felix hominum

Benazir Bhutto assassinated

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack.
Ms Bhutto had just addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi when she was shot in the neck by a gunman who then set off a bomb.

At least 16 other people died in the attack and several more were injured.

from the BBC

It's the annual Boxing Day Christian ritual

where we take Jesus back to the One who gave him to us, and ask if we can exchange him for something more comfortable.

related posts:      don't forget Boxing Day

update on "law is cool", steyn & all that jazz

Update: The Canadian Islamic Congress has a pdf on their site entitled: 

MACLEANS MAGAZINE: A CASE STUDY OF
MEDIA-PROPAGATED ISLAMOPHOBIA
Prepared by:
Khurrum Awan, Muneeza Skeikh, Naseem Mithoowani
LLB (Osgoode Hall Law School – 2007)
Ali Ahmed
LLB Candidate (Osgoode Hall Law School - 2008)
Daniel Simard
LLB Candidate (Osgoode Hall Law School - 2009)

The Canadian Islamic Congress and 4 law students from Osgoode have requested proceedings in our Human Rights Commissions against Maclean's magazine for publishing an excerpt from Mark Steyn's recent book.

Further research into the legal issues was conducted over the Christmas season.  This consisted mostly of several glasses of port in front of a roaring fire at the home of the local paterfamilias. He recently retired from the bench, and has more than a passing interest in the variety of issues involved in this case.  Apart from all the interesting conversation around justice, multiculturalism, freedom of expression, I also discovered (i think after the 3rd glass) that he has, tucked away in the library, a document signed by Sir John A himself.  Great-great Granddad was sworn into judicial office by Canada's first Prime Minister.  I wonder what he would make of the case...

Posts at LawisCool are here and here.

Mark Steyn has comments here., and links to the text of the complaints can be found on this page.

In addition, there is this story about a Catholic journal being brought under the same body, for publishing stuff which, well, appears to be the teaching of the Catholic Church:

Today, Catholic Insight magazine has also become a victim of the new anti-religion. We, too, have been denounced to the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa for speaking out against the activists who agitated for adding so-called sexual orientation to the Hate Crimes Act in 2003 and the legalization of same-sex “marriage” in 2005. The politically correct activists brook no opposition. See the article ”Catholic Insight under human rights attack”, page 10; and David Warren,“Suing for silence”, page 17.

from here

"Suing for silence" - has a nice ring, no?

related post:  an interesting article or two on the Mark Steyn affair

Goodbye Oscar.

Food for thought.  Commenting at CBC on the death of Aqsa Parvez,  the head of the Canadian Islamic Congress (the same person bringing the complaints) had this to say:

"I don't want the public to think that this is really an Islamic issue or an immigrant issue," said Mohamed Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress. "It is a teenager issue."

Merry Christmas

born to raise the sons of earth
born to give them second birth

The day will be spent worshiping in the early morning, with then, as is custom, it is Mr Felix who prepares the Christmas meal.  In between is a skating party, and then some friends are over for a feast.

"God has just tipped the scales in favor of hope." - Max Lucado, on Christmas day.

I only have one Christmas Eve story

And this is it.  Nothing more, nothing less.

On Wednesday mornings at nine o clock there is a group who get together to share their stories of misery or happiness, more often the former than the latter.  They struggle with addictions. I have become the informal “chaplain” of that group.  One of their number is a 45 year old man we shall call Steve.   Steve came from a rather unfortunate past and carried that misfortune into his present.  He had been from time to time a carpenter – he was trained as a furniture maker.  I asked him almost a year ago about a gift for Alisa, my wife – perhaps an anniversary present. I had the idea of a chest, something into which our family could place our various treasures in  the years to come.

