When I walk by the wayside, He is along with me. When I enter into company amid all my forgetfulness of Him, He never forgets me. In the silent watches of the night, when my eyelids are closed and my spirit has sunk into unconsciousness, the observant eye of Him who never slumbers is upon me. ...Thomas Chalmers photo

My soul waits for the Lord

more than those

who watch for the morning,

more than those

who watch for the morning.

Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You.

Response: O Lord, hear my voice.

Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You.

Response: O Lord, hear my voice.

Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities:

Response: Who could stand? who could stand?

I will wait for the Lord.

My soul waits,

and in His word

do I hope.

This weekend’s conventions: brief summary and list of information needed
October 27th, 2006

There are TWENTY conventions happening this weekend (including Tennessee’s special convention to attempt to elect a new bishop). Don’t forget to pray for Tennessee tomorrow!!

You can find the list of all the dioceses holding conventions this weekend here.

titusonenine

Stand Firm: Coverage of Tennessee Bishop Election-updated with each ballot

Update:12th Ballot - Bauerschmidt is the new Bishop of Tennessee

The political race between the Evangelical God and the 'ordinary one'
Credo by Stephen Plant
October 28, 2006

GRACE DAVIE, the sociologist of religion, reports a conversation that took place during a survey in Islington in 1968. The interviewer asked a resident: “Do you believe in God?” “Yes”, the individual replied. “Do you believe in a God who can change the course of events on Earth?” continued the interviewer, “No” replied the interviewee, “just the ordinary one.” The exchange could still happen today. Most Britons still believe in God, but the God they believe in is “the ordinary one” who makes little practical difference either to their own lives, or to those of the society to which they belong.

It is therefore a striking feature of Christianity in contemporary Britain that the most confident Christian perspective is the one most at odds with that of the man in the (Islington) street. Against the flow of opinion both outside the churches and to an extent on the more liberal end of the Christian spectrum, Evangelical Christianity maintains that God can change the course of events on earth and looks for the realisation of this hope in British social and political life. the rest

Media Twist Good Economy Into Bad News
Thursday, October 26, 2006

Since Election Day 2004, the U.S. economy has added more than 3 million new jobs. The unemployment rate dropped from a healthy 5.5% to an even more impressive 4.6%. Even with energy prices gyrating, the Consumer Price Index shows inflation at a controlled annual rate of 3.4% for both 2005 and the first nine months of 2006. Since the fall of 2004, the overall size of the U.S. economy (GDP) has increased by more than $1.3 trillion — new wealth that exceeds the total size of the Russian, Saudi Arabian and Hong Kong economies combined.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll released October 9 found nearly a fourth of Americans (23%) said the economy will be the "single most important" issue for them on Election Day, nearly twice as many as said Iraq was their most important voting issue (12%). But the same poll also found pessimism: 53% said the economy was "not so good" or "poor," vs. 47% who said it was "good" or "excellent." the rest

A Sterile Worldview
By Chuck Colson
10/25/2006

Vanishing Russia

According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, Russia “has lost the equivalent of a city of 700,000 people every year since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.” We’re talking about the population of San Francisco or Baltimore—a grim reminder of how fruitless some worldviews can be.

If demographic trends hold steady, Russia’s population, which stands at 142 million today, will drop to 52 million by 2080. At that point, according to Sergei Mironov, the chairman of the upper house of the Dumas, the Russian parliament, “there will no longer be a great Russia . . . it will be torn apart piece by piece, and finally cease to exist.”

Mironov isn’t alone in his fears. Russia’s demographic crisis raises “serious questions about whether Russia will be able to hold on to its lands along the border with China or field an army, let alone a workforce to support the ill and the elderly.” the rest

Michael J. Fox: The politics behind the cure
By Bonnie Rogoff
MichNews.com
Oct 27, 2006

Senator Jim Talent should easily be re-elected in Missouri. He’s a young pro-life conservative and a rising star in the GOP. Yet, all current polls indicate a very close race, with Senator Talent leading Claire McCaskill by 3 percentage points. The election will now hinge upon one shameful, misleading commercial ad about embryonic stem cell research.

The image of actor Michael J. Fox exhibiting the extreme symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease has been commented on by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The media has focused attention entirely on Rush’s statements (which are being misconstrued) with no attention given to Mr. Fox, whose comments about stem cell research and Senator Jim Talent are false.

Thanks to the mainstream media and their shameful biased promotion of embryonic stem cell research, the American public is unaware that the benefits of adult stem cells far outweigh embryonic stem cells. Important organizations and hundreds of articles detail the advantages of adult stem cell research. Do No Harm and Missourians Against Human Cloning are two examples. In human clinical trials and animal research, Parkinson’s Disease, spinal cord injuries, heart disease and diabetes have been treated with adult stem cells with impressive results.

the rest

Pope: Church Must Rebuild After Deep Wounds of Sex Abuse Scandal
Saturday, October 28, 2006

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday that the church must urgently rebuild confidence and trust damaged by clerical sex abuse scandals, which have created deep wounds.

The pope made the remarks to a group of visiting bishops from Ireland, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation where the church has been damaged by sex abuse scandals over the past decade.

"In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors," the pontiff told the bishops. "These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric." the rest

Episcopalians hope 4th vote begets bishop
Diocese runs 3 moderates in attempt to heal local rifts
By ANITA WADHWANI Staff Writer
Saturday, 10/28/06

After a five-month respite, local Episcopalians will try again today to elect a new bishop amid deep divisions here and within the U.S. denomination over the interpretation of the Bible, openly gay clergy and same-sex unions.

In three previous elections during March and May, clergy and lay leaders weren't able to reach consensus on who will succeed the retiring Right Rev. Bertram Herlong, who, since 1993, has led the 51 congregations of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, which stretches from the Cumberland Plateau to the Tennessee River. the rest

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH WILL BE SHOWN THE DOOR, SAYS ORTHODOX BISHOP
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
10/28/2006

NASHOTAH, WI: The Episcopal Church has crossed the line and will be shown the door by the Global South Primates if she does not comply fully with the demands of the Windsor Report, says canon lawyer and Episcopal Bishop, the Rt. Rev. William Wantland.

