Small Town

As some may know, the case now before the Fairfax Circuit Court regarding the vote of eleven churches in Virginia to separate from the Diocese of Virginia is now in the hands of the judge, Randy Bellows, and we now wait for his decision.

So tonight I head out to the local Chinese restaurant to meet My Brother the Methodist and his family for dinner. It's a sparsely filled room tonight - most Friday night patrons seem to be doing the take-out. As I come through the door, I look to find my family but I see someone else instead.

The Suffragan Bishop of Virginia, the Rt. Rev. David Jones, is looking right at me from his table in the center of the room. Does he recognize me? I smile weakly, somewhat shocked, lifting a hand to wave hesitantly, as I did back on the plane to New Orleans. I haven't seen him since the three days in the Fairfax Court House back in November and certainly not since he voted with the Title IV Committee. He looks away.

At the same time, my niece and nephew now spot me from their table behind his and joyfully proclaim my arrival to the entire restaurant with such enthusiasm I am sure they can be heard all the way to Richmond. I just want to hide behind the potted palm.

So tonight we dedicate this song in honor of one of the largest counties in the United States, because even though it may have over a million residents, some times it's just a small town.

My Rhapsody Playlist

Thursday Night Break: "The Adventures of Anglican Candidate"

A Couple of theological college students ... from Australia, naturally. One is "Independent" (guess). And one is - shhh ... Anglican.

Act One


Act Two


Act Three

Make a Note: Judge Bellows puts trial dates on calendar - has not yet ruled what will be covered on those dates

The Diocese of Virginia has just released a statement on the state of their lawsuits against the eleven Virginia Churches that followed the Protocol for Departing Churches and voted to separate from the Episcopal Church.

In their weekly Communique under the headline "Judge Sets Date for Trial," the diocese states that “The Hon. Randy I. Bellows has set Oct. 6-30, 2008 for the second phase of the trial over ownership of Episcopal Church property.” The Diocese then asserts that "In this second phase The Diocese of Virginia and The Episcopal Church seek declaratory judgment regarding the property, a ruling that requires the CANA congregations to vacate Episcopal property, transfer of title and a full accounting of all property. "

This is not true.

The judge has reserved trial dates this fall, but the judge has not yet ruled on the subject covered by those dates and won’t make a decision until after he rules on the 57-9 filings, some time after January 19, 2008 (which will probably be in February or March 2008).

On January 4, 2008, the Diocese of Virginia and The Episcopal Church had originally petitioned Judge Bellows to begin litigation of their lawsuits immediately, which would have caused a dramatic increase in legal costs for the eleven churches now sued by the Diocese and TEC. These eleven churches followed the Diocese's Protocol for Departing Churches and voted to separate from the Episcopal Church. The protocol followed the Canons of the Diocese of Virginia and the statutes of the Commonwealth, including Virginia's Statute 57-9

The judged said no.

The Diocese had originally agreed that they did not consider the filing of the reports (no property has ever been transferred) a hostile action and made this clear in the Standstill Agreement approved by both the Standing Committee and Executive Board of the Diocese of Virginia. The Standstill Agreement still does not appear on the Diocese of Virginia’s website.

What the Diocese calls the “second phase” is actually the original lawsuits the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church in separate actions filed against the eleven churches, their trustees, their rectors, and over 200 lay volunteers who had operated in good faith under the Protocol for Departing Churches under the authority of the Bishop of Virginia. This was done despite the fact that the Diocese and the eleven church had begun the next steps (following the model set by Bishop Lee with the property negotiations with All Saints, Dale City), including electing representatives to Bishop Lee’s own Property Committee. This was in place, as the Standstill Agreement illustrates, until the Episcopal Church intervened and the negotiations were shut down.

While the judge has reserved trial dates this fall on his calendar, he has not yet ruled what the content of those dates will be - let us make that perfectly clear. There are all kinds of speculation now underway on what the focus of those dates will be (others have differing opinions, depending on the judge’s opinion), but the judge has not yet ruled – and the last time we checked, he has the final say in the matter.

After 232 Years of Gathering Dust, Yet Another Lord North Letter to John Adams Discovered in Constitutional Hall Attic

We have learned that yet another letter was recently discovered during the recent dusting of the Independence Hall Attic in Philadelphia. Only now made public, BabyBlueOnline blows off the dust and publishes it for general - and perhaps timely - reflection.