He drew a sketch of a wooden chest, I asked him to build it for me.  He described the wood, the size, the time it would take to build and finish, and the cost.   It wasn’t quite ready for our anniversary, which was in August.  Throughout the fall Steve continued to work on it sporadically, and I from time to time would visit him in his small shop and check on the progress.   As October and November came around,  I was beginning to panic, hoping that it would be ready for Christmas.  Not having an anniversary or a Christmas present in the same year would be bad news for any husband.   In the days leading up to Christmas, I was in my new parish, thinking of all the details I needed to tidy up for the festive season.  In the back of my mind was the horrifying thought that my Christmas present to Alisa would not be ready, and that I would be in the domestic doghouse for quite some time.  Steve and I traded messages on the 22nd, and 23rd and the morning of the 24th of December.  That evening we had a wonderful Christmas Eve service at 7 pm.  AKW's sisters had come home from the States and the house of God was a full  place that night.  We all drove home, the kids were in bed, everything was perfect.

At 10:30 pm on Christmas Eve, as many were either drifting off to a happy and excited sleep, or dressing up for an extravagant midnight celebration of the birth of a King,  I went to meet a carpenter in his shop.

Steve had finished the wooden chest.  It was ready.  He told me with  pride all the details of the craftsmanship;  how to care for the wood, how to oil it so its colour would radiate, how it would  last, as he said, to give to my grandchildren.  He was proud of his work.   We sat in a small  room and I handed him a Christmas card,  and small box of chocolates, which he said he couldn’t eat because of his diabetes, which was complicated by his drinking.   We drank some coffee and chatted. There are four churches within a stone’s throw of Steve’s place.  I told him about our Christmas service, about God and Jesus, about love and prayer.   We chatted some more.   He told me that he had been to church a few times as a boy,  and he had even met some members of the clergy.  His experience of ‘church’ had not moved  him.  I did not convert Steve.

Instead we loaded the wooden chest into the back of my Jeep Cherokee, and I drove off to place it among a large pile of gifts in our living room.   I went back to the companionship of a loving wife, with two beautiful children, and a house full with anticipation of the large extended  family feast we would have the next day.  Steve went back into his shop and closed the door.

It was not the first time a carpenter
had been abandoned
by one who called himself
a disciple.

“He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”

Steve died several months later from the complications of his lifestyle.

an interesting article or two on the Mark Steyn affair

Update:  the interwebs are interesting...

One of the folks involved in the complaint appears connected to the group blog "Law is Cool".  It is by a group of law students.  Go figure.  There has been some, err, discussion around that blog.  I'll get all the links up later.

a comment left at Magicstats:

Canadian dude

This almost seems comical; none of you actually address the substantive content of the blog in question.

And looking at the other posts on this blog and the others in his fan base, the contents are as bad and at times worse than Steyn’s.

You guys are a bunch of scary people down there in the U.S. Keep your notions of freedom on that side of the border, we don’t want it.

a comment left at Jay Currie's blog:

Canadian dude

This almost seems comical; none of you actually address the substantive content of the blog in question.

And looking at the other posts on this blog and the others in his fan base, the contents are as bad and at times worse than Steyn’s.

You guys are a bunch of scary people down there in the U.S. Keep your notions of freedom on that side of the border, we don’t want it.

Magicstats' observations? 

In like manner, because of Canadian dude’s lack of knowledge about the internet and blogging, his claim to have read "other posts on this blog" is proven false and his true origin exposed. By consulting my StatCounter service, I discovered that Canadian dude is a Law Is Cool blogger and visited only one post at my blog, namely, the one he commented on.

The administrator's comment page at my blog identifies Canadian dude's IP address as 99.243.245.229.  Tracking down that IP address at StatCounter's "Recent Pageload Activity" log brought up the Visitor Analysis, the Navigation Path from which is posted below.  (Sorry about the small size of the graphic.  Clicking on the image will bring up a full-size view.)

From the London Free Press:

In a flagrant attack on freedom of the press, the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) has filed three human rights complaints against Maclean's magazine and its editor-in-chief, Kenneth Whyte, accusing them of spreading "hatred and contempt" for Muslims, by publishing an article by Mark Steyn on Oct. 23, 2006, entitled The Future Belongs to Islam.

The article in dispute is an excerpt from Steyn's bestselling book America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It. Consider the implications: By the logic of the CIC's attack on Maclean's magazine, the owners and operators of Canadian libraries and bookstores could also be charged with violating the human rights of Muslims by making not just Steyn's article but also his entire book widely available to Canadians throughout the country.

from the same article, this is worth pondering:

Alan Borovoy, general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, underlined the danger last year after the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada filed a human rights complaint against the Western Standard for republishing a set of Danish cartoons that many Muslims found offensive. In an article in the Calgary Herald, Borovoy wrote: "During the years when my colleagues and I were labouring to create (human rights) commissions, we never imagined that they might ultimately be used against freedom of speech."

