It’s fun being green when you are the US President

Canadians urge their PM to follow Obama’s greenness:

Harper urged to follow Obama’s green lead

The Harper government is being urged to follow Barack Obama’s lead and inject billions of dollars into green jobs and green energy.

This sounds like a wonderful opportunity for Harper to beef up a few things. This is how Obama does Green:

US President Barack Obama has arrived in London for the G20 summit with a large contingent of the White House staff with him.

Hundreds of security guards, doctors, chefs and others are accompanying President Obama on his visit, and the entourage includes a number of presidential vehicles – including his new armour-plated limousine, The Beast, and aeroplane, Air Force One.

The 4,000 sq ft Boeing 747 is fully equipped for the president to work while he is in the air.

For Obama, to travel green means making the sacrifice of only using enough jet fuel to launch two four bedroom houses five miles into the air.

I expect the armour plated car uses a two cycle lawnmower engine, though.

What does the Resurrection really mean to Fred Hiltz?

The God-Man, Jesus was nailed to some pieces of wood and left to hang there until he was dead. During that time, he absorbed all the sins of the entire human race – including mine, which on their own are bad enough – and received the just punishment for them from his Father. Including being removed from his Father’s presence, a presence that he had experienced for an eternity before time even existed. He did this because he loves us and he didn’t want us to have to bear the punishment that we deserve, but he didn’t.

He died and was buried. Our sins died with him and he offers us redemption; as proof of this, he rose from death to life 3 days later. This had never happened before; it is evidence that we too will rise from death.

This article from the Anglican Journal by Fred Hiltz, Primate of Canada doesn’t mention sin; this is not particularly surprising, since the Anglican Church of Canada doesn’t much like to acknowledge that man is sinful, much less that real justice would demand that we be punished for our sin. The notion that Jesus was punished for our sin instead of us is complete anathema to the ACoC, since it flies in the face of the central tenet of the new religiosity experientially discerned by the wrinkled shamans of what used to be a Christian Church: All You Need is Love

In the Anglicans in Mission campaign in the early 1980s, we used prayers and messages about mission from partner churches. I shall never forget the message from the Church in Korea. It read, “The church should light the sacred candle of the resurrection, not merely through its preaching within its walls, but also through actions outside the walls of the church.  We should dedicate ourselves to the task of reviving conscience and justice which will bless us with a brighter, more just society.” That was wise counsel then and now.

For Fred, Easter means a more just society. Why do you think your churches are empty, Fred?

Bishop Michael Bird speaks

St. Hilda’s Oakville twinned with St. Francis Zimbabwe

Symmetry can be found in mathematical proofs, poetry and snowflakes. Occasionally, what at first might appear as a haphazard coincidence, exhibits all the elegance of symmetry. Here we have a surprising example of the symmetrical relationship between St Francis Anglican church, Zimbabwe and St. Hilda’s, Oakville, Canada.

The symmetry is as follows:

Bishop Sebastian Bakare Bishop Don Harvey

Reverend Vincent Fenga Pastor Paul

St Francis parishioners St. Hilda’s parishioners

Nolbert Kunonga Michael Bird

five people  in St Francis with the Kunonga-affiliated priest and his wife Cheryl Fricker, Sue-Ann Ward, piano player and lay reader

A GLEN Norah resident was shot and injured in the arm when police fought running battles with parishioners at St Francis Anglican church, arresting two priests, a church warden, one youth member and another church member.

All those arrested belong to the main Anglican church that is led by Harare Bishop Sebastian Bakare.

Buoyed by their brave Bishop Bakare, who a few weeks ago ignored the riot policeman at the altar trying to disrupt his Sunday service, and carried on with worship at the main cathedral in the city, Glen Norah parishioners decided Sunday time had come to reclaim their church.

So they left a local hall they had been renting after being thrown out by the police at the behest of Nolbert Kunonga, a zealot of Robert Mugabe’s repressive regime.

“Since we were thrown out of the church by the police, we have been attending church service at a parishioners house in Glen View 7 but since the onset of the rainy season, we have been renting a hall in Glen Norah A,” Reverend Vincent Fenga said from his cell at the Glen Norah Police Station.

“So yesterday the church agreed that since our colleagues elsewhere had gone back, we should also do the same and start to use the church at the time we were given by the courts, which is 11 AM but lo and behold, the police were not having any of that so problems erupted as church members started to tussle with the police.”

The angry parishioners wanted to know why the police were protecting Kunonga, especially when only five people were holding service, the Kunonga-affiliated priest and his wife included, were the only ones using the church for service in the morning.

Some started throwing stones at the police as the police used force to try and force the parishioners out of the church yard and building. Teargas and gunshots were subsequently fired as police tried to disperse the parishioners who had now been joined by residents who live around their church.

A local man who was relaxing at his home was shot and injured in the arm. His name has not been released.

