Texanglican

My Sermon of Last Sunday

2011-08-16T05:49:00.002-05:00

Those interested in what preaching at St. Vincent's Cathedral is like might find my sermon on the Canaanite woman last Sunday to be useful.

ACNA Diocese of Fort Worth is Growing!

2011-03-31T16:21:00.002-05:00

From Bishop Iker's page on the diocesan website:

Good news is always worth sharing!

The results of the Annual Parochial Reports from each congregation in the diocese have now been tabulated, and we are pleased to see that we are growing!

The most significant numbers for us are the average Sunday attendance (ASA) and the combined Net Disposable Income (NDI) of all our churches. Our ASA for 2010 was 5,726, an increase from 5,567 from the previous year (almost 3%), and our NDI was $11,261,530, an increase of $803,572 from 2009 (nearly 8%).

For purposes of comparison, it is interesting to note that for the year before we separated from the General Convention of the Episcopal Church our ASA was 6,880 and our NDI was $12,369,944. At that time, there were 55 churches in the diocese, and there are now 58. Needless to say, we are well on the way to recovering the losses we suffered at that time.

My commendations and appreciation go out to all our clergy and lay leaders who are seeking to build up the Body of Christ. May the Lord in His goodness continue to bless us and guide us by His Holy Spirit!

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

Four Candidates for Next Bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin Announced

2011-03-12T21:14:00.004-06:00

The ACNA diocese of San Joaquin has publicly announced the four finalists selected to be placed upon the ballot on May 14 in their election of a successor to Bishop John-David Schofield. These four candidates include the highly-regarded dean of our own St. Vincent's Cathedral, the Very Rev. Ryan S. Reed, along with three other fine men of God.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for the diocese of San Joaquin, that they may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip them for their ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

On the value of studying the past

2011-03-12T07:03:00.004-06:00

In addition to being a clergyman who preaches and teaches in a cathedral parish I am also a history teacher at the Middle School level. As a result I frequently have cause to answer this question put to me by early teens, "Fr. Foster, why do we need to study all this old stuff?"

In a recent article in First Things magazine Timothy George has provided one of the best brief answers I have every read to that question, being himself inspired by C.S. Lewis. George states:

C. S. Lewis noted: “We need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present.” For the present can become imperial, seducing us into imagining that the assumptions that reign today have always defined what it means to be reasonable, sensible, and mainstream. Against the tendency toward presentism, Lewis observed that “a man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village: The scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age.”

RWF resumes: That is a fine way to put it. The student of history is far less likely to be stampeded along with the herd into believing whatever the "talking heads" of the cable news networks and the Washington leadership tells them today is necessarily so. Most of the important issues of today have already been debated and attempted in a similar form at some point in the past. We need to learn from those past dialogs, successes, and failures in order to better prepare for our own future actions.

A similar lesson applies in the case of theology and ethics. Last night I saw a re-run of Jay Leno's Tonight Show in which he conversed with Lady Gaga. Deep thought was not necessarily involved, but Gaga is massively influential on young people today, while Leno reaches a somewhat older demographic, so what they both say truly does matter in shaping American public opinion. In the course of that discussion Mr. Leno asked the pop star if she had ever met a person her age who did not believe in "gay rights" (by which I assume he meant the right to marry, adopt children, etc). Assuming her answer would be "no" Jay then asked her something to the effect that, "In light of the near ubiquity of a "pro-gay" attitude among today's young isn't final "equality" simply inevitable over the course of time?"

Mr. Leno is, of course, on to something. Survey after survey shows that even among church-going young people the traditional Biblical position on human sexuality is losing ground rapidly. More and more the dominant pansexual mores of Hollywood and the elite universities are becoming simply "common sense"--or even, "mere common decency." Even to broach the question of the morality of homosexual conduct in polite society increasingly labels one as a hopeless troglodyte, or perhaps even a dangerous "homophobe." Indeed, I have been told by well-meaning people that any emphasis on Biblical sexual ethics will simply drive young people away from the Church, since our teens and young adults virtually all accept the loose sexual mores of today as normative and will simply not sit still to see them challenged. The pastor or teacher who calls into question those prevailing assumptions will be dismissed as out of touch and peddling outdated irrelevancies.

That may be so. But Mr. George--and Mr. Lewis before him--have a point. We must continue to challenge our young people with sound Biblical teaching that is in healthy dialog with the great interpreters of the past. If we do not keep them engaged with God's holy Word written and with the thought of the great Biblical exegetes and theologians who have gone before us there will be virtually no contemporary voices in their psyches encouraging them to question the assumptions they are picking up from music, movies, and the main stream media. Yes, it is true that sticking to the inerrant scriptural Word and the tradition of the Church may drive some young people away. But even more importantly, it might make some of them stop and think one day! And once they begin to question the moral assumptions of this present evil age the door will be open for the Holy Spirit to do His work in their hearts and minds.

Genuine Hero of the Faith who was Martyred in Pakistan Two Days Ago

2011-03-03T21:52:00.002-06:00

Congratulations!

2011-02-23T06:39:00.002-06:00

Warmest congratulations to the newly inducted members of the National Junior Honor Society's St. Vincent's School chapter. These seventh and eighth graders have demonstrated a zeal for learning and a heart for service. May God continue to help them grow in both!

Thanks to Ms. Fergus, Ms. Wren, Mr. Monk, Fr. Petta and all those who helped make this a lovely Induction Eucharist.

Good News from the Court

2011-02-08T17:20:00.002-06:00

The diocese has provided this happy news from Judge Chupp's court:

In a hearing today before the Hon. John Chupp, attorneys for the Diocese and Corporation persuaded him to grant all our objections to the Partial Summary Judgment orders he issued Jan. 21. As a result, The Episcopal Church authorities will not succeed in their efforts to force some 6,000 regular Sunday worshipers to vacate their churches any time in the near future - and perhaps never, depending on the results of an appeal of the case. As the appellate process proceeds, the Bishop, clergy, and elected lay leaders will continue to carry out their duties and ministries as in the past.

Responding to one of the most serious concerns raised in the objections, Judge Chupp said that he does not "want to see empty buildings." He added that in his original orders, all he intended to say was that "the Diocese should be holding property in trust for the national church."

Attorneys for both sides cooperated with the court in drafting a revised order which will be in effect until final a judgment is signed in March, after the judge returns from a medical leave of absence. Once the judgment is signed, the Diocese and Corporation will pursue their appeal. The judge agreed with attorneys for both sides that the case is ultimately bound for a ruling from the State Supreme Court of Texas.

The parties expect to return to the 141st District Court in about 30 days.

St. Vincent's School Website

2011-02-07T19:49:00.006-06:00

Our new website for St. Vincent's School is up and running. Do please take a moment to visit it. We anticipate adding a great deal of material in the next couple of weeks so please stop by from time to time and check out the site's progress!

St. Vincent's School is a traditional Christian school, at which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is worshiped every day in morning chapel and each grade level of the school--from Pre-Kindergarten to Eighth Grade--receives regular classroom instruction in "the Faith once delivered to the saints" from one of our clergy (Kindergarten through 8th grade) or a well-trained lay instructor (in the case of the three-year-olds). The quality of our academic program competes well against the other top-flight private schools in Tarrant County. If you know of anyone in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex seeking a high quality, intentionally Christian education for a child please consider passing along this link to them. Thanks!

An Australian Suggestion for New Reformation in the Anglican Communion

2011-02-02T22:11:00.002-06:00

Dr. Mark Thompson of Moore Theological College in Sydney has proposed 12 Theses for reformation in the Anglican Communion (hat tip to the Rev. Daniel Stoddart). I must admit that Sydney's ultra-Reformed version of Anglicanism is a bit much for me at times (e.g., lay presidency), but these theses are well chosen and merit serious consideration. Give them a read and let us know what you think!

If the Anglican Communion is to be reformed again it needs to be hear and heed these crucial truths:

1. It is impossible to take Jesus seriously without taking the teaching of Scripture seriously. Faith in Christ entails acknowledging Christ's Lordship. Submitting to Christ as Lord means being willing to conform our thinking and our behaviour to the words he has given us. Since he endorsed the Hebrew Old Testament (Lk 24:44) and appointed those whose mission produced the New Testament (Mtt 28:18–20; Acts 1:8), we cannot avoid the reality that faith in Christ manifests itself in obedience to the teaching of Scripture (Mtt. 7:24; Jms 1:22).
2. The Spirit of God never leads people in ways contrary to the teaching of Scripture, which he has been instrumental in producing. Jesus' promise of the Spirit to his disciples was not that the Spirit will lead the churches on from Scripture into truth which somehow supersedes it, but that he will ensure that Jesus' words are heard until the end of the age (Jn 16:13–14). To pit the Spirit against the Scriptures is to fail to understand either.
3. The most urgent and important need of every human being is to be reconciled to God. We are all naturally God's enemies (Rms 5:10) with the result that we stand under the wrath of the God who loves us (Rms 1:18; Eph. 2:1–3). Our natural disposition is to insist on our own autonomy, to repeat the folly of the Garden of Eden where the goal was to determine right and wrong without reference to God and the word he had given (Gen. 3:4–6). If we are to be reconciled to God, then the cconsequences of our rebellion against him — our guilt, corruption, enslavement to sinful thinking and behaviour, and death — must all be dealt with in their entirety. A gospel which does not explain this most basic need is no gospel at all.
4. The gospel which the Christian church proclaims is that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3–8). Christ was delivered up for our transgressions and was raised for our justification (Rms 4:25). This is the provision of the triune God whose determined love for the men and women he has made causes him to bear all the consequences of their sin and exhaust them (Eph. 2:4–7).
5. The embrace of this salvation is only possible by the work of the Spirit transforming human hearts, bringing new life and creating faith (Jn 3:5–6; Rms 8:9–17; 1 Cor 12:3). Without such a work we all remain lost. No human effort will bring us within the orbit of Christ's salvation, it is entirely a gift of grace to undeserving sinners (Eph. 2:8–9). We are justified by faith alone and this faith which is the instrument of our justification is produced in us by the Spirit (Rms 5:1; Gal. 5:5).
6. To be forgiven, and so incorporated into the family of God, transforms the entirety of our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ determines an entirely new set of priorities which shape life in the public square, in the workplace, in places of recreation and in our homes. There is no facet of life which stands beyond the claims of Christ's lordship (Phil. 1:27; Col. 2:6–4:6; Eph. 4:1–6:9).
7. While each of us continues to struggle with various forms of temptation, the continuing dynamic of the Christian life is one of repentance and faith (Mk 1:15; Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1). Our orientation to sin, in whichever form it is expressed in each of us, is not what defines us and should not be given expression in our thoughts, words or actions. Once again it is the Spirit who has been given to us who enables us in this struggle: 'the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do' (Gal. 5:17).
8. We are not saved to a life of individualism, self-realisation, independence or autonomy. God has always been about saving a people for himself (Gen 12:2–3; Ex. 19:3–6; Jn 12:32; Rev. 5:9–10). Following Christ means serving others just as he has served us. This is why the local congregation is at the centre of God's purposes. Here the life of service and love is lived out in relationship with others who have been saved by Christ and reaching out to those who are still lost. After all, it is the church — and not just individual Christians — which Christ presents to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish' (Eph. 5:27).
9. This is not to deny important responsibilities beyond the local congregation, responsibilities modelled at points even in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 15:1–35; 1 Cor. 16:1–4; 1 Thess. 1:6–8). Over the centuries, various institutional structures have been developed in order to support, resource and assist the faithful life and witness of the gathered people of God. Yet these must never become the focus of loyalty themselves nor must the unity of the Spirit be confused with a common institutional structure. The unity the Spirit brings is neither created nor preserved by institutional regulation. It arises out of a fellowship in the gospel (Phil. 1:5) which is maintained 'in the bond of peace' (Eph. 4:3). It is a unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph. 4:13) which cannot be separated from a unity of mind (Phil. 2:2; 1 Pet. 3:8). Denominations need to concerned with faithfulness to the gospel of Christ above any consideration of structural cohesion.
10. Leadership amongst God's people is first and foremost about fidelity to the gospel and a transparent, humble submission to the teaching of Scripture. There should be a mutual accountability of those set apart to serve the churches and those who follow their lead in the churches (Mtt. 23:8). Leaders who abandon the biblical gospel in teaching or lifestyle (ie a lifestyle either lived by them or endorsed by them and contrary to the teaching of Scripture), should be held to account and if they will not repent, be removed for the sake of the people they are meant to be serving in truth and faithfulness (Acts 20:29–31; 1 Tim. 1:18–20; Jude 3).
11. The mission of Christ is the priority of Christ's people. Amidst the myriad of demands made upon the resources of individual Christians, churches or denominations, those being conformed to the image of God's Son share his concern to save the lost. Preeminently concerned to see lost men and women come to faith in Christ and grow to maturity in him, they will not let evangelism and discipleship be overshadowed by other worthwhile activity.
12. A longstanding temptation facing the churches has been a longing for acceptance, a sense of respectability, and an acknowledgement by those with power or influence that they have a legitimate place in contemporary society. Such a temptation has often led to an accommodation to elements of the contemporary secular agenda. In all of this the words of Jesus are easily forgotten: '... because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you' (Jn 15:19; 17:14). The church will always be a despised minority in a world arraigned against God. Nevertheless, despite such opposition, even the power of death will not prevail against the church that Christ is building (Mtt. 16:18). Though we ought not to seek the animosity of the world, or indeed provoke it by our own arrogance or folly, we need to remember that vindication and legitimization will only come on the day we are invited to 'enter the joy of our master' (Mtt. 25:21, 23).

Sundown 1 February 2011

2011-02-02T08:09:00.002-06:00

My father took this lovely picture last evening next to our home. We had a significant ice storm yesterday morning and it was actually still flurrying snow on him at the time he took this photo. Today we are expecting the coldest temperatures here 15 years (8 deg. F), but I know that pales in comparison with what much of the country will endure before this storm is done. Stay warm, my friends!

2011-01-31T07:00:00.001-06:00

UPDATED AGAIN: Unsettling News--But the game isn't over yet!

2011-01-22T07:20:00.006-06:00

The Star-Telegram publishes the news that yesterday Judge John Chupp of the 141st District Court of Texas ruled in favor of the TEC's loyalist diocese of Fort Worth against the Southern Cone/ACNA diocese of Fort Worth (my own diocese) in our long-running property dispute.

The paper's account seems to be a bit inaccurate, in that it appears to me from looking at the pdf of the judge's order that he has crossed out much of the plaintiff's proposed order insofar as it related to their corporate law arguments before he signed it. Instead Judge Chupp seems to have based his decision entirely upon the question of whether or not TEC meets the legal definition of a "hierarchical church." In this case he held that TEC is such a hierarchical church and therefore no subunit within the denomination can ever depart from it, under any circumstances, without the express consent of the "hierarchy." In short, Judge Chupp bought TEC's argument that "individuals may leave us, but parishes and dioceses cannot do so without our permission."

I would be lying if I said news of this decision didn't lead to some difficulty for me in getting to sleep last night. I had thought this first stage of the property litigation was tilting our way. And I still think we have the superior legal arguments under Texas law so I am very disappointed at this decision by the trial court. But we should remember that this is not the end of the matter. The summary judgment's order to vacate property within sixty days will all but certainly be staid pending our appeal, so I am confident that no one in going to be locked out of their churches just before Easter. After all, the ACNA diocese of San Joaquin, California, lost a similar summary adjudication decision in their property dispute with TEC on July 21, 2009 and the orthodox Anglicans continue worshiping in their churches today as the legal process of appeals and re-hearings grinds on. I am pretty sure that the daily life of service and worship of the Southern Cone/ACNA diocese of Fort Worth will also be continuing just as it has for the foreseeable future.