And from Naseem Mithoowani, Khurrum Awan , Muneeza Sheikh and Daniel Simard, an article in the National Post:

What we did ask for, however, was an opportunity for the Muslim community to participate in the "free marketplace" of ideas. It is our belief that in its truest form, freedom of expression results in a lively debate among all interested parties -- not just among those who play by their own exclusionary rules. If Maclean's wants to publish articles alleging that many Muslims are "hot for jihad," it has to provide an opportunity to respond.

This issue isn't about attacking journalists or stifling free expression. It's about ensuring that our media outlets provide a forum for open debate and argument.

ps. if you don't know much about this issue, I think you should.

Canadian blog awards are back again

It appears that the Canadian Blog Awards are up and running.  Bene Diction Blogs On has the goods, and has been nominated in the category of best religious blog.  As last year's 2nd Place Winner in the aforementioned category of the awards, I will consider throwing the weight of my considerable army of drones behind a suitable candidate.  The awards will hopefully give some exposure to the range of Canadian bloggers, and recognize some who have made contributions to the Canadian blogosphere.  Bene certainly falls under that banner. 

The "competition" is, I think, supposed to be fun, although you might see from the comments that some folks may end up taking it all a bit too seriously.  Pop over and have a look around at the variety of bloggers out there, eh?

 

 

 

 

Nominations procedure: Anglican Bishop, Diocese of Edmonton

Proposals for nomination may be made by members of the current Synod (that is, the 59th Synod, which met in October 2005—a list may be obtained from the Synod Office) and by members of the Provincial House of Bishops, using the form on the website.

Proposals for nomination must be made in writing to the Diocesan Search Committee at the Synod Office, and contain:

(a) The name, clerical position or office, address and telephone number of the person proposed for nomination.
(b) A statement that the person has consented to be nominated.
(c) The name, address and telephone number of the proposer(s).

The deadline for receiving proposals for nomination is noon on Monday, January 7, 2008. (It will assist the Search Committee if proposals could be received earlier.)

The full memorandum is available here from the Diocese of Edmonton (in pdf).  All the necessary paperwork can be found on the Diocesan episcopal election page here.

In the spirit of grassroots church, I propose that the prospective candidates be expected to take me out to dinner answer a series of grueling questions proposed by you, the faithful readers of felix hominum.  The first prospective candidate to leave a comment on this blog will receive a large block of votes on the initial ballot.  I'm sure there will be more on this as we go along...

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

the christmas story that won't make Hallmark

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

Luke 2: 34-35

I wonder what Mary thought when she heard those last few words.  A sword will pierce your own soul too.  It is one of those Scriptural stories hidden away amid the joy of angels and shepherds and magi.  The sort of thing that just wouldn't do for the pageant.

There are many who find this time of year difficult.  Grief, death, sorrow of some kind.  A sword pierces your soul.

You are not alone.  Even Mary knew of sorrow at the first Christmas.

Terra Santa, or "Santa's Land"

Near Bethlehem, Shepherd's Field,  I love the business hours.

The selectivity of a (non) inclusive church

It appears that a report from the  Anglican Church of Melbourne has recommended we move to a less-inclusive Church, especially in the case of "foetal abnormality, when abortion was 'the least problematic solution'".  Thanks to Scott for drawing this to our attention

The Church of Melbourne's home page features three great articles relating to children and youth.  I was particularly struck by the one entitled "Archbishop calls for national inquiry into childhood depression".  Hmmm.

Where should one turn at such times for a vision of the inclusive church?  Perhaps to those who are the forefront of the move toward "inclusivity":

"Planned Parenthood is an organization that I have always admired and respected. It does such extraordinarily fine work, and I'm very happy to be associated with it."

Rt Rev Gene Robinson, interviewed here.

"...we must challenge the condemnation by the Church throughout the centuries of such things as masturbation, birth control, abortion, and homosexuality."