At least four people were arrested and they have been identified as Mr Mutyamaenza, assistand parish priest Mr Musariri and one youth, Jussy Chingunduru. Two of them who are diabetic, including the church warden, have since paid guilt of admission fines and have been released.

The police, however, refused to allow Reverend Fenga and the youth leader, Chigunduru, to leave the cells. They will be arraigned at the Mbare Magistrates Court Tuesday.

Members of the parish’s Mother’s Union converged at the police station and spent the whole day singing church hymns outside the station in protest at the arrest of their priest which they say is unfair.

“Since the unity government came into being, the police officers, who were no longer guarding the church, came back and we have not been able to use our church, a church we built with our own money simply because of Kunonga,” a senior Mother’s Union leader said.

“We are not going to stop, we will continue until we reclaim our church. We have a court order that says we should use the church from 11am so what is the police trying to do, they almost killed an innocent man, all in the quest of protecting one man so he can control the church and its money. Like they say my son, everything that flies will one day have to land and so will Kunonga and Robert Mugabe. We wonder what the unity government says to all this.”

The injured man, whose name was not immediately available, is said to be in a stable condition. Police refused to comment but a spokesperson said investigations were underway into yesterday’s incident.

Since September 2007 the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe has been controlled by Nolbert Kunonga, the former Bishop of Harare.

The controversial former Harare Bishop broke away from the Lambeth Palace-affiliated Harare diocese, and defied a high court ruling last year ordering him him to share churches with his Anglican rivals.

About a month ago the Church secured an affidavit from Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri, in which denied knowing anything about a police operation to force Anglicans away from their churches.

It was read to parishioners by Anglican priests wherever they met, and they were urged to return to their churches on Sunday.

Emboldened by the formation of the new power-sharing Government, the church’s flock is now beginning to return in force and many hope Kunonga will soon be a creature of the past.

Parishioners of St. Francis, thank you for the inspiration.

The status quo is no longer an option redux

True, it’s not an option, it’s a cliché; one of many that fall effortlessly from bishop of Niagara, Michael Bird’s lips.

Here is an excerpt from a diocesan propaganda video; Michael “Pinocchio” Patterson enlightens all on how to do church:

After what was clearly a lot of head scratching – or, in Anglicanese, discernment – the dynamic Bird-Patterson duo has come up with a solution to the waning interest in Canadian Anglicanism.

For many decades the ACoC has ignored the fundamentals of Christianity: mankind is sinful; God loves us anyway; instead of punishing us, He punished his Son; because of this, our relationship with God is restored; we are free to accept or reject this gift of salvation; our decision has eternal significance. Instead, the ACoC prefers to concentrate on social justice; the plain fact that they have been doing that for 50 years and no-one cares doesn’t matter.

The path forward is clear: more social justice, poverty reduction and care for the environment.

As Einstein said: “one of the signs of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results”.

Rowan offers advice to the BBC: the pot calling the kettle black

Rowan on ignoring Christians:

Dr Rowan Williams had a meeting at Lambeth Palace with director general Mark Thompson in which he said the corporation should not ignore its Christian audience.

The talks came at a time when some senior figures are worried about signs that the BBC is more interested in promoting minority faiths than in broadcasting Christian programming or teachings.

Rowan is an expert in this area: he himself is well versed in ignoring his Christian audience, preferring, instead, to pontificate on the virtues of sharia law, the evils of global warming and who to blame for the financial crisis.

Clearly what is needed at the BBC is a series of Indaba groups to continue the conversation and listening. As they discern their way forward. Rowan could lead it.

The Stepford diocese

In the latest synod of the Diocese of Niagara, the diocese’s dealings with ANiC parishes – which have taken place mainly in the courts – were enumerated for the benefit of the synod delegates:

• Litigation with ANC – these comments are on public record
• Feb 08 – 3 congregations withdrew
• Preliminary Court hearings took place in Feb and then in March 08
• She ruled on the sharing the buildings by D of N and ANC – costs to be paid by withdrawing congregations.  Application for appeal was denied and costs were awarded.  The wardens of the withdrawing congregations are the defendants
• St. Peter’s later passed a motion to withdraw in June of 08
• Costs have been adjudicated in one case – in favour of the diocese 20,000.  This has been paid.  Our request was for 180,000.  The justice was looking at whether these costs are to be assumed personally by the wardens.  We do not have a decision yet from the judge.
• There is a provision if there is a difficulty in the interim arrangements – this can go before an arbitrator.  We have given a list of things that need to go before the arbitrator.
• The network lawyer has an application to move the court case from Hamilton to Milton.  This application is to be heard on Apr 5.  We oppose this.
• There is a case in the Diocese of New Westminster.  In our case we applied for our right to hold these parishes.  In their case the network are plaintiff and the diocese is the defendant.  That matter is to be heard in May.
• We continue to work with the people of St. Peter’s to bring them into the main body of the litigation.
• If we get a decision on costs in a reasonable period of time – there would be a possibility that we will be in court in the fall of 2009 – on the main action.  That is optimistic.
• Everything in this report is on public record.
• No questions

There is nothing much new in this; the unnerving part is that there were no questions. After a litany of institutional persecution of Christian brethren at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, no-one could think of anything to say.

