Magic Statistics

As reported here a few weeks ago, Bishop of New Westminster Michael Ingham wants retired Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador Donald Harvey disciplined for entering Maximum Mike’s diocese without his permission.  More details on the case appear in the September issue of that evil Anglican newspaper™, Anglican Planet.

Ingham is upset that Harvey only notified him of a weekend visit to his diocese and did not actually ask his permission to cross his diocesan boundaries:

“As I wrote to you before, the Canons of our Church specifically require you to not only inform me but to seek my permission before exercising any ministry in this Diocese.

“to not only inform”??  When will he learn not to split infinitives?

“Since you have failed to do this yet again and indeed after repeated appeals to you both from myself and the Primate I regard you as being in violation of the Canons of General Synod.

“I have asked the Primate and Metropolitan to take appropriate action.”

Bp Harvey denies performing any ministry work in the diocese during his visit.  At one church, he merely attended a worship service.  He did preach at the other church he visited, Church of the Resurrection, Hope, BC, but that congregation is made up of former members of Christ Church, Hope, who left when Bp Ingham forced their priest Archie Pell into early retirement.  They have rejected Ingham’s authority and no longer meet in Anglican Church of Canada premises.

Don Harvey also had this rejoinder:

“Michael Ingham is in no position to quote the Constitution of the church or of his diocese,” claimed Harvey.  “If he were to follow the spirit and letter of these constitutions there would be no need for me to visit.”

Bp Ingham’s letter was copied to Primate Andrew Hutchison, Metropolitan of British Columbia Terry Buckle, and three church legal officers.

Let’s see: It was about three years ago that Michael Ingham initiated legal action on similar grounds against another Anglican Church of Canada bishop.  (The charges were eventually dropped.)  That bishop was Terry Buckle, the man who is now Bp Ingham’s Metropolitan Archbishop.  Mike, there may be a lesson for you somewhere in there.

Previous related posts:

• Michael Ingham draws a bead on Donald Harvey
• Rev Archibald Pell takes early retirement

A Zimbabwean Government Minister has categorically rejected a church report saying that 700,000 people whose houses were demolished last year remain homeless and destitute.  The government destroyed the houses during Operation Murambatsvina (“Drive Out the Trash”).

Minister Didymus Mutasa said the church report was "absolutely not true".

Asked how many new houses had been built, Mr Mutasa replied: "I can't tell you the number immediately, I will have to check. But everyone in the country whether affected by Murambatsvina or not is being considered for decent housing."

Baghdad Bob couldn’t have said it better.

The BBC story doesn’t identify Mr Mutasa’s cabinet portfolio; however, according to the Contemporary Africa database, he is Minister of State for National Security.  Why is a security minister answering questions about government housing?

Previous related posts:

• Zimbabwe effectively under martial law
• Zimbabwe rounds up destitute street people

The winner of Alaska’s Republican primary for governor favours an all-Alaska route for the proposed natural gas pipeline.  Sarah Palin, official Republican candidate for state governor, wants to re-examine the US$25 billion pipeline contract with a view to keeping the route entirely within the state.

The now-lame duck governor, Republican Frank Murkowski, negotiated a deal calling for the pipeline to run overland through Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta, whence natural gas would be shipped to the American Midwest via existing pipelines.

While Ms Palin has taken a definite stand in favour of an all-Alaska route, Democratic candidate Tony Knowles has stated only that he wants to re-negotiate the pipeline contract "from a position of strength" for the benefit of Alaskans.  The Canadian section of the massive construction project could be in serious jeopardy.

The two leading candidates for governor — Ms. Palin and Democrat Tony Knowles, a former state governor — say they want to re-examine the contract with major gas producers BP PLC, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build and operate the pipeline.

The proposal calls for a 5,700-kilometre pipeline through the Yukon to Alberta to connect with existing pipelines to carry the gas to the Chicago area.

Ms. Palin is known to favour an all-Alaskan route that would see the gas shipped to Valdez, liquefied and sent by ship to the U.S. West Coast.

Immediately following his defeat, Mr Murkowski indicated he would call the state legislature into special session to get final approval for his pipeline deal.  The Washington Post reports that he intends to recall the legislature on 19 September, allowing more than enough time to ratify the contract before the November general election.

To make his pipeline deal more appealing, Murkowski said he and the North Slope oil producers — BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil — have invited lawmakers to participate in a new round of negotiations.

The lawmakers, to be selected for their committee positions and other special expertise, will help rewrite contract provisions that have drawn the most public criticism, Murkowski said at an Anchorage news conference.

Mr Murkowski, an exceptionally unpopular one-term governor, received only 19% of votes cast in last week’s Republican primary.  Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, was astounded, saying an incumbent garnering such a low vote percentage is "literally almost unprecedented for someone who is not indicted."

New research by Prof Steve Porter of Dalhousie University indicates that people who suffer traumatic experiences typically recall such events with consistency and clarity, even many years later.  This finding flatly contradicts a popular myth that memories of traumatic incidents are often, or even typically, repressed, sometimes for decades.