Rt Rev Michael Ingham, article here.

It's true that we are not a single issue church.  It's a worldview.  Of course those with "foetal abnormalities" are included as a large subset of the objects of the "extraordinariiy fine work" which is done. You can see that such fine work is done in almost 85-90% of say, foetuses with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome.  But don't take my word for it.  Such extraordinarily fine work has been detailed elsewhere: 

Caroline Mansfield, Suellen Hopfer, Theresa M. Marteau (1999). "Termination rates after prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, spina bifida, anencephaly, and Turner and Klinefelter syndromes: a systematic literature review". Prenatal Diagnosis 19 (9): 808-812.  PMID 10521836 ; David W. Britt, Samantha T. Risinger, Virginia Miller, Mary K. Mans, Eric L. Krivchenia, Mark I. Evans (1999). "Determinants of parental decisions after the prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome: Bringing in context". American Journal of Medical Genetics 93 (5): 410 - 416

This is why I find talk of an "Inclusive Church" rather, well, deficient at best and deceptive at worst.  I have long known that the Episcopal Church has been active in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.  The latest op-ed from the Rev Anne Fowler celebrates this fact.

I am not convinced.  It is precisely those who require of us a sacrificial love, who will lead us into the Kingdom.  Of course we don't want to offer such sacrificial love, and so we look for the "least problematic solution".  We don't really want to practice Jesus' unconditional love;  we just want to use it as a slogan at synods, in church newspapers and in comments on our favorite blogs.  Don't let us see what it really looks like.

SJ, former "foetus with abnormaiity", presently 6 year old person living with Down Syndrome, showing a piece of "extraordinarily fine work".

For some, full "sacramental inclusion" means reaching the baptismal font...

Footsteps of St Paul Pilgrimage reminder

Info on the upcoming Footsteps of St Paul Pilgrimage to the Holy Land (late Spring 2008), can be found here.  If you are interested in going but are not sure about any of the details,  just send me an email.  Have a look through the itinerary.  As a note to those who have already registered, I'll be adding some links on that same page to some useful sites.

St Augustine - word & sacrament

"...thou didst bring me to preach thy Word and to administer thy sacraments to thy people"

Aug, Conf XI, ii

Speaking of St Augustine, it appears that there is a new person called to preach thy word and administer thy sacraments.  If you are in the area, go say hello.

Congrats, prayers & blessings.

"I invented Dan Brown" - Umberto Eco

"I invented Dan Brown. He's one of the grotesque characters in my novel who take a lot of trash occult material seriously. He used a lot of material that I myself quoted."

Umberto Eco, in reference to Foucault's Pendulum...

"At 75, the recently retired semiotics professor from Bologna harbors no false expectations of his fellow mortals. When another writer's work displeases him, he just sighs philosophically: "If he were intelligent, he would be the professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna.'"

from a fascinating article on Eco in the Jerusalem Post

Canadian Anglicans produce ground-breaking work

[Toronto:  Church House]

Recently the Church of England released "The Mission Shaped Church" (2004: Church House Publishing, pdf here).  In his forward to the document, Rowan Williams reminded the church that it is "poised for serious growth and renewal" but added that "we are at a real watershed".

Now the Anglican Church of Canada has released its own ground-breaking opus - the culmination of more than 4 years of work.  "This is what the Canadian church needs at this moment", said a Church house representative.  "We've highlighted this important development in not just one, but two places on our national website.  This is the new millennium for the Anglican Church of Canada."

What We Can't Not Believe

In 2003 J. Budziszewski published What We Can't Not Know: A Guide.  The work was Budziszewski’s apologia for a recovery of natural law, by returning to those sources of natural or moral law which our culture has lost, but which nonetheless are entirely proper to the human creature and society.  In his more recent critique of the significant evangelical political influences (Evangelicals in the Public Square), he argued for natural law as a bridge between Christianity and the culture in which it presently finds itself.

In June 2007 the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada passed resolution 186.  The Saint Michael Report suggested that “10. We are agreed that blessing of same-sex unions is not a matter of core doctrine in the sense of being credal.5  The determination of this question will not hinder or impair our common affirmation of the historic creeds.”  The resolution which passed declared that SSB’s are not in conflict with the core doctrine of the AC of C (in the sense of being creedal).  What I want to focus on is the little phrase in parentheses, never mind that it has been consistently and repeatedly omitted from the subsequent discussions, reporting and communications.

