Monthly Archives: October 2013

A Prayer to Begin the Day

O Lord, who hast taught us that we can only be forgiven, as we ourselves forgive: Help us ever to bear in mind our continued shortcomings, our manifold transgressions; that as we remember the injuries which we have suffered and never merited, we may also remember the kindnesses which we have received and never earned, the punishments which we have deserved and never suffered; and therewith may render thanks to thee for thine unfailing mercies, and the mercies of our fellowmen; for thy name’s sake.

Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Scripture Readings

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

–Revelation 1:5b-8

Posted in Theology, Theology: Scripture

Christopher Howse visits a convent in Kent 1,300 years old, consecrated by an Asian archbishop

The village sign at Minster in Thanet, Kent, says “AD 670”. But the settlement is far older, for Roman bricks are built into the tower of St Mary’s Church….

Autumn suits Minster. Seagulls sat on the steep-pitched roof the church and pigeons cooed round its tower last week as the leaves began to fall ”“ though not those of the mature olive trees near the churchyard, which clement winters have allowed to flourish. Even so, the blazing log fire at the Bell public house was welcome once sunset approached.
Minster once stood on the shore of the Isle of Thanet when it was a true island separated from Kent by the sea. That was a source of prosperity from trade, but also a fatal weakness, for the Vikings repeatedly plundered and destroyed Minster.

The name is from the Latin for monastery (as in “Westminster”), and the year 670 was when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, consecrated the monastery of nuns here.

St Mary’s is a fine, large church, with a stone-vaulted chancel. “The beauties of the east end are fully revealed inside,” says Pevsner’s Buildings of England volume. But it was locked when I arrived, so I crossed Church Street and looked at an even more intriguing old building ”“ Minster Abbey.

Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * Christian Life / Church Life, * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, Archbishop of Canterbury, Church History, England / UK, Religion & Culture, Spirituality/Prayer

Local Paper Mental Health Series–A man finds path from mental illness and poverty to independence

A stable home might be the single most critical piece of the mental illness recovery puzzle ”” and often the hardest to come by, especially the affordable kind.

Yet [David] Rosier is one of a growing number of chronically homeless disabled residents finding help through a program called Lease on Life. It was created in 2008 by Family Services Inc., a North-Charleston-based nonprofit that operates several programs to help disabled people become self-sufficient.

The program helps find permanent housing for the chronically homeless who have disabilities such as mental illness or substance abuse ”” or both, as often is the case.

Today, the program is at capacity assisting 46 households. Since its birth, Lease on Life has served 117 people, Executive Director David Geer said.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * South Carolina, Mental Illness, Poverty, Psychology

(NY Times Op-Ed) Tim Kreider–Slaves of the Internet, Unite!

Not long ago, I received, in a single week, three (3) invitations to write an original piece for publication or give a prepared speech in exchange for no ($0.00) money. As with stinkbugs, it’s not any one instance of this request but their sheer number and relentlessness that make them so tiresome. It also makes composing a polite response a heroic exercise in restraint.

People who would consider it a bizarre breach of conduct to expect anyone to give them a haircut or a can of soda at no cost will ask you, with a straight face and a clear conscience, whether you wouldn’t be willing to write an essay or draw an illustration for them for nothing. They often start by telling you how much they admire your work, although not enough, evidently, to pay one cent for it. “Unfortunately we don’t have the budget to offer compensation to our contributors…” is how the pertinent line usually starts. But just as often, they simply omit any mention of payment….

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, Blogging & the Internet, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, Globalization, Labor/Labor Unions/Labor Market, Theology

(First Things) David Bentley Hart–Dante Decluttered: A review of The Divine Comedy

Clive James’ new translation of the Comedy is an attempt to reverse the effect of the now standard critical editions. James has returned to the older model of English translations and has produced not another text consisting largely in Talmudic layerings and annotations, but a poem in English written upon the pattern of the original, meant to be taken in as a single continuous experience of an unfolding narrative: no halts, shifts in modality, or epicyclic reversions; no dizzying descents into the Dis of the critical apparatus or rapturous ascents to the unadulterated vision of the pure Italian text. It is a noble aspiration, if nothing else; and in many places it is a success.

