Stanford's Anti-Christian Lesbian Ordained Priest

Two years ago, Stanford University hired their atheist "chaplain" John Figdor, and now, the new Dean for Religious Life is likewise an alumni of Harvard Divinity School: Jane Shaw is an ordained priest of the Church of England, and a self-declared lesbian, who says that churches must stop "doing religion all the time" and welcome people without converting them.

“I think the great crisis of our day is climate change and the environment.”
-- The Very Reverend Dr. Jane Shaw

UPDATE 2/21/15: Colleges Hire Humanist Chaplains for the Nonbelievers

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

California Boots College Christian Clubs Across the State

Homosexuals Recruit Christians to Convert Churches

Islamic 'Call to Prayer' at National Cathedral of Episcopal Church

God is Not a Being, but an Experience, Pastor Says

Church is About Friendships, NOT God: University Study

New Atheist 'Churches' in America Give Competition to Mainlines

Also read about the post-Christian church of environmentalism and how American government forces its practice.



-- From "Jane Shaw named new dean for religious life" by Jacqueline Carr, The Stanford Daily 7/21/14

As dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco since 2010, Shaw oversaw the growth in all areas of the cathedral’s community life. During Shaw’s deanship, the church’s artistic, cultural and educational events tripled.

Currently Shaw is also a visiting scholar at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in Behavior Sciences.  A historian and theologian, she has authored a number of books and is currently working on a book on spirituality and mysticism in the early 20th century.

Shaw received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oxford and holds an MDiv from Harvard and a Ph.D. in history from UC-Berkeley.  Prior to joining Grace Cathedral, she taught history and theology for 16 years at Oxford where she was Dean of Divinity and Fellow of New College.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Dean of Grace Cathedral to become Stanford dean for religious life" posted at The Stanford Report 7/22/14

Shaw, 51, will succeed the Rev. William "Scotty" McLennan Jr., who is stepping down after 14 years. She will assume her position as Stanford's spiritual leader this fall.

During her time as dean of Grace Cathedral, Shaw has overseen growth in all areas of the cathedral community's life, not least in its artistic, cultural and educational events, which have tripled over the past four years. She founded a resident artist program, and also developed educational programming that related questions of values and ethics to the issues of the day, such as the environment and technology.

Shaw joined Grace Cathedral from the University of Oxford, where she taught history and theology for 16 years and was Dean of Divinity and Fellow of New College. A historian of modern religion, she is the author of Miracles in Enlightenment England (Yale, 2006); Octavia, Daughter of God: The Story of a Female Messiah and Her Followers (Yale, 2011), which won the San Francisco Book Festival History Prize; and A Practical Christianity: Meditations for the Season of Lent (Morehouse, 2012).

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "First Person: A conversation with Jane Shaw, dean of religious life and professor of religious studies at Stanford University" by Lisa Van Dusen, Palo Alto Weekly 12/22/14

At age 8, Shaw was booted out of the Brownies after three weeks for being "disruptive" -- having suggested to her leader that the troop might do something more interesting than cutting out paper shapes. You could say she's a nonconformist. An activist in support of the ordination of women, champion within the LGBT community and a board member of Human Rights Watch, Shaw describes herself as "not so churchy" and interested in "practical religion."

Shaw says she spends much of her time in the 1920s and '30s, immersed in books of that time, but is "trapped in the 21st century." Her round glasses are a nod to the era in which she feels most at home.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Out lesbian new head of SF's Grace Cathedral" by Seth Hemmelgarn, The Bay Area Reporter 11/11/10

An out lesbian has become the dean of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, making her not just the first lesbian, but the first woman ever to head the church.

"I'm myself and people can take me as I am," said Shaw. "I'm many things, not just a lesbian, not just a woman. I'm an intellectual, I am a new immigrant in this country, I love music ... . I'm happy they called me to Grace Cathedral."

Shaw also said, "I want to take a role in many communities," including the LGBT communities. . . .

Shaw is domestic partners with Sarah Ogilvie.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama's VA Strips Jesus & Bible from Chaplains

And read American Decline: President Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians

For myriad attacks on the Bible and Christian faith, read CBS Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates

Islamists vs. Jesus in Post-Christian Britain

The battle of Biblical proportions is raging in Great Britain judging by the rhetoric of the current prime minister who claims Britain is a Christian nation, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury who claims Britain is now "post-Christian," and finally the former prime minister who says that Britain's real threat is Islamists Hell-bent on killing "infidels."

"The threat of this radical Islam is not abating. It is growing. It is spreading across the world. It is destabilising communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalisation."
-- Tony Blair, former prime minister

For background, read the myriad professing Christians arrested in the UK, and the court cases ruling against Christians.

Also read Christians Becoming Extinct in 9 Western Nations as well as European Union Drops Christmas in Favor of Non-christians

. . . and on this side of the pond, Congress: America No Longer a Christian Nation as demonstrated by President Obama's National Cathedral: the Seat of Apostasy

In addition, read American Decline: President Obama's Gay Agenda vs. Christians



-- From "Stand up for our Christianity, David Cameron tells UK" posted at BBC News 4/16/14

Britons should be "more confident about our status as a Christian country", Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

Although he described himself as a "classic" member of the Church of England - "not that regular in attendance, and a bit vague on some of the more difficult parts of the faith" - he rejected the idea that in an "ever more secular age" people should not talk about their religion.

"Crucially, the Christian values of responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, and love are shared by people of every faith and none - and we should be confident in standing up to defend them," he wrote.

Last week, in his Easter message, he spoke of the "peace" he found in Christianity.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Cameron’s Description of Britain as ‘Christian Country’ Draws an Angry Response" by Steven Erlanger, New York Times 4/21/14

The fuss over the [prime minister's] remarks fit into the debates on national identity that are going on all over Western Europe, in the face of increasing immigration, especially from non-Christian societies. The debate is particularly striking in Britain, an ancient kingdom . . .

