Ruth Graham

Billy Graham's wife, Ruth has finished the race. One of my favorite stories about Ruth Graham was when I watched an interview she and Dr. Graham had with Diane Sawyer many years ago. Diane soberly asked Mrs. Graham, had she ever in all their years of marriage ever thought of divorce? Without missing a beat, Mrs. Graham smiled and said no, she never had. Murder, yes. Divorce, no.

She was real, her books were great, prayers go for her husband, her children, her family, and to a world that will miss her. God bless Ruth Graham. She was 87.

TEC Executive Council's Statement

BB NOTE: Thanks, Matt. From here at StandFirm. The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has been meeting for the past few days (and no, Ethel Merman was not there) and have now produced this statement that basically says hell no. More later. Click the radio below and then read on ...



[Executive Council] I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6

Conversations among Anglican sisters and brothers during the past several years have raised important questions of Anglican identity and authority. These questions speak to the nature of relationships among us.

We understand the requests made by the primates from Dar es Salaam in February, 2007 as a good-faith contribution to that on-going conversation. Still, the requests of the primates are of a nature that can only properly be dealt with by our General Convention. Neither the Executive Council, the Presiding Bishop, nor the House of Bishops can give binding interpretations of General Convention resolutions nor make an "unequivocal common commitment" to denying future decisions by dioceses or General Convention. We question the authority of the primates to impose deadlines and demands upon any of the churches of the Anglican Communion or to prescribe the relationships within any of the other instruments of our common life, including the Anglican Consultative Council.

Assertions of authority met by counter-assertions of polity are not likely to lead to the reconciliation we seek. As important as we hold our polity, the questions before us now are fundamentally relational. Our salvation is not in law but in the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Savior; so too with our relationships as Anglicans.

One part of this grace is that we, all of us, are bound together irrevocably into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit through the waters of Baptism. We are, whether we wish it or not, God’s gift to each other. It is our bounden duty to respond to God's grace, a grace that we believe warrants gratitude and respect and that must be reflected in a deep and abiding honesty with one another in the context of living relationships.

We strongly affirm this Church's desire to be in the fullest possible relationship with our Anglican sisters and brothers, but in truth the only thing we really have to offer in that relationship is who we are – a community of committed Christians seeking God's will for our common life. At various times in our history, we have struggled to embrace people who have historically been marginalized. We still struggle with those concerns, sometimes in new forms. Today this struggle has come to include the place of gay and lesbian people and their vocations in the life of the Church.

We cannot tell our brothers and sisters with certainty what the future holds or where the Holy Spirit will guide this Church. We can say with certainty that we have heard what some of our sisters and brothers have said about our actions with the utmost seriousness. We have attempted to respond to those concerns sensitively and positively. The sincerity of The Episcopal Church's responses to matters before the Anglican Communion, particularly the responses of the General Convention 2006, have been attested to by the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the primates' Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council.

We can promise that our engagement with the churches of the Anglican Communion and our deep and sincere listening will continue. The truth spoken in love by our sisters and brothers in Christ, and particularly the truth lived out in our relationships with Anglicans throughout the world, will be very much on our minds and held at the center of our hearts. The advice of the larger community will continue to find reflection in the actions we take.

We have received from the House of Bishops of our Church a request to decline to participate in the proposed Pastoral Scheme; with an explanation for the reasons our bishops believe that the scheme is ill-advised. We agree with the bishops' assessment including the conclusion that to participate in the scheme would violate our Constitution and Canons. We thus decline to participate in the Pastoral Scheme and respectfully ask our Presiding Bishop not to take any of the actions asked of her by this scheme. We affirm the pledge of the bishops to "continue to work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the primates that are compatible with our own polity and canons."

At the 75th General Convention, The Episcopal Church reaffirmed its abiding commitment to the Anglican Communion (A159). As a demonstration of our commitment to mutual responsibility and interdependence in the Anglican Communion, The Episcopal Church supports the process of the development of an Anglican Covenant, and through the Executive Council is responding to the proposed draft now before the Anglican Communion (A166).

