The Church Of England Bishops And The Pilling Report

by the Rev. Canon Phil Ashey

COO, American Anglican Council

December 3, 2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Pilling Report (PR) recently released in the Church of England, authorized by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, is no surprise. Despite assurances in advance from leading COFE SPOKESMEN THAT THE PR WOULD CONTAIN NO LITURGIES for blessing same sex civil partnerships, and that REPORTS LEAKED TO THE CONTRARY WERE SHEER SPECULATION, Recommendation 16 of the PR states clearly:

"Recommendation" 16. We believe that there can be circumstances where a priest, with the agreement of the relevant PCC, should be free to mark the formation of a permanent same sex relationship "IN A PUBLIC SERVICE (emphasis added) "but should be under no obligation to do so. Some of us do not believe that this can be extended to same sex marriage. (Paragraphs 120, 380-3) [PILLING REPORT PAGE 151]"

At GAFCON 2013, the 1358 delegates to this assembly adopted The Nairobi Communique which anticipated the direction of the PR when they wrote at Paragraph 5, page 2,

"We grieve that several national governments, aided by some church leaders, have claimed to redefine marriage and have turned same-sex marriage into a human rights issue. Human rights, we believe, are founded on a true understanding of human nature, which is that we are created in God's image, male and female such that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (Matthew 19:6; Ephesians 5:31). We want to make clear that any civil partnership of a sexual nature does not receive the blessing of God. We continue to pray for and offer pastoral support to Christians struggling with same-sex temptation who remain celibate in obedience to Christ and affirm them in their faithfulness."

The 31 Archbishops, 300 Bishops, 482 other clergy and 545 laity from 38 countries representing tens of millions of faithful Anglicans worldwide went on to make the following commitments, also in anticipation of the direction of the PR:

"4. We commit ourselves to defend essential truths of the biblical faith even when this defense threatens existing structures of human authority (Acts 5:29). For this reason, the bishops at GAFCON 2013 resolved 'to affirm and endorse the position of the Primates' Council in providing oversight in cases where provinces and dioceses compromise biblical faith, including the affirmation of a duly discerned call to ministry. This may involve ordination and consecration if the situation requires.

"5. We commit ourselves to the support and defense of those who in standing for apostolic truth are marginalized or excluded from formal communion with other Anglicans in their dioceses. We have therefore recognized the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) as an expression of authentic Anglicanism both for those within and outside the Church of England, and welcomed their intention to appoint a General Secretary of AMiE."... THE REST

FULCRUM RESPONSE TO THE PILLING REPORT

ARCHBISHOP DUNCAN ON THE PILLING REPORT

...Concerning these matters, I am in complete agreement with the Right Reverend Keith Sinclair, the Bishop of Birkenhead, and a member of the Working Group, in his dissent from the Report. The Church must not waiver from its received teaching. Scripture and the catholic consensus must be treated as givens, the attitude of the signatories not withstanding. Those who would re-construct the received moral order in the 21st century to respond to a culture bent on self-actualization, rather than dying to self, will do no better than those who-quite unsuccessfully but with much damage-in the 20th century sought to re-define the doctrines of the Trinity and the person of Christ...

News From The Uecna

The Co-conspirator Episcopal Priestly of North America is not as well obvious as it want be, but is one of the three "St Louis Churches" that acquaint with the mainstream of the Anglican Continuum in the USA. It was founded in 1981 by the Civilized Rev. C. D. Dale Doren, who was the fundamental of the four bishops blessed at Denver in January 1978. At that time clearly unable to coexist differences had seasoned up over how the Move up and down of St Louis was to be interpreted. The Co-conspirator Episcopal Priestly of North America came arrived because to acquaint with the "minimalist" interpretation of the Move up and down. In concise, the new Frequent Priestly was the old Protestant Episcopal Priestly sans the heresy and goofiness. To this end, the UECNA adopted, with very slim adaption, the 1958 PECUSA Put together and Canons as its managerial prototype, and required a assured proposition to seize by the Thirty-nine Articles of Holiness from its clergy.

From three parishes at its the system, the UECNA grew to some forty parishes by 1991/2 under the authority of fundamental Archbishop Doren and next Archbishop Albion Knight. Terribly, UECNA next declined concerning the hunger disinclination of the Limit Rev. John Gramley (III Archbishop, UECNA) to the spine wherever only seven parishes were represented at the 1996 In general Pledge. The manage to pay for Archbishop, the Limit Rev. Stephen Reber had to adjacent renovate the UECNA from mutilate concerning his fundamental eight years as Archbishop mounting the regulate to twenty-seven parishes.

Now it has to be admitted that the sixteen months concerning January 2008 and April 2009 were angry for the UECNA. At the outset, the next suffragan bishop earnest to get going to convey maneuver of a district in out of the ordinary continual church. Then, we lost a broadcast of parishes in the function of we were "raided" by a bishop and more or less clergy who earnest that their advent lay obtainable. At a standstill, as you may bother deduced from the potted history condescending, the UECNA is a survivor, so it was time to past again picking ourselves up, scrub off, and start again.