No one familiar with James’s writings over the years can really doubt that he is an immensely talented, witty, intellectually voracious, readable, and (for the most part) judicious critic. He is also a novelist of some skill, and his memoirs (at least the first volume thereof) are splendid. And he is a genuinely accomplished poet.

He has also, unfortunately, been guilty of a great deal of dreadful dabbling in popular culture, and his career as a television “personality” in Britain has involved him in numerous projects over which posterity, if it has so much as a shred of mercy, will draw the thickest veils of oblivion; his 1993 series Fame in the Twentieth Century was often so molar-grindingly fatuous that to call it froth would be vastly to exaggerate its substantiality.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, Poetry & Literature

(RNS) Report: Church giving reaches Depression-era record lows

Collection plates are growing even lighter as Protestant church member giving reached new lows in 2011, and tithing probably will not recover from the recession, according to a new report by Empty Tomb, a Christian research group.

“Is the issue that the church is not providing an authentic alternative to the consumer mindset?” said Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of Empty Tomb. “Over a period of time, if the church isn’t providing more of an authentic alternative, the church will lose.”

The percentage of a church member’s income given to the church dropped to 2.3 percent in 2011 (the latest year for which numbers are available), down from 2.4 percent in 2010, according to the Empty Tomb study.

Read it all.

Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, Parish Ministry, Personal Finance, Religion & Culture, Stewardship, Theology

(Honolulu Star Advertiser) Episcopal Church in Hawaii affirms support for same-sex Marriage

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai”˜i on Saturday voted to encourage the state Legislature to pass marriage equality, the largest denomination to announce its support of an issue that has divided people of faith.

A resolution was approved by acclamation of the 180 Episcopalians who attended the diocese’s annual convention at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, including 44 clergy. The diocese has 40 worshipping sites and about 9,000 parishioners statewide.

Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, --Civil Unions & Partnerships, Anthropology, Episcopal Church (TEC), Ethics / Moral Theology, Law & Legal Issues, Marriage & Family, Politics in General, Religion & Culture, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion), State Government, TEC Diocesan Conventions/Diocesan Councils, Theology

(The Economist) In response to red tape and high taxes, corporate America is mutating

In 1996 Richard Kinder was the president of Enron and the heir-apparent to Ken Lay, the energy firm’s boss. It was not to be. He was passed over for the top job, apparently judged too conservative to take the helm of America’s most innovative company. His next move, with a partner, was to buy some pipelines and a coal terminal from his former employer. Buying things that rust? It was all very old economy.

Sixteen years later the man who bested Mr Kinder to become Enron’s chief executive is in jail and that company is a byword for misleading accounting. By contrast Kinder Morgan is worth $109 billion, Mr Kinder’s personal stake approaches $9 billion and in the past year alone he has received distributions of $376m. That success is partly due to America’s energy boom and Mr Kinder’s talents; but it is also due to his shrewd use of a distinctive corporate structure….

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, * International News & Commentary, America/U.S.A., Corporations/Corporate Life, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, History, Law & Legal Issues, Politics in General, Taxes, The U.S. Government, Theology

PBS ' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly–Roman Catholic College Identity

BOB FAW, correspondent: This is “coming out day” at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. At this Jesuit institution, three dozen students celebrate homosexual and lesbian lifestyles even though the Catholic Church considers them immoral. Thomas Lloyd is president of Georgetown’s Gay Pride.

THOMAS LLOYD (Student, Georgetown University): By recognizing pride, Georgetown has become more true to its Jesuit values. Commitments to social justice are some of the most important and historically grounded parts of Catholic doctrine.

FAW: But what is sanctioned at one Catholic university is anathema at another: Florida’s Ave Maria University.

JIM TOWEY (President, Ave Maria University): This is a university that’s founded on biblical truth, on scripture, and on the sacramental richness of the Catholic Church….