And let's not forget--the Fort Worth Court of Appeals has already sided with our Southern Cone/ACNA diocese in a previous procedural matter against the TEC diocese. We might very well find sympathetic ears for our arguments at the appellate level. Our appeal of this summary judgment from Judge Chupp will certainly take many months to be heard and decided upon at the Court of Appeals level. And then whomever loses in the Court of Appeals will surely appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. So nothing really is likely to be resolved for far more than a year from now. This is no time to panic. Unless TEC decides to negotiate a fair settlement with us in good faith this matter is likely to continue to be unsettled for a long time to come.

Let us pray that wisdom and justice will prevail on all sides. This matter never should have come to litigation in the first place. Resources are being squandered that should go to building up God's Kingdom. Lord, have mercy and grant us all peace.

UPDATE: The Southern Cone/ACNA diocese of Fort Worth has just released this statement:

On Friday afternoon, Jan. 21, attorneys for the Diocese and Corporation received two orders from the Hon. John Chupp in the matter of the main suit against us, in which a minority of former members has been joined by The Episcopal Church in an effort to claim diocesan property. Judge Chupp signed an order drafted by the plaintiffs' attorneys, from which he struck several points with which he did not apparently agree. The order does find that TEC is a hierarchical church, and on that basis the judge has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. [The judge's order can be read on the diocesan Web site.]

Friday's ruling from the trial court is a disappointment but not a disaster. The plaintiffs have offered no evidence, either in the courtroom or in their voluminous filings, supporting their claim that the Diocese was not entitled to withdraw from The Episcopal Church, as it did in November 2008. Nor have they demonstrated a legal right to our property, which is protected by Texas statutes regulating trusts and non-profit corporations.

On the contrary, it is our position that the judge's order does not conform to Texas law, and we are therefore announcing our plans to appeal the decision without delay. We believe that the final decision, whenever it is signed by Judge Chupp based on these orders, will not be sustained on appeal. According to our lead attorney, Shelby Sharpe, "These orders appear to be contrary to the earlier opinion from the Second District Court of Appeals in Fort Worth and current decisions from both that court and the Supreme Court of Texas."

In response to the ruling, Bishop Iker has said, "We are obviously disappointed by Judge Chupp's ruling and see it as fundamentally flawed. We are confident that the Court of Appeals will carefully consider our appeal and will rule in accordance to neutral principles of law as practiced in the State of Texas. In the meantime, we will continue to focus on mission and outreach in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, while praying for the judges who will take up our appeal."

We give thanks to God in all circumstances, and we trust in His plans. While we disagree with the judge's ruling, we offer our sincere appreciation for the time and study he has given to the case.

UPDATED AGAIN! Also from our diocesan office:

Answers to some of your questions, from our legal team:

Should we be surprised by this ruling?

This result at this level was not entirely unexpected. It is for that reason that our motions and briefs and other submissions were drafted in the manner in which they were drafted.

To what court will we appeal?

The 2nd Court of Appeals, which is located in Fort Worth, has jurisdiction. This is the same court that heard and granted our Petition for Mandamus last year.

Will our appeal be heard?

Assuredly. We have anticipated this possibility in all the evidence and arguments that have been presented. We expect the court to appreciate the importance of reviewing this decision, not only because of its extensive effect on our diocese, but because of its implications for property controlled by non-profit corporations throughout the state of Texas.

Will we have to vacate our property and relinquish our assets in 60 days?

That is most unlikely; we expect to continue we are. There are several ways this might be accomplished. One possibility is that we will seek a stay on Judge Chupp's order while we appeal. In the absence of another eventuality, we need not worry about having to turn over the property in the immediate future, if ever.

What should clergy and church members do?

Pray. Pray for those of us on your legal team, and for the judges who will hear our appeal. The lawyers and courts need the wisdom that only God can supply. Pray for Bishop Iker and for the members of our Board of Trustees named in the suit. Pray for your clergy, and for your congregation.

Finally, we must remember that Christ's Church is not the property, but the clergy and people. These, with the presence, protection, and guidance of the Holy Spirit, are our true assets. Empty buildings are of no use to the Gospel. Nevertheless, our property is justly our own, and we will continue to press our case in the courts. But property pales to insignificance when compared to the unity of the Church and her mission to proclaim Jesus Christ to the world. Jesus said, "Let them all be one, as We are one." Let us be one.

Reports from the Cambodian Mission Field

2010-12-09T08:58:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we heard a report from the mission team that St Vincent's Cathedral parish recently sent to work with the infant Anglican Church in Cambodia. We heard that more than than 1100 children and adults in isolated Cambodian villages attended services they and their local host congregations organized last week in five locations outside the capital, Phnom Pehn!

But that is not is not the only good news I have received this week out of Cambodia. This morning I received an email from Summer Twyman, a missionary sent by our diocese to Cambodia through SAMS--the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders. Summer is an old St Vincent's girl (her father was curate here in the late nineties). She is a social worker by training and is serving in Cambodia primarily through an NGO in the capital that runs an aftercare facility and residential counseling center for teen girls who have been rescued from sexual slavery.

In this morning's report Summer told us that eleven of the girls she works with every day are now enrolled at "4 Rivers," an English school run by the Anglican Church of Christ Our Peace in Phnom Penh. These girls have also started attending that parish's youth group each week. And last night EIGHT of these eleven girls accepted Christ as their Savior! An almost 80% conversion rate is an amazing result after a relatively short period of missionary activity on Summer's part. But she witnesses to the Gospel through the care and compassion that she shows those girls every day. Her life and work are mirrors of the love of Christ. As she is helping these girls rebuild their shattered lives day-by-day, Christ is making them into a new creation!

Both Summer and the St. Vincent's mission team that has just returned report that Cambodia is wide-open for the Gospel of Christ right now.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, my friends, and pray for the Church in Cambodia!

Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford - Evensong

2010-11-21T20:58:00.001-06:00

My father, Randy, took this lovely picture of tonight's Vesper Light in Bedford, Texas. Enjoy it along with Choral Evensong from Oxford, a fine example of the "Anglican patrimony."

Timeline Set for English Ordinariate

2010-11-19T08:58:00.012-06:00

Thinking Anglicans has posted a press release by the Roman Catholic bishops of England in which an anticipated timeline for the establishment of the Ordinariate in England is laid out.

They anticipate that the five previously-announced Anglican bishops will be received into full communion with Rome in early January and ordained Roman Catholic deacons and priests before Lent, so that they might assist with the preparations of the other Anglican clergy and lay people who will be received into the RCC during Holy Week. Those other former-Anglican priests should be ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood around Pentecost. So we should have some idea how big the English Ordinariate will be at the time of its launch around Easter and it should be fully functional by early summer.

Nothing is said in this release about how the clergy and parishes of the Ordinariate will be financed long-term. The Church Times reports, however, that "Archbishop Nichols said that a fund had been created 'so that the Ordinariate can get going', and that money had been sought from 'one or two contributors and trusts'. It had been agreed that RC dioceses would contribute £25,000 to the fund, he said." Of course, there are not any numbers yet available for how many converts or Ordinariate parishes there will be. We shall know by early June if the predictions of fifty priests and around 600 lay converts are accurate.

This is intriguing, to say the least! But is it the earthquake within the Anglican Communion that some were predicting earlier this year? Hmmm. Time will tell.

The entire text of the press release may be read on Thinking Anglicans.

UPDATE: Britain's Catholic Herald reports that the RC dioceses of Britain have contributed a quarter of a million pounds to formation of the Ordinariate, not just 25,000 pounds as the Church Times reports.

Other important information in the Catholic Herald report is highlighted by me below:

The dioceses of England and Wales have pooled a quarter of a million pounds to fund the Ordinariate, it was announced today.
The news was announced at a press conference this morning by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales, and Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark.

Archbishop Nichols said that according to the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus the clergy are the responsibility of the Ordinariate, financially and otherwise, but that the bishops had been looking at putting together money from contributors and trusts to form a fund. He said the dioceses have put in a quarter of a million pounds. He said: “We’ll do it together to start with and then it all depends on the Ordinariate.”

Bishop Alan Hopes, who has been one of the bishops in charge of liaison with Anglicans wanting to take up an ordinariate, added that places in which groups were formed, the local dioceses would provide help to Anglican clergy coming over both in terms of housing and financial aid.

The archbishop stressed that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus was in no way about “acquiring property through this.” He said “the simpler route is the best in that those who come in use Catholic churches.” But he said that the question of buildings would be settled on a local basis, depending on the size of the groups of Anglicans and the arrangements made by the local churches.

SECOND UPDATE: Fifty Church of England Priests (including Five Bishops) to Join Roman Catholic Church Early in New Year

2010-11-13T17:54:00.018-06:00

The Daily Telegraph of England reports that fifty Anglican priests in the C of E are expected to be received into the Roman Catholic Church early in the new year, along with "hundreds" of laity. The number of converts is expected to double after the new structures are in place.

I have made it clear to readers of my blog that I am committed to the future of orthodox Anglicanism and that I have no plans to avail myself of the pope's kind offer within the Ordinariate. I simply have too many theological differences with Rome to make it an option for me. But I am glad that my brothers and sisters whose theology aligns with that of the Vatican will have their path toward full communion with the See of Peter eased for them. I wish them Godspeed and blessings on their future ministries.

I cannot help but wonder, however, if the Vatican is starting to be disappointed with the numbers that are likely to take up the pope's offer. Fifty priests and three sitting bishops (none of whom is a great surprise--the two other bishops are retired) out of the entire Church of England is a respectable number of clergy, I suppose. But the number of laity who have been attracted so far does not seem great. In fact, of all the small number of Anglican parishes world-wide I have heard about that have declared their desire to enter the Ordinariate none of them yet has an average-Sunday-attendance over fifty.

Surely there are some larger parishes in the "Continuum" that will join the Roman Catholic Church in the future, but I cannot help but wonder--even if those "hundreds" of laity doubles to become one or two thousand lay people opting to join the Ordinariate within England, how precisely will those fifty converted Anglican priests serve their quondam Anglican flocks? Will Rome chose to divide them up between thirty new Ordinariate parishes with an ASA of 50 Anglican converts? (Remember, the Apostolic Constitution makes it clear that only Anglicans who convert can actually become members of Ordinariate parishes--"normal" Roman Catholics who might be attracted by the beauties of Anglican liturgy cannot become members of Ordinariate parishes.) How would Rome financially support all these married, former-Anglican clergy serving micro-parishes in light of the fact that most RC priests in the West serve huge parishes for little pay? Or will Rome settle for forming about a dozen parishes of a more financially viable size served by large staffs of part-time, "tent maker," former-Anglican clergy?Time will tell the answer to these questions.

On a tangentially related bit of news: today in Bishop Iker's address to diocesan convention (delivered by Canon Hough in the bishop's absence) it was estimated that it may well take up to four more years before the shadow of TEC lawsuits over property will be finally settled in our diocese by having all issues litigated and every appeal exhausted. In practice this means that no parish in our diocese that might dream of leaving for the Ordinariate along with its building and church-owned vestments and furishings could possibly do so with a clear title until four years from now. I personally don't imagine there are many Fort Worth parishes hoping to join the Ordinariate en masse, but those that are thinking in these terms probably will not relish so long a wait for their dream to come true. It is most unfortunate, but I doubt TEC will give up their punitive course of legal action until the last possible appeal has been followed through to the U.S. Surpreme Court sometime after 2014.

UPDATE: Catholic On-line has a fascinating report about an upcoming conference on the Ordinariate available today. In it is this paragraph:

In the United States there are at least 20 identifiable Catholic, Protestant Episcopal, Traditional Anglican Communion, Missionary Episcopal, and Anglican Use congregations, societies and religious orders, incorporating thousands of individuals, who are seeking membership in the Anglican Ordinariate in the United States. Now a unique opportunity has risen to allow all these various individuals and groups to begin to intermingle and start to become one Catholic spiritual family in the Anglican Ordinariate which is starting to take shape in the States.

I note that if the average size of the "at least 20" congregations and groups seeking entry into the Ordinariate is an ASA of about seventy-five persons (a bit larger than the ASA of the known parishes who have openly declared for the Ordinariate up to this point, but I know at least a few of the existing Anglican use parishes are larger than ASA 75 so this is plausible) this would give the organization a starting size of around 1500 lay people. That is very much in line with what we have seen in England so far. Is it possible that the entire Ordinariate in the United States may not be any larger than the largest Latin Rite Roman Catholic parish in my home county at the time of its launch?

UPDATED AGAIN!: The Daily Telegraph today has another article in which it is said (emphasis added):

About 30 groups from across the country are believed to have registered an interest in joining the Ordinariate. This would mean an estimated 500-600 Anglicans, including about 50 priests, will be in the first wave of converts to join the Ordinariate when it is established in the first half of next year.

So it appears that the "thousands" of a few days ago may must be about 600 in the "first wave." Will it be 600 lay people served by about 50 priests? Interesting.

Statements of St. Vincent's School

2010-10-28T20:48:00.003-05:00

The following statements were provisionally adopted today by the administration of St. Vincent's School. They will be presented to the vestry of the Cathedral at its next meeting for final approval.

Mission Statement

"Making Jesus Christ known in all that we do by educating the mind, body, and spirit in the Anglican tradition."

Vision Statement

The vision of St. Vincent's School is to produce alumni who will honor their Creator, not only with well-developed minds and bodies, but also with the choices they make in their lives. This school will provide an education that develops and nurtures each student’s intellect, creativity, and compassion. Our students will one day contribute their special gifts to society and bring honor to their God. In order to do so, our children must possess a strong academic foundation, a Biblically-based ethical system, delight in exploring ideas, well-developed communication skills, and the ability to think carefully and creatively. St. Vincent's School will endeavor to equip each child with the necessary skills to adapt to our changing world without loosing their moorings to the Truth given by God in the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Core Values of St. Vincent’s School

Reverence & Faithfulness—Our community shall reverence the Lord our God in all that we do, remaining faithful to our Savior Jesus Christ and making known His Good News to all among whom we live.

Understanding & Truthfulness—Our community shall be dedicated to the sober, fearless pursuit of truth, beauty and righteousness. In all of our academic endeavors we shall strive for excellence and a deepened understanding of the wonders of this world and the glory of its Creator.

Curiosity & Creativity--Our community shall foster the inquisitive and creative faculties of each of its members, helping our students grow into people who will respond effectively to the challenges this world presents and enabling our staff to become more effective teachers.

Self-discipline and honor—Our community shall be a place of good order and sound discipline, where students, faculty, and staff respect one another and honor the unique gifts God has given to each one of His children. We shall strive always to live with one another in conformity with God's moral law and the dignity of His image within us.

Love & Compassion—Our community shall be a place where brotherly love abounds between students, faculty, and staff and where compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves is at the forefront of our concerns and activities.

Thankfulness & Generosity--Our community shall come together without fail in corporate prayer and worship, offering humble thanks to God for the many blessings He has showered upon us. We will be generous toward others as we take those gifts out into the world in service to His Kingdom.

Statement of Philosophy

We believe God desires that His children develop mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. Our school will provide an environment in which children can increase in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17)." Therefore regular study of the Holy Bible will be integrated into every aspect of the common life of our school.

All truth comes from God; therefore our entire curriculum is consistent with divine revelation. We strive to provide a strong academic foundation in the Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Mathematics. Excellence in these disciplines gives glory to our Creator and equips our students for service in His Kingdom.

God's holy Word written teaches us that students will be like their teachers. Therefore all teachers and staff must be spiritually mature individuals and possess academic and leadership abilities that will foster the growth of our students in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God.

We strive to develop a loving atmosphere where each child can feel safe and secure, thus enabling him to flourish in every way. Therefore we will maintain a low student-to-teacher ratio in each classroom in order to facilitate those personal interactions between teachers and individual students that promote such flourishing.

Academic knowledge serves students best when it is diverse and inter-disciplinary. Therefore our students exercise and extend their knowledge of academics through participation in a variety of special subjects, such as: music, physical education, computer, foreign languages, and the fine arts.

We believe that God would have us love Him with all of our hearts and souls and minds. Therefore we will begin each day with worship together. During this worship the words of Holy Scripture will be heard and the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed. Our prayers will be humbly offered and our praises gratefully given to the Lord.

