I believe that I have been patient and hopeful that our co-operation and listening, our reasoning and brotherly concern would have brought transformation. However it is now abundantly clear to me and to my people that the Episcopal Church has no intention of honouring any of the commitments it has made whether that be in terms of ”˜moratoriums’ or ”˜gracious restraint’. It is to my mind hell bent on a course that is in radical disobedience to the counsels of God in Holy Scripture. You have yourself been amazingly patient with TEC, we as Primates have made our position abundantly clear on occasions without number, some of us going so far as to declare broken or impaired communion with both the TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada. This it seems has been to no avail, as the recent letter to the Primates from the Presiding Bishop of TEC makes clear that a deliberate course has been irrevocably chosen by that church. In it is stated that the intention to proceed with the consecration of a second person living in an actively homosexual partnered relationship and thereby to disregard the mind of the rest of the Communion is “”¦not the decision of one person, or a small group of people. It represents the mind of a majority of elected leaders in The Episcopal Church, lay, clergy, and bishops, who have carefully considered the opinions and feelings of other members of the Anglican Communion as well as the decades-long conversations within this Church.”

Consequently, I feel constrained by my conscience to uphold my duty as shepherd of the flock and to forthwith suspend all communication both verbal and sacramental with both the TEC and the ACC ”“ their Primates, bishops and clergy until such time as they reverse their theological innovations, and show a commitment to abide by the decisions of the Lambeth Conference. This suspension of communion would not include those bishops and clergy who have distanced themselves from the direction of the TEC (such as the Communion Partners group).

Read it all.

The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in March. That sounds impressive until you look more closely. At least a third of them were temporary government hires to take the census””better than no job but hardly worth writing home about. The 112,000 real new jobs were fewer than the 150,000 needed to keep up with the growth of the U.S. population. It’s far better than it was””we’re not hemorrhaging jobs as we did in 2008 and 2009””but the bleeding hasn’t stopped.

Since the start of the Great Recession in December 2007, the economy has shed 8.4 million jobs and failed to create another 2.7 million required by an ever-larger pool of potential workers. That leaves us more than 11 million jobs behind. (The number is worse if you include everyone working part-time who’d rather it be full-time, those working full-time at fewer hours, and people who are overqualified for the jobs they’re in.) This means even if we enjoy a vigorous recovery that produces, say, 300,000 net new jobs a month, we could be looking at five to eight years before catching up to where we were before the recession began.

Given how many Americans are unemployed or underemployed, it’s hard to see where we get sufficient demand to support a vigorous recovery. Outlays from the federal stimulus have already passed their peak, and the Federal Reserve won’t keep interest rates near zero for very long. Although consumers are beginning to come out of their holes, it will be many years before they can return to their pre-recession levels of spending. Most households rely on two wage earners, of whom at least one is now likely to be unemployed, underemployed or in danger of losing a job. And even households whose incomes have returned are likely to be residing in houses whose values haven’t””which means they can’t turn their homes into cash machines as they did before the recession.

Read it all from the Wall Street Journal.

I am not a Catholic. But I have long valued the church of Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton as a key voice in our global conversations on war and peace, labor and capital, life and death. So recent headlines do not just make me sad for the thousands of victims. They also make me lament the plummeting moral authority of one of the world’s oldest surviving international organizations.

At least for now, Pope Benedict is the wrong man for this job, not least because he doesn’t seem to understand that the job at hand is nothing less than rescuing his church from moral bankruptcy. Whether he can do so is an open question. But as Catholics have long affirmed, the first step, for him and for his hierarchy, is confession.

Read it all.

Based on past studies of those who avoid Christian churches, one of the driving forces behind such behavior is the painful experiences endured within the local church context. In fact, one Barna study among unchurched adults shows that nearly four out of every ten non-churchgoing Americans (37%) said they avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people.

Bestselling author Stephen Mansfield has written a new book (ReChurch) that digs into those experiences. As one who has been wounded by past church behavior, Mansfield encourages those who have been hurt by the local church to overcome that pain and suffering ”“ if not in response to a biblical command or for the benefit of the church, then for their own healing and maturation.