Perhaps there was something in the water.

The Diocese of Niagara Synod: Same-sex blessing timetable

From the Bishop’s charge to the 134^th synod that took place on March 28, 2009:

Following up on the commitment which I made just prior to the first session of Synod in November, and in light of various conversations which have taken place since, especially my meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury in January, I have asked the Dean to facilitate the work of a small group of laity and clergy from across the diocese in bringing to me suggested rites for the Blessing of Civilly Married Same-Sex Couples.  You will recall that Synod in 2007 asked the Bishop to allow clergy, whose conscience permits, to bless the marriages of civilly married same-sex couples, where at least one of the partners is baptized.   I anticipate that these rites will be prepared by later this spring, and that I will be able to present them to the clergy of the diocese at the Annual Clergy and Licensed Layworkers Conference in May.  I will be giving my permission to proceed shortly thereafter.

and a little further down we have:

I invite you all to join with me in lifting up your voices and shouting out for joy because I believe that a light is dawning upon the Diocese of Niagara and that that light is allowing us to see the beginnings and the glimpses of a new and exciting path ahead.

Which brings to mind Matt 6:22-23:

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

George Pitcher bids a cheery farewell to Bishop Nazir-Ali

George Pitcher’s pitch:

Dr Nazir-Ali’s departure signals the end of Anglicanism’s damaging schism, says George Pitcher.
Again, it’s important not to read too much in to Dr Nazir-Ali’s resignation itself. He has had the See of Rochester for 15 years; at not yet 60, he has another career in him yet. But can anyone seriously suggest that, had those biblical traditionalists of the southern hemisphere, known collectively as the Global South, prevailed last year in overthrowing the authority of Canterbury in favour of an African-led Communion, he would have abandoned his important foothold in the English Church?

No. Dr Nazir-Ali, scourge of homosexual liberalism and what he sees as the Muslim threat to Christendom, pitched his tent with the African rebels, under the flag of the unfortunately named Gafcon, but now finds that army dispersed and demoralised.

In the upside-down world of liberalism, a rebel and schismatic is someone who holds to 2000 years of established Christian doctrine, while a crumbling colonial edifice entrenched in an old boy network of back-slapping bishops that boast about making up their own rules is the standard-bearer of all that is proper and decent.

In fact, it is the largely decadent western expression of Anglicanism that is rebellious and schismatic; it is the one that has departed from received doctrine.

Once Pitcher has established that it is “important not to read too much in to Dr Nazir-Ali’s resignation”, he does just that. I have no idea why Dr Nazir-Ali’s has decided to change careers and neither does Pitcher, I imagine. One thing that Pitcher’s article does reveal, though is that a liberal finds the idea of eschewing ecclesiastical power – which is not much different to secular power – impossible to understand unless it is because the power has failed to achieve its ends. What seems to beyond Pitcher’s grasp is that God may have called Nazir-Ali to do something else and Nazir-Ali is more interested in what God wants than a pointed hat.

As for Gafcon’s army being dispersed and demoralised, there are millions of Gafcon/Foca Anglicans who are completely unaware of that – because it isn’t true.

Long live the Royal gay couple

Something special for monarchists to ponder:

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights group Stonewall, says the review is an ideal opportunity to end similar discrimination against homosexuals.

He wants measures to let future generations of Royals take part in a same-sex wedding – without losing their right to inherit the throne.

If this happens we could easily end up with a King and – er – Queen.

Earth Hour in Times Square

Top picture, Times Square before Earth Hour. Bottom picture, Times Square during Earth Hour.

Perhaps no-one could find the switch.

B minor Mass. Confiteor

From Bach’s B minor Mass, Karl Richter

Stephen Sizer, the Evangelical left and Israel

Some reverend gentlemen find politics irresistible:

“Why have Britain and America become the focus of so much hatred from the Islamic world?” Sizer further asked. “Why are our countries the target for Islamist terrorism – despite our commitment to the rule of international law, democracy and human rights?” For Sizer the reasons are clear: “The answers to these questions remain inexplicable unless we factor in what is now probably the most influential and destructive movement amongst Christians today – Christian Zionism.”

There are a number of problems with Stephan Sizer’s position on what he calls Christian Zionism:

This first is in the article above: he wilfully resists common sense explanations. Thus, he sees the cause of the hatred directed against the West by Islamists as explainable only by a conspiracy of Christian Zionism; for some reason he cannot see the obvious – and true, in my opinion – reason that Islamists hates a free society simply because it is not Islamist. Such a concept should be easy to grasp for an evangelical Christian, since it is a straightforward application of Jeremiah 17:9.