[PM David Cameron] wrote: “I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organizations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people’s lives.” Britain has an established church, the Church of England, which is Christian and whose “supreme governor” is the queen; Mr. Cameron is a member.

But his effort to head off criticism failed, and his article prompted a four-paragraph letter to the British daily newspaper The Telegraph, signed by 56 prominent people, including scientists, authors, broadcasters and comedians. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Former archbishop of Canterbury: We are a post-Christian nation" by Tim Ross, Cole Moreton and James Kirkup, UK Telegraph 4/26/14

Britain is now a “post-Christian” country, the former archbishop of Canterbury has declared, as research suggests that the majority of Anglicans and Roman Catholics now feel afraid to express their beliefs.

. . . an exclusive poll for The Telegraph today discloses . . .

• Almost two-thirds of practising Christians appear to be frightened of speaking out about their beliefs. The poll found 62 per cent saying the rise of religious fundamentalism had made Christians afraid to express their faith;

• Widespread concerns also emerge over the perceived vulnerability of Christians in the UK to abuse or discrimination. Sixty-two per cent of people who hold Christian beliefs but do not worship regularly say they feel Christians are given “less protection” than other religious groups by the state.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Rowan Williams Says Britain Is a 'Post-Christian' Nation" By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor 4/28/14

Britain is "post-Christian in the sense that habitual practice for most of the population is not taken for granted," Williams, who is now master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, told The Telegraph in an interview. "A Christian nation can sound like a nation of committed believers, and we are not that."

He expects "a further shrinkage of awareness and commitment" due to a lack of knowledge about Britain's Christian legacy among younger generations, who could bring "a certain freshness" as they will not see Christianity as "the boring old stuff that we learned at school."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Tony Blair: west must take sides against growing threat of radical Islam" by Patrick Wintour, political editor, UK Guardian 4/23/14

Western military intervention in the Middle East has so far failed due to the distorting impact of an Islamic extremism so opposed to modernity that it could yet engender global catastrophe, Tony Blair warned on Wednesday in a keynote speech on the state of politics in the Middle East.

[He urged the west] to counter the Islamic extremism that lies at the root of all failures of western intervention.

He said: "For the last 40 to 50 years, there has been a steady stream of funding, proselytising, organising and promulgating coming out of the Middle East, pushing views of religion that are narrow minded and dangerous. Unfortunately we seem blind to the enormous global impact such teaching has had and is having.

Insisting that the west had to take sides, he described Islamic extremism as "not about a competing view of how society or politics should be governed within a common space where you accept other views are equally valid. It is exclusivist in nature. The ultimate goal is not a society which someone else can change after winning an election. It is a society of a fixed polity, governed by religious doctrines that are not changeable but which are, of their essence, unchangeable."

"But what is absolutely necessary is that we first liberate ourselves from our own attitude. We have to take sides. We have to stop treating each country on the basis of whatever seems to make for the easiest life for us at any one time. We have to have an approach to the region that is coherent and sees it as a whole. And above all, we have to commit. We have to engage"

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read CBS News Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates

Dartmouth Dumps African in Support of Homosexuals

Backed by the NAACP, Dartmouth College has rescinded the appointment of Dr. James Tengatenga, the former bishop for the Anglican diocese of Southern Malawi, because of past statements he made critical of homosexuality, although more recently, he HAS embraced "gay marriage."  Having thus been accused of not being gay-supporting enough, Dr. Tengatenga plans to engage legal counsel.

This is an intriguing saga of a battle between several leftist homosexualist institutions . . .

For background, read Episcopal Church Blesses Deviant Sexual Behavior and also read Africans Reject Obama's Gay Agenda, to his Face as well as Black Pastors Split with NAACP and Obama on Gay Agenda

-- From "Words on gays cost bishop post at Dartmouth" by Lisa Wangsness, Boston Globe Staff 8/15/13

The extraordinary move by Dartmouth’s new president, Philip J. Hanlon, to retract the college’s offer won praise from those who raised concerns about how the appointment would affect gay students on a campus that has sometimes struggled with intolerance.

Hanlon, who met last week with Tengatenga on Dartmouth’s campus in Hanover, N.H., said in a statement Wednesday that after much reflection and consultation with senior leaders at the college, he decided that Tengatenga’s past statements compromised his ability to lead the William J. Tucker Foundation.

His appointment had sparked a campus controversy as word spread that he had sharply criticized the election of Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion, and that he had asserted in 2011 that the Anglican dioceses in Malawi remained “totally against homosexuality.”

Tengatenga released a statement saying that his views on gay rights had evolved over time and that he now supports marriage equality and considers discrimination of any kind sinful.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Tengatenga dismissal leaves ongoing questions" by Emily Brigstocke, The Dartmouth Staff 8/20/13

Despite Tengatenga’s July 18 statement announcing his support for LGBT rights, many students said they support Hanlon’s decision because they would not have wanted a Tucker leader who might have discriminated against community members.

After Tengatenga stated his support of same-sex marriage on Dartmouth Now, many still feel that Tengatenga’s prior statements reflect his personal views.

“We don’t know how many people had trouble separating comments expressing institutional views from private individual views,” said German and comparative literature professor Irene Kacandes, who led the Tucker search committee that selected Tengatenga.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Dartmouth withdraws Tengatenga’s appointment as foundation dean" by Matthew Davies, editor/reporter, Episcopal News Service 8/15/13

. . . some North American church leaders are surprised and saddened by the decision, saying that they know Tengatenga as a bridge-builder and reconciler who has a deep understanding of the complex issues concerning human sexuality.

Tengatenga, who was elected as ACC chair in 2009, and also became chair of the Anglican Communion Standing Committee, told ENS on Aug. 15 that he is “saddened” by Dartmouth’s decision. “They have chosen to trust bigotry over truth and justice.”