I want to ask whether the “historic creeds” can now function in a way similar to Budziszewski’s view of natural law.  Can we now unapologetically say that the historic creeds constitute “What We Can’t Not Believe”?  More than that, can they function as bridges between cultures within the Church?  I suppose that would be the case only if they are commonly held to convey a common meaning.  They are, after all, specific statements in response to specific questions and problems.  As such, their meaning is intended to be clear on certain questions.  The semantic range is limited – one cannot say the creed “with fingers crossed”.   Likewise, will they begin to function as "enforcable" boundaries? Or to put it another way, is there a conservative element in that resolution which the average Anglican has not yet appreciated, because the church was and is so caught up in the first phrases? 

To those questions, as Legolas said, the elves do not have an answer.

Perpetual Advent - Kester Brewin

Of course, in many ways the church is destined to live in perpetual advent as we wait for Christ's return... No matter how impatient we get as a society, with processing speeds rising and our whole cultural velocity increasing ever faster; we cannot speed up pregnancy.  We still have to wait the same patient nine months that Mary did, not knowing, not seeing, not being able to hurry things along.

Signs of Emergence (47-48)

Johnny Cash - on biblical interpretation

"I discovered that the Bible can shed a lot of light on the commentaries"

from the intro to "The Man in White", Cash's 1986 novel about the life of the Apostle Paul,

sermon notes for Advent 2: Matthew 3:1-12

Just to set the mood, let's have a look at the wilderness where John the Baptist liked to hang out...  Somewhere I have some shots of the Jordan, but I'll find them later.  I keep thinking about the pre-Christmas cleaning activity which has been going on both at home and at the church.  You know, looking in the various little nooks and crannies where dust gets hidden.  It is a season of personal house cleaning.  I remember  when Jesus "cleansed' the temple, he did so by driving out what was sinful.  So it is with ourselves - we are called to cleanse the house of God (which is ourselves) by repenting of what is sinful in our lives.  This reading reminds us that Advent is season of repentance - which is a way of preparing for the coming of the kingdom.

[1] In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, [2] "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  [3] This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"  [4] Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

The message of repentance is not unique to John the Baptist in the New Testament;  it is also the beginning of Jesus' preaching.  It is interesting to note that the kingdom comes near to us, rather than us coming near to it.  That is the movement of grace - God comes to us first. 

John seems to have feet in both worlds - the OT and the NT.  This guy will make a great children's story if you get the visuals right.  Note to self:  get some locusts and honey for Sunday...  But now where were we?  John I think is a living testament to the continuity and relationship between the two worlds.  We tend to see more the division between the old and the new, whereas John shows us the connection.  The new Elijah, the fulfillment of prophecy, the beginning of the message that Jesus takes up.

[5] Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan,  [6] and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  [7] But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  [8] Bear fruit worthy of repentance.  [9] Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

Our culture is an emotive one.  I suspect many people think that repentance means feeling sorry for our sins.  Well, that's a good place to start.  But if we think feeling bad is all that repentance involves, we have missed John's preparatory message.  "Bear fruit worthy of repentance".  There is an active element involved.  Just as there is with love:  it is not simply a feeling, but an action which is expressed.  So it is with repentance.  While we focus on ourselves and our feelings, God is interested in our lifestyle and our actions.

There is that interesting warning that we should not "sit back" and think that we are in, that we've done our part, that we are part of the covenant and that's all we need.  "Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham".  John is warning the Pharisees & co. against a sense of religious entitlement.  Perhaps the same thing occurs today in differing forms.  "I've been baptized.  I'm good for life.  No need to do anything else."  Or perhaps like the Pharisees, we might appeal to the idea that we were "born" Christian.  "Oh yes, I've been Anglican since I was born."  (That's a whole other topic...)  But you get the picture. 

Side note:  this episode raises an important question.  Can I repent on behalf of someone else?  John seems to be saying that repentance is individual, or at least for the purpose of the ministry he is doing.  We can't rely on the faith of Abraham, we have to own it for ourselves.