Speaking recently to more than 150 members of the Southeastern Wisconsin chapter of the American Anglican Council, at Nashotah House, the former Bishop of Eau Claire said that the eight dioceses are not asking for Alternative Pastoral Oversight, they told PB Frank Griswold and PB-elect Katharine Schori, 'do you want to be part of this process of separation or do you not. If you are not part of the process of disengagement, the Global South primates have said they will separate from you, so you'd better get on board and the Archbishop of Canterbury will be totally behind them.'

the rest at Virtueonline

Internet Explorer 7.0
Davis D. Janowski - PC Magazine
Oct. 26

Those of you who've followed our coverage of the development saga that is Internet Explorer 7 know that I and others at PC Magazine haven't been easy on the Softies for their laggardly development and the various shortcomings we've noted in beta builds. I've lived with the various preliminary versions of Internet Explorer 7.0 for almost a year now, using it on a daily basis. What I said in my beta 3 review still applies: I think it's solid overall and a big improvement over the patchwork quilt IE6 has become. At the same time, when I'm in a mood to really try new things and push the envelope, I like the current Firefox and Opera more.

I'm constantly surprised that Firefox—an underdog that originated as a passionate open-source response to lack of innovation throughout the graying years of Internet Explorer 6—has wholly stolen the development momentum (as well as considerable market share) from Microsoft. But it has. Still, Microsoft has the vast majority of the market. Those who purchase a new PC next year will find IE7 on it. That alone will make it the default browser of choice for millions of people by the end of 2007. Depending on whose statistics you believe, 80-something to 90 or so percent of consumers use IE, mostly version 6. Millions of XP users will be downloading the IE7 to replace their very-long-in-the-tooth-patched-to-the-hilt versions of IE6. If you're in that camp but on the fence, let me push you over: Upgrade. The rest

Anti-abortion rights leader disparages Drinin honor
Syracuse Post-Standard
Saturday, October 28, 2006
RENEE K. GADOUA
RELIGION NOTEBOOK

The leader of an international, Catholic, anti-abortion rights organization this week criticized the Georgetown University Law Center for creating the Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Chair in Human Rights.

"Referring to Father (Robert) Drinan as a human rights hero is like calling Attila the Hun a diplomat," the Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, said in a news release issued by Christian Newswire and in a statement on the organization's Web site, www.hli.org. the rest

In Clean Politics, Flesh Is Pressed, Then Sanitized
October 28, 2006
By MARK LEIBOVICH

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 — Campaigns are filthy. Not only in terms of last-minute smears and dirty tricks. But also as in germs, parasites and all the bacterial unpleasantness that is spread around through so much glad-handing and flesh-pressing.

“You can’t always get to a sink to wash your hands,” said Anne Ryun, wife of Representative Jim Ryun, Republican of Kansas.

Hands would be the untidy appendages that transmit infectious disease.

Like so many other people involved in politics these days, Mrs. Ryun has become obsessive about using hand sanitizer and ensuring that others do, too. She squirted Purell, the antiseptic goop of choice on the stump and self-proclaimed killer of “99.99 percent of most common germs that may cause illness,” on people lined up to meet Vice President Dick Cheney this month at a fund-raiser in Topeka. the rest

We come to Jesus Christ: and He does for us what He promised; and the thing works out. To our amazement, it works out. And then we settle down. We have had our own first-hand and irrefutable experience. But, instead of opening the windows to the glory of the sunshine so evidently there, instead of being incited to a hugeness of faith by what Christ has already done for us, we can't believe that there can be anything more, or that even He can work, for us, anything better. That first foretaste satisfies us. And so we camp for life out on the confines of the Kingdom, and never press on to inherit what is there and meant for us.
... A. J. Gossip photo

Study: Vegetables May Keep Brains Young
By Lindsey Tanner
AP Medical Writer
Tue, Oct. 24 2006

CHICAGO (AP) - New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say "I told you so." It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.

On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.

The research in almost 2,000 Chicago-area men and women doesn't prove that vegetables reduce mental decline, but it adds to mounting evidence pointing in that direction. The findings also echo previous research in women only. the rest


A brisk walk a day keeps those winter colds away
By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor
October 27, 2006

HALF an hour’s exercise a day cuts the risks of catching colds in half, a new trial suggests.
story

The Phenomenon of Facing the Giants
by Marc T. Newman, Ph.D.

Hollywood salivary glands must be working overtime as industry suits watch the grosses for a micro-budgeted little film produced by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. In a savvy marketing move, distributors Samuel Goldwyn and Sony Pictures made sure that Facing the Giants did not have to face many at the box office. They launched this "little movie that could" right near the start of the high school football season that it depicts, and far enough ahead of any of the big "must see" films, such as Flags of Our Fathers or The Prestige and two weeks after Gridiron Gang. As a result, Facing the Giants, produced for $100,000 with volunteer actors, but a professional camera crew, has stunned the bean-counters with box office sales north of $6 million – so far. With the exception of the rapidly-expanding film The Queen, Facing the Giants had the smallest week over week drop of any film in the top thirty, and managed something else few films accomplish – the second week's weekday box office was actually larger than the first.

Don't get me wrong. If your production standard for film fare is Lord of the Rings or even The Guardian, Facing the Giants is not a great theatrical release. The acting is mostly wooden, the location sets lackluster, and the story's multiple conclusions are too miraculous for my tastes. By all normal measures of evaluating film as art, Facing the Giants fails. But the film is striking a chord with audiences because it is told with conviction when it counts, depicts Christians turning toward and trusting God for the results (something rare in film), and even though the tidy ending might be much, it reminds people that with God nothing is impossible. the rest

Dioceses' Appeal for APO Modified
10/27/2006

The dioceses which appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury for alternate primatial oversight (APO) last summer have modified their petition and no longer seek an “alternative primate” to exercise metropolitan oversight. Instead they have asked Archbishop Rowan Williams for a “commissary” from Canterbury. The Living Church has learned that Archbishop Williams recently informed the petitioning bishops the issue will be discussed during the meeting of Anglican primates Feb. 14-19 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

“Commissary” or Commissarius Apostolicus is an ecclesial term for someone appointed to act on behalf of a bishop as an episcopal agent in the bishop’s absence. Commissaries were appointed by the Bishop of London for the 13 colonies to oversee Church of England parishes until the American Revolution. the rest

Archbishop Williams Meets With Presiding Bishop-elect Jefferts Schori
10/27/2006

Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefforts Schori met Oct. 27 with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in a closed-door session at Lambeth Palace in London to discuss the state of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

Introduced to Archbishop Williams by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, the three met for 90 minutes without aides present in Archbishop Williams’ office. The meeting was requested last spring by Bishop Griswold in order to introduce the person elected to succeed him.