We believe that we must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Therefore we will encourage regular acts of age-appropriate community service by our entire student body.

++Venables and the Southern Cone Punished for Helping Orthodox Anglicans in North America and Elsewhere

2010-10-14T13:15:00.006-05:00

The Province of the Southern Cone of the Americas, headed by Archbishop Gregory Venables, has just been sanctioned by Canon Kearon, the General Secretary of the Anglican Communion Office, for helping orthodox Anglican parishes and dioceses trapped within heretical provinces like the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. The South Americans have now been rewarded for their courageous stand on behalf of "the faith once delivered to the saints" by having their sole representative removed from an important inter-Anglican body, the Standing Committee on Unity, Faith, and Order. Naturally, this move by the staunchly liberal Canon Kearon also serves to diminish orthodox voices on that committee almost to non-existence.

May God bless the people and clergy of the Southern Cone, and ++Venables in particular, richly for their willingness to be of service to their brothers and sisters in Christ--including my own diocese--even in the face of such opposition from the forces of "progress."

From the ACNS (hat tip to Stand Firm):

The Secretary General writes: 'Many of you will have read the Archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the Anglican Communion issued at Pentecost last (28 May 2010). Part of that letter addresses the current and ongoing tensions in the Anglican Communion - these tensions cluster around the three moratoria referred to in the Windsor Report.

'In that letter the Archbishop made the following proposals:

"I am therefore proposing that, while these tensions remain unresolved, members of such provinces – provinces that have formally, through their Synod or House of Bishops, adopted policies that breach any of the moratoria requested by the Instruments of Communion and recently reaffirmed by the Standing Committee and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) – should not be participants in the ecumenical dialogues in which the Communion is formally engaged. I am further proposing that members of such provinces serving on IASCUFO should for the time being have the status only of consultants rather than full members".
'At that time I wrote to the Primate of the Southern Cone, whose interventions in other provinces are referred to in the Windsor Continuation Group Report asking him for clarification as to the current state of his interventions into other provinces. I have not received a response.

'Consequently, I have written to the person from the Province of the Southern Cone who is a member of the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO), Bishop Tito Zavala, withdrawing his membership and inviting him to serve as a Consultant to that body.

'These decisions are not taken easily or lightly, but relate to the gracious restraint requested by successive meetings of the Instruments of Communion and the implications for Communion bodies when these requests are not honoured.'

The Revd Canon Dr. Kenneth Kearon.

The Selection for C of E Bishops?

2010-10-06T20:27:00.002-05:00

This scene from "Yes, Prime Minister" is priceless! Unfortunately, it is actually also true of far too many revisionist Anglican bishops world-wide. Hat tip to Stand Firm.

Show the colors!

2010-09-29T05:55:00.003-05:00

Whatever others around you think, don’t you ever be ashamed of being a Christian. Let them laugh, mock, jest, and scoff, if they will. They will not scoff in the hour of death and in the day of judgment. Hoist your flag; show your colors; nail them to the mast. You may certainly be ashamed of drinking, gambling, lying, swearing, idleness, pride, and failing to go to church on the Lord’s Day. But of reading the Bible, praying, and belonging to Christ, you have no cause to be ashamed at all. Let those laugh that will. A good soldier is never ashamed of the colors of his nation’s flag, and his uniform. Be careful that you are never ashamed of your Master.

~ J.C. Ryle, Practical Religion, “Our Home”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1998], 401.

Bishop Ryle's critique of "ritualism" was way over the top, but the man has seldom been equaled in his zeal for the Gospel and his incisive way of convicting a believer.

Bishop Wantland's Thirtieth Anniversary

2010-09-26T15:05:00.005-05:00

The Rt. Rev. William Wantland, retired bishop of Eau Claire and our assisting bishop in the diocese of Fort Worth, celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his consecration as a bishop with us at St. Vincent's Cathedral today. He preached a spirited homily and celebrated the 9AM Eucharist.
Bishop Wantland was honored with a reception at which he was presented with many gifts and cards from around the diocese. The people of St. Vincent's also presented the good bishop with a framed picture of the Venerable Bede dictating one of his masterworks during his senior years. It was a fitting gift for a man who, like Bede, is a scholar and defender of the faith and a very capable apologist for the Anglican expression of the catholic Faith.Thank you for your many years of service to the Kingdom, your grace!

++Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East Preaches at St. Vincent's Cathedral

2010-09-19T18:46:00.005-05:00

Today St. Vincent's Cathedral had the honor of a visit by Archbishop Mouneer Anis of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East (++Anis is standing to my right in the photo above, in front of Dean Ryan Reed). The good archbishop preached at our 9AM and 11:30AM services and addressed our Adult Forum on topics related to the Anglican Communion's state of crisis and the present state of Christianity in his home country, Egypt. It was a delightful visit and we thank Archbishop Anis warmly for taking time to visit us and speak. He is a stalwart defender of "the Faith once delivered to the saints" and certainly deserves our prayerful support in his ministry.

Tomorrow the archbishop will join others, including Archbishop Robert Duncan, in speaking to the clergy of our diocese. They are in town for the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund. Your prayers for the assembled archbishops and the other leaders of the ARDF would also be greatly appreciated.

Third Anniversary Party

2010-09-15T04:41:00.002-05:00

Last night, the feast of the Holy Cross, marked the third anniversary of my ordination as a presbyter in Christ's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. It has been an astonishing three years. There have been so many people in the parish of St. Vincent's Cathedral Church, and especially at St. Vincent's School, who have played a crucial role in my growth as a priest.

Last night I hosted a dinner party to which I invited a number of the SVS students and alumni who have played an extraordinary role in my development as a teacher over the last seven years and as chaplain to the school over the last three years. While a few of those wonderful students have moved away and others were unable to attend last night due to athletic commitments at their present high schools, the majority of those kids I credit with playing a pivotal role in making me the priest and teacher that I am today honored me and humbled me by giving up their time to come and help me celebrate.

It has been a long time since I have been this happy, surrounded by so many of my "best and brightest." Thank you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for all you have done for me as a minister and a person. Thank you for allowing me to continue to play a small role in your lives. And thank you to their wonderful parents for all their support. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

And most importantly, I thank our Lord Jesus Christ for allowing me to serve Him in such a marvelous church and school community. I am truly blessed!

Progressive Church!

2010-09-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to Stand Firm!

A Sermon for the Requiem Mass for Susan Foster Carr, preached at St. Vincent's Cathedral by the Rev'd Ryan S. Mills, STS

2010-08-18T22:41:00.004-05:00

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

“What then shall we say to this?”

That is St. Paul’s question to you and me this evening from the 8^th chapter of his letter to the Romans. What then shall we say to this, to the life and to the death of Susan Foster Carr?

First, we offer you Scott, you Fr. Foster, you Mr. Foster, to each one of you, Sue’s family members and friends gathered here; we offer you our deepest condolences, we offer you our prayers here tonight, we have come to honor your mother, your sister, your daughter--to honor Sue, and to commend her to our merciful God.

But what then shall we say to this?

We could start by sharing stories of Sue as a child. Mr. Foster you’ve told me the story of a time you and your family went on vacation from Bedford, Texas, to New York City. As you toured the city, Sue, just a little girl, kept running out ahead of you and your wife, she went further and further, independent, her own person, you were worried, and so just to teach her a lesson you ducked into a storefront, and when she looked back, mom and dad weren’t there. You could see her, but she couldn’t see you! She thought she was lost in New York City! So she ran back, and you came out to meet her, grabbing her by the hand, and she never left your side for the rest of the trip!

So what then shall we say to this?

We could tell stories of Sue as a caring single mom to you, easygoing, relaxed, a survivor. Scott, I am sure your care and service for others as a Paramedic was learned early on at home with your mom. We could tell stories of how Sue had a knack for welcoming people into her home, she was a caregiver for many. Whoever you were, whatever trouble you were in, whenever you had nowhere else to go, you could go to Sue’s house. There was always a spare bedroom or a spare couch, she would welcome all into her home.

But what then shall we say to this?

We could say that Sue was an ordinary human being, which means she was broken and trapped in sin like all the rest of us. It’s true that like many people she spent many years with no interest in God or his Church. But like her childhood adventure in New York showed, while she wandered out ahead, seemingly separated, her loving Father, her loving heavenly Father never took his eyes off of her, never removed his care and attention from her life. And a few months ago after Sue had undergone surgery for a brain tumor, you Fr. Foster sat with her in her hospital room, when seemingly out of nowhere she asked you, “What would I have to do to be baptized?”

And so you presented her with the basics of the Christian faith: that our God, our heavenly Father who created the world has taken on flesh in his Son Jesus Christ. “That the God who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for as all, will also give us all things with him.” That on the Cross Jesus has beaten the power of sin and death forever, that he is risen, is ascended, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that he will come again to judge the quick and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. And even now, to those who believe, in the power of the Holy Spirit that kingdom is already a reality, those who believe and are baptized have already passed from death to life, John’s gospel tells us, death has no more power over those who believe. Death is not the last word, but Life, eternal life won by our Lord who is the way, and the truth, and the Life.

You shared all these things: by the gift of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit she immediately confessed her belief in Him.

And so the next night, as you all gathered with as a family in that hospital room, Sue was baptized with water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. She wept---all her burdens lifted and nailed to the Cross. All the promises of God, poured out by not only a priest of the Church but by her little brother. You as a family printed out a certificate of baptism, which sat framed on her hospital room wall. She pointed to it often and said, “That’s how I can sleep at night.” Her appearance changed, as you said, from night to day, her life had changed forever, her eternity was secure.

Indeed, marked with the cross of Christ forever in baptism, that’s how all of us can sleep at night--and also live our lives during the daytime too. Sue teaches us, that we too ought to weep at the gift God has given and promises to us again and again. St. Paul asks us tonight, “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” “Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?” We might ask the same thing: What can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall surgery or hospitalization, shall suffering, or difficulty, or even death itself? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Tonight, Sue is numbered among those in the Church triumphant who are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For the faith that sustained Sue when all other helpers were gone, is the faith we cling to for her, and for ourselves, and for the whole Church. That we are sure, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The night she was baptized into this sure and certain hope, you shared in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Christ’s broken body to redeem our broken bodies, Christ’s shed blood to blot out all we have done and left undone. Tonight, we shall share it again. The Eucharist is a foretaste of that feast that Isaiah promises us tonight: “On this mountain the Lord will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of rich, lee wine, and he will destroy the covering that is cast over all peoples…for the Lord will swallow up death forever.”

As we gather tonight in Eucharist, as the bread and wine become for us the body and blood of our living Lord, Sue is here, together with all the saints of every time and every place, a great company too many to number; all our loved ones who have gone on before us in faith; this is where we meet. Though the altar rail is wide here it becomes wider still as this heavenly banquet spreads out through all eternity.

A feast to celebrate that because of what Christ has done, death has no more power over us, a feast to prepare us for that great and final day when the Lord will wipe away all tears from all faces.

A feast to celebrate Sue’s entry into her Father’s house, a house Jesus tells us today has many mansions, many rooms, for her and for you and for me. Christ has gone to prepare a place, to ready her a home, to make ready a place for you and me too, so that where he is we will be also.

So what then shall we say to this? To a woman and a mother who cared for all, who made her own house a place of welcome, to a woman whose wanderings finally led her back into her Father’s arms, now we entrust her him, to our God who has prepared a place for her and will come again for us as well.

What shall we say? Just this:

“Sue, child of God--Welcome home.”

R.I.P. Susan Foster Carr: June 15, 1951 to Aug. 14, 2010

2010-08-15T17:45:00.006-05:00

Last night at 5:31PM the Lord called my sister, Sue, home to His bosom after a battle with cancer.

Sue was discovered to have a very large brain tumor in May. A couple of days after surgery to remove the tumor she was surprisingly alert, fully conscious and surely in her right mind. And her mind had been at work on those questions every human being must ask themselves about life and its meaning. And their own mortality. The result? After more than twenty years of evading my every attempt to discuss matters of faith with her Sue surprised me and my father by asking --out of the Blue-- "What would I have to do to be baptised?" I nearly fell out of my chair! Sue had never given any indication of an interest in talking about the Faith before.

So I spent quite a bit of time presenting Sue with the Good News of our Savior and reminding her of the need for repentance and a firm commitment to follow Jesus as her Lord. When I had finished speaking Sue clearly and without hesitation professed faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She was baptised in her hospital bed the next night with much of her family in attendance. It was my honor and joy to administer the Sacrament of initiation.

For a while it looked as if Sue might make a reasonable recovery. But that was not in the Lord's plans for her. I rejoice to know that my dear sister rests comfortably in the Lord's presence tonight. Your prayers for the repose of her soul and peace of mind for her family would be cherished.

A Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated for the repose of Sue's soul at St. Vincent's Cathedral on Wednesday night at 7PM.

Archbishop Duncan at St. Vincent's Cathedral

2010-08-11T17:59:00.002-05:00

Archbishop Robert Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America will be celebrant at a special Holy Eucharist at St. Vincent's Cathedral this Friday evening at 7PM. All are heartily invited to attend!

Archbishop Duncan on Anglican TV

2010-07-27T16:44:00.001-05:00

Children's VBS at St. Vincent's--The Grand Finale

2010-07-09T22:02:00.011-05:00

Tonight the children's Vacation Bible School at St. Vincent's came to a glorious end with a song and dance extravaganza.The "Green Team" even sang an original praise song of their own composition. (Well, actually the tune was "The Beverly Hillbillies" theme, but the lyrics were their own!)
The kids spent the week learning Bible stories in the context of a space adventure called "Galactic Blast." They presented some of what they learned tonight.
Laura, our children's minister, and the other adult volunteers (like the gifted song leader above) did a great job!
The "Galactic Blast" involved being taught, in part, by a green space gorilla named "Galileo." It was a wonderful teaching tool.
Randy Foster, my father, took these great pictures as well as those of the adult class in the post below.

Adult VBS--the Pastoral Epistles

2010-07-07T21:29:00.005-05:00

My adult Vacation Bible School class this year is over the Pastoral Epistles.
I have taken the opportunity also to introduce my students to the history of early Christian worship in general.
The class has been well attended, and we have had great participation.

Statement from the Diocese of Fort Worth on Appellate Court Victory

2010-06-26T15:00:00.002-05:00

FORT WORTH, Texas - On Friday, June 25, the Texas Second Court of Appeals granted the Diocese's Petition for Writ of Mandamus and instructed the 141st District Court to modify its ruling of Sept. 16, 2009, to the effect that there cannot be a second Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and a second Corporation of the diocese.

In April 2009 attorneys for The Episcopal Church joined Mr. Jonathan Nelson and Ms. Kathleen Wells, representing local TEC interests, in a suit against the Diocese and Corporation. The case was assigned to the district court under the Hon. John Chupp.

Applying neutral principles of law, Friday's decision found that "a corporation cannot sue itself" and that "it is undisputed" by both plaintiffs and defendants "that there is only one Corporation and one Fort Worth Diocese."

"[W]hile Mr. Nelson and Ms. Wells may be authorized to represent the individuals who hired them," the appellate court said, "these attorneys have not established their authority to represent or appear on behalf of the Fort Worth Diocese and Corporation as required by rule 12 [of Texas Rules of Civil Procedure]."

The ruling dismisses that portion of the original suit that "is purportedly brought on behalf of the Corporation and [Fort Worth] Diocese." The trial court must "strike the pleadings filed by Mr. Nelson and Ms. Wells on behalf of the Corporation and the Fort Worth Diocese and bar them from appearing in the underlying cause as attorneys of record for those named plaintiffs." The appellate court also lifted the stay of proceedings, clearing the way for the trial court to comply.

Responding to Friday's decision, Shelby Sharpe, attorney for the Diocese and Corporation, said, "We are very gratified by the excellent and well-reasoned opinion from the Fort Worth Court of Appeals. It simply follows the plain language of the law on what is required for an attorney to represent a party in a court proceeding."