One of the groups that countersigned the protest is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Of all the groups to take the lead against a black person on flimsy grounds,” Tengatenga said. “So much for the advancement of colored people … It is sad that such an institution can stoop so low.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Church of England Sued Weeks After 'Gay Marriage' Legalized

Church Sued Weeks After 'Gay Marriage' Legalized

The ink is barely dry on the British same-sex "marriage" law, and already a pair of homosexual men are planning to sue the Church of England to force it to perform "gay marriages."  The new law has explicit language to allow churches to not participate in such "weddings," but even if the legal challenge fails in the British courts, it could succeed in the higher EU Court.

“It is a shame that we are forced to take Christians into a court to get them to recognize us.”
-- Barrie Drewitt-Barlow

For background, read European Union High Court Rules Gay Agenda Trumps Christianity as well as Supreme Court Rules Bible as 'Hate Speech' in Canada

Also read Gay Agenda Complete when Christians Muzzled, Say Homosexualists

-- From "Gay couple may sue Church of England to wed in church" by Trevor Grundy, Religion News Service - Washington Post 8/6/13

Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, 42, and his partner, Tony, 49 — millionaires who run a surrogacy company in Britain and the U.S. — have been a high-profile couple since 1999 when they became the first gay couple to be named on the birth certificate of their child.

Now they have five children by five surrogate mothers. All the children are American citizens born in California.

Referring to the legislation that received the queen’s approval last month he said: “The only way forward for us now is to make a challenge in the courts against the Church.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "First couple consider legal challenge to Church’s gay marriage opt-out" by John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor, UK Telegraph 8/2/13

The couple, who have been in a civil partnership for seven years and have five children through surrogacy, describe themselves as practising Christians who regularly attend their local parish in Danbury, Essex.

Mr Drewitt-Barlow said that while he welcomed the passing of legislation for same-sex marriage, provisions exempting churches from performing the weddings meant they still felt discriminated against.

Despite government reassurances, opponents believe that even if a legal challenge under the Equalities Act were to fail in British courts, it could potentially succeed at the European Court of Human Rights.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Church of England to be Sued for Refusing to Perform Same-Sex Marriages, Just a Month After Prime Minister Promised Protection" by Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter 8/2/13

The gay marriage legislation approved in Great Britain earlier this year, known as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, included a "quadruple lock" meant to protect the Church of England and other religious institutions from being forced to perform same-sex marriages against their faith. Under the current law, churches may "opt-in" to perform same-sex marriages, but they cannot be forced to conduct ceremonies.

Despite that highly-publicized safeguard being included in the legislation, many critics believed that gay activists would ignore that exclusion and continue to push for churches to be forced to participate in gay marriage ceremonies against their will. Now just weeks after the legislation was passed, it appears those fears were well-founded; Drewitt-Barlow and his partner argue that they wish to "test" this protection in court. The couple have claimed that they are practicing Christians and they want their children to see them wed in a church ceremony.

The Church of England and the Catholic Church both spoke out at the time, arguing that they were suspicious over whether the promised safeguards granted to religious groups would hold up in courts, and they feared that churches may eventually be forced to perform same-sex marriage unions to avoid discrimination lawsuits. Others argued such a development would force churches to stop performing all marriages as they would not be permitted by church rules to perform same-sex ceremonies.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama's 'Marriage' Lawlessness Spreads Across America as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

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Episcopal Church Blesses Deviant Sexual Behavior

In a move to fulfill the Bible prophecy that churches will deny Christ in the last days, the ECUSA bishops have approved same-sex marriage liturgy and accepted cross-dressing and sexual mutilation as "gender expression" of the priesthood.

"No one shall be denied rights, status or access to an equal place in the life, worship, and governance of this Church because of . . . sexual orientation, gender identity and expression . . ."

For background, read Liberal 'Churches' Conforming to Decadent Culture and also read As Episcopalians Go Gay, Some Go Catholic as well as American Anglicans [breakaway from ECUSA] Ratify Constitution

-- From "Episcopal bishops OK trial gay blessing prayer" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press 7/10/12

At the Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis, the House of Bishops voted 111-41, with three abstentions, to authorize a provisional rite for same-sex unions for the next three years. The liturgy next goes to convention's deputies for their authorization.

In a separate vote Monday, the full convention approved new anti-discrimination language for transgendered clergy candidates and church members.

While critics of the different measures registered their opposition during the convention debate, many conceded ahead of the vote that they were in the minority.

"I believe it will put us, put the Episcopal Church, out of the Christian mainstream," said Bishop Edward Little of the Diocese of Northern Indiana.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopal Church considers same-sex blessing service" by Michael Pearson, CNN 7/10/12

If the proposal is approved, the Episcopal Church would become the largest U.S. denomination to approve a ceremony blessing same-sex unions.

The United Church of Christ endorsed same-sex marriage in 2005. The Presbyterian and Methodist churches rejected similar measures at their conferences this summer.

During Monday's debate, Bishop Nathan Baxter of Central Pennsylvania said the policy would allow the church to focus on inclusion while respecting theological differences within the church, according to the Episcopal News Service.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopalians set to be first big U.S. church to bless gay marriage" by David Dawson, Reuters 7/9/12

The Episcopal Church is the 14th-largest denomination in the United States with nearly 2 million adherents, according to the National Council of Churches.

The United Church of Christ, a mainstream Protestant denomination with about a million members, has gone further so far than any other U.S. church, voting in 2005 to support same sex marriage.

On Friday, the Presbyterian Church, the 10th-ranked U.S. denomination, narrowly rejected a proposal to redefine marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The decision by the bishops is the latest in a string of victories for gay-rights advocates in the United States.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopal church affirms transgender ordination" posted at CBS News 7/9/12

Some Episcopal dioceses already ordain transgender priests or elect transgender lay people to positions of leadership. However, advocates for the transgendered say it's important to explicitly state acceptance as the churchwide policy.