January 9, 1776

Mister John Adams, Esquire
Delegate, Province of Massachusetts Bay
Second Continental Congress
State House
Philadelphia

My dear Mister Adams,

Thank you for your letter. I believe you have misinterpreted my previous letter. I gave no "acknowledgement that colonies can and do leave the His Majesty's purview." On the contrary, I continue to aver that individuals may leave, but colonies and commonwealths do not. I continue to urge you to withdraw from any encouragement of such a belief, or action toward departure, as I believe it to be a violation of the vows we have both repeatedly taken to "pledge our alliance to the Crown."

I lament your belief that colonists with your political position are being systematically eliminated from positions of leadership and influence. If they are disappearing, it is by their own decision and at their own hands. I note how carefully the current and former Sovereigns of the Realm have been to ensure broad representation in appointment to various Parliamentary bodies, and know that my predecessors and I have also sought to include all political positions in appointments within our purview.

You state your concern about those who would stand by their convictions being threatened with disbarment and disenfranchisement. I would also note that depositions and interventions have no substance if there has been no violation. Fear of same is probably not rational if there is no basis for same.

I pray that your profession may be one of abundance in the coming year, and I remain

Yours most sincerely,

Lord North
Prime Minister of All Great Britain

NOTE: Ah, satura lanx.

From Wiki:

The word satire comes from Latin satura lanx and means "medley, dish of colourful fruits" - it was held by Quintilian to be a "wholly Roman phenomenon" (satura tota nostra est). This derivation properly has nothing to do with the Greek mythological figure satyr^[3]. To Quintilian, the satire was a strict literary form, but the term soon escaped from its original narrow definition. Robert Elliott wrote:

"As soon as a noun enters the domain of metaphor, as one modern scholar has pointed out, it clamours for extension; and satura (which had had no verbal, adverbial, or adjectival forms) was immediately broadened by appropriation from the Greek word for “satyr” (satyros) and its derivatives. The odd result is that the English “satire” comes from the Latin satura; but “satirize,” “satiric,” etc., are of Greek origin. By about the 4th century AD the writer of satires came to be known as satyricus; St. Jerome, for example, was called by one of his enemies 'a satirist in prose' ('satyricus scriptor in prosa'). Subsequent orthographic modifications obscured the Latin origin of the word satire: satura becomes satyra, and in England, by the 16th century, it was written 'satyre.'"^[4]

Satire (in the modern sense of the word) is found in many artistic forms of expression, including literature, plays, commentary, and media such as song lyrics. Satirical works often contain "straight" (non-satirical) humour - usually to give some relief from what might otherwise be relentless "preaching". This has always been the case, although it is probably more marked in modern satire.

Read more about satire here.

Schori targets Duncan for expulsion

From here:

Bid to depose US Bishop backfires

By: George Conger

US PRESIDING Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s bid to depose Bishop Robert Duncan before the opening of the 2008 Lambeth Conference has misfired, leaving the Pittsburgh Bishop in office pending a trial at the autumn meeting of the House of Bishops.

On Jan 15, Bishop Schori wrote to the conservative leader saying that although a secret review panel on Dec 17 had found that he had ‘abandoned the communion’ of the Episcopal Church, after four weeks of deliberations the Church’s three senior bishops were not able to agree upon suspending him from office.

If Bishop Duncan had been suspended, he would have been brought before the March meeting of the House of Bishops for trial, and likely be deposed from office by the liberal majority. Having failed to inhibit him, the charges will now be heard by the Bishops in September. However she urged him to recant within two months, ‘providing evidence that you once more consider yourself fully subject to the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church.’

Last week San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield was certified by the review panel as having abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church, and the three senior bishops, Peter Lee of Virginia, Don Wimberly of Texas and Leo Frade of Southeast Florida agreed to inhibit him -- prohibiting him from exercising his ministry as bishop --- pending a trial at the March meeting.

The failure to inhibit Bishop Duncan leaves him in office for the July 16-Aug 3 Lambeth Conference and will likely serve as a rallying point for conservatives against the Episcopal Church at Lambeth.

The aborted bid to depose him before his diocese took the final step in quitting the Episcopal Church, paradoxically, may serve to strengthen his hand as some bishops who were wavering about attending may now go to Lambeth to protect Bishop Duncan.