To the plaintiffs' argument that this decision could be delayed, the Court of Appeals responded that there was no need to wait for the eventual conclusion of the trial to correct the trial court's abuse of discretion, since that could add unnecessary costs to the burden of litigation initiated by the April 2009 suit. It noted, too, that the trial court judge would be "unnecessarily confused by presentations from two opposing factions who claim to be the Corporation and the Fort Worth Diocese."

While it declined to settle the question of "identity," the appellate court affirmed that conventions of the Diocese and the Corporation formed in 1983 and led by Bishop Iker voted in 2007 and 2008 to withdraw from membership in TEC and enter into membership in the province of the Southern Cone, and that Bishop Jack Iker and the Corporation's board were all duly elected to their positions.

Bishop Iker has responded to the ruling saying, "We rejoice in this favorable decision by the Court of Appeals, and we give thanks to God for the expertise of our legal team in enabling us to prevail in this critical issue of who can represent the Diocese and the Corporation. While we realize that our opponents will continue to pursue litigation against us, this successful first step reinforces the soundness of our legal strategy to protect our identity, our property, and our assets."

Bishop Iker requests continuing prayers of thanksgiving and guidance for our lead attorneys, Shelby Sharpe and Scott Brister.

A Significant Victory for the Diocese of Fort Worth in Court!

2010-06-26T07:33:00.009-05:00

Thanks be to God! While it doesn't settle the lawsuit that the TEC-affiliated, rump, so-called "diocese of Fort Worth" has brought against the actual diocese of Fort Worth (ACNA), yesterday Texas' Second Court of Appeals handed down a ruling that is a significant victory for us. In essence the appellate court ruled that the lawyers who have filed suit on behalf of the minority TEC rump faction do NOT represent the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and its associated corporation.

This is big because TEC's strategy all along has been simply to assume what really is one of the chief issues that must be litigated. They have assumed that the "+Gulick group" (the small, TEC-loyalist rump now claiming to own all the property of our diocese) is the REAL leadership of the REAL Episcopal diocese of Fort Worth and that Bishop Iker and the other leaders who have lead our diocese for years have essentially stolen the "real" TEC diocese's property and are now holding it illegally. The TEC rump's lawyers were trying to pull the wool over the trial court's eyes and get the judge to accept this argument without even hearing the facts behind our departure from TEC!

Because of yesterday's ruling the TEC-loyalists must now refile and PROVE what they have simply been assuming--that Bishop Iker and our other leaders have no legitimate authority over our parishes because of their votes to leave TEC in 2007 and 2008 and that an ad hoc "special diocesan convention" called by PB Schori for the tiny faction of TEC loyalists we left behind when we departed from the General Convention of TEC in November of 2008 was able legitimately to replace the full set our diocese's leaders with folks loyal to TEC's national headquarters (commonly known as "815"). (It should be remembered, btw, that this was a "special convention" PB Schori had no express authority to convene under TEC's own canons and at which no quorum of diocesan clergy or legitimate lay delegates was present since the vast majority of us now simply ignored her call to meet as irrelevant.)

Of course, the TEC rump can still file suit again and I am certain that they will. But this time they will have to do so as individuals and actually PROVE that they have a right to run the only existing "Episcopal diocese of Fort Worth" and its corporation. They will have to prove, among other things, that there was something so fundamentally wrong with the procedures by which an almost 80% majority of the delegates to two diocesan conventions called a full year apart voted to leave TEC that these errors mean the leadership associated with Bishop Iker automatically vacated their posts as officers of the diocese and its corporation when the conventions' votes were taken. But Bishop Iker and the other legitimate leaders of our diocese took extraordinary care to see that every canonical "I" was dotted and every legal "T" was crossed during the more than two long years we took to withdraw from TEC. I cannot see how the TEC-loyalist rump can possibly hope to convince a Tarrant County jury that the real leadership of our diocese is actually a liberal faction loyal to a bunch of folks in New York City who were recognized as legitimate by no more than 20% of the membership of our diocese as its stood before the split.

The rump TEC-loyalist "diocese" has got a very hard row to hoe now if they continue to try to deprive the people of our parishes of their buildings!

Read the entire decision and opinion here.

The diocese has released this brief statement via e-mail, with more to follow from Bishop Iker on Monday:

To the clergy, convention delegates, Executive Council, and vestry members,

We give thanks for the decision just issued by the Texas Court of Appeals in Fort Worth. The decision is posted on the diocesan Web site at http://www.fwepiscopal.org/downloads/CourtOfAppeals062510.pdf

A statement concerning the court's decision will be issued by Bishop Iker on Monday, June 28.

Suzanne Gill
Director of Communications
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

What does it sound like when five dozen teenagers sing a Kyrie?

2010-06-25T16:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a small fragment of the daily worship from last week's St. Michael's Youth Conference--Southwest. That is one great group of young people and adult mentors!

Bishop Ackerman's Call for a "New Oxford Movement"

2010-06-22T18:29:00.007-05:00

Bishop Keith Ackerman, retired bishop of Quincy and a leader of Forward in Faith, North America, recently called for a "new Oxford Movement" in a talk presented to that august body. Since a couple of commenters on my post below about St. Mike's asked for my opinion of this talk (or that of others inside this diocese--which sadly I cannot speak to as I have not heard another clergyman or layman in the diocese mention this talk yet) I thought I would post a link to the bishop's talk here and offer a few remarks.

This talk is more than half-an-hour long, but readers of this blog who are pressed for time can probably skip to 29:00 and get the gist of what the bishop is calling for here. And frankly, for most of my readers I doubt that the renewal of the Oxford Movement (and especially its ecclesiology) that Bishop Ackerman is calling for will come as a shock.

The bishop, for instance, calls for a "recovery of an identity that reaches back to the apostles." He emphasizes that it is the substance of the apostolic Faith that must be re-emphasized, not merely the "tactile apostolic succession" stretching back to antiquity through the laying on of hands.

In the last few minutes of his talk Bishop Ackerman makes reference to a "return to the doctrine of the early Church--to the Patristic age." He also emphasizes the significance of the Caroline divines to this undertaking and speaks of the "unique" English Catholic expression represented by the spirituality of the English Church "pre-Whitby" (i.e., a reference to the time before the Synod of Whitby in 664 A.D.).

What I take Bishop Ackerman to be calling for here is a renewed commitment to the Faith of the undivided Church in antiquity--the Faith of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Church, the Faith shared by the universal Church before schism sundered her East and West. This is precisely what I personally have always understood as "the Catholic Faith." So I can lift my own voice in full-throated ascent to this call for a "new Oxford Movement."

But to me this does not mean rejecting the heritage bequeathed to us from the Reformation era via the Elizabethan Settlement. It means a re-emphasis of what the proposed canon of Elizabeth I quoted at the top of this blog calls "the Doctrine of the Old Testament and the New, and that which the Catholick Fathers and Ancient Bishops have gathered out of that Doctrine." It is the Faith that Bishop John Jewel called in his Apology for the Church of England "the faith which they shall see confirmed by the words of Christ, by the writings of the Apostles, by the testimonies of the Catholic fathers."

These comments will, of course, be disturbing to that small minority of orthodox Anglicans that see Anglicanism as nothing more than one expression of Reformed Protestantism out of many equally valid expressions. But I am sure the overwhelming majority of folks in this diocese, and I suspect a great many within ACNA more generally, will welcome Bishop Ackerman's call whole-heartedly.

St. Mike's Was an Enriching Experience--As Always!

2010-06-20T17:39:00.005-05:00

St. Michael's Youth Conference--Southwest, a six-day Anglo-Catholic spiritual retreat for twelve-to-twenty-year old youth, concluded yesterday at Camp Crucis near Granbury, Texas. It was a wonderful experience for the kids and for the faculty and counselors. I was a Bible instructor again, teaching the required "Receiving the Word of God" survey class and an elective on the Revelation to St. John. This was my third time to teach at St. Mike's, so I received the coveted St. Michael the Archangel Medal that all three-time Michaelites receive in accordance with custom.
We all met daily for Morning Prayer, a Solemn High Eucharist, Evensong (that is me above officiating at Evensong on Thursday evening), Compline, and on Wednesday night we stayed for Benediction as well. Every day the kids all took three classes taught by clergy on a variety of subjects, including Scripture, Theology, Ethics, and Liturgy. There were also several meaningful discussion groups every night, as well as plenty of fun activities. The week ends with "The Pageant of Salvation," a dramatic presentation of Scripture readings put on by the young people. Each year I am especially moved by the Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the Pascal candle into the church as a symbol of the Incarnation.
We had kids and faculty from all over North Texas taking part, both from within ACNA and from traditionalist parishes still within TEC. We even had a priest, two kids, and a counselor with us from the diocese of San Joaquin, California! Keep your eyes peeled for information about next year's St. Mike's.
BTW, the whiteboard above was "left behind" after one of our numerous evening discussion groups. Can you guess what the topic was?

Very Positive Developments in the ACNA!

2010-06-12T20:02:00.005-05:00

The Living Church has a report on the recently concluded ACNA annual meeting. It reports a number of encouraging bits of news (italicized emphasis added by me).

Officials of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), which launched a year ago as an alternative to the Episcopal Church, are reporting significant progress in their efforts to share Eucharist with other churches and to do evangelism alongside messianic Jews.

In a report delivered at the ACNA’s annual meeting in Amesbury, Mass., on June 9, ecumenism task force chairman Ray Sutton listed a series of recent milestones that show how the ACNA is forging connections outside mainline Protestantism.

Dialogues with the Orthodox Church in America have reportedly knocked down one of the centuries-old barriers that have kept Anglican and Orthodox Christians from sharing Eucharist. The big concession: when sharing Eucharist, the ACNA would confess that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and not add the phrase and the Son, as Western Christians traditionally do in a formulation called the Filioque.

RWF: When I appeared before the Commission on Ministry to receive final approval to be ordained a priest the chairman asked me if I believed everything in the Nicene Creed. (It is good that they ask that question around here multiple times during the ordination process!) I told him I believed every single word of it with all my heart. But, I added, if the price of unity was the Orthodox Churches was our jettisoning the Filioque clause I would do it in a heartbeat as the West really had no business adding it unilaterally in the first place. So I consider this a great step in the right direction. May God hasten their efforts!

What’s more, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has lined up four meetings with ACNA representatives at seminaries later this year as the two denominations explore potential for Eucharistic sharing.

RWF: After I came to know Christ our Savior in my twenty-third year among the first works of theology I read were Luther's three great essays of 1521. Brother Martin's thought has deeply marked my own. (I will wager that I am the only clergyman in the diocese of Fort Worth who has taken a four-week "Footsteps of Luther" study tour in Germany.) I would be absolutely delighted if this dialogue with the Missouri Synod bore fruit.

The ACNA is also inviting 17 messianic Jewish groups to a September summit to explore “how we can do ministry together,” Sutton said.

“We could get their congregations together with our congregations to fellowship, to pray and to seek ways that we be able to evangelize together among Jews and Gentiles,” said Sutton, rector of the Church of the Holy Communion in Dallas. “I think it will be a powerful witness for Jew and Gentile to stand together and proclaim Christ to our constituencies. It’s what happened in the New Testament.”

RWF: Interesting. May many people of all backgrounds coming to saving faith through this initiative.

Sutton’s report, which delegates received with rousing applause, comes as former Episcopal congregations now affiliated with the ACNA seek to establish a distinct, non-Episcopal identity. In addition to building bridges with other Christian communities, the ACNA aspires to define itself as a dynamic movement by planting 1,000 new churches within its first five years.

The ACNA is growing, albeit not as fast as some would like. Archbishop Robert Duncan, in his state-of-the-church address to about 100 delegates and bishops from across North America, noted that the church has swelled from 703 congregations a year ago to 811 now.

RWF: And now the bombshell:

Prospects for further growth, Sutton said, include welcoming as many as 150 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations that are considering a move to the ACNA.

RWF: WOW! I wonder how this affects plans for the North American Lutheran Church.

The theologically conservative ACNA continues to tread in controversial waters as it carves a niche. Evangelizing Jews, for example, would put the ACNA at odds with most mainstream Jewish groups, which oppose the practice as an affront to Jewish identity. Also, whether to ordain women to the priesthood remains “an issue that divides us,” Duncan acknowledged in his address. Women’s ordination was on the agenda for panel discussion at the June 10-11 College of Bishops meeting, which was closed to lay delegates and press.

For now, the ACNA shows little appetite for internal conflict. Content to tolerate diversity of practice on women’s ordination, delegates to the Provincial Council avoided the issue and characterized their movement as more about unification, rather than fragmentation, within Anglicanism.

“We’re coming together, not splitting apart,” said the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, founding missionary bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a mission of the Province of Nigeria. “The Reformed Episcopal Church is now here after having been apart for 130 years. So we’re actually seeing the reversal of the fragmentation thing.”

Preserving certain strong relationships within the Anglican Communion proved to be a priority at All Saints Anglican Church, Amesbury, as the ACNA marked its first anniversary. The Rev. Lynne L. Ashmead, a deacon and the ACNA’s registrar, cautioned that dioceses need to follow specific record-keeping protocol in conformity with Communion-wide standards. Delegates likewise signaled deference to the Province of Rwanda when they affirmed the Anglican Mission in the Americas as a “ministry partner” that would remain under Rwandan jurisdiction rather than the ACNA’s.

Congratulations to our 8th Grade Graduates!

2010-05-26T21:29:00.014-05:00

Last night we celebrated our annual Baccalaureate service for St. Vincent's School. Nine eighth graders are graduating this year. It was a beautiful service, with excellent speeches by our head of school, Dr. Dickerson, and by Maren, the president of our Student Council.

I placed "mission crosses" by James Avery, Craftsman, (copies of the processional cross that the students carry every day in School Chapel) around each of our graduates' necks and blessed them. I cry every year at this service, especially as I try to preach. More than 200 people from our church and school community came to honor the graduates and celebrate the end of a great academic year.

I am very proud of these wonderful young people. May God bless them richly in the future.

Congratulations to Tory, Stephanie, Ellis, Allie, Rachel, Maren, Landon, Brittany, and Matt!

We also honored two of our wonderful veteran teachers, Mrs. Diggs and Mrs. Nichols, who are retiring from St. Vincent's School after decades of Christ-honoring service to our younsters. Well done, good and faithful servants. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!

The State of the Church: From "The White Horse Inn"

2010-05-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

Spin it any way you like, but this is a blow to the Anglican Church in North America

2010-05-19T06:46:00.008-05:00

After almost a year of unalloyed good news for ACNA, the Church of Rwanda has delivered a significant set back to the Anglican Church in North America. From before the Inaugural Assembly at St. Vincent's in Bedford last year the Anglican Mission in America (now apparently "the AM") was held out as a kind of Missionary Society within the ACNA, still part of the Anglican Church of Rwanda but also fully a part of ACNA. In fact, such "dual membership" with an overseas province is pretty much "normal" for the time being in ACNA (DioFW is still affiliated with the province of the Southern Cone for the moment, for example).

But it seems that the leadership of the Rwandan church is not content to have the bishops of the Anglican Mission be members of the House of Bishops of Rwanda and of the ACNA at the same time. So after months of negotiation it appears that the Anglican Mission will move back next month from being a full member of ACNA to being a "Ministry Partner."

Here is a portion of the emailed release of this announcement sent out from the Ambridge, PA headquarters of ACNA yesterday (apparently not yet on the ACNA website) to clergy and lay leaders conveying this news:

The Archbishop's Cabinet has been working since February with the
leadership of the Anglican Mission (theAM) in the Americas to clarify
the Anglican Mission's structural relationship within the Anglican
Church in North America (ACNA). This consideration came as a result
of a January resolution by the Rwandan House of Bishops objecting to
the dual membership of Rwanda's missionary bishops in the North
American College of Bishops. The Anglican Mission, one of the
founding entities of the Anglican Church in North America, was
established as a North American missionary outreach of the Province of
Rwanda following the consecrations of Bishop Chuck Murphy and John
Rodgers in the year 2000.