Episcopalians blazed a trail and caused an uproar in 2003 when they ordained the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopal Church Clears Way for Transgender Ordination" by Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter 7/9/12

Sarah Hey of StandFirminFaith.com, which supports traditional Anglicanism in America, blasted the adoption of the measure as it promotes transgenderism or cross dressing as "good and healthy."

"It has been clear for some years now that the people leading us at the national level-90% of bishops, lay and clergy deputies to General Convention, and those serving on national commissions and committees-are not competent, healthy, or ordered in their theology or foundational worldview," Hey said in a statement before the legislation was approved Monday.

"Those men with perfectly good xy chromosomes but who imagine that they are really women, and then undergo surgery and take hormones in order to further foster their beliefs or who simply cross-dress or otherwise 'differ from majority societal gender norms' cannot be 'not considered' [as priests] because of that disorder in gender identity."

The Episcopal Church's liberal direction on Scripture, particularly homosexuality, has prompted thousands to leave and form their own group (Anglican Church in North America). It has also forced Anglicans in the Global South to reconsider their communion with the U.S. body.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopal Church losing members as it strives for inclusion" by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press Staff Writer 7/7/12

. . . average Sunday attendance in Episcopal churches has plunged 23% in the past decade to 657,831. In the Michigan diocese -- which includes southeast Michigan, Lansing and Jackson -- attendance has dropped 31% from 2000 to 2010. During the same time period, the number of baptized Episcopal members in the diocese dropped 30% to 20,825; nationally, it dropped 16% to 1,951,907.

Some say the drop is because the Episcopal Church has drifted too much to the left on social and political issues. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Episcopalians Go Gay, Some Go Catholic

As a California Episcopal bishop OK'd priests to perform same-sex "weddings," an Episcopal church in Maryland became the first in the U.S. to formally join the Roman Catholic Church.

For background, read Pope Welcomes Christians Leaving Anglicanism over Liberalism

-- From "Episcopal churches open doors wider" by Sue Nowicki, The Modesto Bee 6/11/11

Beginning Sunday, Episcopal priests in the San Joaquin Diocese can "perform blessings of same gender civil marriages, domestic partnerships and relationships which are lifelong committed relationships characterized by fidelity, monogamy" and "holy love."

[Bishop Chester Talton said this will,] "acknowledge the sacredness of that relationship. I think it also says our church is one that is inclusive, that welcomes all, that will embrace all members of God's creation in God's church."

Other faith communities in Modesto, including College Avenue Congregational Church and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County, have been doing similar ceremonies for the past three decades, their pastors said.

But such blessings are one reason theologically conservative parishes and dioceses in the United States have left the national Episcopal Church and moved to alternative oversight groups within the worldwide Anglican Communion.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "California Anglican Bishop Removes Same-Sex Union Ban" by Daniel Blake, Christian Post Contributor 6/10/11

California currently recognizes domestic partnerships between gay couples as long as one or both of the people involved is 62 or older.

U.S. Episcopal bishops who met in 2009 approved a resolution that in effect granted bishops in states that allow either marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships, the discretion to offer a blessing.

This week the diocese of San Joaquin said in a statement: “We must also recognize there are same-gender couples in relationships who have not entered in domestic partnerships, perceiving them to be inferior to marriage and who, for various reasons, did not or could not marry during the brief time when same gender marriages were legal.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopal church in Bladensburg to convert to Roman Catholicism" by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post 6/6/11

[St. Luke's,] An Episcopal church in Maryland — including its pastor — has decided to convert to Catholicism, the first in the United States to make the move under new Vatican rules meant to appeal to disaffected Protestants.

Leaders of the church said Monday that they were not leaving the Episcopal Church because of the ordination of gays and women — issues that have bitterly divided the American wing of the Anglican Church and coincided with stepped-up efforts by the Vatican to reach out to Anglicans. Instead, church members said, they were satisfying their longing for a clear religious authority by welcoming the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI.

“In the Episcopal Church, bishops in one place say one thing and in another say another,” explained Patrick Delaney, a lay leader from Mitchellville. “That’s the crux of it. Each bishop has its own kingdom.”

The conversions, which are expected to unfold in the coming months, are a dramatic example of the rapid flux of organized religion in the United States. But the Episcopal Church in particular has been rocked in recent years by bitter departures, with exiles slamming the church for ordaining a gay bishop, and by land disputes around the country costing well into the tens of millions. Seven breakaway Northern Virginia congregations have been in court for more than four years with the Episcopal Church.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Md. Episcopal Church Becomes First to Join Catholic Church" by Katherine T. Phan, Christian Post Reporter 6/7/11

St. Luke's, a small congregation of about 100, will come under the care of the Archdiocese of Washington until an ordinate is established in the United States.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who oversees the Catholic Archbishop of Washington, said in a statement that the diocese will "welcome St. Luke parishioners warmly into our family of faith."

Bishop John Bryson Chane of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington has supported St. Luke's decision, allowing the members to worship in their church building under a lease agreement that allows them to purchase it.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

As Homosexualists Enter, the Sacred Leave Episcopal Church

Liberal 'Churches' Continue to Wither

Who Owns Church Property in ECUSA?

Pope Welcomes Christians Leaving Anglicanism over Liberalism

Disillusioned by the pro-homosexual, feminist trend within pockets of Anglicanism, clergy and laity of the Church of England, and the Anglican Church in Australia, are joining the Ordinariate - a special structure established by the Pope - while the liberal insurgents within the Catholic Church grumble.



-- From "Vatican Welcomes First Anglicans Converting Under New Rules" by Rachel Donadio, New York Times 1/25/11

The Vatican angered many Anglicans, including the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, when it announced the new structure in October 2009, because it appeared to upend decades of interfaith dialogue by implying that the Roman Catholic Church sought to encourage the conversion of Anglicans, especially those uncomfortable with the Church of England’s ordination of women and openly gay priests.