In a statement released late on Tuesday night, Bishop Duncan denied that he had been unfaithful to the tenets of the Church. “Few bishops have been more loyal to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church. I have not abandoned the Communion of this Church. I will continue to serve and minister as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh,” he said.

Fellow conservative Bishop Jack Iker stated it was ‘tragic and deeply disturbing’ that Bishop Schori would move against Bishop Duncan before Pittsburgh took ‘any final decision’ to separate from the Episcopal Church.

“The fact that Bishop Duncan and the Diocese of Pittsburgh are still a part of the Episcopal Church was clearly affirmed by the refusal of the three senior diocesan bishops to consent to his being inhibited for this alleged offence,” he said.

The Episcopal Church gives ‘lip service’ to the mantra of dialogue ‘to heal our divisions’ while ‘at the same time closing off any possibility of continuing conversations by aggressive, punitive actions such as this,’ he said.

Bishop Iker noted that he too had received a ‘threatening’ letter from Bishop Schori on Jan 15, that said he ‘would be liable for charges of violation of my ordination vows if I continue “any encouragement of such a belief”,’ --- that parishes and diocese can quit the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Schori denied there was an organized campaign being waged by the national Church to silence the voice of conservatives in her letter to Bishop Iker. “I lament your belief,” she wrote, that those “with your theological position are being systematically eliminated from positions of leadership and influence. If they are disappearing, it is by their own decision and at their own hands.”

She stated that she had sought to ‘include all theological positions in appointments within our purview’ and had not discriminated against traditionalists. However, following her election as Presiding Bishop, Bishop Schori said she hoped to educate Bishop Iker and other opponents of women clergy on the ‘heresy of Donatism,’ and has not favoured the clergy careers of those on the right of the church spectrum.

Bishop Schori acknowledged that Bishop Iker was concerned with being ‘threatened with depositions and lawsuits.’ However such a fate would be self-inflicted, she suggested.

“Depositions and lawsuits have no substance if there has been no violation,” she said. “Fear of same is probably not rational if there is no basis for same.”

Read it all here.

TEC Senior Bishops veto effort by Bishop Schori and "Title IV Review" committee to inhibit Bishop of Pittsburgh

From here:

Effort to Inhibit Pittsburgh Bishop Unsuccessful

An effort to inhibit the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, has not been supported by The Episcopal Church’s senior bishops.

The news, along with a copy of the allegations made by the chancellor to the Presiding Bishop against Bishop Duncan and the Title IV Review Committee’s decision to certify that, in their opinion, Bishop Duncan “had abandoned the communion of this church,” came in a letter from The Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori late in the day on January 15.

Bishop Duncan offered a brief response to the news, saying, “Few bishops have been more loyal to the doctrine, discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church. I have not abandoned the Communion of this Church. I will continue to serve and minister as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh."

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's letter to Bishop Duncan is here.

The full report of the Title IV review committee is here.

Guess who's been disappeared?

Click here and make a guess.

StandFirm: Katharine Jefferts Schori's Video Deposition Now Online

Here are some highlights from the depo as seen in court that concluded the Virginia churches case regarding the Virginia Statute 57-9 . You can see the entire video depo that was shown as part of the November trial in Virginia here at StandFirm.



This is the part that was very troubling regarding the Primates Dar es Salaam Communique. This is particularly important because, as we learned from the Primate of the West Indies and chair of the Covenant Draft Committee for the Anglican Communion, everyone in the room at Dar es Salaam was asked specifically by the Archbishop of Canterbury if they agreed to the Communique and everyone in the room said yes. You can read more about that here. In this commentary, the Canon Gary L'Hommedieu writes of a meeting with Archbishop Drexel Gomez at a clergy conference in the Diocese of Central Florida:

His next illustration was the real shock. He explained that at the recent Primates' Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the Archbishop of Canterbury had broken the usual precedent of decision by consensus and required each of the Primates to stand and declare whether or not he (or she) agreed to the text of a Communique that contained the Primates' shared commitments for the future. Each of the 34 Primates said "yes" to the Communique. The American Primate, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, said "Yes, but I'll have trouble selling it" to her fellow American bishops.

