"Covenant Is To Be Used As Litmus Test Of Anglicanism"

The title above is the headline in the Church Times. A bit of truth-telling, no? The Covenant will be used to exclude and to punish.

The statement asserts the right of individual dioceses to sign the Covenant. Failure by the Church to sign the Covenant, or any attempt to prevent dioceses’ signing, “would be decisive”.

At the same time as producing this statement, the Anglican Com­munion Partner bishops have been planning to test the waters of diocesan autonomy. In a series of emails, they have discussed a potential request for alternative episcopal oversight by a priest in the diocese of Colorado, where the Bishop is a liberal....

The Anglican Partner bishops have declared themselves to be loyal to the Episcopal Church and to the Anglican Communion. Their move can be seen as an alternative path to that taken by the Common Cause Anglicans in the United States, who last year established the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) under the deposed Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt Revd Bob Duncan.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, is concerned about conservative bishops in the US. “All signs suggest that, over time, they are likely to be cleaned out of the Episcopal Church.”

Over time many changes will come. We can't know now quite what the changes will be. At the present time, no one is trying to clean out conservative bishops from the Episcopal Church.

Lord Carey, give a thought to your own Church of England. Would you want conservative bishops to take the same alternative path in England? I can't say. Perhaps, you would.

The signatories of the Bishops' Statement appear to want to depart from the polity of the church that has been in operation since 1789.

Thanks to Themethatisme for pointing the way to the article in the Church Times.

UPDATE: Post corrected to read "Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey" rather than his son Andrew, the journalist. Thanks to Lapin for pointing out my mistake.

Bishops' Statement On The Polity Of The Episcopal Church

The shorter version from a humble pew warmer of what I believe the Bishops' Statement says:

The Episcopal Church has governed itself all wrong since 1789.

The numerous lawsuits in the US which have been decided in favor of the Episcopal Church as a hierarchical church count for nothing. Only the outlier decision in California counts.

The comparisons to the Roman Catholic Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church show that the Episcopal Church is not like them.

The Bishops' Statement quotes the Archbishop of Canterbury:

The organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese rather than the Provincial structure as such.... I should feel a great deal happier, I must say, if those who are most eloquent for a traditionalist view in the United States showed a fuller understanding of the need to regard the Bishop and the Diocese as the primary locus of ecclesial identity rather than the abstract reality of the "national church".

Are we to assume that the Archbishop of Canterbury regards the Church of England as an "abstract reality" and that the dioceses of the Church of England are free to go their own way and sign covenants and maintain constituent membership in the Anglican Communion separately from the Church of England? Or do the words apply only to the Episcopal Church?

The Bishops' Statement says further:

The traditional doctrine and worship and the historic polity of the church are in grave peril.

As I see it, the Bishops' Statement puts the "historic polity of the church" in great peril.

Two caveats:

I may have left out something important, as I tend to fall asleep when I read documents like the Bishops' Statement.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Bad News From Iraq

From Reuters:

BAGHDAD, April 23 (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers wearing vests full of explosives blew themselves up in separate attacks on Thursday, killing 76 people, including many Iranian pilgrims, in what appeared to be Iraq's bloodiest day in over a year.
....

One of the attacks occurred near Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, in the volatile province of Diyala. The suicide bomber targeted a group of Iranian pilgrims in a crowded roadside restaurant at lunchtime.
....

The other blast took place in central Baghdad as a group of Iraqi national police were distributing relief supplies to families driven from their homes at the height of the violence.

Twenty-eight people died, and 50 were wounded, police said. At least five children and two Red Crescent workers were among the dead. Some witnesses said the bomber was a woman.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, bind up the wounds of the injured, give rest and peace to the dead, and give comfort and consolation to those who lost their loved ones.

Lord, bring peace to Iraq.

Roseann Update

From Sue:

Hi Mimi, Here's the latest on Roseann.

Hi Sue and everyone,

Yesterday they put in a Picc line so it will be easier to give me the IV medicines. Anything that makes things easier is a good thing. Gary is not being very cooperative about getting his shoulder repaired. Please pray that God thumps him on the head so he'll get this appointment made quickly. I'm still in the hospital getting antibiotics and pain meds. I can't walk after the pain meds for a few hours but after that we wheel outside and then walk in the garden a little.