Citing numerous examples, Mansfield notes that God uses people’s pain ”“ and their own immaturity, in some cases ”“ to reshape us. There is no denying that many churchgoers get wounded by the insensitive or ignorant actions of others in the church. Mansfield points out, though, that those instances are opportunities for us to love others who, like ourselves, are simply “flawed sinners.” Fleeing from the source of pain and suffering, rather than addressing and overcoming it, leaves us wounded and bitter, and does nothing to enhance our lives or those of the people responsible for that suffering.

The solution, according to Mansfield, is forgiveness….

Read it all.

In case you hadn’t surmised as much, I am a bit groggy from yesterday and it will take me a while to get back into the swing of things. Many thanks to all for the warm birthday wishes and of course, I disavow any knowledge of that strange person in all the pictures yesterday –KSH.

After a decade long moratorium, Mormon is back. The name, that is.

It was on display everywhere last weekend (April 3-4) as thousands gathered here for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 180th Annual General Conference in Salt Lake City.

Where LDS leaders once were pushing members to call themselves Latter-day Saints, rather than Mormons, now the church-owned Deseret News has created the Mormon Times. “Mormon Messages” is on YouTube. The “Mormon Channel” is on the radio. And the faith’s missionary Web site is mormon.org.

So what has changed for the nearly 14 million-member church? The Internet.

Read it all.

On Wednesday, April 7, 2010, St. Helena’s, Beaufort hosted a “Conversation with the Bishops.” Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop Mark Lawrence, Bishop FitzSimons Allison, and Bishop Alden Hathaway engaged in a conversation about the Anglican Communion and its emerging global biblical mission.

Listen to it all.

Take a look at the cover here first.

Then check out the story here.

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

One last set of pictures, focusing on Kendall’s love of his dogs and one of his favorite hobbies:

Kendall in his office:

Looking very trim!

The Harmon family dogs currently are: Black lab named Shakan, Toy Maltese named Temah,
Puggle named Sayde. They previously had a pembroke welsh corgi named Rebekah.

Playing a mean game of ping pong – one of his favorite hobbies

Some of Kendall’s other favorite hobbies according to those in the know are crossword puzzles, watching mysteries, Premier League Football (Soccer)… and of course, blogging!

In honor of Kendall’s birthday, with help from Elizabeth Harmon, we’ve updated Kendall’s biography.

About The. Rev. Dr. Kendall S. Harmon

Born in 1960 in Illinois and raised in central New Jersey, Kendall Harmon is a graduate of the Lawrenceville School. He experienced meeting Jesus Christ personally at age eighteen. Kendall went to Maine where he attended Bowdoin College. He was an active communicant at St Matthew’s, Lisbon Falls, and a chemistry major at Bowdoin. He graduated, Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude, in 1982. He received seminary training at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia from 1982 to 1984, and Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, from which he graduated in 1987. He met his wife, Elizabeth, a nurse at Allegheny General Hospital, during this time. From 1987 to 1990 he served as Assistant Rector of Church of the Holy Comforter, Sumter, South Carolina, where their oldest child, Abigail, was born.

The Harmons moved to Oxford, England in 1990. There, Elizabeth worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital and their two youngest children, Nathaniel and Selimah Marie, were born. In 1993 Kendall was awarded his Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University, defending a dissertation on some twentieth-century theological explorations of the doctrine of hell.

Upon returning to South Carolina in 1993, Kendall was called to St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Summerville. The current rector, the Rev Michael Lumpkin, called him to serve as Theologian – in – Residence, a position he held from 1996-2001. His ministry during this period emphasized preaching, teaching, and writing, particularly in the area of eschatology, or the study of the last things. For example, he taught in parishes in the diocese of South Carolina on the film “Left Behind,” noting that while it raises important questions its answers are desperately wanting.

Dr Harmon’s writings have appeared in various publications within the Church, including Episcopal Life, The Living Church, The Anglican Digest, Church Times, and the Church of England Newspaper. Outside the Church his commentary has appeared in the Charleston Post and Courier, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. An edited section of his doctoral thesis, “Nothingness and Human Destiny: Hell in the Thought of C.S. Lewis,” appeared in The Pilgrim’s Guide: C.S. Lewis and the Art of Witness (Eerdmans, 1998).