In the first concrete result of the Vatican’s offer, the archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, presided . . . over the conversions of three traditionalist Anglican bishops at Westminster Cathedral in London, the Vatican said in a statement.

The new structure, called a Personal Ordinariate, allows groups of Anglicans to convert while preserving some elements of Anglican liturgy and other traditions, including in some cases married clergy.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The faithful lose in this victory for misogyny" editorial posted at U.K. Guardian 1/16/11

The [British] Catholic leader Archbishop Vincent Nichols tried at the [recent ordination of three former Anglican bishops as Catholic priests] to make the best of an arrangement with which he is privately thought to be uncomfortable. But however it is dressed up, this was the Catholic church fixated on stealing a march on Anglicanism. It is as if the Reformation was a recent score to be settled.

The establishment of a special ordinariate where former Anglicans who reject women's ordination can carry on much as before, but within the Catholic fold, can only cause tension between the two churches. That in its turn will focus attention once again on disputes between different branches of Christianity, and make religion look out of touch with the real world.

. . . Many British Catholics who want no part of this game of ecclesiastical power politics are left despairing. Those of other faiths or none, and of even moderately enlightened disposition, will be more inclined to turn their backs in anger.

To read the entire editorial above, CLICK HERE.

From "Former Anglicans could share old churches, says head of Ordinariate" posted at London Telegraph 1/18/11

In some of his first comments since being appointed “Ordinary” – the leader of the world’s first Personal Ordinariate – Fr [Keith] Newton said he hoped his group could share properties with the Church of England in “specific places”.

His suggestion is likely to be controversial because, while old churches in England belonged to Rome before the Reformation, many Anglicans believe that those who “cross the Tiber” have given up all right to use them. In most cases, the Catholic Church is expected to have to provide new buildings for the Ordinariate to use.

The possibility of church-sharing in London, where many Anglo-Catholics live and worship, has already been ruled out by the city’s powerful bishop, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that “working out shared use of churches” will be a “challenge” of the new scheme.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Dissident Anglicans step closer to Rome" by Leesha McKenny, The Sydney Morning Herald 1/29/11

Up to 50 clergy and laity will gather for the first time nationally at St Stephen's College at Coomera for three days from Tuesday to discuss the Australian Anglican ordinariate - the local framework which will allow them to keep their married clergy, liturgy and church structures within Catholicism.

The prominent Sydney barrister John McCarthy, QC, has been briefed to advise the main dissident group of conservatives, the breakaway Traditional Anglican Communion, on constitutional and legal issues arising from the historic move.

The world Traditional Anglican Communion Primate, Adelaide-based Archbishop John Hepworth, was confident the group's assets, such as properties or trust funds, would not be forfeited once the ordinariate becomes official later this year. But he conceded in the case of assets owned by the mainstream Anglican communion it would be a question of "goodwill".

The re-ordination of four Australian Traditional Anglican Communion bishops, a retired Anglican bishop, a Japanese bishop and 24 Anglican priests is expected to be finalised by June 12.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Benedict the Ecumenist" by John Gerardi, The Daily Caller 1/30/11

. . . liberalism infected the Church of England so much that its teachings changed at exactly the same pace as the dominant culture changed. It was the first Christian body to accept the morality of contraception, at the 1930 Lambeth Conference. It shifted its positions on the all-male priesthood, and then (in the Episcopal Church, and soon in the Church of England) on the all-male episcopate, breaking with nearly 2,000 years of Christian practice. Many Anglicans have even come to accept the morality of abortion and the blessing of homosexual unions; the Episcopal Church even went so far as to embrace the openly homosexual Eugene Robinson as a bishop in good standing.

For the past 45 years, Catholics have been involved in ecumenical discussions with this increasingly liberal group through the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), in attempts to foster greater “unity” between the two bodies. . . .

Cardinal Ratzinger was not very enthusiastic about these fake shows. He put a stop to the worst of these “joint statements,” a ludicrous betrayal of the Catholic faith known as the ARCIC Final Report. . . .

Fast-forward to 2009. At the urging of sizable groups of Anglicans who truly desired unity with the Catholic Church but wished to preserve some aspects of their Anglican identity, Pope Benedict issued Anglicanorum Coetibus, a legislative document that would facilitate the conversion of Anglicans to the Church on a corporate level.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Episcopal Church: Ordaining and 'Marrying' Homosexuals

As Homosexualists Enter, the Sacred Leave Episcopal Church

American Anglicans Ratify Constitution

Who Owns Church Property in ECUSA?

Episcopal Diocese Boots Christian Congregation from Building in Favor of Muslims

Baptism 'Dumbed Down' to be More Palatable

Church of England baptism services may be re-written to remove some references to Christianity.

-- From "The christening without much Christianity" by Steve Doughty, UK Daily Mail 1/18/11

The plan for a new ‘baptism lite’ service designed to make christenings more interesting to non-churchgoers will be considered next month by the Church’s parliament, the General Synod.

Supporters say the baptism service should be ‘expressed in culturally appropriate and accessible language’ that is readily understood by ‘non-theologically versed Britons’.

Complaints centre on three sections of the baptism service from the Church’s latest prayer book, Common Worship, authorised for use in 1997.

In one, parents, godparents or an adult being baptised are asked to ‘reject the devil and all rebellion against God’ and to renounce ‘the deceit and corruption of evil’. They are asked to ‘submit to Christ as Lord’.

. . . ‘there was a strong plea for a shorter prayer in direct but poetic language that allows the Gospel to resonate better with people’s experience of life’.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Gay Gene, Episcopal Bishop Retires Early

The rift in the Anglican communion over homosexuality was reopened today after its first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, said he was retiring early because seven years of controversy had "taken their toll" on him, his family and followers.