Read or watch and listen to it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Religion News & Commentary, Education, Other Churches, Religion & Culture, Roman Catholic, Young Adults

(LA Times) Some health insurance gets pricier as Obamacare rolls out

Fullerton resident Jennifer Harris thought she had a great deal, paying $98 a month for an individual plan through Health Net Inc. She got a rude surprise this month when the company said it would cancel her policy at the end of this year. Her current plan does not conform with the new federal rules, which require more generous levels of coverage.

Now Harris, a self-employed lawyer, must shop for replacement insurance. The cheapest plan she has found will cost her $238 a month. She and her husband don’t qualify for federal premium subsidies because they earn too much money, about $80,000 a year combined.

“It doesn’t seem right to make the middle class pay so much more in order to give health insurance to everybody else,” said Harris, who is three months pregnant. “This increase is simply not affordable.”

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, --The 2009 American Health Care Reform Debate, Consumer/consumer spending, Corporations/Corporate Life, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, Health & Medicine, Personal Finance, The U.S. Government, Theology

Anglican Theologian J.I. Packer on Servanthood

“Servant” in our English New Testament usually represents the Greek doulos (bondslave). Sometimes it means diakonos (deacon or minister); this is strictly accurate, for doulos and diakonos are synonyms. Both words denote a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master’s purchased property. Bought to serve his master’s needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave’s sole business is to do as he is told. Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave relationship to one’s Savior (1 Corinthians. 6:19-20).
What work does Christ set his servants to do? The way that they serve him, he tells them, is by becoming the slaves of their fellow-servants and being willing to do literally anything, however costly, irksome, or undignified, in order to help them. This is what love means, as he himself showed at the Last supper when he played the slave’s part and washed the disciples’ feet.

When the New Testament speaks of ministering to the saints, it means not primarily preaching to them but devoting time, trouble, and substance to giving them all the practical help possible. The essence of Christian service is loyalty to the king expressing itself in care for his servants (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Only the Holy Spirit can create in us the kind of love toward our Savior that will overflow in imaginative sympathy and practical helpfulness towards his people. Unless the spirit is training us in love, we are not fit persons to go to college or a training class to learn the know-how or particular branches of Christian work. Gifted leaders who are self-centered and loveless are a blight to the church rather than a blessing.

–J.I. Packer Your Father Loves you (Carol Stream. Illinois: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986) and quoted by yours truly in the morning sermon

Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, Parish Ministry, Pastoral Theology, Spirituality/Prayer, Theology, Theology: Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)

Lowcountry South Carolina rabbis respond to big changes in American Jewish identity

Rabbi Stephanie Alexander of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, a Reform congregation downtown, said that unlike in a church or mosque, belief in God is not the singular underpinning of Judaism.

At her synagogue, involvement is as much about worship as assembling in a community and studying Judaism.

“It is an openness to God that is essential,” Alexander said. “It’s a willingness to wrestle with whether or not you believe in God.”

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Religion News & Commentary, * South Carolina, Judaism, Other Faiths, Religion & Culture

(FT) America is a superpower at risk of slippage

It has been 10 days since the US government shutdown came to an end. And if the bond market were your guide, there would appear to be no lasting costs ”“ the 10-year US Treasury yield dipped below 2.5 per cent this week for the first time since August.

Yet beneath the surface, Washington’s flirtation with a voluntary default has shaken confidence in American political institutions. There may be no immediate rival to the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Markets are more preoccupied by prospects of a delay to the Federal Reserve’s tapering plans. But as John Kerry, US secretary of state, said this week, the world is now monitoring the US to see when it will recover its senses. It cannot afford to make a habit of political recklessness.

The fact that Washington is undergoing a crisis of will, rather than ability, is not particularly reassuring. There is no question that the Treasury’s has capacity to service US obligations. At about 75 per cent of gross domestic product, publicly held US debt is entirely manageable ”“ and less than a third of that of Japan. And the US fiscal deficit is on course to drop below 4 per cent of GDP next year.

Read it all (if necessary another link is there).