Bishop Griswold told Anglican Communion News Service afterward that the discussions had been “cordial and collegial.” Bishop Jefferts Schori said she welcomed the opportunity to meet with Archbishop Williams and noted the three had shared a “frank conversation about challenges in the Communion.” the rest

Abortion exposes women to higher risk of depression
October 27, 2006
By Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent

WOMEN who have abortions are risking depression and other mental illness and should be told of the dangers, a group of leading doctors says today.

In a letter to The Times, 15 senior obstetricians and psychiatrists say that new evidence has uncovered a clear link between abortion and mental illness in women with no previous history of psychological problems.

Women who have had abortions have twice the level of psychological problems and three times the level of depression as women who have given birth or never been pregnant, they say.
the rest

Can You Grow Up, But Not Be a Grown-up?
Albert Mohler
Posted: Friday, October 27, 2006

Michael Bywater is concerned that the present generation is growing up, but not becoming grown-ups. Writing in The Telegraph [London], Bywater bemoans the infantilism of the culture and the immaturity of so many young adults.

"My grandfather was born in 1888 and he didn't have a lifestyle. He didn't need one: he had a life," Bywater observes.

Yes, his grandfather's life was almost assuredly very different than his own. Previous generations did not think of life as an endless experiment, and they saw their grown-up role as a matter of responsibility, not a lifestyle choice.

the rest

Antibiotic-resistant infection spreads
BY TROY ANDERSON, Staff Writer

After spreading through Los Angeles County jails and Skid Row, a stubborn and potentially deadly skin infection is increasingly showing up in the general population, a health report released Thursday warned.

At the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center emergency room in Sylmar, the percentage of skin infections due to the virulent strain of an antibiotic-resistant staph infection has risen from 29 percent in 2001 to 64 percent in 2004, according to the report.

Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, the county's public health director, said other hospitals throughout the county are seeing similar increases. Outbreaks have been reported among members of a football team, a commercial gym, firefighters, police and even newborns.

"We are finding this broadly in the community," Fielding said. "It is not simply a problem of Skid Row or the jails. But the conditions on Skid Row and in the jails increase the likelihood of one having it and transmitting it. Those are close, crowded living conditions with poor hygiene and frequent skin-to-skin contact. the rest

Clergy warned on partisan preaching
Several faiths act to keep tax status
By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff
October 27, 2006

In the face of increased federal scrutiny of politics in the pulpit, religious denominations are warning clergy against overtly partisan preaching.

As Election Day approaches, with the Massachusetts governorship and both houses of Congress up for grabs, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has sent a memo to all priests instructing them not to provide parish directories to political candidates, not to allow the distribution of campaign literature on church property, and not to express support or opposition for political candidates.

The memo warns explicitly that the tax-exempt status of the Archdiocese of Boston could be at risk if those rules are violated. the rest

Religious Conservatives Cheer Ruling on Gays as Wake-Up Call
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 27, 2006

The New Jersey court decision that gay couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples was bad news for social conservatives -- the bad news they were hoping for.

"Pro-traditional-marriage organizations ought to give a distinguished service award to the New Jersey Supreme Court," said the Rev. Richard Land, head of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. the rest

Church and city of San Diego reach settlement in equal access case involving unfair rental fees
Baptist church defended by ADF succeeds in securing fair treatment by city officials Thursday, October 26, 2006

SAN DIEGO — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund secured a settlement agreement today in a lawsuit brought by a local church against city officials. Canyon Ridge Baptist Church rents a city-owned facility and filed suit when it learned the city had been charging higher rental fees for churches than those charged to similar non-religious community groups.

“A landlord should not treat Christian tenants any differently than other tenants. This is especially true when the landlord is the government,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Tim Chandler. “A city cannot single out religious organizations for unequal treatment in comparison to other similarly situated groups. San Diego officials are doing the right thing in agreeing to correct this injustice.”

Canyon Ridge Baptist Church rents space at the Kearny Mesa Recreation Center. The city provides the recreation center at no cost or for a nominal fee to many governmental and community groups. But San Diego officials were automatically charging religious organizations the highest rate, which is many times higher than what other community groups are charged. On June 16, a federal judge granted ADF attorneys’ request that the city be barred from charging the church the higher fees while the case, Canyon Ridge Baptist Church v. City of San Diego, moves forward (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3781).

the rest

Williams joins faith symbols row

The Archbishop of Canterbury has entered the Muslim veil debate by saying people should be free to wear visible religious symbols.

Dr Rowan Williams said aiming for a society where no symbols such as veils, crosses, sidelocks or turbans would be seen was "politically dangerous".

It would treat the state as a "central licensing authority" which creates public morality, he told the Times. the rest

While sitting on the bank of a river one day, I picked up a solid round stone from the water and broke it open. It was perfectly dry in spite of the fact that it had been immersed in water for centuries. The same is true of many people in the Western world. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity; they live immersed in the waters of its benefits. And yet it has not penetrated their hearts; they do not love it. The fault is not in Christianity, but in men's hearts, which have been hardened by materialism and intellectualism. ...Sadhu Sundar Singh photo

Matt Kennedy: Ecclesiology: The Achilles Heel of Orthodox Anglicanism?

I fear that this historic division, this inherent orthodox weakness, has arisen again in the guise of arguments about whether to “stay” or “leave”, whether to create a “new province” or to remain within and reclaim the existing structure. The Camp Allen debates and criticisms with regard to recent actions of various orthodox bishops and dioceses, all seem to founded in this basic catholic/evangelical disagreement regarding nature of the Church.

the rest at Stand Firm

Four Primates Offer to Meet With Dioceses Requesting APO
10/26/2006

The primates of four provinces in the Anglican Communion have offered to meet in November with the bishops, chancellors and standing committee presidents from the eight Episcopal dioceses that petitioned Archbishop Rowan Williams last July for alternative primatial oversight.