[10] Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  [11] "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  [12] His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

As I think about this, it seems to me to be a grace sandwhich - with warning on either side.  The center is the coming of Christ, with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  "Fire" seems to be a theme here, which could use some drawing out.

Afterthought:  as Advent is a season of repentance, those so inclined might take opportunity to make an examination of conscience, talk with a spiritual director, or make a confession.

move over Santa, the real St Nicholas is here

every santa needs a hat like that... 

ps that's SJ (daughter#2) on the left, and on the right, well, you know who that is.

Anglican Journal Letters: who is responsible for new church members?

From the letters to the editor of the latest Anglican Journal

Dear editor,

As rector of a small parish mostly full of wonderful senior citizens, I was recently horrified to hear a younger clergy person say that he regularly asks his seniors what they are doing to replace themselves! How is that their problem? Why blame the people who are there for the people who are not there?  Most senior Anglicans are not aggressive sales people, and might feel quite embarrassed to be pressured into such a task.

The seniors in my parish are open-minded, intelligent and conscientious about fitness, charity and inclusiveness, among other things. They are interested in the world and its people, and they love God’s creation. They are mostly very accepting, for instance of blessing gays and lesbians (though they are less certain about gay marriage). In our tourist town, we regularly welcome visitors from around the world, and these senior Anglicans are ambassadors of goodwill as they eagerly listen to who people are and wish them well on their journeys, expressing pleasure at their visit, and enthusiasm for them as interesting individuals.

I could hardly think of a worse approach to such a group than to pressure them to replace themselves! They work so hard and are so generous in order to keep the place going. How is it now their job to make sure there are others coming up to replace them? On top of the obvious cruelty of such a stance, there is also the forced focus on their demise that such an approach implies. Hopefully my colleague’s approach to our precious Anglican seniors is not widespread.

This letter raises a number of significant issues.  I want us to think about just a few of the  questions raised.  This is not so much directed at the letter as sparked by it.  Who is 'responsible' for bringing in new members?  Or to put it another way, do you ever retire from the great commission? 

One of the marvelous charts we didn't have a chance to address at the last General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada dealt with the steady decline of church membership.  It was a graphically beautiful and simple piece of art - just a black-diamond ski-hill covering 40 years of descent.  There was not a blip during the so-called "Decade of Evangelism" (anyone remember that?). At the recent synod of Montreal, the bishop made special mention of the dismal statistics of his diocese over the past number of years.

So who is 'responsible' for those who are not in church? First the language needs to be changed to something, well, something more "gospelesque".  To suggest that members need to 'replace themselves' is, as the writer of the letter points out, the wrong approach.  It hints that the purpose of the church is to perpetuate itself as an institution, rather than joyfully help others into a reconciling relationship with God through Christ, and to live out a life in the Spirit.

I do, however, want to talk about the deeper angle of the writer's question:  "How is it now their job to make sure there are others coming up to replace them?"  It is never our job merely to replace ourselves (that criticism is correct), but it has always been our job to make disciples of those who are not yet disciples.  I would suggest that it is part of every Christian's call to witness to Gospel to those who are unaware of Christ.  One never retires from the Great Commission, just as one never retires from the Great Commandment.

One of the catch-22 moments of church life comes when we realize that we are working hard to keep the place going. This is very tricky, but I think we need to look at such a situation carefully.  I'm simply trying to work out some of the issues that are involved for many churches in this position.  If we focus our efforts on making new disciples, won't that answer the question?  In the long run, a church which does not have an emphasis on evangelism will of course find itself working hard (and harder) to keep the place going.  On a purely practical level, a membership which does not actively seek to make new disciples will find itself with dwindling human resources, and will at a certain point find itself unable to even simply "keep the place going".  However, a church which seeks to make new disciples will be able to share the same tasks of ministry over a greater number of people - that church can keep going and even do more.  10 hands can do this much to feed the poor,  20 hands can do that much.

So whose job is it?  And even phrasing it as a 'job' says something about our attitude toward the task.  I'll stop now for minute...