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, Currency Markets, Economy, Foreign Relations, Globalization, Politics in General, The U.S. Government

Local Politics (IV)–A Former State Senator opposes a Dorchester Cnty Sales Tax Inxrease

[Many voters]… are angry that their County Council has scheduled its fourth attempt to pass LOST in a special election on Nov. 5, 2013, when they know that low voter turnout and $33,000+ special costs are assured, rather than in a regularly scheduled, no extra cost election in, say, Nov. 2014. They also are angry about Council’s misinformation (until corrected by citizens) that LOST would not tax groceries (it does) and its annual costs would be much lower than they are; some Councilmen’s expressing disdain for opposition to LOST, denouncing citizen statements as false but refusing to give corrections, refusing to provide evidence of Councilmen’s claims, and not understanding the consequences of LOST; and one Councilman at a public meeting uncivilly tossing away two anti-LOST flyers on a nearby table, yelling they were all “lies” and wagging his finger at a LOST opponent as he derisively challenged that opponent to a debate at which the Councilman declared he would “shred” the opponent.

Citizens are angry to realize that, while LOST would give property tax relief to some, large numbers of citizens essentially would not benefit at all; most would pay more sales tax than they would save in property tax; most benefits would go to a wealthy few who need them the least; the costs of getting LOST tax benefits would be exorbitant; and the LOST tax would grow government by increasing government spending.

Read it all.

Posted in * Economics, Politics, * South Carolina, City Government, Economy, Politics in General, Taxes

A Prayer to Begin the Day

We give thee thanks, O God our Father, for the good work which thou hast begun in us, in that thou hast called us to the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee; and we pray thee so to continue thy work in us that our lives may be strengthened for thy service in the fellowship of the gospel, and our love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, to thy praise and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may appear in my glory, says the LORD. You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while you busy yourselves each with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought upon the land and the hills, upon the grain, the new wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all their labors.” Then Zerub’babel the son of She-al’ti-el, and Joshua the son of Jehoz’adak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared before the LORD. Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD’s message, “I am with you, says the LORD.” And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerub’babel the son of She-al’ti-el, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehoz’adak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month. In the second year of Darius the king…

–Haggai 1:7-15

Posted in Theology, Theology: Scripture

John Lomperis–The United Miracle: A Methodist Seminary Turns from Reappraising into Reasserting

Not long ago, United Theological Seminary (UTS) in the Dayton, Ohio area was just another declining, has-been mainline seminary, facing ominous financial hardships, dominated by Scripture-demoting theological liberalism, and reflective of so much of what was wrong with its shrinking sponsoring denomination, the United Methodist Church. The former seminary of the Evangelical United Brethren (which merged with the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church in 1968) was founded by Bishop Milton Wright, father of the famed Wright brothers.

Today, the school is a very different place than what many alumni experienced. It is now explicitly committed to a high view of biblical authority, “the historic Christian faith,” “the cultivation of holiness,” and “the renewal of the church.” Rev. Dr. Wendy Deichmann, UTS’s president since 2008, openly associates with the Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church, an evangelical caucus group with which IRD’s UMAction program has worked closely over the years. Applicants for faculty positions must be explicitly committed “to the historic Christian faith.”

God has clearly been blessing this new direction under the leadership of President Deichmann.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, * Religion News & Commentary, America/U.S.A., Methodist, Other Churches, Religion & Culture, Seminary / Theological Education, Theology

Local Politics (III)-Why Kendall Harmon will be Voting Against a Dorchester Cnty Sales Tax Inxrease

It would be nice if more Christians understood that our faith always has local implications, including our life in public, which is in the polis, and therefore our faith has local political ramifications. The are derivative, yes, they are always penultimate, but they do matter.

This whole campaign makes me sad. It is a pitch to lessen property taxes by raising sales taxes. Allegedly.

It is immoral in all sorts of ways but here are two principle reasons why I will vote no. First, it is a regressive tax. Those least able to will have to pay more tax (and yes it goes on groceries!). And secondly, the other argument I hear all over is all the other counties are doing it so we should to, otherwise we will lose business etc. to nearby counties which already have the (dumb, immoral) tax. This is right out if 1 Samuel where Israel asks for a King since all the other nations have one.