[T]he study indicates that traumatic memories, such as those of physical or sexual assault, are recalled with much better accuracy than positive memories.

"The vast major [sic] of people [believe] in repression … that we go through a horrific event and that our unconscious minds will force it out of our recollection," said Steve Porter, study co-author and a Dalhousie University psychology professor. "We really found no evidence of that."

This study is based on a sample of only 29 individuals but, when combined with other studies showing similar results that have accumulated in recent years, the belief that the mind “protects” itself by blocking out painful memories is increasingly discredited.  The truth appears to be closer to the opposite: Victims of trauma are far more likely to say that disturbing and painful memories are persistent.  They wish they could forget, but they cannot.

The study is forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science.

The Zacchaeus Fellowship, a group of Canadian Anglicans who have struggled with same-sex attraction, have issued an open letter to Rowan Williams supporting his controversial re-assertion of traditional biblical teaching on homosexuality.  Here's the full text of the letter, as posted at Virtue Online.

August 29, 2006

Dear Archbishop Williams:

Greetings in Christ! We applaud your recent interview with a Dutch journalist, to whom you said that while the Church welcomes homosexual persons, they are called to align their behaviour with the mind of Christ.

We represent a group of Canadian Anglicans who were once sexually active with members of the same sex or who have struggled with exclusively same-sex attractions. Some of us are now celibate by choice; some of us are now in heterosexual marriages.

We agree wholeheartedly that inclusion should not be treated as a value in itself. Far from experiencing your recent statement as a "betrayal," as one British politician is reported to have characterized it, we endorse the reassertion of the Church's traditional teaching against homosexual acts. When our spiritual leaders water down the life-giving gospel message of repentance and forgiveness, that, we believe, is the true betrayal.

We look to the Church for pastoral care and moral direction, subject to the authority of Scripture, which would empower us in the ordering of our relationships (as stated in Lambeth Resolution 1.10). We yearn to hear our Church boldly preach the gospel message of transformation and discipleship.

We are thankful that you have affirmed your duty to "guard the faith and teaching of the Church." Please be assured of our ongoing prayers for you and the Anglican Communion as you continue to lead us.

Yours very truly, in Christ Jesus,

Rev'd Dawn McDonald (Diocese of Yukon)
Rev'd Don Alcock (Diocese of Huron)
Daryle Duke (Diocese of Rupert's Land)
Carole Simms (Diocese of Toronto)
on behalf of The Zacchaeus Fellowship

http://www.zacchaeus.ca Brochure (http://www.zacchaeus.ca/resources/Who%20We%20Are%20brochure.PDF)

cc: Global Primates
Archbishop T. Buckle
The Zacchaeus Fellowship Chaplain

Zacchaeus Fellowship Chaplain Terrence Buckle is also Archbishop of Yukon where my parish is located.  I have heard him extol the Christian commitment and personal courage of the fellowship members.  They had, or still have, same-sex attractions and yet, with God’s help, denied themselves and took up their cross in obedience to our Lord’s teaching.  Some of them have been liberated from this temptation, but others continue to struggle.  From the fellowship’s website:

We in the Zacchaeus Fellowship bear witness to the transforming power of Christ's love in our lives.

As men and women who have struggled with same-sex attractions, we seek to be a voice of hope to the church and to others who share these struggles. We encourage the Church to stand firm in proclaiming to everyone who experiences same-sex attractions that Christ offers them new life and hope.

We know what it's like to have homosexual feelings. Yet we also have come to accept the Biblical teaching that all sexual relations outside heterosexual marriage are contrary to God's Will as declared in Holy Scripture.

They have joined together to testify to the transforming power of Christ in their lives and to offer hope and support to homosexuals seeking to be faithful Christian disciples.  If anyone knows what Rowan Williams is talking about, they do.

Previous related post: Rowan Williams says homosexuals must change; Anglican liberals aghast

UPDATE (31 Aug.): The letter has now been posted at the Zacchaeus Fellowship's website. 

A new survey reports that over one-third of British consumers admit ignoring those helpful dates plastered on meat, milk, and other perishable food products.

One in three people eats food after its use-by date, a survey published today suggests.

Use-by dates appear only on highly perishable food such as meat, chilled meals and milk, but 34 per cent admitted ignoring them.

The survey apparently asked offenders how they could possibly rationalise such a senseless and dangerous practice.

Many justify this by saying that they believe the manufacturer will have built in a safety margin to protect themselves against legal action.

Personal confession time: I’m one of those meatheads who habitually risk food poisoning by ignoring use-by dates.  When it comes to assessing the safety of some perishable item that’s been hanging around in my refrigerator for a week or three, I use the smell test.  If it smells OK, I eat it; if it doesn’t, I chuck it out.  I’ve been following this routine with milk, cream, yogurt, eggs, you name it, for my entire adult life, and I’m none the worse for wear (as far as I can tell).

I must admit, however, that my failure to comply with use-by dates drives the StatWife crazy.  (She’s a nurse.)

Food profiteers insist that their dates have the imprimatur of science.