It is our most earnest hope that we continue to walk with our Anglican brothers and sisters in the journey we share together in God's mission. We believe The Episcopal Church can only offer who we are, with openness, honesty, integrity, and faithfulness, and our commitment never to choose to walk apart.

May It Be

May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home

Mornie utúlië (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

May it be the shadows call
Will fly away
May it be you journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun

Enya, from The Fellowship of the Ring

CANA Supports Anglican Church of Kenya's Proposed Consecreation of Canon Bill Atwood

CANA’s Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns said on June 13, “I’ve read of the proposed consecration of the Rev’d Canon Bill Atwood by the Anglican Church of Kenya to serve as a suffragan bishop for Kenyan-related priests and churches in North America. This is welcome news. It is just one example of the willingness of various provinces in the Anglican Communion to support the mission and ministry of Anglicans in North America who can no longer be part of The Episcopal Church.”

Canon Atwood, founder and leader of the Ekklesia Society, is a long-time friend and ministry colleague of Bishop Minns. Bishop Minns also said, “I look forward to continuing to work with Bill in his new role. I anticipate that this development will result in new creative partnerships with CANA and the wider Common Cause cooperative.” Common Cause is a cooperative fellowship of Anglican groups in North America. “As others have noted, there are now more than 250 congregations in North America related to the Global South in the Anglican Communion. These missionary and pastoral initiatives demonstrate the deep divisions caused by The Episcopal Church which has departed from the biblical traditions of the church and has refused to listen to the requests made by the Anglican Communion’s Windsor Report,” Bishop Minns added.

BREAKING NEWS: Canon Bill Atwood to be Consecrated Suffragan Bishop

UPDATE: We have the ACN statement here, the statement from the Archbishop of Nigeria here, and the Statement from the Archbishop of Uganda here.

GREAT NEWS coming from the Global South this morning. This powerfully demonstrates that the Global South of the Anglican Communion is resolved and united:

StandFirm Reports: CONSECRATION OF THE REVD. CANON DR. BILL ATWOOD AS SUFFRAGAN BISHOP ON THURSDAY 30TH AUGUST, 2007

FROM THE ARCHBISHOP OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF KENYA

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.

God in His mercy has granted us a great salvation in Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit. The foundations of that faith have been celebrated and shared through many centuries and cultures. In particular, we rejoice in the godly Christian heritage of this faith that we have received in the Anglican Communion.

Now, the fabric of the Anglican Communion has been torn by the actions of The Episcopal Church. The damage has been exacerbated by the failure of the House of Bishops there to provide for the care called for in the Windsor Report and to reject the Pastoral Council offered through the primates in their Communiqué from Dar es Salaam.

Tragically, the Episcopal Church has refused to provide adequate care for the faithful who continue steadfastly in “the faith once delivered to the saints.” Following months of consultation with other provinces, the Anglican Church of Kenya is taking steps to provide for the care of churches under our charge.

As a part of a broader and coordinated plan with other provinces, the ACK will consecrate The Revd Canon Dr. Bill Atwood as Suffragan bishop of All Saints Cathedral Diocese, Nairobi of the ACK to support the international interests of the Anglican Church of Kenya, including support of Kenyan clergy and congregations in North America.

Our goal is to collaborate with faithful Anglicans (including those in North America who are related with other provinces). A North American Anglican Coalition can provide a safe haven for those who maintain historic Anglican faith and practice, and offer a way to live and work together in the furtherance of the Gospel.

Yours sincerely,
The Most Rev. Rev. Benjamin Nzimbi
ARCHBISHOP OF KENYA &
BISHOP OF ALL SAINTS CATHEDRAL DIOCESE

George Conger is reporting for The Living Church:

Kenyan Primate to Consecrate Former Episcopalian as U.S. Bishop<

The Most Rev. Benjamin Nzimbi, Primate of Kenya, has announced he will consecrate the Rev. Canon Bill Atwood as a suffragan bishop to oversee the U.S.-based congregations of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK).