Now this may cause property taxes to be slightly higher, and since we own our home, that will involve us. I don’t know anyone who likes higher taxes, but if this is the implication of my vote this coming November, so be it.

County Leaders should be ashamed of themselves (especially since this is the fourth time they have tried this)–KSH.

Posted in * By Kendall, * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, City Government, Consumer/consumer spending, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, Housing/Real Estate Market, Personal Finance, Politics in General, Rural/Town Life, Taxes, Theology

Local Politics (II)–Confusion, opposition emerge over Dorchester County local option sales tax

Larry Hargett might be right: Dorchester County residents might not know enough about a local option sales tax yet to vote on it.

If the county councilman is, that’s not good news for leaders pushing the Nov. 5 referendum.

Earlier this year, County Council unanimously approved a referendum for the local election Nov. 5. Now they are visibly frustrated by the sometimes hostile opposition.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, City Government, Consumer/consumer spending, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, Housing/Real Estate Market, Personal Finance, Politics in General, Rural/Town Life, Taxes, Theology

Local Politics (I)–Proposed Sales Tax Increase for the County in which I live (Dorchester in S.C.)

Herewith the question as it will read on the ballot November 5.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, * South Carolina, City Government, Consumer/consumer spending, Economy, Housing/Real Estate Market, Personal Finance, Politics in General, Rural/Town Life, Taxes

(Guardian) Joanna Moorhead–Prince George is being baptised ”“ if only more children were

A baptism is all about renouncing the devil, washing away the stain of original sin, and entrusting your child’s soul to God. But here’s betting that for Kate and William today’s ceremony is less about religion and more an opportunity for a happy party, surrounded by the people they most care about, to celebrate the arrival of their son. And if it is, what’s wrong with that?

The tradition of having your baby baptised is in decline in Britain: christenings in the Church of England are down by around a half on what they were in 1980, and there’s a similar story in the Catholic church. Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury who’s presiding at the font in St James’s Palace today, says it would be wonderful if the baptism of Prince George led other parents to think about getting their baby christened. And he’s right ”“ not because the church needs bums on its pews, but because baptism is an age-old rite of passage that provides one of those all-important moments in family life when we pause, take stock, and think about both where we’ve come from and where we’re going, and how important it is to support one another along the way.

Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, Anglican Provinces, Baptism, Children, Church of England (CoE), England / UK, Marriage & Family, Religion & Culture, Sacramental Theology, Theology

(NY Times) Gambling Debate Entangles Disney in Florida

Disney, a powerhouse in Florida because of its financial might and its sway over the tourism industry, has long led the fight against the expansion of casinos in the state, arguing successfully that gambling tarnishes Florida’s coveted family-friendly brand.

This year is no exception. For the second time in two years, state lawmakers are preparing to decide whether Las Vegas-style resort casinos should be allowed to open in Florida, a move that Disney hopes to thwart again. The company is so opposed to gambling that not even Disney cruise ships offer casinos, a mainstay of major cruise liners.

But in a nation increasingly awash in various forms of gambling, Disney is finding that keeping a constantly growing entertainment conglomerate completely removed from gambling is far more challenging than it used to be.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, Corporations/Corporate Life, Economy, Ethics / Moral Theology, Gambling, Politics in General, State Government, Theology

(CNN) Polyamory: When three isn't a crowd

It’s not just a fling or a phase for them. It’s an identity. They want to show that polyamory can be a viable alternative to monogamy, even for middle-class, suburban families with children, jobs and house notes.

“We’re not trying to say that monogamy is bad,” said Billy Holder, a 36-year-old carpenter who works at a university in Atlanta. “We’re trying to promote the fact that everyone has a right to develop a relationship structure that works for them.

Read it all (my emphasis).

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, * Religion News & Commentary, --Polyamory, America/U.S.A., Anthropology, Ethics / Moral Theology, Health & Medicine, History, Marriage & Family, Other Faiths, Psychology, Secularism, Sexuality, Theology

Laurel Moffatt: GAFCON – Strands of Loving Kindness

As at any conference, ID badges dangle on lanyards around the necks of all the delegates. The lanyards at GAFCON are actually fine strands of beads. Here utility meets delicate beauty.