-- From "Episcopalians react with sadness to the retirement of Bishop Gene Robinson" by Kathy McCabe and Eric Moskowitz, Boston Globe Staff 11/7/10

Robinson, 63, [the heretic] whose consecration seven years ago as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church divided the Anglican Communion worldwide, yesterday announced at the annual convention of the New Hampshire diocese that he plans to retire in January 2013, short of the mandatory 72-year-old retirement age for Episcopal bishops. He cited death threats and the considerable strain that the worldwide rift has placed on him, his family, and the church.

Robinson's state-level election and national ratification by the Episcopal Church in 2003 exposed a growing division in the Anglican Communion, or worldwide Church of England, among religious liberals and conservatives. It also made Robinson an international figure. In January 2009, then-president-elect Barack Obama selected Robinson to deliver a pre-inauguration prayer at an event at the Lincoln Memorial.

But in New Hampshire, where Robinson has lived and worked for 35 years, there was less fallout to his selection.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gene Robinson goes but rift remains: strain proves too much for gay bishop" by Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent, The Guardian 11/7/10

Robinson's consecration in the diocese of New Hampshire in 2003 had brought conservatives and liberals in the Anglican communion to the brink of schism.

Last year, North American traditionalists broke away from the US Episcopal church to set up their own network. This year, Episcopalians consecrated a non-celibate lesbian to the post of assistant bishop in Los Angeles.

He also revealed he had no intention to retire from public life, saying he would continue his work on college campuses and public forums.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Read also, Who Owns Church Property in ECUSA?

Episcopal Anglican School Rejects Lesbians' Daughter

The (conservative Christian) St. Vincent’s Episcopal School in Bedford, Texas (associated with the North American Anglicans who broke with the Episcopal Church USA over homosexuality and Scriptural abandonment) said that the student's home life would be at odds with the school's teaching.

-- From "School Rejects Lesbian Couple's Daughter" by Matt Grubs, KDFW FOX 4 News 8/20/10

A Bedford couple is upset that their daughter [Olivia] was denied admission to a private Episcopal school.

Jill and Tracy Harrison were married in Canada in 2006.

They are disappointed that their daughter was denied an education there because of who they go to bed with at the end of the day.

The school claims it would deny admission to children of a heterosexual couple living together outside of marriage, but the Harrison's aren't convinced that's true.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Also read: Texas Diocese Exits Apostate Episcopal Denomination

Christians Ejected from Episcopal Bishop Consecration

At the ceremony to consecrate the first lesbian bishop of the ECUSA, all dissenting Christians were forcibly removed, lest there be an objection to the apostasy.

-- From "Episcopal Church consecrates woman as its 2d gay bishop" by Associated Press 5/17/10

The Episcopal Church has consecrated a woman as its second openly gay bishop, seven years after stirring lingering controversy by elevating a man to a similar post.

The Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool of Baltimore was ordained and consecrated Saturday. It also makes her one of the first two female bishops in the 114-year history of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Just before the ceremony began, a man stood, shouted about the need to repent, and held up a sign that read “Do not be deceived, homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God."

After he was escorted out, a young boy in the same section rose holding a Bible and shouted similar slogans. Security guards also led him out.

The Rev. Canon Diane M. Jardine Bruce of San Clemente, Calif., also was ordained Saturday.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "L.A. region's first two female Episcopal bishops are ordained" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 5/15/10

There was a moment on Saturday when even the usually unflappable J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, held his breath.

It was the point when the 3,000 people at the Long Beach Arena were asked if anyone had any objections to the ordination of the region's first two female bishops, one of whom is the first lesbian bishop ordained by the Episcopal Church.

"I don't think there's anybody in this place who was more nervous than I was," Bruno said a short time later in his sermon.

But the moment passed in silence, and the two women — Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Douglas Glasspool — were ordained to applause and cheers. Bruno said the church was "fuller and richer and more vital" as a result.

The head of the church, Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, said after Glasspool's election in March that it was "regrettable" and could threaten the unity of the communion.

Although no one raised any objections about the ordinations when asked during the service, it was not without disruption. A handful of protesters stood outside the arena, carrying signs and yelling slogans decrying homosexuality. And early in the service, shortly after Bruce and Jardine had taken the stage, a man seated near the front of the arena stood, waved a placard and begin shouting: "Repent of the sins of the homosexual! Repent of the sin of abortion!"

As security guards led him off, the man continued yelling. "It's an abomination! Repent! The Bible says homosexuals will not enter …" and his voice trailed off.

As the ceremony resumed, a young boy in a white shirt stood up, holding aloft what appeared to be a Bible. "Repent!" he began yelling to the startled arena. "Repent!" As he was led out, a voice called out, "We're praying for you!" The audience applauded.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Episcopal Diocese Boots Christian Congregation in Favor of Muslims

[Binghamton, New York] For some 130 years, the city was the home to the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. But recently, the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York sold the pretty little church building on Conklin Avenue to the Islamic Awareness Center [for] a third of the amount that [Christians] had offered.

-- From "Homeless in Binghamton" by Faith J. H. McDonnell, posted at FrontPageMag.com 3/30/10

Unlike the diocese, the Church of the Good Shepherd has grown every year under the care of Episcopal priest team of husband and wife, the Reverends Matthew and Anne Kennedy. But in 2007, Good Shepherd made the difficult decision to join the dozens of congregations that were leaving the Episcopal Church while remaining in the wider Anglican Communion of which the Episcopal Church is a part . These parishes are referred to as departing churches, but they argue that it is the denomination that has departed — from orthodox, biblical Christianity. The Kennedys were deposed (ceased to have authority as priests) in the Episcopal Church, and received as priests in the Anglican Church. And the Diocese of Central New York began an aggressive lawsuit against the church for all of the property.

Reverend Matt Kennedy wrote that, “In 2008, while the lawsuit raged, the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd grew and expanded significantly.” The church was impacting the neighborhood through a soup kitchen that served the homeless and through block parties. Good Shepherd’s “weekly bible studies were packed with new people” and an increasing number of students from Binghamton University were coming to the church, Kennedy recounted.

