office last year, and that he intimidated two witnesses identified as Barnabas Fund employees.

Sookhdeo has denied all charges.

More here-

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/02/barnabas_aid_director_convicted_of_sexual_assault

Hundreds gather to mourn Christians slain by Islamic State

From Canada-

The Coptic Christians of Toronto and their friends gathered in Mississauga Feb. 22 to answer the murder of 21 Egyptian Copts by Islamic State allies in Libya. They answered the Feb. 15 beheadings with Bible readings, prayers, songs, hope and forgiveness.

Many of the 600 to 700 faithful who gathered that Sunday evening at the Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius Church wore orange buttons — orange for the colour of the overalls the Egyptian migrant workers were wearing when IS militants murdered them before a video camera. IS dresses its prisoners in orange because it is the colour of prison uniforms at the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The buttons read “21 Copts, Martyrs of Libya.” In the centre of the button was a Coptic cross with a crown of martyrdom on either side.

Just one week after the video of the beheadings hit the Internet, the church was already displaying a new icon of the 21 martyrs.

More here-

http://www.catholicregister.org/item/19759-hundreds-gather-to-mourn-christians-slain-by-islamic-state

John Gray loses Bishop title

From New Zealand-

An Anglican cleric who offended Jews and Muslims last month, has had his title of bishop partially stripped.

Controversial Anglican leader John Gray shocked visiting Jews in Christchurch last month when he told them the Holocaust "should have taught you a lesson".

Gray, who was head of the Maori Anglican diocese in the South Island, also attacked Muslim speakers, asking what they were doing about the "slaughter of innocent people" by Muslims "under the banner of Isis and al Qaeda".

The Anglican Church apologised and Gray was demoted from his role as vicar general to Maori Anglican Diocese in Aotearoa. He has also been stripped of his title as bishop of Anglican diocese of Te Waipounamu, though retains the general title of bishop.

More here-

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/66629716/john-gray-loses-bishop-title