The Most Rev. Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria; the Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies; the Most Rev. Benjamin Nzimbi, Primate of Kenya; and the Most Rev. Justice Akrofi, Primate of West Africa, have told the seven bishops and eight dioceses that the Nov. 15 meeting, to be held at The Falls Church in Falls Church, Va., will not preempt whatever is decided at the Feb. 14-19 primates’ meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Instead, the November meeting is intended to allow the American dioceses to express their needs directly to Global South leaders. the rest

Female Bishop to Take Top Job in Episcopal Church
By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON -- At a ceremony filled with pomp and tradition, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will become the first woman in the Anglican Communion's nearly 520-year history to lead a national church when she is installed as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church on Nov. 4.

Seated on the bishop chair's in Washington's National Cathedral before what is expected to be an overflow crowd, Jefferts Schori, 52, will be handed the primatial staff, which symbolizes her guidance over the nation's 2.2 million Episcopalians.

Soon after her election, Jefferts Schori faced a mini rebellion from conservatives who said she is too liberal to lead the badly fractured U.S. church, and some who said her gender disqualified her from leadership. the rest

Sex abuse tarnishing Anglican Church's credibility: Archbishop

The Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide has acknowledged that the biggest problem facing the church is ongoing revelations of sexual abuse.

Speaking at the opening of this year's delayed synod last night, Archbishop Jeffrey Driver said the significant number of sexual abuse claims has severely tarnished the church's credibility.
He also says it has put extra pressure on the overall budget.

Archbishop Driver says this year's synod will focus on how to cope with the claims and better ways of reporting complaints in the future.

"Some of the financial challenges we now have to face are the responsibility of those who abused a sacred trust of leadership, and to an extent, of the diocese itself for being too slow to respond to the situation before it," he said. the rest

New Internet Auction Site Launched to Help the Homeschool Community

WHITE PINE, Tenn., Oct. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, fans of online auction sites are introduced to the new kid on the block - http://www.homeschoolbuy.com/. Homeschool Buy is poised to meet the needs of homeschoolers and others who were turned away when eBay decided to prohibit the sale of Teacher's Editions. Homeschool Buy is prepared to handle much more than just homeschool curriculum though; everything home and family-oriented is welcome. Customers can shop without worrying about objectionable content.

the rest

Why Johnny is reading Islamist propoganda
Critics charge Muslim radicals determining textbook content
Posted: October 26, 2006
By Bob Unruh

Islam is being taught in the nation's public schools as a religion to be embraced because "organized Islamists have gained control of textbook content," according to an organization that analyzes textbooks.

The American Textbook Council has concluded that the situation is the consequence of "the interplay of determined Islamic political activists, textbook editors, and multiculturally minded social studies curriculum planners."

It has gone so far that correcting the situation now becomes a problem, because "educational publishers and educational organizations have bought into claims propounded by Islamists – and have themselves become agents of misinformation. the rest

NASA's STEREO Spacecraft Begin Sun-watching Mission
By Tariq MalikStaff Writer
posted: 25 October 2006

A pair of Sun-watching satellites launched into the night sky above Florida late Wednesday, kicking off a NASA mission to take three-dimensional (3-D) images of our nearest star.

NASA’s nearly identical STEREO spacecraft rocketed spaceward atop a Boeing Delta 2 booster after a successful 8:52 p.m. EDT (0038 Oct. 26 GMT) liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

“The satellites are in their intended orbit and everything went as planned,” NASA launch director Omar Baez said just after liftoff. the rest

Evangelical schools ordered to teach Darwin
Quebec crackdown
David Rogers; with files from Joanne Laucius, National Post; CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2006

OTTAWA - The Quebec Ministry of Education has told unlicensed Christian evangelical schools that they must teach Darwin's theory of evolution and sex education or close their doors after a school board in the Outaouais region complained the provincial curriculum was not being followed.
"Quebec children are legally required to follow the provincial curriculum ... but these evangelical schools teach their own courses on creationism and sexuality that don't follow the Quebec curriculum," said Pierre Daoust, director-general of the Commission Scolaire au Coeur-des-Vallees in Thurso, Que.

Mr. Daoust's complaint sparked the province-wide investigation.

Quebec law requires school boards to assure the Ministry of Education that every child between the ages six of and 16, with the exception of home-schooled children, receives an adequate education, he said. the rest

The Future of Anglicanism - an end to Western hegemony: Bishop Bob Duncan
Thursday October 26th 2006

“We have reached the moment where a mediation to achieve disengagement is the only way forward.”“The future of Anglicanism depends on the shift of its systems and institutions from North to South, and from Anglo- to Afro-, Sino- and Latino-.”“What of the radical imbalances between Provinces when comparing the Primates of Scotland, Ireland, Wales or even the United States with Provinces like Nigeria, Uganda or Kenya?”“Diocesan boundaries are lost forever.Things will never return to the simplicity of one Anglican bishop having authority over one Anglican territory.”

The Future of Anglicanism

the rest (found at Stand Firm)

New Church of England Book Challenges Rural Churches to Fresh Expressions
A new Church of England book is challenging rural churches to maximise the use of their existing church buildings in a bid to boost mission and bring the rural community church.
by Maria Mackay
Posted: Thursday, October 26, 2006

Churches in the countryside should consider setting up farmers’ markets and using school buildings after hours to organise café-style events to reach out to rural communities, argues a new book released today by the Church of England.

Mission-shaped and Rural, written by the Rev Sally Gaze, comes one week after a report supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed that the actions of people of faith enhance and sustain vibrant rural communities.

The book sheds light on how traditional models of the Church’s work in the countryside should be complemented by emerging forms of ministry in order to meet the needs of today’s rural communities.

The insights of Mission-shaped and Rural have been praised by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who said: “Rural faith today is in the process of finding its own distinctive voice in a climate of enormous cultural change and economic challenge. In this informed and inspiring guide Sally Gaze affirms the distinctive and complex quality of rural life today while courageously exploring new possibilities for ministry.” The rest

"On Equal Terms" -- New Jersey Joins the Revolution
Albert Mohler
Posted: Thursday, October 26, 2006

In a 4-3 decision handed down on Wednesday, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the state's legislature to grant same-sex couples all the rights and responsibilities previously reserved for civil marriage. In a sweeping decision, the court found that homosexual couples in the state have been unconstitutionally denied the statutory benefits and privileges conferred on married heterosexual couples.