On January 8, 2009, the lawsuit was decided in the diocese’s favor. The diocese was “entitled to immediate possession” of the church building and to the rectory, home to the Kennedys’ growing family since 2002. The Kennedys and all of the people of Good Shepherd hurriedly removed their property from the church building as they were warned that the diocese did indeed intend to take immediate possession.

Although the Diocese of Central New York refused to sell the Church of the Good Shepherd to the Anglicans for whom it had been home, they were happy to sell it to a Muslim group for $50,000, a third of the amount that Good Shepherd had offered. According to the Rev. Tony Seel, the Diocese even added a legal caveat to the sale stating that the new owners of the property could never re-sell the building to the original congregation.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Episcopal Lesbian is Second Homosexual ECUSA Bishop

A majority of bishops and dioceses of the Episcopal Church have approved the election of the church’s second openly gay bishop, the Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, a decision likely to increase the tension with fellow Anglican churches around the world that do not approve of homosexuality.

-- From "Annapolis priest is first openly lesbian bishop for Episcopalians" by Matthew Hay Brown, Baltimore Sun 3/18/10

The Episcopal Church has confirmed the election of an Annapolis priest as the first openly lesbian bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Rev. Mary Douglas Glasspool, who has served in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland since 1992, said Wednesday that she was "overjoyed and overwhelmed" by news that a majority of bishops and diocesan committees had approved her election as assistant bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Her confirmation is likely to further strain relations in a church that has lost members, parishes and dioceses over differences on homosexuality. One prominent traditionalist said he was "saddened but not surprised" by her confirmation.

"It is contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture and the mind of the church catholic," said the Rev. Kendall Harmon, canon theologian of the Diocese of South Carolina. "One would have hoped that at least the bishops would have waited until they were gathered at their coming House of Bishops meeting to discern prayerfully their response together. They instead sought to embrace a way of life which the church through the Bible has always understood to be forbidden."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Episcopalians Confirm a Second Gay Bishop" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 3/17/10

The worldwide Anglican Communion, the network of churches connected to the Church of England, has been in turmoil since the Americans elected their first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire in 2003. Theological conservatives in the Communion say the Bible condemns homosexuality, while liberals say the Scripture is open to interpretation.

Bishop Glasspool, 56, is to be consecrated as one of two new assistant bishops, known as suffragan bishops, in Los Angeles on May 15. Both elected suffragan bishops are women — the first ever to serve in the diocese.

She and her partner, Becki Sander, a postgraduate student in social work, have been together for 22 years.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the leader of the Church of England and spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, issued a warning in December that Bishop Glasspool’s election “raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

L.A. Episcopal Church Elects Lesbian as Bishop

Among a field of six candidates, ECUSA clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese of Los Angeles elevated a woman engaged in a 21-year sexually deviant lifestyle to its highest ordained ministry, as leader of 70,000 churchgoers.

UPDATE 12/7/09: Episcopal Church USA 'Thumbs Nose' at Anglican Communion

-- From "L.A. Episcopal Diocese elects openly gay bishop" by Larry B. Stammer and Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times 12/6/09

[Mary D.] Glasspool's election to fill one of two openings for suffragan, or assistant, bishop followed the selection Friday of the Rev. Canon Diane M. Jardine Bruce, 53, the rector of a San Clemente church.

The two became the first women elected as bishops of the diocese in its 114-year history.

Glasspool is the first openly gay priest to be elected bishop since the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire in 2003.

Robinson's election threw the church and the Anglican Communion into an uproar, prompting the members of dozens of conservative parishes and four dioceses to vote to leave the church. It also led to the moratorium on additional gay bishops.

The Rev. Kendall Harmon, canon theologian for the South Carolina diocese, said in a statement that Saturday's decision "represents an intransigent embrace of a pattern of life Christians throughout history and the world have rejected as against biblical teaching. . . . It will continue to do damage to the Anglican Communion and her relationship with our ecumenical partners."

Members of the four breakaway [ECUSA] dioceses and some of the dissident parishes aligned themselves with conservative Anglican bishops in Africa and South America.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

L.A. Episcopal Church Nominates Homosexuals to be Bishops

Just weeks after the ECUSA denomination voted to promote homosexuality in its clergy ranks, church leaders in Los Angeles have moved to bless an openly homosexual man and an open lesbian to be elevated to bishop. In contrast, Christians choose to exit the denomination.

-- From "L.A. Episcopal leaders nominate 2 openly gay, lesbian priests as bishops" by Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 8/2/09

The nominations of the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool of a Baltimore-based diocese are likely to further inflame theological conservatives in the U.S. church and their global partners in the Anglican Communion, who have repeatedly warned about the repercussions of such action.

The Diocese of Los Angeles, which represents 70,000 Episcopalians in six counties, is widely regarded as one of the most liberal in the U.S. church of 2.1 million members. Its bishop, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, is an outspoken advocate of gays rights in the church.

U.S. church leaders had promised to exercise restraint before consecrating additional gay bishops in the aftermath of that contentious move. But they reversed course at their convention in Anaheim last month, voting overwhelmingly to open "any ordained ministry" to gays and lesbians. They also agreed to consider rites of blessing for same-sex couples.

The action in Los Angeles followed a similar decision Saturday by leaders in the Diocese of Minnesota, who nominated a partnered lesbian as bishop. The Rev. Bonnie Perry is rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago and an adjunct professor at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. Her longtime partner is a priest in the church.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Episcopal Church: Ordaining and 'Marrying' Homosexuals

Christian exodus of the ECUSA is expected to increase as the church's trienniel national convention ended with approval to ordain homosexual bishops, and provide for the blessing of same-sex unions and marriages.