The point is, as Archbishop Gomez stressed, she said "Yes." She could have, but did not, issue a minority report. When she returned, and when the House of Bishops Convened in March, Jefferts Schori claimed she had only consented to present the text of the Communique to her bishops. She took no responsibility for agreeing to it. One of the conference participants recalled she had claimed that "she never signed it." Archbishop Gomez cut in: "None of the Primates signed it." The Primates' Communiques are never signed. Their verbal responses are taken at face value. The Presiding Bishop's public statement that she hadn't signed it would appear to be a deliberate misrepresentation of the process.

One of the diocesan clergy stood in stunned amazement, and fluttering with emotion said he didn't realize the extent to which we had been lied to. Bishop Howe stood, and with equal emotion insisted that the Presiding Bishop may very well have believed that she was agreeing to deliver the message and not that she was agreeing to the content itself, and that we should be very careful not to infer that she was lying.

Archbishop Gomez interrupted the Bishop: "Sir, that was not the question she was asked by the Archbishop." Presumably the lady Primate had been quite convincing, so that the members of her house had the same picture as the rest of us as to how agreements were expressed in Dar es Salaam.

The clergy of Central Florida reacted as if they had heard about the Primates' Meeting for the first time. This tiny detail made the prior accounts of the Meeting seem like hearsay. A fog had lifted. The Archbishop's message about a breakdown of trust was not simply a political tactic, used to weaken the position of an adversary. It was shockingly real. It was not a "tasty morsel", the kind which titillates gossipers. The response was shock and grief.

Here is what the Presiding Bishop says in her video deposition under oath - though it took a while:



You can see more of the Schori Deposition here at StandFirm.

Slate: J.K. Rowling's Dark Mark?

We've written about this topic at Shell Cottage and now Slate has an interesting commentary on the case. You can read it at Shell Cottage or you can read the original Slate article here.

Tea will be served as will Ogden's Old Fire Whiskey, just in case.

Sunday Afternoon at the Cafe

By the way, the things that Bob Dylan says about Joan Baez at the beginning of this 1976 performance are actually the things that Joan Baez has publicly complained about when asked what it's like to sing with Bob Dylan. Zing!


I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,
Alive as you or me,
Tearing through these quarters
In the utmost misery,
With a blanket underneath his arm
And a coat of solid gold,
Searching for the very souls
Whom already have been sold.

"Arise, arise," he cried so loud,
In a voice without restraint,
"Come out, ye gifted kings and queens
And hear my sad complaint.
No martyr is among ye now
Whom you can call your own,
So go on your way accordingly
But know you're not alone."

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,
Alive with fiery breath,
And I dreamed I was amongst the ones
That put him out to death.
Oh, I awoke in anger,
So alone and terrified,
I put my fingers against the glass
And bowed my head and cried.

B. Dylan 1968

Four years later this performance, Bob Dylan performs another composition built on Augustine themes of grace.



If You find it in Your heart, can I be forgiven?
Guess I owe You some kind of apology.
I've escaped death so many times, I know I'm only living
By the saving grace that's over me.

By this time I'd-a thought I would be sleeping
In a pine box for all eternity.
My faith keeps me alive, but I still be weeping
For the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the death of life, then come the resurrection,
Wherever I am welcome is where I'll be.
I put all my confidence in Him, my sole protection
Is the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the devil's shining light, it can be most blinding,
But to search for love, that ain't no more than vanity.
As I look around this world all that I'm finding
Is the saving grace that's over me.

The wicked know no peace and you just can't fake it,
There's only one road and it leads to Calvary.
It gets discouraging at times, but I know I'll make it
By the saving grace that's over me.

B. Dylan 1980

And then we have this from 2006:



In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildered brain, toils in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud
in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die,
we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down

We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

The moon gives light and shines by night
I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
O'er the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

B. Dylan 2006

Tip of the TinFoil to RWB for pointing to the Toronto performance of Saving Grace.

The Episcopal Church Division Intensifies: Schori "inhibits" the Bishop of San Joaquin

SATURDAY UPDATE: from T-19:

As a point of clarification, there is no confusion on the part of the Bishop of San Joaquin or the clergy, people, leadership, and convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin of their status. The claims of the Episcopal Church to have oversight or jurisdiction are not correct. The fact is that neither the Diocese nor Bishop John-David Schofield are part of The Episcopal Church. The Bishop is a member of the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone as of December 8th, 2007. The Diocese is a part of the Southern Cone. Neither the Presiding Bishop or the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church have any further jurisdiction. Bishop Schofield is no longer a member of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church.