The food industry says the dates are based on scientific research and include an allowance for travelling home in a warm car.

Hmmm.  So, if I visit the supermarket to buy milk in the dead of winter and drive home in a cold car, the use-by date will in fact underestimate the nontoxic life of the stuff.  Sounds like a scheme to promote unnecessary purchases of meat and dairy products.  No fools we.

Given the nanny-state mentality rampant in the UK government, watch for legislation outlawing consumption of past-date food.  Feeding it to your kids could be grounds for removing them to foster care.

The Anglican left is horror-struck after Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says homosexuals need to change their behaviour if they wish to be fully accepted within the church.  The London Sunday Telegraph reports on an interview given by Abp Williams to a Dutch journalist last week.

The archbishop of Canterbury has told homosexuals that they need to change their behaviour if they are to be welcomed into the church, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Rowan Williams has distanced himself from his one-time liberal support of gay relationships and stressed that the tradition and teaching of the Church has in no way been altered by the Anglican Communion's consecration of its first openly homosexual bishop.

The declaration by the archbishop - rebutting the idea that homosexuals should be included in the church unconditionally - marks a significant development in the church's crisis over homosexuals. According to liberal and homosexual campaigners, it confirmed their fears that the archbishop has become increasingly conservative - and sparked accusations that he has performed an "astonishing" U-turn over the homosexual issue.

The Telegraph report garbles an important nuance in the interview.  The opening sentence, quoted above, alleges that Abp Williams says homosexuals must change if they want to be "welcomed".  But that interpretation is later contradicted by the archbishop's own words distinguishing between "inclusion" and "welcome".  He said that the church must offer to all welcome, but not inclusion.

The revelations came in a newspaper interview last week in which the archbishop denied that it was time for the church to accept homosexual relationships, suggesting that it should be welcoming rather than inclusive. "I don't believe inclusion is a value in itself. Welcome is."

At least one liberal Anglican makes the same error as the Telegraph.

The Rev Giles Goddard, the chairman of Inclusive Church, a liberal group, said the archbishop's comments revealed an "astonishing" change in his position. He added: "The implication is that there is no justification in scripture for the welcome of lesbian and gay people. It appears that he has moved into the conservative camp.”

Abp Williams, of course, made no such implication.  To the contrary, he is quoted as supporting the view that the church should welcome homosexuals.  Why is the distinction between “welcome” and “inclusion” so hard for some to grasp?

Now check out these words from the good archbishop:

"We don't say 'Come in and we ask no questions'. I do believe conversion means conversion of habits, behaviours, ideas, emotions," he told a Dutch journalist.

"Ethics is not a matter of a set of abstract rules, it is a matter of living the mind of Christ. That applies to sexual ethics."

In the context of a discussion of the role of homosexuals in the church, it would appear that Abp Williams understands homosexual behaviour as one of those "habits, behaviours, ideas, emotions" that prospective Christians should be converted from.

From a Christian perspective, moreover, “change” has spiritual meaning and value only if it represents the kind of change captured by the biblical concept “repentance”.  Repentance means admitting that one has done wrong by disobeying God, attempting to rectify the offence by seeking the Lord’s forgiveness, and invoking divine aid to prevent further disobedience.  It arises from the recognition that one is a sinner in need of God’s grace in Christ.

Abp Williams’s exhortation to “change” is therefore tantamount to saying that homosexual behaviour is sinful and those who engage in such behaviour need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.

Sin?  Repentance?  Seeking God’s forgiveness?  No wonder Anglican liberals are up in arms.  Here's a reaction from Chris Bryant, a homosexual British MP:

"Rowan has refashioned the Church of England into a narrow-minded, conservative sect."

That’s the way to encourage toleration in the church!

h/t: Binks

UPDATE (28 Aug.): The text of the interview is posted here. 

The collect for today, the 11th Sunday after Trinity, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

O God, who declarest thy almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
The Gospel: St Luke 18:9-14

The Collect for today, St Bartholomew's Day:

O almighty and everlasting God, who didst give to thine apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach thy Word; Grant, we beseech thee, unto thy Church, to love that Word which he believed, and both to preach and receive the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For The Epistle: Acts 5:12-16
The Gospel: St Luke 22:24-30

The Collect for today, the 10th Sunday After Trinity, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
The Gospel: St Luke 19:41-47a

The collect for today, the 9th Sunday after Trinity, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as be rightful; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
The Gospel: St Luke 16:1-9

Bright and early tomorrow morning we're driving south for a summer vacation, so blogging will be very sparse for the next two or three weeks.  I’d expect to post an item or three from the road, but I don't know when that might be.  Prayer posts are already scheduled for Sunday mornings and St Bartholomew's Day; other than those, nothing definite is planned.  I should be able to check my e-mail every day or two.

God willing, on Monday evening we will arrive in Calgary to visit family for several days.  After that, we have plans to travel much farther afield—by air.  (No snags will arise there, we hope.)

Regular blogging should resume in about three weeks.  Prayers for safe travel and a refreshing vacation would be appreciated.