Ian's online Salvation Army Christmas Kettle

Ian of Ian's Messy Desk has his online Christmas Kettle up.  You can donate securely to the Salvation Army's Christmas appeal.

His 'Mo' is also coming along nicely...

Christians disappearing from West Bank

The Palestinian Christian population has dipped to 1.5 percent of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, down from at least 15% a half century ago, according to some estimates.

No one city in the Holy Land is more indicative of the great exodus of Christians than Bethlehem, which fell under full Palestinian control last decade as part of the Oslo Accords.

The town of 30,000 is now less than 20% Christian, after decades when Christians were the majority. Elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, only about 3,000 Christians, mostly Greek Orthodox, live in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, out of a strongly conservative Muslim population of 1.4 million.

"In a society where Arab Christians have no voice and no protection it is no surprise that they are leaving," he said.

In his address, Weiner pointedly downplayed the effects that Israeli security measures, such as the security barrier being built between Israel and the West Bank, have had on the Christian Arabs living in the West Bank.

The barrier, which is especially conspicuous at the entrance to Bethlehem where it is a concrete wall, is an issue which many Palestinian Christian clerics have pointed to, along with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a central cause of Christian emigration.

Weiner argued there was a "180 degree difference" between the public statements coming out of the mainstream Christian leadership in the Holy Land - who "sing the PA's tune" and blame Israel for all the Christian Arabs' ills - and people's experience on the ground.

"The truth is beginning to come out," he said. "The question is what is being done with the truth."

His comments come just months after a prominent Christian activist, Rami Khader Ayyad, 32, was killed in Gaza.

from the Jerusalem post

good heavens -it's like mushrooms popping up after a rain

And this time it's on the Rock:  Thoughts in Progress, brought to you by the Rev. R. John Hounsell-Drover of Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

Welcome to the blogosphere, R. John.

As with simplemassingpriest, I was going to leave a 'hello' comment, but I don't have a google account, and really don't want one.

Anglican Priest violates Canons of Nicea

[Toronto, Church House]

A Canadian Anglican cleric has confessed to violating one of the ancient "canons of Nicea" in a recent church service. 

"There I was kneeling for the prayers of the people, and someone popped up with several copies of JND Kelly's works, and copies of oddments in Greek and Latin and such", said the Rev. Wallace Smithers, rector of the resort-side parish of St. Cuthbert's.  "Then they started talking about something called "canon XX" of the first council of Nicea.  They started poking at my knees with a stick.  It hurt a lot."

Church journalists have discovered that it was in fact one of the wardens (who wished to remain anonymous) who brought the violation to the attention of the rector.  "See here, it says:  'Since there are some who kneel on Sunday and during the season of Pentecost, this holy synod decrees that, so that the same observances may be maintained in every diocese, one should offer one's prayers to the Lord standing'" proclaimed the warden. 

"And it says right there that it's Canon XX.  Of course, most Anglican priests don't go in for that sort of book-learning anymore.  But I found it on the interwebs.  And there he was, kneeling on a Sunday!"

It is unclear at this time as to what, if any, disciplinary action the priest will face.

Ordinations by Bishop Harvey on behalf of Southern Cone

Yesterday, 2nd December, Bishop Don ordained two new deacons - Dr Ken Deeks and Gary Stobbs.

The service was held in a Pentecostal Assemblies building in Abbotsford, BC. Rev Sean Love and Rev Dr Archie Pell presented the two ordinands, Bishop Donald Harvey presided and Bishop Malcolm Harding preached.

Rev Ed Hird (ACiC), Rev Paul Orritt (St Stephens, Oak Harbor, Washington – under Diocese of Recife) were also on the platform. No bishops or clergy currently within the ACoC participated.

story and photo here

Meanwhile,

"South American archbishop sees ‘denial’ and ‘hypocrisy’ in Canadian leaders’ statement" - via the Anglican Journal

With all this chill, the backyard rink may be ready ahead of schedule...

There is no better way to spend a winter day

than preparing for that great Canadian tradition:  the backyard skating rink.  A few layers of water, and Adam and I should be out taking shots early this evening.  I'll be generous and take the first turn in the nets.  But after that...

another blogging canadian anglican cleric

appears to be somewhere on the prairies.