The court stopped short of ordering the legislature to call this new arrangement "marriage," but it left the legislature that option and gave the legislative branch 180 days to comply with the order. Furthermore, the court declared that the legislature must provide some rational basis for denying homosexual unions the terminology of marriage, should it choose to create another equal but distinct statutory arrangement. the rest

New Scientology church signals expansionist thrust
Ruth Gledhill weblog

Actress Anne Archer is among the celebrities due to attend the opening of London's new Church of Scientology headquarters on Sunday. The Church of England has welcomed the new church, which is opening its doors to the public in a building that was once the headquarters of the Bible Society.

The five-storey Italian palazzo building in Queen Victoria Street was originally designed and built in 1866 by architect Edward l’Anson after he won a competition to design the new headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society. On completion the building was called Bible House. In 1985 the building was taken over by BP and named D’Arcy House, after William Knox D‘Arcy, the founder of BP. The Scientologists bought it in 2004.

Virtually in the precincts of St Paul's, the teams of Scientologists out on the streets around Tottenham Court Road, where the old London headquarters is still functioning as a centre of the church, are about to become a familiar sight in and around the City of London. Given the many criticisms levelled at Scientology, not least from its own former acolytes, I was slightly surprised to learn how warmly the Church has been welcomed by the clergy at the cathedral.

Canon Peter Delaney, Archdeacon of London and a Canon of St Paul's, hosted a welcome "tea party" for the Scientologists at his home close by the cathedral. Senior clergy from churches in the City of London were also invited to get to know their new neighbours. the rest

Patricia Heaton, Sports Stars Rebut Michael J. Fox on Missouri Stem Cell Ad
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 25, 2006

St. Louis, MO (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life advocates in Missouri have prepared a response ad to one that actor Michael J. Fox has made in numerous states that contains misleading information about pro-life candidates and their views on stem cell research. The new ads feature St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jeff Suppan and stars Jim Caviezel of "The Passion of Christ."

Fox recorded an ad that aired during the first game of the World Series and St. Louis-area voters were falsely told that pro-life Sen. Jim Talent, who is in one of the nation's closest Senate races, does not support stem cell research.

"Amendment 2 claims to ban human cloning, but in the 2000 words you won't read, it makes cloning a constitutional right," Suppan says in the ad.

Suppan will be pitching for the Cardinals tonight and the ad is slated to be shown during the World Series. the rest


Michael J. Fox Uses Misleading Information to Promote Doyle
By Newswires
MichNews.com
Oct 25, 2006

MADISON, Wisconsin /Christian Newswire/ -- "Brace yourself! Wisconsin is being deluged with ads featuring actor Michael J. Fox which are just as misleading as the ones currently airing in Missouri and other states," declared Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life.

"Everyone deeply sympathizes with Fox who has Parkinson's disease. What we don't respect is the 'hype' and false hope he conveys about embryonic stem cell research."

"There is no cure or even help for humans from this controversial research," said Lyons. "No human being has ever received an embryonic stem cell because they are too dangerous and tend to produce tumors." the rest

Cleric in sex sermon furore
Thursday 26 October 2006

Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has suggested that women who do not wear headscarves are to blame for sexual assaults, comparing them to uncovered pieces of meat.

Sheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly, the mufti of Sydney's biggest mosque, said in a Ramadan sermon that sexual assaults might not happen if women wore a hijab and stayed at home.

Hilaly criticised women who "sway suggestively", wear make-up and no hijab, or Islamic headscarf, for inviting sexual attack. the rest

The growth of 'online Jihadism'
By Frank Gardner
BBC Security Correspondent, Norway

Housed in a shallow valley just outside Oslo is the Norwegian Defence Research Institute.

It is an unremarkable place to look at, but inside sits one of Europe's leading teams of researchers into the growing phenomenon known as "online Jihadism", or al-Qaeda-inspired extremism on the internet.

They are neither intelligence agents nor soldiers, but academics who use their fluent Arabic to produce unclassified research.

Like many who study this subject, they disguise their real identity by using false Arabic names and proxy addresses. the rest

Episcopal 'U2-charist' uses songs in service
Updated 10/25/2006
By Gary Stern, USA TODAY

When Anglican Archbishop Thomas Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer during the 16th century, he wanted to make the prayers accessible, so he wrote in English, not Latin, and made sure it was distributed to every church.

About 450 years later, there is another attempt to make prayers more accessible — by an Irish bard who wears wrap-around shades instead of a clerical collar.

It may not qualify as a mini-Reformation, but a Communion service driven by the music of singer Bono and his U2 bandmates is catching on at Episcopal churches across the country.

The U2 Eucharist is not some kind of youth service held in the church basement but is a traditional Episcopal liturgy that uses U2's best-selling songs as hymns. the rest

Atheist Evangelist
In His Bully Pulpit, Sam Harris Devoutly Believes That Religion Is the Root of All Evil
By David Segal
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 26, 2006 ;

NEW YORK There are really just two possibilities for Sam Harris. Either he is right and millions of Christians, Muslims and Jews are wrong. Or Sam Harris is wrong and he is so going to hell.