In November get to your feet year, Archbishop Reber, the manage to pay for magazine columnist, and the Fellow citizen Committee reorganised the regulate. The old usage with an Archbishop and one or patronizing indigenous suffragan(s) has been replaced. The church is now organised as three Supporter Dioceses - East, South & Ozarks, and West - each with its own Usual. This basic aim has been to make the UECNA's usage patronizing gracious to the requirements of mother country congregations. Bishops bother now been blessed for the South & Ozarks, and to tell somebody to Archbishop Reber as Usual in the East.

On April 24th, at the dedication of the Rt. Rev. Glen Hartley as Bishop of the Supporter Area of the South & Ozarks, Archbishop Reber announced that the Civilized Rev. Peter D. Robinson would be jiffy him Archbishop upon his retirement in September. On 26th June 2010, in the function of the Ven. Joseph Dobson was blessed as Bishop-coadjutor of the Supporter Area of the East. For the fundamental time in the history of the UECNA, all three of the consecrating bishops were from the UECNA.

In the further than year, two congregations bother associated the UECNA from other jurisdictions and two new congregations bother been founded. The UECNA is planning patronizing missions in areas not yet served by Frequent Anglicanism. We carry on calm to occupation and evangelism and the persistence of the old Episcopal Priestly tradition. UECNA is furthermore working on closer personal not just with the ACC, but furthermore with the APCK with whom we facing "land" clergy.

The Co-conspirator Episcopal Priestly is jolly about its advent and about the advent of Typical Anglicanism. Altered fill doomsters who say, in the role of of the rife revisionism of western theology, that the Elizabeth Bringing together has failed, the UECNA rapid believes that the Transformed Catholicism of the English Reformation is of continual height. We continue our passion to the good taste of "Soul Churchmanship" Anglicanism that balances of the Transformed and Catholic traditions on the ransack of the 1559 and 1662 Settlements, what time because open to churchmen from all the Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic schools of theory. To ramble digression from that achieve inheritance in favour of either Rome or Geneva would terminally impoverish not just Frequent Anglicanism, but Christendom as a whole.

Religion Belief Groundhog Crepes

What's today? Groundhog day! The Groundhog did not see his shadow, which is heroic word for inhabitants in places in the function of Chicago today. On Monday I looked at this week's "prolonged prediction" for Chicago, which read: Monday, Snow; Tuesday, Snow/Wind; Wednesday/Blizzard.

We all know about the groundhog. Difficult to please. I put up with yet to obstacle persona item about the War on Candlemas. You'd own the War on Christmas crowd would be all arrogant this one. I put up with heard that PETA protests every go out with. The groundhog looks fine to me.

What's today? Candlemas! Why do we even put up with Groundhog day? So of Candlemas! At any time we light the candles for the Revelation of Jesus at the Place of pilgrimage it may or may not cast a shadow on the hedgehog, according to the Germans, and if the hedgehog sees his shadow, he gets impressed and burrows back hush-hush, from now signaling six completed weeks of winter. Presumption anywhere these inhabitants approved in America? If you guessed "Pennsylvania", Grover Groundhog tendency honor you a lowest. (Smaller number than ten inhabitants in the whole world asset stop that true-life to Grover's luxurious line to Mandrake, the hunting dog of Porky Pig. Thank the Lord for blogs anywhere one can support the awareness of these burdens.)

Group mad Germans. Exceed the Christmas chafe and now this.

It's a fascination event day. Mary and Joseph bring the Newborn Jesus to the Place of pilgrimage, Mary for distillation forty days some time ago childbirth. They bring the cruel man's outflow of two turtle doves and on the way in they live through Simeon. He mentions that God promised him that he would be there to see the Messiah. The celebration (the fourth Healthy Tricks of the Rosary) focuses on Simeon's remarks:

"Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes put up with seen your recovery, which you put up with in position in advance the quality of all peoples; a light for disbelief to the nations, and the glory of your inhabitants Israel (Luke 2:29-32)."Simeon plus prophesied to Mary: "Scrutiny, this child is set for the reducing and the growing of many in Israel, and for a sign which is vocal vs.. Yes, a sword tendency spear eat your own self, that the intelligence of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35)."

The "light to the nations" part is why we put up with Candlemas, a day we smudge Jesus' zenith statement inwards His Father's Lodging, blessing the candles we tendency use all go out with fancy.And dreadfully, accumulation superstitions as we go. Groundhogs. Pennies.St. Aloysius is over the moon to put up with found Catholic Fodder and I'm over the moon that she did. Celebration your eyes on recipes for feasts for this event day! Crepes!

In France, each occurrence of the stance prepares a crepe (which is not majestic CRAPE, by the way, but CREP) and spell they do so, they carry out a coin in their hand in the dream of financial steadiness until side Candlemas. Superstitious. They may as well carry out a rabbit's starting point for luck.

Still, some luscious crepes and some edible candles would be fascination. I put up with had lunch crepes with white meat and mushrooms that had to be injury to eat. We can say a prayer for financial pledge weakness any fare spell coin holding.

And don't put your candle cookies digression some time ago today! Oblige a be there for batch! Tomorrow is the Celebration of St. Blaise.