-- From "Episcopal Church to Allow Bishops to Bless Same-Sex Unions" by William Wan, Washington Post Staff Writer 7/17/09

. . . officials stopped short of creating liturgical rites to bless same-sex unions, but approved a compromise measure that allows bishops, especially in states where same-sex unions are legal, to bless the relationships. The key portion of the legislation says bishops "may provide generous pastoral response" for such unions.

The vote came three days after the church passed a resolution allowing for the ordination of gay bishops. Both moves have prompted strong reactions among the larger worldwide Anglican Church, of which the Episcopal Church is a part.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the preeminent Anglican clergyman, had asked the Episcopalians before the convention not to take up issues that would further divide the church. This week the influential bishop of Durham, England, wrote an essay describing the ongoing crisis as "a slow-moving train crash" and the most recent actions of the Episcopal Church as marking "a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion."

Meanwhile, gay rights advocates said this week's victories lay the groundwork for future moves. Friday's resolution included a call for bishops to "collect and develop theological, and liturgical resources" on same sex unions to report to the next convention. Three years from now, they may consider creating a standard liturgy for same-sex unions with the eventual goal of including a rite for gay marriage in the church's prayer book.

But some believe the recent moves have come at a cost. A number of parishes and dioceses have left the 2.3 million member Episcopal Church and affiliated with overseas branches of the Anglican Communion. Last month, some conservatives who left the Episcopal Church over issues of Scripture and sexuality formed the Anglican Church in North America.

The ECUSA has essentially abandoned Christianity.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

American Anglicans Ratify Constitution

The Anglican Church in North America ratified its constitution in Texas. The new denomination has been formed by about 100,000 Bible-believing Christians who left the Episcopal Church U.S.A. due that denomination's clear apostasy.

-- From "Dissidents finalize formation of new Anglican alliance" by Ed Stoddard, Reuters 6/24/09

The Episcopal Church, which is the main U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion with over 2 million followers, has declined to comment on the proceedings. The ACNA says four of the 28 dioceses under its roof are locked in property disputes with the Episcopal Church.

Some Canadian congregations are also fighting legal battles over assets with the Anglican Church of Canada.

The ACNA wants to formally join the Anglican Communion which numbers close to 80 million people worldwide.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Rick Warren shows support for breakaway Anglicans at Bedford gathering" by Sam Hodges, The Dallas Morning News 6/24/09

The Rev. Rick Warren used his Southern Baptist preaching skills to fire up a gathering of conservative Anglicans in Bedford [Texas] on Tuesday.

The Anglican Church in North America invited Warren to be one of the headline speakers for its first provincial assembly, which continues through Thursday at St. Vincent's Cathedral in Bedford.

Warren . . . briefly referred to lawsuits filed by the Episcopal Church against departing congregations and dioceses, over church buildings and other assets.

"You may lose the steeple, but you won't lose the people," Warren said, echoing a line he's used before.

"The church has never been a building. Christ didn't die for property."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Archbishop of Canterbury Recommends Atheist Writer

Archbishop Rowan Williams commends the atheist for taking the 'Christian myth' and the church 'seriously,' thus reviving relevance to theology.

-- From "Philip Pullman helps understanding of theology, says Archbishop of Canterbury" by Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondent 5/28/09

Citing Pullman as one of his favourite modern writers, Dr Rowan Williams said he liked his work because it took the church "seriously" at a time when theology was "drifting out" of mainstream thought.

Pullman has been castigated by parts of the Roman Catholic church, particularly in North America, as many consider the trilogy His Dark Materials to be a veiled attack on it.

Although he stressed he disagreed with Pullman's atheistic view, he commended his "search for some way of talking about human value, human depth and three-dimensionality, that doesn't depend on God."

He agreed with the thrust of Pullman's novels that religious authorities must not silence the "demons" that people carry with them – the essential "internal conversation" between good and evil.

In 2007 Roman Catholic groups called for a boycott of the film The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, which was based on Northern Lights, the first book in the trilogy.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League in the United States, described the books as "atheism for kids".

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Episcopal Church Fires Priests for Holding to God's Word

The ECUSA “deposed” 61 priests and deacons in California's Central Valley area because they joined with former Bishop John David Schofield as he aligned with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone due to the ECUSA's abandonment of Scriptural authority.

-- From "Episcopal Church ousts 61 clergy in bishop dispute" Associated Press 5/28/09

National leaders of the Episcopal Church have ousted 61 clergy who aligned with a former bishop in California when he broke with the national church in a dispute over the Bible and homosexuality. Former Bishop John-David Schofield led the Diocese of San Joaquin to become the first full diocese to secede from the U.S. denomination in 2007. Four years earlier, Episcopalians consecrated their first openly gay bishop, setting off a wide-ranging debate within the church and upsetting conservative congregations.

From "Episcopal Church fires 61 Central Valley priests" posted at Central Valley Business Times 5/27/09

Mr. Schofield was deposed in March 2008.

He and the various priests and deacons objected to the Episcopal Church’s ordination of gays to the priesthood among other things, "refusing to recognize the authority of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and of the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church," as the church puts it.

The clergy who have been fired had six months to deny their abandonment, recant, or renounce their ministry in the Episcopal Church, according to the diocese.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Read more on the ECUSA/Anglican saga

UK Atheist Wins Right to be "unbaptized"

An atheist has won the right to have his baptism removed from Church of England records after claiming he was too young to give his consent to the ceremony.

-- From "Atheist wins right to have baptism removed as he did not consent as a baby" by Chris Irvine, [London] Telegraph 4/9/09

John Hunt, a newly qualified nurse, was baptised at the age of five months at the parish church of St Jude with St Aidin in Thornton Heath, south London.

As a schoolboy he decided he did not believe in God and stopped going to Sunday school aged 11.

He was told that his baptism cannot be deleted because it is a matter of historical record.

He then secured a "de-baptism" certificate produced by the National Secular Society (NSS), rejecting "superstitions" or the idea of original sin.

This week the church backed down and said the entry would be "corrected".

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.