This seems obvious whenever Harris opens what he calls "my big mouth," and it is glaringly clear one recent evening at the New York Public Library, where he is debating a former priest before a packed auditorium. In less than an hour, Harris condemns the God of the Old Testament for a host of sins, including support for slavery. He drop-kicks the New Testament, likening the story of Jesus to a fairy tale. He savages the Koran, calling it "a manifesto for religious divisiveness." the rest

When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us, and there will come a time when there is not a bit of the old order left, the old solemnity goes, the old attitude to things goes, and "all things are of God." How are we going to get the life that has no lust, no self-interest, no sensitiveness to pokes, the love that is not provoked, that thinketh no evil, that is always kind? The only way is by allowing not a bit of the old life to be left; but only simple perfect trust in God, such trust that we no longer want God's blessings, but only want Himself. Have we come to the place where God can withdraw His blessings and it does not affect our trust in Him? When once we see God at work, we will never bother our heads about things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in Heaven Whom the world cannot see. ...Oswald Chambers photo

First Things: An Evening at GTS

Jordan Hylden writes:

Seeing as how I am a new Episcopalian and still learning about my church, I attended a public address given a couple weeks back by Bishop Gene Robinson at General Theological Seminary, in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. There was a pleasant reception before his remarks, supplied nicely with wine and hors d’oeuvres platters and attended by a quietly chattering crowd of 60-year-olds outfitted by L.L. Bean. Sad to say, I did not know a soul there, and mostly stood off to one side, listening to people talk about things like the new art galleries over in Williamsburg. One gentleman politely asked me if I was there because of my “orientation,” to which I responded that I was in fact simply there out of curiosity. Later on I reflected that my response could have been taken several ways, but, as it happened, there was not much time for reflection, and I along with the L.L. Bean folks soon went inside the chapel for the evening’s talk.

the rest (hat tip to Connecticut six)

Episcopal Parish Gains Second Overseer Amid Gay Row
By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Oct. 25 2006

WASHINGTON – The Episcopal bishop of Washington appointed a more conservative leader to provide supplemental oversight to his church, All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Md.

In efforts to maintain communion with his parish, Bishop John Bryson Chane, who supports homosexual ordination, arranged to have retiring bishop the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon of South Carolina oversee the process of ordination.

"Under this arrangement, Bishop Salmon has agreed to visit the parish from time to time, to confirm on my behalf and to supervise the process of discernment of individuals who wish to explore their potential call to ordination," said Chane in a letter to All Saints on Monday, according to the Diocese of Washington.

The additional overseer was appointed in response to theological disagreements that arose between Chane and a majority of the congregation. the rest

Georgetown gets $20 million from prince promoting Islam
Just months later, university ejects evangelical Christians from campus
October 25, 2006

The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University has been renamed after Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal donated $20 million to its projects. And while that may be just the tail, the dog appears to be moving away from its historic Catholic and Jesuit teaching philosophy too.

The Center's leaders say it now will be used to put on workshops regarding Islam, fostering exchanges with the Muslim world, addressing U.S. policy towards the Muslim world, working on the relationship of Islam and Arab culture, addressing Muslim citizenship and civil liberties, and developing exchange programs for students from the Muslim world.

The "Christian" part of the center's projects at the university that has a history of 200 years of higher education following its Christian founding, is conspicuous by its absence in its website plans for its 10-year future. the rest


Georgetown, “Catholic” University Honours Abortion Crusading Jesuit
Despite obstinate, serious public opposition to Church, Drinan still has full priestly faculties
By Hilary White
WASHINGTON, October 25, 2006

(LifeSiteNews.com) – "Few have accomplished as much as Fr. Drinan, and fewer still have done so much to make the world a better place." So said T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Dean of the Georgetown University Law Center on Monday, as he honoured one of the US’s most infamous and aggressive crusaders for abortion, Jesuit priest, Robert Drinan. The ceremony at Georgetown was to name a new faculty chair for human rights after Drinan. the rest

Jesus supports gay rights, say S.African Anglicans
By Rebecca Harrison and Itumeleng Seakamela
Reuters
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters Life!) - When Anglican priest Jo Mdhlela preached his first sermon espousing equal rights for gays and lesbians, he was met with puzzled frowns by many in his conservative African congregation.

But despite opposition in his mostly black church near Johannesburg, Mdhlela hopes to persuade his flock that being Christian does not mean rejecting gays -- contrasting with most clergy on the continent, who believe homosexuality is sinful and un-African.

"Jesus is challenging churches," the green-robed cleric told his congregation in English, helped by an interpreter at his side who translated his message into the local Zulu and Sotho languages.
"Jesus is saying if you said apartheid was unjust then you must say laws discriminating against homosexual people are unjust."

South Africa's Anglican church has long nurtured a liberal tradition that sets it apart from its more conservative and mostly evangelical counterparts on the poorest continent, one bolstered by its opposition to white minority rule. the rest

NJ court stops short of gay marriage OK

New Jersey's highest court ruled Wednesday that gay couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but that lawmakers must determine whether the state will honor gay marriage or some other form of civil union.

Advocates on both sides of the issue believed the state posed best chance for gay marriage to win approval since Massachusetts became the only state to do so in 2003 because the New Jersey Supreme Court has a history of extending civil rights protections.

Instead, the high court stopped short of fully approving gay marriage and gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include gay couples or create new civil unions. the rest

What to do with aborted babies; some people just make no sense
Brad Drell

From the American Thinker:

One More Step Down the Slippery Slope

Hospital admits to burning aborted babies in waste incinerator
In Jolly Old England where abortion is an everyday thing, burning the bodies of aborted babies is causing an outrage.

“One local woman, who asked not to be named, said after the heartache of deciding to have an abortion she was mortified to find the hospital had used the same furnace they burn rubbish in to incinerate her terminated baby.

She said: ‘I am furious and very hurt. Imagine my horror when I discovered that my baby was incinerated in the same furnace as the hospital rubbish.’ “

“My baby”? She didn’t seem to mind having her child aborted-you know, killing it-but she could not bear the thought of the lifeless body being incinerated. What have the English come to?

the rest at Drell's Descants

AFA: Online Queries Reveal Wal-Mart's Promotion of Homosexuality
By Ed Thomas and Jody Brown
October 24, 2006

(AgapePress) - A pro-family organization is warning that Wal-Mart's new alliance with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is showing up in moves the corporation has made on its store shelves and in its employee benefit policies.

Following the retail giant's announcement in late August that it had aligned itself with the NGLCC, which is a pro-homosexual lobby group, pro-family leaders were sharply critical of Wal-Mart for joining what one called "an organization whose mission opposes many of the values shared by rural and small-town America." In addition to seeking out and receiving membership in the NGLCC, Wal-Mart awarded two large financial grants to the organization. (See NGLCC's announcement of Wal-Mart's involvement with their organization -- Caution: This is a pro-homosexual website) Many pro-family activists have accused the NGLCC of being a leading promoter of homosexual "marriage."

the rest

Single-Sex Classes Offering Benefits

School districts will soon have the option to separate boys and girls. On November 24th, the Bush administration will let them create gender-specific classes, and even entire schools.
However, critics say separate isn't always equal.