The second is less obvious: it is the couching of left wing political tendentiousness in biblical language in order to give it the weight of theological authority. Simply put, Sizer is saying God is on the side of his politics:

That is why I believe passionately that we must find peaceful, democratic, non-violent, constructive ways to express their anger and frustration at the appalling suffering in Gaza during the recent attacks and the ongoing military occupation of Palestine which denies millions of people their basic human rights. We must not to seek revenge or retaliation as this will only play into the hands of extremists on both sides. Violence breeds violence. Jesus said “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”

The above sounds very fine, particularly the last sentence. But the facts are questionable and the implication is that the violence so far has been entirely on the part of Israel, giving Hamas an opportunity to take the high moral ground by not retaliating; once they come out from their hiding places behind babies and civilians.

The alliance between the West and Israel is a political one between democracies that share similar values; it isn’t based on biblical prophesy as Sizer would have us believe:

“Christian Zionism is [essentially] a political movement within Protestant evangelical Christianity that views the modern state of Israel as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, [mandated by God] thus deserving our unconditional economic, moral, political, and theological support.”

While there is nothing wrong with Christians having political opinions, a minister whose political message overshadows – and is disseminated under the pretence of being inspired by – the gospel damages the gospel, the credibility of the minister and renders the numinous commonplace.

Anglican Luddites

Earth day is approaching and we are being urged to turn off our electric lights for an hour and light candles.

The Connelly-Miller family light their candles at last year’s KAIROS Earth Hour worship service at the Church of the Holy Trinity in downtown Toronto.

What are you doing on March 28 at 8:30 p.m.? Kairos, an ecumenical social justice organization, is calling for Canadians to observe Earth Hour “as a symbolic pause to reflect on our use of fossil fuels, to think about the impact of our activity on people and ecosystems around the world, and most importantly, to pledge to make a difference – as individuals, communities, and as a nation.”

In 2008, 50 million people in 370 cities and towns, in more than 35 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour.

This makes as much sense as most of the Anglican Church’s quixotic justice endeavours.

To make a candle, paraffin wax is melted to 190C by a man rubbing two sticks together to generate heat – well, actually the heat is generated by electricity. If we assume a 500W heater can heat enough paraffin wax to make 100 candles in 1 hour, each candle has consumed 5 Watt hours to manufacture. To light 20 candles in a church for one hour consumes 100 Watt hours. Not only that, the burning of the candle produces  water vapour and carbon dioxide. So the candles are increasing what latter day hobbits like to call our “carbon footprint”.

Alternatively, you could use the same energy and get more light by turning on five 20W low energy bulbs. But, of course, this is really about an anti-technology zeitgeist, not saving the planet.

Rowan Williams doesn’t trust God for Happy Endings

Rowan Williams wades into environment ideology:

The Archbishop of Canterbury said last night that God cannot be trusted to save the world from the environmental depredations of humanity.

Dr Rowan Williams did not say there was no God. But he said that God is not a “safety net that guarantees a happy ending in this world.”

“There is no way of manipulating our environment that is without cost or consequence … we are inextricably bound up with the destiny of our world,” he said.

He said that any who regarded the powers of nature as “a threat to be overcome” were simply illustrating the fallen nature of humanity.

An unintelligent approach to the environment meant that the extinction of species, the end of fossil fuels and other catastrophes were just some of the consequences that awaited us.

“There is no guarantee that the world we live in will tolerate us indefinitely if we prove ourselves unable to live within its constraints,” he said, warning that God will not intervene to protect us from “the corporate folly of our practices.”

The excerpts above are taken from Rowan’s speech, Renewing the Face of the Earth: Human Responsibility and the Environment and, although isolating them from the context of the whole encourages misinterpretation, nevertheless, there are reasons to be uneasy:

Rowan takes for granted the current environmental dogma in spite of convincing evidence that it is motivated more by ideology than science.

By saying “[the] world we live in will tolerate us indefinitely”, he appears to be at ease with the anthropomorphic idea that the world or nature has intention; he does not go as far as deifying nature, but he seems to approach it.

By saying that, “God is not a safety net that guarantees a happy ending in this world”, he implies a limit to God’s sovereignty in the natural order: it is undoubtedly true that we should not carelessly defile our world on the assumption that God will clean it up for us, but to imply that God will not or cannot seems to me to be a less than Christian view of God. What is more, God does indeed guarantee a happy ending for this world since he has promised to remake it 2 Pet 3:13.

Since science can’t reverse entropy and God can, if we can’t rely on God for a happy ending, ultimately we’re screwed however carefully we treat the environment.