Dr Harmon has served in many positions in the diocese of South Carolina, including those of member of the Standing Committee and Examining Chaplain. At the national level, he served as a deputy to the 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006 General Conventions.

Since January 2002, Dr. Harmon has been serving as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of South Carolina and editor of the Anglican Digest , one of the largest circulation publications in the Anglican Communion. He is also assistant editor of the Jubilate Deo, the diocesan newspaper for the diocese of South Carolina, director of communications for the Diocese of South Carolina, and Assistant Rector of Christ/Saint Paul’s Yonges Island , South Carolina. Early in 2009 Kendall was appointed as the Anglican Communion Development Director in the Diocese of South Carolina. In his free time he edits the Titusonenine blog, a popular site for articles and discussion on religion, theology and culture.

The elves’ secret informant outdid herself in coming up with some wonderful pictures to share! Seeing this side of Kendall reminded this elf that Kendall often posts humorous entries under the “From the Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously Department….” Well, clearly Kendall knows how to heed that exhortation, so, in that spirit, we share these priceless photos! Thanks for helping us to laugh Kendall, Happy Birthday!!!

Pretending to be a waitress at Silver Bay YMCA camp:

A pregnant Kendall:

Kendall & Elizabeth at Kendall’s ordination:

preaching as a seminarian at St. John’s Johns Island SC

Kendall speaking at the Plano gathering, 2003:

More wonderful pictures celebrating Kendall, his lovely bride Elizabeth, and their family:

Kendall’s daughter Selimah got together with some of her friends from her acapella group to wish Kendall Happy Birthday:

As our family informant noted, Kendall can be very silly at times. Here are a few more pix from Kendall as he was growing up, with a few special shots celebrating Kendall’s love of a good time, and his wonderful. infectious and well-known laugh! We’ve provided a few captions sent to us along with the pictures, but once again: creative caption submissions are welcome!

Kendall in elementary school:

Kendall is quite silly some times, here playing the “hysterical fan”

Kendall in high school:

He is known for his laugh – it is recognizable from a distance:

From Kendall’s son Nathaniel:

[i]we’re hoping to get a higher resolution copy of this so that the text is visible – stay tuned[/i]

Update: Here’s the text

Dad, You’re 50! But remember it has its benefits:

-Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size

Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.

In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

See! It’s not that bad!

Happy birthday – N

I am interested in what birthday you remember most thankfully and why. Please note that it can be either your birthday, or a birthday of someone else that you helped them celebrate. The most specifics you have the more the rest of us can enjoy your entry–KSH.

Selimah, Kendall’s youngest daughter has a lovely birthday greeting for her dad!

Thanks to a wonderful “guest elf” within Kendall’s family, who shall remain anonymous, we’ve got some WONDERFUL pictures of Kendall we’ll be sharing throughout the day as part of Kendall’s 50th Birthday Bash. Creative captions are welcome!

This is a photo Kendall’s mother loved of her two boys: Randall and Kendall (Kendall
is the older on the right)

Early practice for ministry?? As our informant noted, this is Kendall playing with his brother,
but it looks like baptizing!

In honor of Kendall’s birthday, we’ve put together a quiz to test how well you know Kendall. Answers will follow later in the day, and there may be some clues posted throughout the day. We elves are open to suggestions as to what prize to award the winner!

1) Where did Kendall grow up?

2) When did Kendall meet Christ personally?

3) What college (university) did he attend? Bonus points if you know his major?

4) Where did Kendall meet his wife Elizabeth?

5) How many children do Kendall & Elizabeth have? Bonus points for names….

6) What was the topic of Kendall’s PhD dissertation? Bonus points if you can tell where he earned it.

7) How many times has Kendall served as a deputy to General Convention from South Carolina?

8) How many dogs do the Harmon family currently own? Bonus points for name(s) and breed(s).

9) What are some of Kendall’s favorite hobbies? [lots of room for creative answers on this one!]

10) What are Kendall’s current positions in the Diocese of SC?