Teachers in Edwardsburg, Michigan, say they just started the program in September, but they've already seen a difference in how students learn. They have so many parents interested in same-sex classes for their kids, there's actually a waiting list to get in. While the girls do alphabet aerobics in one room, boys are hard at work doing pumpkin math and playing with clay in another room. Both groups are at Edwardsburg Primary School, but their classes are same sex. the rest

Flag is raised on admissions
By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY

Shortly after Harvard announced last month that it was ending its early-admission policy, admissions dean William Fitzsimmons got a thank-you e-mail from a woman with a story to tell.

She and her best friend had applied to the same school. The friend got in, she didn't. And that was the end of the friendship.

Now, as Fitzsimmons prepares to conduct Harvard's last review of early-admission applicants (the deadline is Nov. 1), he worries that the admissions "rat race" is destroying "the quality of the social fabric" in high schools. the rest

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 15:20)

Stability in the fear and faith of God will make a man like a wall of brass, which no one can batter down or break. Only the Lord can make such; but we need such men in the church, and in the world, but specially in the pulpit.

Against uncompromising men of truth this age of shams will fight tooth and nail. Nothing seems to offend Satan and his seed like decision. They attack holy firmness even as the Assyrians besieged fenced cities. The joy is that they cannot prevail against those whom God has made strong in His strength. Carried about with every wind of doctrine, others only need to be blown upon and away they go; but those who love the doctrines of grace, because they possess the grace of the doctrines, stand like rocks in the midst of raging seas.

Whence this stability? "I am with thee, saith the Lord": that is the true answer. Jehovah will save and deliver faithful souls from all the assaults of the adversary. Hosts are against us, but the Lord of hosts is with us. We dare not budge an inch; for the Lord Himself holds us in our place, and there we will abide forever. CH Spurgeon

Two excellent meditations!
Take some time to spend with these:

“what are you doing here?” - a word to Anglicans on a journey

Jill Woodliff: Life

Found at Stand Firm

Partial-Birth Abortion and the U.S. Supreme Court, Round 2
Interview With Law Professor Teresa Collett
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota,
OCT. 22, 2006

(Zenit.org).- In the coming weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide for a second time whether a statutory ban on partial-birth abortion is constitutional. Will a Catholic majority on the bench make a difference?

Teresa Stanton Collett, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, doesn't think so.
As the author of an amicus brief on the partial-birth abortion case, Collett shared with ZENIT how upholding the federal partial-birth abortion ban would affect future legislation, and why the Catholic justices might not be swayed by their personal beliefs. the rest

College Students Warned Against Courses That Subvert Family Values
By Jeff Johnson
October 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - The author of a guide called All American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals, and People of Faith (Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2006) says many of today's colleges and universities undermine what Christian parents are trying to teach their children.

John Zmirak says he wrote All American Colleges, in part, to encourage students and parents to seek a traditional liberal arts education rather than specializing in many newer academic fields like "Women's Studies." He believes typical programs in this discipline and others like it are often characterized by vehement opposition to traditional beliefs and faith-based pro-family values.

Many times in such courses, "the norm of heterosexuality, of sacramental marriage, of parents raising children in an integral family -- that is held up as purely an institution of oppression," the college guide author notes. And what students are taught, he observes, is that "it's your duty as a scholar and an activist to help subvert the patriarchal family and to help subvert any religious traditions that reinforce the patriarchal family." the rest

LITTLE ROCK, AR: As Episcopal Church shifts, some look for new sanctuary
By Laura Lynn Brown
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
http://www.arkansasonline.com/
October 23, 2006

Becky Mason was a lifelong Episcopalian. She served on the vestry at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Little Rock. She greeted people at the door, read Scripture in worship and served on a special events committee.

In June, she followed the denomination's triennial General Convention in Ohio by reading Web logs and her pastor's daily e-mails. After the gathered bishops elected Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the next presiding bishop, or leader of the 2.2 million-member denomination, she completed a process that began for her when bishops ratified the election of a gay man as bishop three years earlier.

Mason started visiting St. Thomas Reformed Episcopal Church in Little Rock, where she had been invited by a friend who had previously left St. Margaret's. In St. Thomas, she found "a small parish with a commitment to the teachings of the Bible and not wanting to tweak the Bible," she said. "I don't think the Bible is up for interpretation. It is what it is, and it's not outdated."

the rest at Virtueonline

Presiding Bishop-elect, Archbishop of Canterbury to Meet
10/24/2006

Before arriving for meetings at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City on Oct. 30, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori and Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold will travel to London where the two have accepted an invitation to meet with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will conclude her tenure as Bishop of Nevada tomorrow.

At Lambeth Palace, the archbishop’s official residence in London, Bishop Griswold will introduce Bishop Jefferts Schori to Archbishop Williams. The invitation to the official residence was extended shortly after Bishop Jefferts Schori was elected by the House of Bishops during the 75th General Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

The morning meeting will occur the week prior to the beginning of Bishop Jefferts Schori’s nine-year term as Presiding Bishop. It will also be a new chapter in Archbishop Williams’ attempts to broker a truce among factions within The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. A meeting of Episcopal bishops called at the archbishop’s initiative last month in New York City ended inconclusively. the rest

Group Says Pro-Homosexual Policies Hurting Ford's Earnings, Local Dealers
By Ed Thomas
October 24, 2006

(AgapePress) - Even as a new CEO described yesterday's news of Ford's latest earnings as "clearly unacceptable," a spokesman for a pro-family organization called the automaker's slipping profits "simple economic sense" in light of its continued financial support of the homosexual agenda.

The latest figures from Ford indicate a $5.8 billion loss in the last quarter. The loss has been attributed to the cost of the automaker's restructuring plan, which involves the layoff of 10,000 white-collar workers and 75,000 union employees, according to Associated Press reports. And even as the company's earnings have dropped in recent months, its price per share has also fallen.

The Tupelo, Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) is one of a number of organizations that have been boycotting Ford since spring. The pro-family group has been complaining for months about the automaker's running of ads in graphic homosexual magazines, as well as other decisions that evince Ford's support for the homosexual community and its activists' causes. the rest

Pagan student club created at UW-Waukesha
By The Associated Press

WAUKESHA — A Pagan Student Alliance club has been organized at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha as Halloween approaches.