The Aug. 30 consecration of Canon Atwood as “Suffragan Bishop of All Saints' Cathedral Diocese, Nairobi” is “part of a broader and coordinated plan with other provinces,” Archbishop Nzimbi said on June 12, to “support the international interests of the Anglican Church of Kenya, including support of Kenyan clergy and congregations in North America.”

An undisclosed number of Global South primates are expected to participate in Canon Atwood’s consecration in Nairobi and are expected to work with the Kenyan Church in forming a “North American Anglican Coalition.”

The coalition will “provide a safe haven for those who maintain historic Anglican faith and practice, and offer a way to live and work together in the furtherance of the gospel,” the statement said.

Archbishop Nzimbi stated The Episcopal Church had torn the fabric of the Anglican Communion and the House of Bishops had “exacerbated” the damage by failing to provide adequate pastoral care for the “faithful” and for rejecting the pastoral council “offered through the primates in their communiqué from Dar es Salaam.”

Read the rest here.

London Telegraph is at it again

BB NOTE: Well, well, well ...it looks like - as Bob Dylan says, "they're planting stories in the press." What sort of "sources" would ring up the Telegraph, anyway?

We'll call this part of the Unfolding Media Drama that's looking more and more like a Park Ride at Disney and less like serious journalism. Hold on to your hat. It might come in handy.

Read the story here. And don't forget the salt.

Jack Kerouac reads from On The Road

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix Film Soundtrack Sampler Released

And baby, don't throw them pies ...

In the storm ...

NOTE: Try turning the sound all the way down on the YouTube video and then play the song. The ship is the Voyager, one of largest and fastest passenger cruise ships caught in Cyclone Valentina on February 14, 2005 in the Mediterranean Sea. Hold on.

Interview with Bishop Martyn Minns

The following is from interview with the St. Petersburg Times.

Girding for battle, hoping for change

By SHERRI DAY
Published June 10, 2007

Why did you decide to leave the Episcopal Church?

I really do believe that the Episcopal Church kind of left me. They have moved to adopt positions and attitudes that are at odds with where the rest of the Anglican Communion is and where I am. And so in that sense, I've not really changed that much. But they have.

Why not stay put and practice your beliefs in your own church?

That's obviously something I tried to do. But the problem I had is that most of the congregation here felt they could no longer continue in that mode, and in fact, we lost over 100 families. They voted with their feet.

What are the consequences of your decision?

We're actually now facing potentially the largest lawsuit the Episcopal Church has ever initiated against congregations. They are trying to evict us and indeed to take all of our property and all of our resources away from us. ... Our replacement cost is estimated at about $30-million, and we're just one of the churches.

The Episcopal Church claims it holds this property in trust. Why do you think you have a right to the property?

I would have to question why would anybody else feel they have the right. If you'd lived in your home for generations and you'd paid for it and picked it up and maintained it for generations you wouldn't ask the questions why somebody else has a right to it.

Read the the entire interview here.

815 Media Offense Continues: Rowan Williams on the Cover of Time and now KJS on Bill Moyers

Watch the whole thing here.Joining the Time Magazine Cover Story, we now have the TEC Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Shori coming in as reinforcement.