The Constitution and Canons of the ACNA were written so that theAM
might be practically integrated in the structure of the ACNA as a
jurisdiction, while sustaining identity as a missionary outreach of
Rwanda. The jurisdictional approach has led to a number of areas of
confusion for bishops and congregations of the Anglican Mission.
Consequently, it has been agreed by the Executive Committee of the
ACNA (presently also the Archbishop's Cabinet, and formerly the lead
bishops of Common Cause) that the Anglican Mission will petition the
June meeting of the Provincial Council for status as a Ministry
Partner, a status provided for in the Constitution and Canons of the
North American Province and agreeable to the Province of Rwanda.

The Ministry Partner option will clarify the existing confusions. The
Primatial Vicar of the Anglican Mission, appointed by the Archbishop
of Rwanda, serves as chief liaison between the Province of Rwanda and
the Anglican Church in North America. Representatives of the Anglican
Mission continue to sit in the Provincial Council. The ACNA and its
Ministry Partners remain fervently committed to Anglican 1000 and
church-planting. Local congregations continue to work together in
ministry, and are free to transfer between the Anglican Mission in the
Americas and the Anglican Church in North America (or vice versa) in
consultation with the bishops concerned. Clergy of theAM remain
canonically resident in the Province of Rwanda and subject to their
Norms, Prescripts, and Disciplines, but Ministry Partner status does
provide canonically for clergy of theAM and the ACNA to minister in
both ecclesiastical entities provided they are in good standing. The
most significant change brought by Ministry Partner status is that AM
Bishops would no longer be regular members of the ACNA College of
Bishops.

Bishop Chuck Murphy, Primatial Vicar and Bishop Chairman of theAM made
the following comment concerning the future of the Anglican Mission as
a Ministry Partner within the Anglican Church in North America: "We
are delighted that the Anglican Church in North America is now
successfully up and running. As one of the founding members of the
ACNA, we in the Anglican Mission have invested significant time and
energy into its formation and we remain strongly supportive of the
Province and Archbishop Duncan's leadership of this important new
work." Archbishop Duncan noted, "The vision of a biblical, missionary
and united Anglicanism in North America remains the vision of every
North American Anglican. Jurisdictional integration also remains a
future hope as Rwandan canons do provide for the transfer of the
Anglican Mission to the Anglican Church in North America when the time
seems right."

Try as the announcement does to make this sound like good news--or at least not a very big deal--apparently a large portion of the ACNA is withdrawing from full membership and falling back to what seems to amount to a "friendly fellow traveler" status. I, for one, have never thought of FACA--a Ministry Partner-as a member of ACNA but rather as folks who share many of our values as Anglicans and want to work together with us as much as possible. But am I right in reading this note to indicate that now the Anglican Mission is going to have a similar "Ministry Partner" relationship to the ACNA as that of FACA? Or is there more to the AM's future status than that? The AM's bishops will not be part of the ACNA college of bishops from now on but they will still have representatives on the Provincial Council. Has FACA had such representatives on the Provincial Council up to this point? I am quite confused.

All of us have accepted that there will be confusion during this time of "realignment" in world-wide Anglicanism. Apparently the Rwandan leadership just doesn't want to tolerate any "joint membership" of their missionary bishops with a North American jurisdiction while the rest of the overseas provinces who have helped us don't mind a little untidiness for a bit.

Hopefully administrative conservatism is all there is to this. I truly don't want to believe the rumors I have heard that the motive for Rwanda pulling back the AM from the ACNA has something to do with fears of losing North American funding. It would help squash those concerns here if the Rwandan church would issue a statement fully committing them to allowing the AM to join us as full members of ACNA as soon as is feasible in the future. That might dispel any hint that the Anglican Mission's US parishes are being "held hostage" by the Rwandan church.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by this news. I am completely committed to the future of the ACNA. Thus it saddens me to see the province diminished in this way. May God hasten the day when we will be fully reunited in every aspect, not simply as "partners" in ministry.

++Jensen Writes about the Global South Communique on behalf of GAFCON/FCA

2010-04-28T06:11:00.003-05:00

While I certainly do not agree with Archbishop Jensen of Sydney, Australia, on everything (e.g., lay presidency at the Eucharist), his just-released statement interpreting the Global South's "Fourth Trumpet Blast" from Singapore last week is "spot on."

His comment that the "Trumpet Blast" did not provoke a dramatic reaction is true, but so is the reason he gives--the crisis moment is now long past and the statement simply clearly affirms facts everyone involved knows to be true. The fact that TEC will soon consecrate a non-celibate lesbian as a bishop simply confirms what pretty much everyone has seen clearly for five years or more: TEC is firmly committed to a path that most of the Anglican Communion firmly rejects and nothing is going to get TEC to give up their new path ("short of a new Great Awakening," which no one really expects to transpire!).

Among the most important paragraphs of ++Jensen's statement for ACNA members are the following (boldfaced emphasis added by me):

The Global South Encounter could not in itself recognize the authenticity of churches. But the communiqué goes as far as is possible to recognizing the authenticity of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) and declaring this body to be the true heirs of the Anglican tradition on that continent. This is precisely what the GAFCON/FCA Primates Council did in 2009, and it really means that the leadership of the vast majority of the Anglican Communion regards itself as being in communion with ACNA and out of fellowship with the other North Americans. This was symbolized by the part played by Archbishop Bob Duncan at the conference, especially when he presided at Holy Communion. Furthermore the welcome accorded to the two bishops from the Communion Partners demonstrated the Global South commitment to Biblical standards as a test of fellowship.

In the meantime, of course, there are those, notably in the West, who want to play by the old institutional rules. They would argue that ACNA cannot be part of the Anglican Communion because it has not passed the tests of admission via the Anglican Consultative Council. This is so artificial as to be risible. As the last paragraph of the communiqué observes, the unreformed ‘instruments of communion’ (who invented such an inelegant phrase?) are archaic remnants of a system which has failed. The Global South is vibrant with spiritual reality. It has taken a time for them to break the courteous habit of deference, but they have now chosen reality, not the artificial constructs dominated by the money and politics of western churches.

The entire text of the archbishop's remarks may be found on the GAFCON website. Hat tip to Stand Firm.

A Report on the Oral Arguments in the DioFtWorth Appeal

2010-04-27T22:24:00.004-05:00

The Anglican Curmudgeon has posted a report, informed by Fr. Chris Cantrell's eyewitness account, of today's hearing in the Second Court of Appeals. The Curmudgeon may be found here, and his report and the comments are well worth reading.

The Global South's Meeting in Singapore issues a Communique

2010-04-23T10:15:00.006-05:00

Stand Firm has published the Communique produced by the fourth Anglican Global South-to-South Encounter's just-concluded Singapore meeting. The most important section for my purposes is paragraph 19 (bold-faced emphasis added by me):

19. We are pleased to welcome two Communion Partner bishops from the Episcopal Church USA (TEC) and acknowledge that with them there are many within TEC who do not accept their church's innovations. We assure them of our loving and prayerful support. We are grateful that the recently formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a faithful expression of Anglicanism. We welcome them as partners in the Gospel and our hope is that all provinces will be in full communion with the clergy and people of the ACNA and the Communion Partners.

RWF resumes: This is a very important statement from a gathering that represents the overwhelming majority of the world's Anglicans. This paragraph amounts to the leaders of more than 75% of the world's Anglicans expressing their conviction that the ACNA is a worthy partner with whom to be in full communion. It is an unalloyed recognition of our status as faithful Anglicans.

After reciting some of the recent actions of TEC and the ACC that have set them on (para. 16) "a course that contradicts the plain teaching of the Holy Scriptures on matters so fundamental that they affect the very salvation of those involved" and which (para. 18) "have brought discredit to our witness," Paragraph 18 "encourages our various Provinces to reconsider their communion relationships with the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada until it becomes clear that there is genuine repentence."

Thank God that many parts of the Anglican world have such faithful leaders!

A full list of the participants in this meeting may be found here.

More on this Communique and the Global South meeting's significance will follow.

Of Flowers and April Showers

2010-04-18T13:54:00.007-05:00

The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:12

Down here in Texas the flowers are their most brilliant in April, so the old Yankee saying, "April showers bring May flowers" doesn't quite apply. But check out these lovely photos my father, Randy, took this morning in our courtyard at St. Vincent's. April flowers are lovely in the midst of April showers!

A "Christ-haunted" Anne Rice tells of her journey back to the Faith

2010-04-12T20:25:00.003-05:00

This video in the "I am second" series by the one-time Vampire novelist Anne Rice is absolutely worth watching. Superb, especially the last minute and a half. Watch it until the end.

Now that Lent is over--Let's DANCE!!

2010-04-10T13:42:00.008-05:00

Just so you don't think my world is all traditional Anglican church politics I wanted to post some photos from my cure of souls, St. Vincent's School.

Last night my Middle Schoolers had their annual Spring dance. As you might guess, that is a middle school gym they are dancing in.

They had to hold off until Easter got here before they could party, but they made up for lost time with the Hippie Dance. It was a Seventies-themed dance. Though I think the "YMCA" dance is actually early Eighties, isn't it?

Of course, today's 11 to 14 year-olds don't know much about that long-lost decade. The most common "hippie" outfit simply involved tie-died tee-shirts. But a good time was had by all.

Archbishop Orombi's Excellent Letter to the ABC

2010-04-09T06:37:00.002-05:00

Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda has written an excellent letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In this letter ++Orombi recounts the many ways that TEC has thwarted the will of the primates of the world's Anglican provinces over the last seven years, primarily by means of manipulating the processes by which the Anglican Communion makes decisions--especially by having everything of importance funnelled through the Joint Standing Committee, where TEC itself holds a dominant position. One cannot expect the fox to guard the henhouse effectively, nor can one put a body dominated by TEC in the position of policing TEC and its left-wing allies when they stray from traditional Anglican teaching.

The letter reads, in part:

Your Grace, I have urged you in the past, and I will urge you again. There is an urgent need for a meeting of the Primates to continue sorting out the crisis that is before us, especially given the upcoming consecration of a Lesbian as Bishop in America. The Primates Meeting is the only Instrument that has been given authority to act, and it can act if you will call us together.

The agenda for that meeting should be set by the Primates themselves at the meeting, and not by any other staff in advance of the meeting. I reiterate this point because you will recall our cordial December 2008 meeting with you, Chris Smith, and the other GAFCON Primates in Canterbury where we discussed the agenda for the Primates meeting to take place in Alexandria the following month. None of our submissions were included in the agenda. Likewise, at the beginning of the January 2009 Primates meeting I was asked to present a position paper on the effect of the crisis in the Communion from our perspective, but I was not informed in advance, so I did not come prepared. Yet, other presenters, including TEC and Canada, were given prior information and came very prepared. I have never received a formal written apology about that incident, and it has caused me to wonder if there are two standards at work in how a Primate is treated.

Finally, the meeting should not include the Primates of TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada who are proceeding with unbiblical practices that contradict the faith of Anglicanism. We cannot carry on with business as usual until order is brought out of this chaos.

The entire letter may be read at Stand Firm.

Orthodox Anglican Pilgrimage to Italy

2010-04-07T06:56:00.004-05:00

I am planning another pilgrimage for the good people of our diocese to take place next Spring, March 12 to March 25, 2011 (specific date subject to move one or two days either way depending upon availability). It will be a THIRTEEN DAY pilgrimage to ITALY. I know many of you have been to Italy as tourists before, but this will be a serious study tour and pilgrimage and it will have substantially different content than a typical "package tour." Even if you have been to Italy before, it will be worth going back with a group of orthodox Anglicans in order to drink deeply from the fountain of Western Civilization and Western Christianity, Rome. And if you have never been to Italy before, I can think of no better company.

We will start with four days in the city of Rome, then travel to Naples and Pompeii, up the coast to Florence and the Italian Riviera, over to the marvelous Byzantine city of Ravenna, up to Venice, then finish out in Milan. The trip will be packed with visits to ancient Roman sites as well as places associated with the history of Christianity. We will, of course, also have nightly instruction and devotions led by me. There will also be a local tour guide, just as we had last summer in the Holy Land. But since ancient Rome is the area of history in which I spent more than 15 years of college and grad school studying I hope to be an especially well-informed group leader on this trip. (Latin is not a prereq for the trip, however. )

Mr. Kort of Econotravel is organizing this pilgrimage for me, just as he did last summer's spectacular trip to Israel. I fully expect it to be just as wonderful as that Holy Land trip was. This pilgrimage will take place over THIRTEEN DAYS during our Spring Break next year (missing, I believe, no more than three days of school). The approximately $4500 per person cost will include airfare from New York to Italy, all high-quality lodging , a touring coach, an Italian guide, and breakfast and dinner every day.

Reconnect with the European roots of our culture and the early Church and have a grand time as well! I need FIFTEEN PEOPLE to indicate strong interest as soon as possible so we can go ahead and being making our reservations.

PLEASE send me an email to rfoster[at]sves.org and let me know if you are interested in going. I would LOVE to have a much bigger group than 15!!!

Barbie as Episcopal Priest!

2010-04-07T06:49:00.004-05:00

This is simply too hilarious:

With her careers as veterinarian, astronaut and U.S. president behind her, Barbie has at last found her true calling: as a second-career Episcopal priest.

The 11.5-inch-tall fictional graduate of Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif., has donned a cassock and surplice and is rector at St. Barbara’s-by-the-Sea in (where else?) Malibu, Calif.

She arrived at the church fully accessorized, as is Barbie’s custom. Her impeccably tailored ecclesiastical vestments include various colored chasubles (the sleeveless vestments worn at Mass) for every liturgical season, black clergy shirt with white collar, neat skirt and heels, a laptop with prepared sermon and a miniature, genuine Bible.

Apparently a devotee of the “smells and bells” of High Church tradition, the Rev. Barbie even has a tiny thurible, a metal vessel used for sending clouds of incense wafting toward heaven.

The entire story may be read here. Hat tip to MCJ.

Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Great Vigil of Easter at St. Vincent's Cathedral

2010-04-03T23:30:00.011-05:00

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:5-10

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,eaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

We had a good number of baptisms, confirmations, and reaffirmations for Bishop Iker to perform tonight, as well as first communion for several youngsters. Among those confirmed tonight was Taylor, winner of five "outstanding student" awards for Religion coursework undertaken during her three years at St. Vincent's middle school--quite a feat!

Congratulations to all the newly baptised, confirmed, and first communed! Happy Easter!

HOLY SATURDAY: Jesus is laid in the tomb--A sermon by Bishop Frederick Fick

2010-04-03T16:21:00.005-05:00

On Friday, March 26th, the Right Rev. Frederick Fick, the Father General of the Missionaries of St. John, an order within Forward in Faith, North America, delivered a fine sermon on the Fourteenth Station of the Cross at St. Vincent's Cathedral in Bedford, Texas. It is a superb reflection for Holy Saturday, and may be heard here.

Good Friday 2010, St. Vincent's Cathedral

2010-04-02T22:15:00.005-05:00

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:33-38
I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Cor 2:2
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Heb 10:19-22

Altar of Repose 2010

2010-04-02T13:30:00.002-05:00

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”

John 19:1-6a

Attendance is Up in the Diocese of Fort Worth Since Joining the Anglican Church in North America!

2010-04-01T09:51:00.003-05:00

For those who may have thought that our departure from TEC would doom our diocese, I am delighted to pass along these fresh Average Sunday Attendance figures for 2009--our first year in the Anglican Church in North America (received via an ad clerum email today from Bishop Iker and published here by permission).

Our average Sunday attendance for the diocese in 2009 was 5593. This compares to an ASA of 5337 in the previous year. These figures are based on the Annual Parochial Reports submitted to the Bishop.