It was officially recognized by the student government about two weeks ago and its approximately one dozen members hope to promote understanding of paganism through public information efforts and demonstrations.

“We’re coming out of the broom closet,” said Amber Braun, 20, of Waukesha, who is president of the group.“We’re not trying to preach, and we’re not trying to convert,” she said.

Braun, who describes herself as a witch, said she plans to request about $1,500 in student fee funding. the rest

BBC confesses bias on religion, politics
Internal memo reveals execs saying Bible tossed in trash OK, not Quran
Posted: October 23, 2006

An internal British Broadcasting Corporation memo reveals senior figures admitted the national news agency was guilty of promoting left-wing views and anti-Christian sentiment.

News of the memo, reported by British media, comes as the BBC continues to struggle against claims of biased reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and distorted coverage of the global fight against terror, reports the Israeli YnetNews.com. the rest

Head of US Episcopal Diocese Enflames Anglican Divisions by Granting Same-Sex Blessings
The controversial head of the Diocese of Connecticut has enflamed the divisions within the Anglican Communion this week, after he announced that Episcopal Church priests in the diocese may give pastoral blessings to same-sex unions in church ceremonies.
by Daniel Blake
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The controversial head of the Diocese of Connecticut has enflamed the divisions within the Anglican Communion this week, after he announced that Episcopal Church priests in the diocese may give pastoral blessings to same-sex unions in church ceremonies.

The announcement has been even more controversial as it reverses a long-standing policy in the diocese, and is sure to anger conservative Christian groups.

Bishop Andrew Smith's decision will not allow Episcopal clergy to officiate at civil union ceremonies but will permit priests, through a blessing ceremony in the church, to acknowledge gay and lesbian couples who have had a civil union granted by the state authorities. the rest

Moves to make Aust global centre for Anglican churches
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 23/10/2006
Reporter: John Stewart

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, has moved to position Australia as a global centre for conservative Anglican churches throughout the world.

Transcript

TONY JONES: Sydney's Anglican Archbishop, Dr Peter Jensen, has moved to position Australia as a global centre for conservative Anglican churches throughout the world. In a speech tonight in Sydney, Dr Jensen called for his conservative brethren worldwide to look to Sydney for support and guidance. John Stewart reports.

JOHN STEWART: Women priests make up 15 per cent of the Anglican Church in Australia, but not in Sydney. Australia's wealthiest and most influential diocese does not allow women to become priests and is against gays and lesbians taking on positions of power within the church. Tonight, the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, moved to make Australia the centre for conservative Anglican Churches throughout the world.

PETER JENSEN: It's widely agreed we must make as clear as possible and amongst as many people as possible that we've reached the limits of toleration when it comes to the teaching of scripture. Furthermore, it is for the good of the gospel and thus, in the interests of this diocese, that we support others with the same views and receive support from others likewise. This is where true unity lies. the rest

A New Path to Theological Liberalism? Wayne Grudem on Evangelical Feminism
Albert Mohler
Monday, October 23, 2006

Excerpt:

"In a brief historical analysis, Grudem demonstrates that denominations move through "a predictable sequence" of theological liberalism. First, biblical inerrancy is abandoned. Then, in turn, the denomination endorses the ordination of women, rejects biblical teaching on male leadership in marriage, sidelines pastors who are opposed to the ordination of women, approves homosexual conduct as morally valid in at least some cases, ordains homosexuals, and elects homosexuals to "high leadership positions in the denomination."

As Grudem observes, the Episcopal Church USA has, to this point, been alone in taking this sequential progression to its ultimate conclusion with the election of an openly gay bishop. Nevertheless, virtually all of the mainline Protestant denominations are embroiled in deep conflict over these very same questions. Indeed, these denominations have already moved so far along this line of progression that stopping at any point short of the ordination of homosexuals to ministry appears purely arbitrary. " the rest

Church gags female priest debate
By Simon Kirby
October 24, 2006

THE Sydney Anglican church tonight emphatically resisted the first challenge to its exclusion of women priests for six years.

The annual synod in Sydney, which brings together more than 600 clergy and laity over five days, voted in a secret ballot against reopening the debate over female ordination.

About two-thirds of lay members and almost 85 per cent of clergy voted against putting the issue back on the synod agenda.

The Reverend Chris Albany, of South Hurstville, was behind the attempt, arguing the opinion of the synod's members might have changed in the years since they last discussed the issue.

The Anglican Church's decision on the matter of women bishops, due later this year, gave the issue currency once again, he said. the rest

Proposal leaves future of marriage in Episcopal Church up in the air
By ANDREW RAVENS, Sun Staff
10/23/2006

LOWELL -- A sign that reads, "Getting Married Call Us," in front of St. Anne Episcopal Church might be rendered ironic if a proposed resolution to eliminate all marriage in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts churches passes this week.

The Rev. Ramon Aymerich said he has no plans to take down the sign, which was erected on July 17 to advertise the church and make the public aware that the 108-year-old church is still open for business. It has nothing to do with the resolution, which has become a hot potato.

"I think a lot of people feel more comfortable keeping things the way they are," said Aymerich, when asked to gauge his parishioners thoughts on the matter. "I spoke with three or four people and they said, 'Let's continue to do it the way we have always done them (marriages).' " the rest

Episcopal Seminarian Launches Internet’s Only Devoted Gay Christian Matchmaking Site
October 23, 2006

Justin R. Cannon, a 22 year-old founder of TruthSetsFree.net, recently announced the launch of Gayharmony.net. The site’s introduction to the web marked it as the Internet’s only devoted gay Christian matchmaking site. Cannon explains, "Most GLBTQ Christians are excluded from joining Christian personals sites, and gay and other personals sites aren’t structured to meet their specific needs. The growing gay Christian demographic deserves a welcoming safe place tailored just for us."

Gayharmony.net emerged out of Cannon’s own recognition of the lack networking presence on the web for meeting other gay Christians. Gayharmony.net is not just for those looking for a life partner, but provides an opportunity to find friends or even a Bible study partner. the rest