A statement from The Most Reverend Gregory Venables, dated January 11,2008:

“As of December the 8th, 2007 Bishop John-David Schofield is not under the authority or jurisdiction of The Episcopal Church or the Presiding Bishop.He is, therefore, not answerable to their national canon law but is a member of the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone and under our authority.

Un fuerte abrazo.

--The Most Rev. Greg Venables, Archbishop of the Southern Cone

UPDATE via e-mail: The following is the Diocese of San Joaquin's statement in response to a letter sent to Bishop Schofield by Bishop Schori of The Episcopal Church today:

The Episcopal Church’s assertion that Bishop Schofield has abandoned the communion of this Church is an admission that TEC rejects the historical Anglican faith.

This is why The Diocese of San Joaquin appealed to the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of South America for emergency and temporary protection. The majority of the other provinces of the Anglican Communion hold to the traditional faith.

It is the primary duty of bishops to guard the faith and Bishop Schofield has been continually discriminated against for having done so while Bishops and Archbishops around the world have affirmed not only his stance but the move to the Southern Cone. Bishop Schofield is currently a member of both the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church and the House of Bishops of the Southern Cone, not prohibited by either house.

Governing documents of TEC do not prohibit relationships between different members of the Anglican Communion, rather they encourage it. TEC’s action demonstrates that there is an enormous difference between their church and most of the Anglican Communion. Again, this action is a demonstration that TEC is walking apart from the faith and its expression in morality held by the rest of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church’s own identity is dependent upon its relationship with the whole Anglican Communion.

TEC should consider whether it is imperiling that relationship by taking such punitive actions.


815 announces the action this evening.

By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on January 11 inhibited Diocese of San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield.

In the text of the inhibition, Jefferts Schori wrote: "I hereby inhibit the said Bishop Schofield and order that from and after 5:00 p.m. PST, Friday, January 11, 2008, he cease from exercising the gifts of ordination in the ordained ministry of this Church; and pursuant to Canon IV.15, I order him from and after that time to cease all 'episcopal, ministerial, and canonical acts, except as relate to the administration of the temporal affairs of the Diocese of San Joaquin,' until this Inhibition is terminated pursuant to Canon IV.9(2) or superseded by decision of the House of Bishops."

Look who else gave thumbs up to the action. Looks like there is lots of glee about this action over here. You can read the rest of the story here. And pass the popcorn. It's quite a spectacle.

BB NOTE: Bishops of the Anglican Communion have publicly indicated that they support Bishop Schofield. They include:

The Right Revd Jack L Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth
The Most Revd Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney
The Right Revd Matthias Medadues-Badohu, Bishop of Ho
The Right Revd Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester
The Right Revd Gerard Mpango, Bishop of Western Tanganyika
The Right Revd Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh
The Right Revd Ross Davies, Bishop of The Murray
The Right Revd Keith L Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy
The Right Revd Peter Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield
The Right Revd Ewen Ratteray, Bishop of Bermuda
The Right Revd Michael Hough, Bishop of Ballarat
The Right Revd John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham
The Right Revd Martyn Jarrett, Bishop of Beverley
The Right Revd John Goddard, Bishop of Burnley
The Right Revd Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough
The Right Revd Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney
The Right Revd Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Right Revd Lindsay Urwin, Bishop of Horsham
The Right Revd Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes
The Right Revd Henry Scriven, Asst Bishop, Diocese of Pittsburgh
The Right Revd Bill Atwood, Province of Kenya
The Rt Revd Martyn Minns, Convocation of Anglicans in North America
The Right Revd John Guernsey Bishop, Province of Uganda
The Rt Revd David Anderson, CANA
The Right Revd John Gaisford, lately Bishop of Beverley
The Right Revd Edward MacBurney, lately Bishop of Quincy
The Right Revd Roger Jupp, lately Bishop of Popondota
The Right Revd David Silk, lately Bishop of Ballarat
The Right Revd Nöel Jones, lately Bishop of Sodor and Man
The Right Revd Edwin Barnes, lately Bishop of Richborough
The Right Revd William Wantland, lately Bishop of Eau Claire
The Right Revd Donald Parsons, formerly Bishop of Quincy
The Right Revd Jackson Biggers, lately Bishop of Northern Malawi

BB NOTE: Alas, I'm not sure I know what to think about to make of the Presiding Bishop these days, but this action does make me sad, very sad indeed. I thought I might make light of it at first, but the truth is, this action causes me to lament yet another example of the official division of The Episcopal Church. There is no longer any respect for conscience. We now have an almost militant defiance demanding loyalty over conscience. Even during the Civil War, the Bishops of the North only marked the Bishops of the South absent - which included, at that time, the Bishop of Virginia. And this is what we call progress? I think not. What we saw after the Civil War was mercy. What we see now I think is called schism.