Tell everyone I said hi. Love, R

Fox News, Folks - Unbelievable!

Go, Shepherd Smith! Smith uses one of my (mostly) banned words, but I allow it because of the genuine outrage that provoked his righteous use of the word.

H/T to Digby via Oyster.

In The Mail

Good news! The economic recovery bill that President Obama signed into law in Frbruary 2009 provides for a one-time payment of $250 to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries.

Yay! Grandpère and I will rush out immediately and spend the money on riotous living, thus making our contribution to the economic recovery.

Only one teensy worry. We're concerned that GP may have to pay his money back, because he does not collect a SS check. He spent the greater part of his working life employed by the State of Louisiana, and he did not pay into the SS system for enough years to be eligible.

In truth, I'll use mine to help pay for my expensive trip to England.

Hard Times For Log Cabin Republicans

From Newsweek:

In the 2008 election, 4 percent of the voters identified themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, according to a CNN poll, and 27 percent of them voted for John McCain—numbers that seem to indicate a healthy space in politics for the Log Cabin Republicans, the party's most visible gay organization. But as its annual convention in Washington wraps up this week, the LCR is running on fumes: it currently has no full-time employees—its executive-director position has been vacant since January—and this year's convention had to be run by consultants from local chapters. "The Log Cabin Republicans are not in any sort of danger right now," says Charles Moran, head of the Los Angeles LCR chapter, who also brushed off the void at the top. "We're not just going to accept anyone who applies. In fact, we can wait: like the GOP is trying to refashion itself, Log Cabin is looking to do the same."

So much for inclusivity. No wonder they're "running on fumes".

Seriously, I have never understood why a GLTB person would choose to be a Republican. An Independent, maybe, but not a Republican. I knew two Republican gay men, but talking politics with them was taboo. At least one of them has now registered as an Independent.

The percentages are startling, too. 4% of voters self-identify as gay, but of that 4% a hefty 27% voted for McCain. That is surprising. The gay McCain supporters seemed to take voting quite seriously.

Announcement From Louisiana

From the parish bulletin of St. John's Episcopal Church, Thibodaux, Louisiana, on April 19, 2009:

Announcement

The consecration for the 11th Bishop of Louisiana will be held on Saturday, May 8, 2010. The Presiding Bishop will be the chief consecrator, and she will the consecration during a formal Pastoral Visitation to the Diocese of Louisiana from May 6th through May 9th.

It seems a long time away, but it's not too early to plan, and especially not too early to pray for the election of our new bishop.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for the Diocese of Louisiana, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 818)

New BBQ Grill/Pit

Now this is a BBQ guaranteed to get everyone's attention.....

I think it should be towed with the barrel facing backwards...

then you wouldn't have to worry about anyone tailgating you!....

I don't know for sure but my guess is the owner is from


Texas !!!!!!

It's all Doug's fault. He made me do it.

A Tender Story Of A Dog's Devotion

The Sculptress JOEL works on the statue of Ruswarp, a devoted dog who stayed by his dead master's side for 11 weeks devoted dog who stayed by his dead master's side for 11 weeks on a remote mountainside in winter is being recognised with a statue in his honour.

From the Telegraph comes a story that would have our dear leader blubbering like a girlie:

In a tale reminiscent of Greyfriars Bobby, border collie Ruswarp stuck by the side of owner Graham Nuttall after he got into trouble walking on 20 January 1990.

A week-long search found nothing, while missing person posters and leaflets also failed to produce any sightings.

But on 7 April walker David Clarke found the body by a mountain stream. Next to him was Ruswarp, who had stood guard over his master through snow and rain. The 14-year-old dog was so weak he had to be carried off the mountain.

Despite being cared for by a local vet he died shortly after attending Mr Nuttall's funeral.

Take note of the breed of this heroic dog. Ruswarp was a border collie.

Thanks to Lapin for sending me this lovely story.

Crossposted at OCICBOV and Wounded Bird.