Scenes from the Chrism Mass/Mass of Collegiality Today at St. Vincent's Cathedral

2010-03-30T20:26:00.005-05:00

It fell to me to attempt to put the clergy of our diocese into order by the date of their canonical residency here in order for us to process into the Chrism mass/Mass of Collegiality today at St. Vincent's. Not an easy task. Herding priests is something like herding cats!
Bishop Iker delivered a fine homily, in which he reassured us that despite all the uncertainties of the present day we have done the right thing by standing steadfastly for "the Faith once delivered to the saints." And the bishop also reminded us that God certainly has a plan to see that His will is done in all this, even if we cannot say exactly what that plan is at the moment.
Many thanks to my father, R.D. Foster, for coming today and taking these fine photos of the event.

One of the largest parishes in the nation pulls out of TEC for the Anglican Church in North America

2010-03-29T17:31:00.005-05:00

St. Andrew's Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, has voted by a 97% margin to depart from the Episcopal Church and align with the Anglican Church in North America. The report below is taken from blog of its rector, the Rev. Steve Wood. A full report may be found by clicking the title to this post.

As you know, yesterday we gathered at 12.15 pm for a Special Meeting of the Parish to consider our way forward. First, let me say how deeply I appreciated the participation of the 722 people who cast ballots. This day and this decision was without a doubt one of the most significant days and decisions in the history of this parish. Thank you for your faithfulness and for your willingness to complete the process we began many months ago.

Today we received the preliminary vote totals from the CPA firm contracted to oversee the balloting process. There were 722 ballots cast. The results are:

Resolution 1 (to amend our Parish By-Laws): 709 in favor, 13 opposed – 98 % approval.

Resolution 2 (to amend our Articles of Incorporation): 707 in favor, 15 opposed – 98% approval.

Resolution 3 (to disaffiliate with TEC and affiliate with ACNA or some other Province of the Anglican Communion): 703 in favor, 19 opposed – 97% approval.

I rejoice and give thanks for both the clarity of this discernment process and the unity of purpose within this parish demonstrated by this vote. Unity and discernment are both gifts worked in our lives by the Spirit. Having said that, I am reminded that at least 19 members of St. Andrew’s may not be rejoicing in this vote and I commend them to you and your prayers as brothers and sisters in Christ. Please commit with me to ensure that St. Andrew’s will remain a parish where all are welcome to gather at the foot of the cross; sinners yet redeemed by the wonderful work of Christ.

What’s next?

The Vestry and I have made arrangements for St. Andrew’s to affiliate with The Diocese of The Holy Spirit, a diocese within the Anglican Church in North America. This affiliation will be effective upon the certification of our vote by the CPA firm at 3.00 pm, 2 April, at the latest.

Best wishes for a Blessed Holy Week

2010-03-29T14:18:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Bishop Jack Leo Iker was our celebrant at the 9AM Palm Sunday/Sunday of the

Passion Eucharist. It was a wonderful day.

The rest of this week will be observed in this manner at St. Vincent's:

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the Eucharist will be celebrated at 7PM.

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be celebrated at 7:30PM

The Great Vigil of Easter will be celebrated at 8PM. I hope to see you there!

Gary Parrett and J.I. Packer's "Grounded in the Gospel" on the White Horse Inn

2010-03-07T18:02:00.003-06:00

A Lovely Visit to All Saints, Wichita Falls

2010-03-04T06:30:00.007-06:00

Last night I was warmly welcomed by Fr. Ken MacKenzie and the good people of All Saints' Church in Wichita Falls. I was joined for the journey by my father and an old family friend, who proved excellent company for the 120 mile road trip. We joined them for Eucharist and then I taught a class on "church growth in ancient Christianity" while the parishioners enjoyed a light Lenten meal. The MacKenzies, Deacon Crab, and the parishioners were very hospitable. And the questions and comments were great!

Thanks, Fr. Ken, for the invitation!

Plaque Commemorating ACNA Provincial Assembly Presented to St. Vincent's Cathedral

2010-03-01T21:24:00.005-06:00

The Rev. Canon Daryl Fenton, Canon for Provincial and Global Mission in the Anglican Church in North America, presented a gift from the Anglican Church in North America to the parish on Sunday, February 21st. The plaque reads:

In Thanksgiving to the Cathedral Church of St. Vincent. At this place on June 23, 2009 the Anglican Church in North America was officially constituted.

Those accepting the gift on behalf of the parish were: Dean Ryan Reed, Joe Graber, Bob Thornton, and Thom & Jan Murrell.

The plaque will hang in the narthex of the cathedral.

Archbishop Duncan updates us via Anglican TV on the first eight months of the ACNA

2010-02-27T13:02:00.004-06:00

The new deacon who would be our curate

2010-02-25T21:24:00.010-06:00

The man who, God willing, later this summer will become our new curate at St. Vincent's Cathedral, Andrew Petta, was ordained a deacon in Christ's holy, Catholic Church on Saturday at St. Andrew's Church in downtown Fort Worth. It was a lovely service at which Bishop Iker was our preacher. In the photo below I'm standing between Dean Ryan Reed and the Rev. Canon Richard Cantrell of St. Vincent's. Deacon Kerwin Wade of the cathedral stands on the other side of Dean Reed.

Warmest congratulations to Deacon Petta, who will take up his duties in early July after he graduates from Nashotah House. May God bless his ministry richly!

Photos by Suzanne Gill of our diocesan offices.

A Pointless Exercise: The Rump Diocese of Fort Worth "Deposes" 57 Priests and Deacons

2010-02-17T17:53:00.006-06:00

Not that it matters one little bit to me, but today I received my official letter of deposition from Bishop C. Wallis Ohl, the "provisional bishop" of the TEC-loyalist "Diocese of Fort Worth." You can read the letter by clicking the images above.

I fully expect to receive a letter from Gordon Brown any day revoking my British citizenship, despite the outcome of that little spat between 1775 and 1783. Some people just don't get the message that the ship has long ago already sailed. :-)

C of E Recognizes ACNA's Desire to "Remain within the Anglican Family"

2010-02-10T13:30:00.004-06:00

Today the General Synod of the Church of England passed the following resolution by an overwhelming margin of 309 to 69 (emphasis added by RWF):

This Synod, aware of the distress caused by recent divisions within the Anglican churches of the United States of America and Canada, recognise and affirm the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family; acknowledge that this aspiration, in respect both of relations with the Church of England and membership of the Anglican Communion, raises issues which the relevant authorities of each need to explore further; and invite the Archbishops to report further to the Synod in 2011.

RWF resumes: I would point out the word "remain" in the highlighted language is a tacit recognition that we are at present "members of the Anglican family." I am saddened that in the end this resolution amounts to little more than the standard Anglican "kicking the can down the road for another year" sort of thing we have seen so much of before, but perhaps this is a start.

More may be read at Stand Firm by clicking the title to this post.

ACNA Bishops Attend ++Williams' Speech at St. Vladimir's Seminary

2010-02-03T18:30:00.005-06:00

On January 30th Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was granted an honory doctorate at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. A full story about the events of last weekend may be found on the seminary's website (which may be read by clicking the title of this post).

Noteworthy in particular is the seminary web site's highlighting the presence of several bishops from the Anglican Church in North America, including Archbishop Duncan and Bishop Iker. Here is an excerpt:

Particularly noteworthy among the audience was the attendance by bishops in the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), a “Province-in-formation” within the global Anglican Communion. Newly formed in June 2008, it represents a traditional, conservative, and “biblically-faithful way of following Jesus,” in opposition to many current practices that members say are “accommodated and incorporated” by the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and the Anglican Church of Canada, according to the group's Websitehttp://anglicanchurch.net.

The Rt. Rev. Ray R. Sutton, the Ecumenical Bishop from the ACNA stated, “With grateful hearts to Metropolitan Jonah, we welcome and rejoice over his vision and commitment to restoring Anglican-Orthodox dialogue. We who are faithful Anglicans thank St. Vladimir’s for its deep commitment to the faith once delivered and its love for others outside Orthodoxy who share likeminded love for the love and truth of Jesus.”

Likewise, The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker, bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth in the ACNA, said, “The real significance of today’s events goes far beyond the awarding of an honorary degree to Dr. Rowan Williams. By conferring this degree upon the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Vladimir’s has expressed respect and affection for Anglicanism, as well as a hope for a deeper relationship between Anglican and Orthodox Christians. Metropolitan Jonah has spoken of this new vision in a very inspirational way.”

The Brethren

2010-02-02T13:22:00.004-06:00

The photo above was taken at the end of our diocesan silent clergy retreat at the Montserat Jesuit Retreat Center last week. The photo portrays most of the priests in the diocese of Fort Worth (ACNA). I'm the chap standing behind Bishop William Wantland. Standing on Bishop Iker's right is Fr. Houlding of the SSC, who was our retreat conductor. He gave a series of reflections the Lord's Prayer before or after each of our worship services (we worshiped in the chapel five times each day). I found these talks to be quite good, and much fruitful thought was provoked by them.

I must admit that, in addition to quiet prayer time, I used the extended period of silence to continue my recent reading binge on Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking Age. But somehow reading Beowulf seemed to fit the time well!

King of Glory Anglican Church, Waco, Texas

2010-01-23T20:48:00.007-06:00

This afternoon I joined the Rt Rev. Jack Leo Iker, bishop of the diocese of Fort Worth, in Waco for worship with the good people of King of Glory Anglican Church, our newest diocesan mission station. This group, started on the initiative of faithful lay people, primarily serves the Baylor University community. They are now meeting at 4PM on Sunday afternoons in a chapel graciously offered by the First Baptist Church of Waco on Fifth Street between the university's campus and downtown.

Four of these good people at King of Glory were confirmed by the bishop this afternoon and several more reaffirmed their commitments to follow Christ as part of this mission station.

This community has grown quickly, drawing both upon people with a background in the Episcopal Church and others who are "evangelicals on the Canterbury trail." I believe there are even a few who have not previously had a commitment to Christ as Savior. (Let us pray there will be more soon!).

Today there were thirty-nine communicants at the Eucharist. If you live in or near Waco and are looking for an orthodox Anglican place of worship, I heartily commend King of Glory Anglican Church for your consideration. You may find their website by clicking the title to this post.

Missing Mamma a lot lately ...

2010-01-19T15:51:00.001-06:00

The Dangerous "Gospel" of Joel Osteen

2010-01-18T07:56:00.003-06:00

This video from "Sixty Minutes" does a good job of capturing what's wrong with the Joel Osteen's "megachurch" self-help philosophy that substitutes for the Gospel of Jesus Christ for so many Americans.

Hat tip to Treading the Grain.

Help for Haitian Quake Victims

2010-01-14T17:06:00.001-06:00

The Anglican Relief and Development Fund has started a special fund for earthquake relief in Haiti. My school kids are contributing. Please consider doing the same.

Our "White Christmas" at St. Vincent's Cathedral

2009-12-26T14:01:00.001-06:00

On Christmas eve the snow began falling in Bedford about one in the afternoon. By 8PM we had accumulated about two inches of snow. I know that isn't much by northern standards, but this was the first true "white Christmas" here in my lifetime!

Our quiet little service on Christmas day

2009-12-26T13:59:00.003-06:00

While St. Vincent's often sees more than 600 worshipers on Christmas eve, our Christmas morning service is a quiet, reflective Eucharist which typically has about 35 congregants. This year we saw a "white Christmas" for the first time more than three decades here in North Texas, which did reduce attendance at the Christmas eve Eucharists. But surprisingly, despite icy streets, more forty people came on Christmas day. It was a lovely service at which Fr. Kalimi of our African Fellowship celebrated the Holy Mysteries and I was honored to preach.

Merry Christmas to all!

"... you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

2009-12-25T07:34:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Get a copy of "Being Faithful" today! You will not regret it.

2009-12-22T19:20:00.006-06:00

The Theological Resource Group of GAFCON has produced a remarkable commentary on the Jerusalem Declaration entitled Being Faithful: The Shape of Historic Anglicanism Today. I have found it to be a remarkably helpful read and urge all of this blog's readers to obtain a copy.

For example, I found this list of "core commitments" of the Christian faith on pages 86-87 to be an excellent summary of the doctrines of Catholic Christianity:

The non-negotiable core of these commitments includes:

--the goodness, love, and mercy of the living God who eternally exists in three Person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

--the creation of men and women by God in his image, with all that this means for the dignity and value of every human life;

--the distortion of creation, at all levels, by the decision of the first man and woman to turn aside from trust in God's goodness, expressed in the word he had given them;

--the lostness of the human race, as the result of the fall into sin, which manifests itself in our natural guilt, corruption and enslavement to sinful desire;

--the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God, and as the only Saviour for sinful men and women;

--the central saving reality of judgement being borne in our place by Jesus Christ on the cross, which is his great victory over all that stands against us, and that also stands opposed to the rightful rule of God;

--the historical actuality and theological indispensability of the bodily resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead, on the third day after his crucifixion, leaving empty the tomb in which he had been laid;

--the necessity of the Spirit's work in bringing about the repentance and faith in the human heart, so as to unite us to Christ and enable us to share in the salvation he has won;

--the right standing with God which is given freely, and which now belongs to all who, by faith, are united to Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection;

--the expectation of the bodily return of Jesus Christ, to bring God purposes of salvation and judgement to their consummation;

--the significance of the Church as the gathering of the redeemed people of God around the word of God and in the Spirit of God;

--the supreme authority of the Scriptures as the word of God written, and as the source of true teaching about God, his purposes, and the appropriate response to God's mercy in Jesus Christ;

--the purpose of Christian ministry within the churches to nourish faith and obedience through careful teaching of the Bible in the context of genuine personal relationships;

--the generous provision of the Lord's Supper and baptism which, as sacraments, visibly represent the promises of the gospel of Jesus Christ to his people;

--the legitimate exercise of authority within the churches which is characterized by the unreserved obedience to the teaching of Scripture and Jesus Christ's own pattern of service;

--the importance of fellowship between Christian congregations in the common cause of living as disciples of Jesus Christ and as his ambassadors in the world;

--the priority of evangelism for all Christians in response to the great commission of Jesus Christ.

Welcome [in Advance] to the Fold, St. Andrew's--Mt. Pleasant, SC!

2009-12-17T20:48:00.004-06:00

Clicking on the title of this post will take you to the official announcement by the Vestry of St. Andrew's Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina--the largest parish in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina--that their parishioners have overwhelmingly expressed their desire to leave TEC and become part of the ACNA.

The announcement states, in part:

Last night we gathered to count the response forms and by a 93% – 6% margin the congregation has overwhelmingly recommended that St. Andrew’s affiliate with the Anglican Church in North America and separate from The Episcopal Church. Here are the results:

902 total discernment response forms submitted.

838 recommended that St. Andrew’s Church affiliate with the Anglican Church in North America and separate from The Episcopal Church.
58 recommended that we remain within The Episcopal Church.
4 response forms were submitted unmarked.
2 response forms had the word, “abstain” written across them.

We were very pleased with the total number of people participating in this discernment process and we were equally pleased with the clarity with which you – and the Lord through you – spoke to us. We will gather as a Vestry in the New Year to take up this matter. Be assured we will keep you informed of our decisions. Please keep us in your prayers.

Interesting insights into the new Ordinariate for former Anglicans in England

2009-12-12T20:07:00.011-06:00

While a great deal remains to be worked out with respect to the new ordinariates being created for converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism, the BBC today reports an interview (click the title of this blog entry to read it) with Monsignor Andrew Faley, Assistant General Secretary of the English and Welsh Catholic bishops' conference, in which Mgr Faley details some aspects of how the new structures will function in the U.K.

Among the interesting insights in this article:

Those who imagine the ordinariates will function with a high degree of autonomy from the Roman rite parishes in their neighborhoods (like some sort of Anglican "uniate" church) may be disappointed to read Mgr Faley's comments to the BBC that "ordinariate members would be expected to co-operate with their local bishop and the life of their local Catholic parish. 'They can't live separate from it... that would be a "sect" approach and that would not be tolerated within the Catholic understanding of the church,' he said."