Abigail, Kendall & Elizabeth’s oldest daughter, sent us her birthday message to her dad to share on the blog:

Kendall turns 50 today!! To mark this occasion, we elves, with the encouragement and collaboration of certain of Kendall’s close family members, are hijacking the blog today, totally unbeknownst to Kendall! We have lots of fun surprises planned, so check back often throughout the day.

This post is sticky – new entries follow below


Kendall turns 50 today!! To mark this occasion, we elves, with the encouragement and collaboration of certain of Kendall’s close family members, are hijacking the blog today, totally unbeknownst to Kendall! We have lots of fun surprises planned, so check back often throughout the day.

We’d like to invite all TitusOneNine readers to join in the celebration of Kendall’s 50th birthday today. We encourage you to share your greetings, and best wishes on this thread. Even more, we would invite readers to share their appreciation of Kendall, a remembrance of some time you met him or heard him speak, a funny story… Help us all celebrate his life and ministry today by joining in!

Note: you can also honor Kendall by contributing to the open thread Kendall prepared for today and share your own favorite birthday memories.

For the Easter season and a major special occasion in the family, I am taking Monday and Tuesday off from full blogging and will be back Wednesday. There will be one open thread each day–thanks–KSH.

The more specific you can be about why you chose the book, or what you enjoyed about the book, the better–KSH.

Phil Mickelson has been through almost all of golf’s ups and downs, triumphs as well as epic collapses. He has taken some blows from real life as well, with his wife and mother both battling breast cancer, a twist in his life that colored everything that happened at the Masters this year.

So perhaps the final round at Augusta National no longer holds quite the fear factor it once did. Certainly his two previous titles here helped, as did an adoring gallery, which already reflexively rooted for the amiable star and now is fully aware of his family’s heart-tugging plight as well. But it might explain how the golfer known for his on-course gambles that so often backfire managed his round on Sunday without a single bogey.

Read it all.

The next day, at a breakfast with reporters in Washington, Douglas Elmendorf, the head of the Congressional Budget Office, confirmed that his economists have begun studying how to write a value-added tax, a form of national sales tax, because of growing congressional interest in drafting such a measure.

Elmendorf reminded the journalists of the grim news contained in his agency’s analysis of President Obama’s budget proposals. Agreeing with Bernanke that the current course is “unsustainable,” he said that unless something changes, the U.S. will emerge from the Obama years spending one-quarter more than it collects in revenue — 25 percent compared to 19 percent of the gross domestic product.

Closing the gap “can’t be solved through minor changes,” he said. Revenues projected under current laws would barely be sufficient to pay for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, defense and interest on the national debt. Everything else would depend on finding new revenues — or borrowing.

Read the whole piece.

Africa’s biggest country has long been one of its most ungovernable. For a start, it is a grossly artificial, colonial creation. The Muslim Arabs in the north, who have run Sudan since it broke free from Britain in 1956, have little in common with their blacker-skinned Christian and animist compatriots in the south, whom they have periodically enslaved over the centuries. During more than four decades of strife since the British left, at least 2m southerners have been killed. More recently the government in Khartoum, under President Omar al-Bashir, has bludgeoned the disaffected inhabitants of the western region of Darfur since the start of a rebellion in 2003, killing some 300,000 of them and displacing another 3m. Just in the west and the south together, more than 9m people depend on food handouts from abroad. Mr Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity.

It is hardly surprising, then, that the election for parliament and president and a slew of other bodies due to take place on April 11th is likely to be horribly flawed….In the past year or so, Mr Bashir’s ruling party has been stacking the odds in its own favour. The main southern party has withdrawn its candidate for the presidency and is refusing to compete for most of parliament’s northern seats. The main opposition in the north says it will pull out altogether. The brutal Mr Bashir, who came to power in a coup in 1989, is almost sure to retain the presidency. The conundrum of whether Western governments must continue to treat with an ICC indictee in the hope of sustaining a wider peace will be awkwardly unresolved. Foreign governments that have given money to finance the polls no longer hope for “free and fair” elections but ask that they be minimally “credible”.

The election may still be postponed. Yet, despite all these flaws, it is to be hoped that it will go ahead. If it does, the outside world should hold its nose and accept the result.

Read it all.