Live Blogging: It is a Puff Piece, could have been produced by 815. If you look at a squid, what does it tell you about the world? "The body of God being all creation." So now the Body of God is Creation! AHHH!!! Commentary coming. I must have a chai. Feel free to post your own commentary. Religion is at its best is an invitation into a relationship - not a set of instructions of how to deal with every challenging person in the world. Ying and Yang. Ying and Yang. Ying and Yang. Oh my gosh - now she's saying that Jonathon had a homoerotic love for David. AHHH!!! Now she says that scripture is just a culture book. Bible says gay sex is okiedokie. Please, watch this video. She has no tolerance for any other view then her own. She says that the issue is a "moral issue" and there is no other way, no via media - one way or the other it's a moral issue, like Slavery! Like Slavery! Those who support the biblical view of human relationships are like Confederates, like those who thought slavery was moral. Oh my gosh. She wants to re-educate Christians to accept homosexual intercourse as a moral thing, because we have a Greek heritage. Oh my gosh, now she's dividing the male "spirit" and the "female" spirit. Oh, now she's talking about women leadership (is she following talking points???? Women? Slavery? Gallileo?????). It's between "Modernists" and "Traditionalists." She's painting that it's what she calls the "traditionalists" aren't listening. Oh, it made her "very sad" - she knows what it's like to be excluded from the Table. A few more people may have to decide to go somewhere else because we don't accept this "innovation" but it won't tear the church apart. They are functioning in a very different context - that's why the African Church is exploding in membership and the reason is because "it's less clearly defined" which is what BISHOP SPONG SAID DURING LAMBETH 1998. Sorry for shouting. Oh, here comes the Nigerian laws - and now she's attacking Peter Akinola - she has no idea. No idea what he's been doing during the past several months to get that legislation tabled. She's never called him to ask him what he's doing or helped him get it done. This is a propaganda talking point. Why did that legislation disappear? Ask yourself - how did that happen? Yes, there is a difference in context but it's the Americans imposing agnostic modernity onto Africa. Now she's whining and attacking Archbishop Akinola in a way I've never seen her do.

What is going on? What is God asking you to do? It's all about people self-actualizing. A painful thing to do - hope for a broader understanding if we "pause." Push pause. It's not fair - a "crucified place to stand." Can you imagine if Bob Duncan talked like this?????

Stain Glass Ceiling - Seeds of an Alternative View. Gender Free. The words are "Tradition" - not Faith or Gospel, it's a little "tradition" that can be cast off as so irrelevant to our modern way of living.

In the feminine?

And her idea of gospel work is people doing things. Oh my goodness.

How can I be an Episcopalian? This is the Episcopal Church? Watch this interview for yourself. This is what I've seen at General Convention since my first one in 1994 - but now it's all over the Church since 815 is imposing its will over the dioceses and the dioceses outside the ACN are capitulating. Virginia held for so long, but now it's capitulating as well. The PB represents The New Episcopal Church.

This interview is a fine example of how The Episcopal Church has left us. Watch it. You can also see it at Anglican TV.

UPDATE: AAC has the full transcript of the interview here.

We had Bach up, but now we've switched to Mozart's Requiem:

Cover Art for the "Deluxe Edition" of the Final HP Book Release

Millions around the world (young and old) are pouring over the officially-released cover-art of the American and UK editions of the final book in the Harry Potter series, The Deathly Hallows (right-click on the image for a larger view). We've learned all ready that the word "Hallows" has been translated as "Relics" in languages other than English. But this latest release of the cover art for the American "deluxe edition" (never actually have bought one of those, though) is worth checking out. Dragons. The Return of Norbert?

NOTE: We've decided - as a change in pace - to blog live from the Fairfax Borders on the evening of June 20th until midnight when we get in line to get the book. If you happen to be in the Fairfax area, stop by and see us!

Bishop Steve Jecko

From Kendall Harmon reporting on Bishop Steve Jecko: His cancer apparently progressed rapidly, and the Lord took him home peacefully. More details will be forthcoming later from appropriate sources. Funeral arrangements are pending.

UPDATE: The AAC has info on the funeral arrangements here

BB NOTE: This has been a sorrowful week, with the loss of two visionary leaders of the church - different visions yes, but both willing to be clear where they stood when others remained in the shadows. Bishop James Kelsey, Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Michigan, was killed in a head-on car crash returning from a church visitation on Sunday and Bishop Steve Jecko, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas and retired Bishop of Florida died suddenly today. Many - including progressives and the orthodox - are grieving deeply right now and perhaps in our grief, at least for a little while, we may comfort each other.

It acted like a burnout

Why was reading the Time Magazine Interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury a little like watching this classic episode of Star Trek?

Time Out of Mind?

Time Magazine International has a cover story on the Archbishop of Canterbury here. You can read their interview with Rowan Williams here and an audio mp3 report here or by clicking below:

How to say goodbye ...