When I first received my badge, I didn’t think much of the lanyard. That’s a nice detail, I thought. A touch of Africa. But there’s a story behind these strands of beads. A good one.

Each one of the strands of beads that the 1300 delegates wear this week at GAFCON was handmade by women and girls in the Marsabit Diocese of northern Kenya. Small strands of loving kindness.

They have made these under the guidance of Alice Wangui, a Mother’s Union worker for this area, and Mama Sue, who is married to the bishop of this diocese.


Photo: Ladies of Marsabit, Laurel Moffatt

This is a place of Hot and Dry. The deserts have names I had not heard before. My mouth works to pronounce them, the syllables lying like rocks in my mouth:
Turlbi
Kargi
Marikona
Isiola

This is a place of Push and Pull. Where tribes war over those fleeting commodities, water and pasture.

The names of the tribes as new to me as the names of the desserts in which they live: Borana, Ledile, Burlge, Gabra, Saburu, Turkana,

The Borana and Burlge fight as I write.

Life is Hard and Dry, Alice tells me. It’s a place where rain does not deign to fall. Except every two years. Or three,

Beautiful. Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, Anglican Church of Kenya, Anglican Provinces, GAFCON II 2013, Global South Churches & Primates

GAFCON Leaders Point to “Strong Foundation of the Bible” at Second Press Gathering

“That [GAFCON] has come to the soil of Africa has been historic,” noted Nigerian Archbishop Ben Kwashi, calling the conference “a blessing.” Praising the depth of Bible teaching at the event, the leader of Jos diocese highlighted conference concerns such as care of the oppressed and sharing of one another’s burdens.

“As an African, I’m tired of hearing all the bad news about Africa,” Kwashi candidly stated. “GAFCON has given good news.”
Kwashi, whose diocese in Nigeria’s middle belt has been hard hit by Islamist violence, noted that “militants are as merciless to Christians as they are to peaceful Muslims.”

“We love and are called to love ”” in this many Christians have lost their lives. In time, militancy will be defeated, but we have to communicate with those who do not love us ”” that isn’t easy.”

Read it all.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, GAFCON II 2013, Global South Churches & Primates

Some Final Tweets from GAFCON Day 6

Jake Belder ”@jakebelder
A big thank you to the #gafcon2013 delegates! All of us confessing Anglicans are grateful for your faithfulness and your work this past week [This elf seconds this tweet!]

Canon Jack Lumanog ”@CanonLumanog
After the #GAFCON2013 statement was read and received, I got a high five and an enormous hug from Archbishop Ben… http://fb.me/SKpw7I9Z

Canon Jack Lumanog ”@CanonLumanog
#gafcon2013 “You have been on the Mount of Transfiguration. It is time to return to your homes and the… http://fb.me/2RuhYK8Hy

David Martin Hanke ”@dmhanke
‘Lift high the cross!’ Closing Eucharist. #gafcon2013 http://instagram.com/p/f7XvvUlhcD/

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
Closing with Stand Up For Jesus #GAFCon2013

Rev. Anson Ann ”@revansonann
++Wabukala thanked the Kenyan police force by giving them a bible… this will never happen in the West. #GAFCON2013 pic.twitter.com/n1CuZVeAks

Nigel Fortescue ”@nigelfortescue
The Police are presented with a new Bible by AB Wabukala in thanks for helping 2 keep us safe. #gafcon2013 “Now go read it to your friends!”