Mgr Faley indicates that one should not assume the new quasi-episcopal ordinaries will be former Anglican bishops. Indeed, he thinks it is unlikely that they would be so in England: "Within the nature of the bishops' conference as it currently stands it's almost certain that the ordinary of the ordinariate would be a celibate Catholic bishop. ... There is the possibility that he would be [a married former Anglican bishop] - but within the culture of the bishops' conference I think that's highly unlikely."

In England Mgr Faley says it is unlikely that the former Anglican parishes who join the ordinariate will be able to retain their buildings. They will more likely share facilities with a neighboring Roman rite parish.

The new ordinariate parishes may be served by married former Anglican priests who are subsequently ordained as Roman Catholic priests. However, married men who have not been ordained as Anglicans before they enter the ordinariate will not eligible for ordination. (Mgr Faley does not speak to the question of married men who are already candidates at the time they convert but are not yet ordained.) This was reasonably clear from the Apostolic Constitution itself, but Mgr Faley's remarks do remind me that there will probably not be very many married ordinariate priests within a few decades.

In addition, Mgr Faley says these ordinariate parishes will be using a standard liturgy based upon the Book of Common Prayer rather than the various rites they presently use. (Many Anglo-Catholics in the U.K. actually use the Roman rite today, though Mgr Faley thinks they will no longer be able to do so within the new ordinariates.)

Of course, things might be quite different in the United States. But these are interesting observations, nonetheless.

St. Vincent's School Lessons and Carols 2009 A.D.

2009-12-11T17:41:00.010-06:00

Last night the choir of St. Vincent's School (fourth through eighth grades) and the lower school music classes (kindergarten through third grades) lead our worship at Advent Lessons and Carols through their beautiful offering of music to God's glory.In addition to the glorious singing, six members of our fifth through eighth grades served as readers of Holy Scripture. They were joined by two of our recent alumnae (now students at Nolan Catholic High School and Fort Worth Christian School) and by our middle school English teacher, Mrs. Wren, who also served as readers.
The congregation exceeded 300. It was a remarkable evening of prayer and praise. Thanks be to God for the many talents He has given to our students, and thanks to the kids and Mrs. Fergus for all their hard work in preparing for this service.

The Heavens Declare the Love of God

2009-12-09T21:57:00.002-06:00

My father took this lovely photograph tonight at Donna Park in Hurst, Texas. The heart-shaped break in the clouds reminded me of the unfathomable love of our Lord for mankind manifest in the first Advent of Christ our Savior.

Deja vu all over again

2009-12-01T13:21:00.004-06:00

Clicking on the title to this post will take you to a story from today's Washington Times about the pending formation of an new Lutheran denominational body. The Steering Committee of Lutheran CORE, a group of traditional Lutherans who has been opposing the leftward slide of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, has voted to form a separate church structure in the aftermath of the ELCA's national Synod's vote to jettison Scriptural teachings on human sexuality last summer.

It is striking how closely ELCA's slide has paralleled that of TEC. May God bless Lutheran CORE richly as they strive to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to answer God's call to righteousness.

The Pope's offer to Anglican converts does not allow them to pick and choose which doctrines they accept

2009-11-23T17:19:00.006-06:00

Avril Ormsby, writing for Reuters (click on title to this post to read), reports that the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, has stated that, "Nothing is envisaged in this provision that the Pope has put in place is a kind of minimalist approach to picking bits of the Catholic faith that I like and then seeing myself as it were contained as a quasi-Catholic, not a real Catholic, under the umbrella of this constitution." The archbishop notes that a "buffet approach" to the Faith will not be acceptable.

Archbishop Nichols further stated: “I clearly want to say unambiguously that anybody who seriously wants to perhaps take up the initiative that Pope Benedict has put in place needs to do it out of a conviction that this is the context in which they desire, long to live their Christian discipleship. ...

It therefore must be a positive desire in their heart, and one that centres around not questions of the ordination of women to the episcopate, not questions of sexual ethics, but must centre around an understanding of the role of the office of the Bishop of Rome…in the ongoing life of a Christian.

So a person must be embracing of that concrete aspect of Catholic life which is the authority of the Holy See in the person if they are hoping to make this journey with integrity.”

RWF resumes: I, for one, am glad that the Archbishop has pointed this out. One really ought to make a change of this magnitude because one is drawn by the firm, positive conviction that Rome possesses the Truth in a way that Anglicanism simply does not. It should be a movement toward the fullness of Faith, not merely a journey away from a few particular flaws that the convert finds unacceptable in the Anglican tradition. Unless the prospective convert truly is convinced in his or her heart and mind that all that the Roman Catholic Church teaches is true (including Apostolicae Curae's teaching on the invalidity of Anglican orders and their Catechism's affirmations on Papal infallibility, the Immaculate Conception, and the universal ordinary jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, among others), I would urge them to pause and reflect deeply before moving forward. That noble Church deserves a membership devoted to the truths of the Faith as it has consistently presented them.

The Manhattan Declaration

2009-11-21T15:29:00.006-06:00

By clicking the title to this blog entry you may read The Manhattan Declaration. This document was released yesterday and is an important ecumenical statement by orthodox Christian leaders from many denominational traditions regarding issues related to the sanctity of life, Scriptural and traditional teachings on human sexuality, and troubling recent developments in the law regarding freedom of religion.

Among the initial signatories are Archbishop Robert Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America and several other bishops of the new province, along with Dr. J.I. Packer, our best known theologian. Others signatories include several Roman Catholic archbishops and the R.C. apologist Dr. Peter Kreeft of Boston College, Metropolitan Jonah of the OCA and numerous other Orthodox leaders, and dozens of well-known evangelical figures (e.g., Chuck Colson, Joni Erickson Tada, Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Ravi Zacharias).

More than 5000 additional individuals have signed the Declaration in the last twenty-four hours on-line.

Thursday Night Class Raps Up for the Fall

2009-11-19T21:37:00.003-06:00

Tonight we finished up our Fall Thursday night class at St. Vincent's Cathedral. We have covered the Apostolic Fathers over the last ten weeks, and it was a great deal of fun. Thanks to all who participated.

My next Thursday night class will begin after the Christmas holiday on the evening following the feast of Epiphany. The new class will focus on the thought of St. Augustin of Hippo, with special attention to The Confessions. This class will start on January 7th at 7:30PM in Middle School classroom 103. If you live in the DFW Metroplex, please consider joining us!

Another Significant Ruling in Our Diocese's Favor in the TEC Lawsuit

2009-11-17T06:04:00.004-06:00

The Court of Appeals here has issued a stay in the lawsuit the TEC-loyalist rump "diocese of Fort Worth" has filed attempting to take all our property away from the parishes of the real, ACNA-affiliated Diocese of Fort Worth. This was done because a fundamental illogic has appeared in the way TEC's lawsuit is working its way through the trial court.

First, the trial court judge has already ruled that the lawyers suing on behalf of TEC's "diocese" DO NOT represent the corporation known as the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth that was established in 1983 and which Bishop Iker still heads. Yet the trial judge did not strike all the pleadings TEC's lawyers had filed claiming to act on behalf of the corporation at the time he ruled that they were not the real diocese's lawyers. Logically, if these TEC lawyers do not represent the real diocese that actually owns the property, then they should not be able to even appear in court to file pleadings demanding that property be handed over to the folks they represent!

The appelate court has stayed any further proceedings until this fundamental illogic can be resolved. And that is GOOD news for the ACNA diocese--the real diocese of Fort Worth.

The Anglican Curmudgeon has full details and is a MUST READ. Just click on the title to this blog entry to read his remarks.

The New Apostolic Constitution from the Vatican on "Anglican Ordinariates"

2009-11-09T20:02:00.008-06:00

The Vatican's new Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, has now been released (it may be seen by clicking the title to this post). And for those Anglicans who have longed for immediate, full, visible union with the See of Rome this is a generous offer. The Constitution and its supporting document make it clear that these Ordinariates will have many of the characteristics of dioceses. And for former Anglicans who are looking for the long-term preservation of some aspects of the "Anglican patrimony" inside the Roman Catholic Church this is certainly a step in the right direction.

It is not clear to me precisely how much of the "Anglican patrimony" is going to be preserved with the Roman Catholic Church beyond liturgical elements, however. Paragraph III of the Constitution states, "the Ordinariate has the faculty to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical celebrations according to the liturgical books proper to the Anglican tradition, which have been approved by the Holy See, so as to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared." But aside from worship expressions informed by the traditional Books of Common Prayer, how much more of the Anglican heritage will be preserved? The new plan holds out the same possibility of married presbyters ordained out of the ranks of converted Anglican clergy that has long been provided by the "Pastoral Provision" in the U.S., of course, but certainly there is more to being Anglican than the BCP and married priests. How much more will Anglican converts take with them into the RCC? Time will tell, I suppose.

It is interesting that an explanatory statement by a scholar in Rome originally appended to the end of the Constitution on the Vatican's web site states in part, "4. the ordination of ministers coming from Anglicanism will be absolute, on the basis of the Bull Apostolicae curae of Leo XIII of September 13, 1896." Hence, there will apparently be no "conditional ordinations" allowing former Anglican ministers to believe they had previously been validly ordained as priests by an Anglican bishop. Their future ordinations as Roman Catholic priests will be their first and only priestly ordination. (I am not sure exactly how authoritative this appended statement by Fr. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J., of the Pontifical Gregorian University is, but the fact that the Vatican at first attached it to the Constitution on its own website surely invests it with more significance than the opinions of a random blogger such as myself. I notice that by Tuesday morning, however, it seems to have disappeared from the Vatican web site. The news organization Zenit refers to it as the Vatican's "official commentary" on the Constitution. Fr. Ghirlanda's commentary may still be read at http://www.zenit.org/article-27492?l=english )

But for me the crucial statement in the Constitution is paragraph I, §5: "The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the authoritative expression of the Catholic faith professed by members of the Ordinariate." This is, of course, precisely what one would expect from the Vatican. Pope Benedict and the Roman hierarchy are men of integrity who take doctrine seriously. Certainly no one would expect them to allow Anglican converts to pick and choose which elements of Rome's definitive teachings they will adhere to and which they won't. I am very glad the Constitution makes it clear that one will be accepting the entire package in taking up this offer. If you reject something the Catechism teaches you will not be in conformity with "the authoritative expression" of the Catholic faith. Period. No "cafeteria Catholicism" will be fostered by this new scheme. Bravo!

Of course, if I believed the full contents of The Catechism of the Catholic Church to be true I would already have become a Roman Catholic long ago. If I were convinced that Rome's understanding of the Faith is entirely correct, I would not hold back a single minute from being received into full commuion with the bishop of Rome. I certainly would not have delayed my submission simply in hopes that one day a Pope would create an administrative apparatus expanding the Pastoral Provision and making it easier to set up Anglican Use parishes under the jurisdiction of former Anglican hierarchs as Ordinaries.

Of course, personally I do not believe the Roman Catechism accurately teaches all the elements of the Catholic faith. After almost twenty years of serious study and prayerful contemplation, my own convictions are firm on certain points. I do not believe, for example, that Rome's teaching on the jurisdiction of the Papacy is correct (CCC, paras. 882-883), nor do I adhere to Rome's teaching on infallibility (CCC, paras. 889-892) or the Immaculate Conception (CCC, paras. 491-2). And there are other elements of Rome's doctrine about which I have considerable reservations. So I, for one, cannot in good conscience submit to the Roman Pontiff and avail myself of Pope Benedict's gracious offer. But I am happy for those friends who have longed for their path into full communion with the See of Peter to be made straight. May God bless your journey, dear brothers and sisters. You will be missed.

DioFort Worth Makes It Official--We have acceded to the Constitution and Canons of the ACNA and endorsed the Anglican Covenant

2009-11-07T14:59:00.011-06:00

When the gavel fell bringing our 27th diocesan convention to an end about an hour ago the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth officially became a full member of the Anglican Church of North America, ending the de facto "provisional" member status we have had in ACNA since its Inaugural Assembly last June here at St. Vincent's Cathedral.

By a unanimous voice vote the convention committed us "to continued participation in the development of the Anglican Church in North America, acceding to the Constitution and Canons thereof during this process." At the same time, our diocese will also maintain "its status as a member diocese in the Province of the Southern Cone while the formal process of recognition of this new province continues in the Anglican Communion."

We also unanimously expressed our "readiness to adopt the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant (Ridley Cambridge Draft)" and our "solidarity with the Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America and the Communion Partner Bishops in North America in the hope that individual dioceses and other churches [Covenant 4.1.5] be encouraged to adopt the Anglican Covenant."

By another unanimous voice vote we also declared that we share "Metropolitan Jonah’s vision 'to live, to actualize, and to participate in the full integrity of the Catholic Church—the full integrity of Orthodox Catholicism,'" and communicated to "Metropolitan Jonah and the Orthodox Church in America [our] desire to work toward that full, visible, and sacramental unity that the Lord Jesus Christ desires in his prayer that 'they all may be one.'"

Finally, we also expressed our "deep gratitude" to Pope Benedict XVI for "his willingness to achieve full communion with Anglicans" and urged members of our diocese to study prayerfully his soon-to-be-released Apostolic Constitution on reception of Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church.

The full texts of the resolutions may be found by clicking the title of this blog entry. All of these resolutions were adopted without modification by unanimous voice vote.

Archbishop Dimitri of the Orthodox Church of America (pictured below with Bishop Iker--photo by S. Gill) brought us fraternal greetings on behalf of Metropolitan Jonah. He was warmly received, as was the representative of the Roman Catholic diocese.

How would you do in my middle school Philosophy class?

2009-11-02T06:27:00.003-06:00

I am teaching an elective "Introduction to Philosophy" class this year at St. Vincent's Middle School for our 6th through 8th graders. It is a wonderful class, full of many of my best and brightest students. The discussions are lively and frequently quite deep. Honestly, I have an eighth grader whose papers would get solid marks in freshman Philosophy at UT-Austin (well done, MNM!) and eleven-year-olds whose questions in class reflect a depth of insight uncommon for people three times their age. All of the kids are really getting into the material. I am so proud of them!

Take a crack at the exam I am giving them this morning. Would you make an "A"?

NAME____________________________
PHILOSOPHY EXAM: Plato and Aristotle

1. What is the world of “eternal Forms” for Plato and how does it relate to the world we experience with our senses? (15 points)

2. What does Plato think happens when we “learn” something? (10 points)

3. What was the name of the school that Plato founded in Athens? (5 points)

4. What is Aristotle’s theory with regard to “substance” (a.k.a. “essence”) and “accidents”? (15 points)

5. Describe what Aristotle thought the “form” of a thing is. (15 points)

6. How did Plato’s ideas about women differ from those of Aristotle? (10 points)

7. What is the structure of the ideal society in Plato’s “Republic”? (30 points) Discuss the three different classes of people and how the government and the rearing and education of children were supposed to work.

BONUS: In the 13th century A.D. a Christian philosopher named Thomas Aquinas adapted some of Aristotle’s thought to explain what takes place in the Holy Eucharist. Describe this doctrine, using the proper terminology. (up to 10 bonus points available)

ACNA figures to grow by five more parishes next week!

2009-10-29T16:08:00.005-05:00

There will be five new congregations welcomed into the diocese of Fort Worth next week. Assuming the diocese accedes formally to the Constitution and Canons of the ACNA at our convention next Saturday (as seems likely) this will mean five new parishes for the new province! Several of these parishes are former TEC churches, while one is a new church plant.

The Church of Christ the Redeemer will be recognized as a mission parish in Fort Worth, under its vicar, Fr. Christopher Culpepper. St. Francis Church in Dallas will be welcomed as a new parish of the diocese, while St Gabriel's Anglican Church in Bentonville, AR, will become a mission station of the diocese. And St. Matthias' Anglican Church in Dallas and the Church of the Holy Spirit in Tulsa, OK, will become parishes of the diocese under a new Parish Affiliation Agreement that has been put into place here.

Welcome to the dioFortWorth family, friends!