BREAKING NEWS: VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL SIDES WITH VIRGINIA CONGREGATIONS THAT VOTED TO SEPARATE FROM THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

McDonnell: “As a matter of federal constitutional law, the Episcopal Church is simply wrong.”

BB NOTE: The Motion is here and the Brief is here.

FAIRFAX, Va. (January 11, 2008) – Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell has filed a motion to intervene and a brief in the ongoing church property litigation that is being heard by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows involving eleven congregations that separated from the Episcopal Church in 2006 and 2007 and joined the Anglican District of Virginia (ADV). In his brief, Attorney General McDonnell defended the constitutionality of the Virginia Division Statute (Virginia Code § 57-9), thereby validating the position of the ADV churches and making it clear that there is no constitutional problem with applying the Statute in exactly the way ADV attorneys have advocated.

As stated in the Attorney General’s motion to intervene, “As a matter of federal constitutional law, the Episcopal Church is simply wrong. The Constitution does not require that local church property disputes be resolved by deferring to national and regional church leaders.”
“The Attorney General’s brief validates the position of our parishes and directly refutes arguments that were made by the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia following the November trial,” said Jim Oakes, vice chairman ADV. “Virginia has a long and rich history of deferring to congregational control of property. The Division Statute itself clearly states that majority rule should be the deciding factor in determining the ownership of church property when a group of congregations has divided from its former denomination. In his brief, the Attorney General ratified the authority of the Division Statute and noted that the interpretation of the Statute by ADV lawyers is ‘both textually and historically accurate.’”

“Virginia law does not permit the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church to seize our property from us. Our parishes voted overwhelmingly to disassociate from the Episcopal Church due to its rejection of the authority of Scripture. Our decision is just one small piece of evidence that there is a widespread division within the Anglican Communion. We are confident in our legal position that the Division Statute is applicable in this case and we look forward to the resolution of this litigation,” Oakes continued.

“It is unfortunate that the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church broke off amicable property negations and filed lawsuits against our parishes in the first place, forcing us to defend ourselves in a court of law. But despite the distraction of the legal proceedings, we will continue to remain faithful to the historic teachings of the church while moving forward in mission and ministry,” concluded Oakes.

The Anglican District of Virginia (www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org) is an association of Anglican congregations in Virginia. Its members are in full communion with constituent members of the Anglican Communion through its affiliation with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a missionary branch of the Church of Nigeria and other Anglican Archbishops. ADV members are a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a community of 77 million people. ADV is dedicated to fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples while actively serving in three main capacities: International Ministries, Evangelism, and Strengthening Families and Community. ADV is currently comprised of 21 member congregations.

The Famous Black Blot

BabyBlue's Papasan has connections up at the North Pole and in her stocking this Christmas she unwrapped a mini-camcorder. Since then, she's been reading all the books that came with it in all the languages, as though preparing for exams (Papasan's first question usually is "Did you read the directions?"). Finally, she thought she'd might venture out into the City and try out the camcorder, learning where the on/off button is, where the zoom button is, and how to load the battery. The hardest part was finding a parking place.

She headed off to see the Hopper art exhibit at the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art and all was well - except once again she stood face to face with The Famous Black Blot.

Comments are very welcomed to help us understand - in our quest to Understand Modern Art - why this particular painting is hanging on the wall. We have come to love this painting and its painter. We even likes this artist sometimes - or at least this particular painting. But The Famous Black Blot (though it's become very much a like a tradition to pay one's respects when one visits the National Gallery of Art, in fact, it's become like an old relation one sees at select family gatherings but can't remember why) still remains a mystery and one that ought to be solved.

With that in mind, we present the first short film called The Famous Black Blot.