An Anglican Meltdown?
Crisis Magazine e-Letter
December 22, 2006
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Dear Friend,
It's been a while since I last wrote you. Things have been
relentlessly busy around here, and my email is the first to suffer.
So please accept my apology. I'm resolving in the New Year to be
more consistent with my writing.
(One other thing: Be sure to read the end of this e-Letter. It's got
some very good news...especially for our Canadian friends.)
Alright. Let's get to the interesting stuff...
Things are not going well in the Episcopal Church. You've probably
already heard about some of the internal rifts they've been having
over same-sex marriage and the consecration of gay bishops.
As a result, some parishes have broken away from the U.S. hierarchy.
According to the Washington Post, this past Sunday seven Episcopal
parishes in Virginia announced their withdrawal from the Episcopal
Church. This number includes Truro Church and the Falls Church -- two
of the denomination's most historic parishes. (Interestingly enough,
the breakaway churches are aligning themselves with the Church of
Nigeria -- possibly the most conservative branch of the Anglican
Communion.)
This does not bode well for the Episcopal Church in the U.S. Several
other parishes (including two in Virginia) are also heading out the
door, and the bleeding shows no signs of slowing.
Understandably, this has been a painful time for everyone involved
-- most of those leaving have been life-long Episcopalians. But the
simple fact is, when a church either corrupts the gospel or stops
preaching it altogether, the faithful will depart.
I don't know how long the American Episcopal Church will last. Their
numbers drop every year, and it looks like a mass collapse is just
around the corner. Let this be a lesson to our Catholic bishops:
Orthodoxy leads to growth; dissent leads to extinction.
And of course, I do hope that many of those leaving the Episcopal
Church will eventually find their home in Catholicism. It isn't
perfect, but it is Christ's Church.
* * * * *
A quick item: Several reports from Church circles in Europe say that
the pope's new policy on the Tridentine Mass will be released in the
next few weeks. According to those familiar with it, the Motu Proprio
("of his own accord," meaning that the directive comes from the pope
himself) will make the Tridentine liturgy more widely available to
the faithful.
The details are still fuzzy...different sources are saying different
things. However, if the reports are correct, we shall know all by the
end of January.
* * * * *
In other news, radio "shock jocks" Opie and Anthony are still acting
like morons. You may recall some of their past activities...like
their live broadcast of a couple having sex in St. Patrick's
Cathedral. That stunt got them fired.
But sin and stupidity are never gone for long, and so Opie and
Anthony found their way back on the air.
Unfortunately.
The duo's latest stunt had them sending bedraggled homeless people
on a shopping spree at a ritzy Boston mall. Hilarious! Apparently,
there's nothing funnier than mocking society's most disadvantaged
members. They might consider burning kittens in a parking lot for
their next comic bit.
You can read the entire unfortunate story here:
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=172602&s
rvc=home
Let's pray for them. God may not make them smarter, but He might
give them some basic human decency.
* * * * *
I can't resist mentioning one relatively unimportant but thoroughly
entertaining news bite from a couple days ago...
Apparently, the Vatican is considering forming a soccer team. This
comes from Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone -- a fanatical soccer fan and
the Vatican's Secretary of State.
I'm not sure what I think about this. On the one hand, it's kind of
a neat idea and might actually have an evangelical component. On the
other, I don't really like soccer. No offense to those who play, but
I gravitate more toward the combat sports (maybe it's my Irish
blood).
Either way, I'll be interested in how things turn out. And if they
do have a team, there are some great possibilities for team names.
Since the "Saints" is already taken, I'm leaning toward the
"Papabili."
Here's the story:
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/18/061218172447.hr28syck.html
* * * * *
One last thing...
With Christmas coming in just a few days, you might be doing some
last-minute shopping. Unfortunately, the malls are packed and you'll
waste half a day just trying to find a place to park.
Don't worry. I've got a solution.
Yes, I'm talking about the $10 deal. If you're not familiar with it,
here's how it works...
You can get a new subscription, renew your subscription, or give a
gift subscription for a year of Crisis Magazine for $10.
That's 10 issues of Crisis...just $1 per issue. (Or, as I like to
think of it, just two cents a day). This is the lowest price we've
ever offered, and it's not getting any lower.
But here's the best new of all...
For the first time, we're able to offer a similar discount to our
Canadian friends. In the past, the cost of mailing to Canada was just
too high. But thanks to the fiscal wizardry of our printers, we're
now able to offer a discount to our neighbors up north as well: US$12
for a year of Crisis. (No, we weren't able to get it all the way down
to $10, but that's pretty darn close.)
A lot of us complain about how commercial Christmas has gotten. This
is a great way to help reverse that trend (in a small way). A gift
subscription to Crisis is not only a present that they'll enjoy all
year, but it's also one with a spiritual element. Crisis is, after
all, a Catholic magazine. Why buy your friends the latest spy
thriller for Christmas when you can send them a gift that will
actually help strengthen their faith?
To order a new subscription, renew your subscription, or give a gift
subscription in the U.S., click here:
https://www.ezsubscription.com/cri/subUS.htm
To order a new subscription, renew your subscription, or give a gift
subscription in Canada, click here:
https://www.ezsubscription.com/cri/subCA.htm
Of course, given the discount, I can only make this offer until
Wednesday, December 27, at noon EST.
Please order now to make sure you make the deadline! These things
are easy to put off and then forget. Don't do that.
I hope you have a blessed Advent and a wonderful Christmas. Please
keep me and the Crisis staff in your prayers, as we remember you in
ours.
All the best,
Brian
P.S. Remember that big project that I mentioned to you a couple
months ago? It was supposed to run in our December issue, but we
experienced a number of unavoidable delays. However, the piece is
done and will be in our February/March double issue. Don't miss this!
People are going to be talking about it (and citing it) all year.
Sorry I can't tell you more right now, but this is the season of
mystery.
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