George Conger+ surveys the Communion and finds only individuals likely to take up Vatican's offer

2009-10-27T15:16:00.012-05:00

From the Rev. George Conger, quoting in part Bishop Iker's letter of October 20th, on the website Religious Intelligence:

US Anglo-Catholic leader Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth said the proposal was a “very generous and welcoming offer” for those seeking to maintain “certain aspects of the Anglican way of worship, spirituality, and ethos while entering into full communion with the Pope.”

However, “not all Anglo-Catholics can accept certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, nor do they believe that they must first convert to Rome in order to be truly catholic Christians,” Bishop Iker said on Oct 20 noting that “other Anglicans who desire full communion with the See of Peter would prefer some sort of recognition of the validity of Anglican orders and the provision for inter-communion between Roman Catholics and Anglicans.”

The rest of the article is well worth reading. The C of E Newspaper's survey reveals no jurisdictions are likely to take up the Vatican's offer. Conversions will apparently be solely on an individual basis.

Conger's conclusion: In jurisdictions where traditional Anglo-Catholics predominate: the Provinces of Central Africa, Tanzania, West Africa, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the West Indies; the Australian dioceses of The Murray and Ballarat and the US dioceses of Fort Worth, Quincy and San Joaquin---individuals may take up the Vatican’s offer, but no institution is likely to follow. Nor is the offer likely to divide North American conservatives into rival Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical camps, its leaders tell CEN.

Roses of Bishop Davies Home, taken by my father Randy

2009-10-21T11:14:00.002-05:00

The most important news from my ministerial world today

2009-10-20T20:30:00.005-05:00

The really big news in my cure of souls tonight is the marvelous VICTORY of our beloved St. Vincent's Middle School Lady Eagles in the Christian Schools Athletic Fellowship's North Texas Regional Volleyball Tournament!!!! Congratulations, my dear sisters in Christ! A great way to end a great season. Regional Champions--woo-HOO!!

Maren was named to the All-Region Team and Stephanie was named Tournament MVP. Great work, everyone. I am very proud of you!

Response to Vatican announcement of “personal ordinariates” for Anglicans

2009-10-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

Bishop Iker has issued the following statement regarding today's announcement from the Vatican:

I have read with great interest various reports concerning today's announcement from top officials in the Vatican about some new provisions being made whereby Anglicans may enter into full communion with the Holy See. For some time now I have understood that high-level discussions about this were taking place in Rome and that an announcement along these lines would be made before the end of the year. As today's announcement indicates, a new Apostolic Constitution is soon to be released which will spell out Pope Benedict XVI's response to Anglicans who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

Many Anglo-Catholics will welcome this development as a very generous and welcoming offer that enhances the Pastoral Provision that has been in place for several years for those seeking reunion with Rome. Other Anglicans who desire full communion with the See of Peter would prefer some sort of recognition of the validity of Anglican orders and the provision for inter-communion between Roman Catholics and Anglicans.

The virtues of the proposal as I understand it have to do with maintaining certain aspects of the Anglican way of worship, spirituality, and ethos while entering into full communion with the Pope. But of course, not all Anglo-Catholics can accept certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, nor do they believe that they must first convert to Rome in order to be truly catholic Christians.

This option to choose different paths comes at a difficult time for us as together we face the challenges of the litigation brought against us by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Rather than making hasty decisions or quick resolutions, we will continue to work and pray together for the unity of Christ's holy catholic church throughout the world.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

Major News from the Vatican about Anglican Use Expansion and Structure--UPDATED

2009-10-20T05:58:00.006-05:00

There will no doubt be many of my brother priests here in Fort Worth who will rejoice mightily at this news. And I am happy that some of them may find it easier to accomplish what they have longed for--immediate and full reunion with the see of Rome.

Long-time readers of this blog will recall that I have frequently said, however, that my own convictions are thoroughly Anglican on the matters that have sadly divided us from our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. Reunion with the bishop of Rome is not in the cards for me so long as papal infallibility is still the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. So my joy for those friends of mine who have been hoping for this is mixed with trepidation at what this might mean for the future of my own diocese and that of the ACNA. Time will tell. Let us all pray for wisdom.

The Vatican's clarifying statement may be read in its entirety here.

Here is the AP story out of Rome this morning:

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Catholic Church, responding to the disillusionment of some Anglicans over the ordination of women and the election of openly gay bishops.

The new provision will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining their Anglican identity and many of their liturgical traditions, Cardinal William Levada, the Vatican's chief doctrinal official, told a news conference.

The new church structure, called Personal Ordinariates, will be units of faithful within the local Catholic Church headed by former Anglican prelates who will provide spiritual care for Anglicans who wish to become Catholic.

"Those Anglicans who have approached the Holy See have made clear their desire for full, visible unity in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church," Levada said. "At the same time, they have told us of the importance of their Anglican traditions of spirituality and worship for their faith journey."

Levada said the new canonical structure is a response to the many requests that have come to the Vatican over the years from Anglicans who have become increasingly disillusioned with the ordination of women, the election of openly gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions in the 77-million strong Anglican Communion. He declined to give figures on the number of requests that have come to the Vatican, or on the anticipated number of Anglicans who might take advantage of the new structure.

The new canonical provision allows married Anglican priests to become ordained Catholic priests — much the same way that Eastern rite priests who are in communion with Rome are allowed to be married. However, married Anglicans couldn't become Catholic bishops.

The Vatican announcement immediately raised questions about how it would be received within the Anglican Communion and the prospects for continued ecumenical talks between the Vatican and Archbishop of Canterbury.

Noticeably, no one from the Vatican's office on relations with Anglicans and other Christians attended the news conference; Levada said he had invited representatives to attend but they said they were all away from Rome.

However, the Vatican's archbishop of Westminster and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the global Anglican church, issued a joint statement, saying the decision "brings an end to a period of uncertainty" for Anglicans wishing to join the Catholic Church. The statement said the decision in fact could not have happened had there not been such fruitful dialogue between the two.

"The ongoing official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion provides the basis for our continuing cooperation," the joint statement said.

The announcement was kept under wraps until the last moment: The Vatican only announced Levada's briefing Monday night, and Levada only flew back to Rome after finalizing the details at midnight.

A quote from 1843 that reflects beautifully why I have been an Anglican since the day I was baptized in 1990, and why I remain one today.

2009-10-03T11:11:00.007-05:00

"The Romish Church had been accustomed to defend her errors by the authority of vague traditions, having their origin in the obscurity of the dark ages, or in the selfish cunning of her hierarchy. The continental Reformers went to the extreme of rejecting all tradition, and church authority, even though they pertained to primitive times, and were calculated to illustrate and harmonize the doctrines of the Gospel. The Reformers of the Church of England, while they maintained the supreme authority and the sufficiency of the Scriptures, and rejected such traditions as inculcated articles of faith in addition to what they contained, yet received with respectful veneration all those catholic and primitive usages of the Church which were in accordance with Scripture, and paid a due regard to the testimony of those holy men of early times, whose writings were peculiarly calculated to throw light upon the doctrines of the Saviour and the Apostles, and to show us how those doctrines were received and carried into practice in the primitive ages. This course is in accordance with the dictates of reason and common sense. In the investigation of any fact, especially if it pertain to remote antiquity, the first rule of evidence requires that we should examine it by the light of contemporary history. And, though the English Reformers ascribed no Popish infallibility to the Church, or to the early Fathers, yet, as the instruction they afforded came from sources where the truth was likely to be well understood, at a time when there was no motive to pervert it, and when the Holy Spirit seems to have been more abundantly shed upon the Church and upon its ministers, for the establishment of the Christian faith, they felt bound to receive that instruction, and to take it as a most useful guide, in all doubtful questions relating to the interpretation of the Scriptures, as well as to the rites and ceremonies which properly pertained to the Church.

In the "Necessary Doctrine of a Christian Man," agreed upon by the whole Church of England, in the year 1543, it is declared that "All those things which were taught by the Apostles, and have been by an whole universal consent of the Church of Christ ever sith that time taught continually, and taken always for true, ought to be received, accepted, and kept, as a perfect doctrine Apostolic."

In the preface to the Ordinal, agreed upon in the year 1552, the three Orders of the ministry are continued, on the ground that "It is evident unto all men, diligently reading Holy Scripture and Ancient Authors, that from the Apostles' times there have been these Orders of ministers in Christ's Church." The "Homilies of the Church" frequently refer to the authority of the early Fathers, in confirmation of the doctrines they inculcate. And all the venerable champions of the English Reformation have concurred in these sentiments. They never thought of a general license to every man to act as the interpreter of Scripture, according to his own private fancy, nor of giving to every one an unlimited freedom to exercise his own private inventions, in matters of Church Reform.

The general exercise of private judgment, and of the freedom of the will, is indeed the natural and inalienable right of every man. But he is responsible to his God, and, in a minor degree, to his fellow-men, for the manner in which he exercises those faculties. He may not rightly set them up in opposition to the word of God. He may not rightly exercise them in a spirit of vanity, of perversity, or of self-conceit. He may not rightly exercise them in a way injurious to the peace and order of society, nor without a due veneration for the judgment of the Church, and its ministry;--so far as that judgment is supported by primitive tradition and usage, and is in conformity to the divine Word. We deem him self-sufficient and conceited, who pays no respect to public opinion, even though that opinion may perhaps be founded on the caprice of the day. Much less is he to be commended who sets at nought the opinions of the wise and the good;--opinions which have stood the scrutiny of ages, and which have for centuries received the sanction of the universal Church."

from "A Charge to the Clergy of the Diocese of Connecticut" delivered at their diocesan convention in 1843 by the Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Brownell. Hat tip to TitusOneNine. Emphasis added by RWF.

Endorsing the Anglican Covenant at the Diocesan Level is Purely Symbolic, ABC Williams Indicates

2009-10-01T07:24:00.012-05:00

After the last TEC GenCon the leadership of the few remaining "orthodox" dioceses within TEC (e.g., South Carolina) started talking about ways of "differentiating" themselves further from the national trends of TEC. In almost every case that differentiation was either completely symbolic (e.g., adoption of a formal statement clarifying the meanings of a word or two in the ordination vows taken by ordinands in that diocese) or the proposals were so vague as to amount to little at present (e.g., increase "co-operation" with Anglicans outside of TEC, etc.). [I have previously reflected on Bishop Lawrence's proposals here.]

Only one thing these orthodox TEC leaders suggested even had a hope of one day truly meaning something "on the ground"--a diocesan-level endorsement of the proposed Anglican Covenant,which national TEC will surely ultimately reject if it has any "teeth" at all. Perhaps ten years from now that kind of diocesan action might actually matter in some way, I thought. Just possibly the Covenant's adoption by South Carolina and other "orthodox" TEC entities might help them to remain part of orthodox Anglicanism world-wide, I hoped.

But now the Archbishop of Canterbury himself has indicated even such a diocesan endorsement of the Covenant is purely symbolic and will have no "official" meaning. Read this article from the Living Church.

Please, folks still trapped in the these handful of dioceses, it is time to admit the facts. Nothing you can do at the diocesan level will ever make you meaningfully different from the rest of TEC as long as you remain members of the national body. Your bishops are still ultimately answerable to PB Schori. You are still subject to TEC's constitution and canons and to it's disciplinary procedures. And most importantly, the heretical majority of TEC's bishops and standing committees will have an absolute veto over whomever your elect to be your next bishop.

Your staunch defense of orthodoxy could evaporate rapidly if your bishop unexpectedly leaves office. The powers that be will insure that your next bishop is "reasonable" and "moderate"--one of those respectable "conservatives" who politely states his traditionalist positions at church meetings and then faithfully implements whatever the decision of the TEC governing body in question are without further cavil. Once such a "reasonable" bishop is in place a majority of your parish clergy will be cut from the same cloth in less than a decade. By 2025 most of the people still left in the once "orthodox" dioceses of TEC will hardly remember what all this fuss was about.

More purely symbolic declarations are pointless at this juncture. Either act to separate from TEC now or come to terms with where your denomination is inevitably heading. Further resistance inside TEC is futile. The TEC ship has left the shore of traditional Christianity and is rapidly sailing away into the brave, new sunset of radical inclusion. Loudly proclaiming that you are not part of the vessel's journey while you still stand on it's deck watching the shoreline recede is simply a denial of reality. It is time to adjust to your new situation either by making peace with the Good Ship TEC's captain and crew or by jumping ship while you still might make it back home!

Superb Post by the Anglican Curmudgeon on the Legal Situation in Fort Worth

2009-09-23T09:42:00.004-05:00

The Anglican Curmudgeon, a lawyer who has followed the ligitation TEC's national headquarters has filed against departing parishes and dioceses carefully, has posted a marvelous piece today recounting exactly what went on in a Fort Worth courtroom over the last two weeks and what it means for the future course of TEC's lawsuit against my diocese.

Read it all here. It is well worth the time.

I am feeling better and better about the legal position of our diocese. Dare we hope that PB Schori will finally see the light and negotiate a decent and honorable settlement of this dispute before any more money is wasted? She has not shown any tendency to do so up to this point, but just perhaps the Dennis Canon's complete defeat in South Carolina and the course of events in Fort Worth last week will bring her around to doing the right thing!

Virtual Tour of St. Paul's Cathedral

2009-09-20T19:17:00.004-05:00

St. Paul's Cathedral, London, was the site of my conversion experience to the worship and love of the Living God on June 10, 1989. It will always have a special place in my heart and is a priority stop for me each time I am in London. Now we have the capacity to visit it virtually any time we want. Hat tip to Stand Firm.

Incidentally, during my pilgrimage to the Holy Land this year I had the great honor to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on an altar in the Greek Orthodox Chapel of Abraham located on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher just feet from the site of Calvary. That Eucharist took place on June 10th, 2009, twenty years precisely after I first came to know our Savior God in London. That service was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The Lord is good, indeed!

Major Ruling in DioFort Worth Court Case!!!

2009-09-16T19:09:00.003-05:00

The judge has ruled that we had a right to withdraw from TEC last year!!! TEC's alleged "Diocese of Fort Worth" is not the same corporation that has been the diocese for the last 25 years, which still continues to exist under Bishop Iker!

Read it all here!

THIS IS A BIG WIN FOR THE DIOCESE OF FORT WORTH (ACNA/Southern Cone)!

On a Far Happier Note--Enjoy this video about David's Triumph through the Power of the Living God

2009-09-13T17:36:00.005-05:00

Hat tip to Stand Firm.

Newest member of the White-Robed Army of Martyrs

2009-09-12T21:31:00.009-05:00

Pictured above is the Ven. Joseph Mabior Garang, Archdeacon of Wernyol and Archbishop’s Commissary in the new Diocese of Twic East, Sudan, who was shot at the altar of the church in Wernyol during a service of Morning Prayer on Saturday, the 29th of August, 2009.

More than forty other innocent civilians were also killed along with Father Joseph during that attack. According to Anglican Archbishop Bui, "the attackers were well armed with new automatic weapons, dressed in army uniforms, and appeared well-organized and properly trained. Instead of attacking a cattle camp, this was an attack on a Payam headquarter town. Consequently in the view of the Church, this was not a tribal conflict as commonly reported, but a deliberately organized attack on civilians by those that are against the peace in Southern Sudan."

A full report from the worthy Anglican primate of Sudan may be read at The Anglican Apologist.

Father Joseph, pray for us!

New Thursday Night Class Starts Tonight!

2009-09-03T06:07:00.002-05:00

I'm starting my new Thursday night class on the Apostolic Fathers at St. Vincent's Cathedral tonight. Glory! Do please come to class if you can. It will be a boat load of fun! There will be, of course, an offering of Holy Eucharist in St. Mary's Chapel at 7PM, then class will begin in my Middle School classroom at 7:35PM (MS room 103). I hope to see you there!

The Gathering Storm

2009-08-26T20:00:00.003-05:00

A photograph taken tonight from the parking lot of L.D. Bell High School, my alma mater in Hurst, Texas, by my father, Randy Foster.