Nigel Fortescue ”@nigelfortescue
PFJ [Abp. Peter Jensen] gets a standing ovation. Now Martyn Minns too. #gafcon2013 pic.twitter.com/774vwESs0p

Nigel Fortescue ”@nigelfortescue
Lots of thanks. Especially to the Kenyan church who have cared for us and bolstered security with government help. #gafcon2013

Nigel Fortescue ”@nigelfortescue
Thunderous applause. Standing ovation. Spontaneous singing. PFJ crying. Statement has an impact! #gafcon2013 pic.twitter.com/91NqfjIN0F

Helmut Paul Wambi ”@wambipaul
@gafconference it has been a success here in Nairobi. #gafcon2013

Rev. Anson Ann ”@revansonann
After the final Nairobi Communique was read out, there was a standing ovation and singing broke out. #GAFCON2013 pic.twitter.com/447VxPpRcN

Nigel Fortescue ”@nigelfortescue
Dr Senyonyi x2 [John & Ruth] come forward to read the GAFCON 2013: The Nairobi Communique. #gafcon2013 This will be a moving moment.

Nigel Fortescue ”@nigelfortescue
There’s been too much caution. Anglican caution has brought us to today! Bishop of Recife, Brazil #gafcon2013

daveclancey ”@daveclancey
The armor of God is the gospel. #GAFCON2013 #eph6 #ArmorofGod

daveclancey ”@daveclancey
“Everything starts with prayer. And ends with prayer.” Bp Miguel Uchoa. #gafcon2013

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
Key moments and decision moments are prayer moments – Bp Ochoa #GAFCon2013 #Preach

Rev. Anson Ann ”@revansonann
+Ochoa: Be strong in the Lord (Eph 6:10). Don’t depend on yourself. Don’t even try. #GAFCON2013 pic.twitter.com/UY0Ug8T1uW

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
Say to the Lord, “Let me never walk in my presumption” – Bp Ochoa #GAFCon2013 #BoldPrayer

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
Each challenge we face, no matter how big, has our God who is much bigger – Bp Ochoa #GAFCon2013 #Eph6 #Truth

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
Don’t even try to live a Godly life on your own. Depending on the Lord means less of you more of Him – Bp Ochoa #GAFCon2013 #Eph6

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
The All Saints children’s choir blessing our socks off w In Christ Alone #GAFCon2013”¦ http://instagram.com/p/f7HWqFl3rW/

daveclancey ”@daveclancey
Gafcon is a movement. So we must move ahead. Bp Miguel Uchoa of Recife. #gafcon2013

Rev. Anson Ann ”@revansonann
Our beloved #ANiC bishops at #GAFCON2013. pic.twitter.com/CNDABq8G3h

Zane Elliott ”@squeakycog
Hallelujah thine the glory, hallelujah amen, hallelujah thine the glory, revive us again. The cry of #gafcon2013 the heart of #Anglicans

gillian davidson ”@gfdavo
Final church service of #gafcon2013 a time of personal and corporate repentance.

gillian davidson ”@gfdavo
Bp Kanuku, Kenya on Eph 6 urging #gafcon2013 to humbly, in repentance put on the breastplate of God and face the fight that confronts us.

Canon Jack Lumanog ”@CanonLumanog
Last day of #gafcon2013 and my body has just about had it! The spirit is willing – but the flesh is weak.

Heather Strong Moore ”@StrongHeather
Yesterday my Rwandan sister, Vivian, told me I dance like an African! #Yessss #Arrived #GAFCon2013 @ThornhillMA @grod125

Anglican Future ”@gafconference
Thankful to All Saints Cathedral and ACK for gracious hospitality and Christ-like love to #gafcon2013 delegates #anglican

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * Culture-Watch, - Anglican: Commentary, --Social Networking, Blogging & the Internet, GAFCON II 2013, Global South Churches & Primates

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Alfred the Great

O Sovereign Lord, who didst bring thy servant Alfred to a troubled throne that he might establish peace in a ravaged land and revive learning and the arts among the people: Awake in us also, we beseech thee, a keen desire to increase our understanding while we are in this world, and an eager longing to reach that endless life where all will be made clear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, Church History, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer to Begin the Day

O Almighty God, who by thy holy apostle hast called upon us to present our bodies to thee a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable service: Graciously hear us, we beseech thee, O Lord, and grant that we may so dedicate ourselves wholly to thy service that henceforth we may live only to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church

Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

–Matthew 12:33-42

Posted in Theology, Theology: Scripture