Anglican Blog Voting

Everyone please vote for my buddy Jeffrey Steel's blog, Meam Commemorationem (see link at bottom left), as being the "Most Theological" Anglican blog out there. If you read it you will see that it truly is the most theological! You vote at the "All Too Common" Anglican blog. Jeff is working on a Ph.D in the eucharistic theology of Lanceleot Andrewes over in Enlgand. I have a couple of funny college stories about him, but will keep them to myself! :-)

N.B. Sorry there are no links in the text of this post. I am on my wife's computer, and for some reason the link editing buttons are not popping up. I am too lazy right now to type in the html code myself!

Where are all the parishes?

I had lunch a couple weeks ago with a local evangelical Episcopal priest whom I met through a mutual friend. He has had a good ministry over the last 30+ years, and helped plant numerous churches all over the country. Although he identifies himself as an "evangelical", and I identify myself as an "anglo-catholic", we made a real connection over the essentials of the faith, the inspiration and authority of the scriptures, the need for evangelism and mercy ministry, and more. Hopefully he'll be able to attend my ordination this spring as a guest.

He didn't seem to know much about the APA or the continuing movement, so I filled him in as best I could. Actually, I was kind of surprised he he knew nothing about us, because he was at the Pittsburgh meeting a few months back where we also were. Anyway, when he asked where our parishes were in this area, I told him that we have three: mine in Harford county, and two outside of Annapolis. This really surprised him. He couldn't believe that we have been around as long as we have and still only have three churches in this area! It is quite shocking, I must admit. It was a little comforting to be able to tell him that our unity partners, the REC, which has been around 5 or 6 times as long as us only has 6 parishes in the area. So we, and the other anglo-catholic continuing churches are not the only ones who have not always been fervent evangelists over the years. Still, it is a situation that we must rectify.

If denominations and parishes are not growing, then they are dying. How do we evangelize? How do we grow parishes and start new ones? One of the things we talked about in relation to evangelism is empowering the laity to minister. He made the point that a parish where the priest does everything will eventually reach a certain size and then just stop growing, because the priest simply runs out of time and energy to do anything more. But if the priest can work to "equip the saints" for good works and ministry, as St. Paul talks about in Ephesians, then the laity can take the lead in some of these areas and help grow the larger Church and fulfill the Great Commission. This is, after all, part of their baptismal vocation. Laity who travel far to come to a traditional/continuing Anglican parish, for example, might be willing to help start a mission parish in their town. We need to think ahead and be proactive in these areas... otherwise we might just barely hold on for another 100+ years.

Honeymoon Cope

While honeymooning in Italy, my wife bought purses and I bought this nice, yet affordable cope (as well as a chasuble - not pictured). It was purchased in a store caddy-corner to where the pope gets his vestments made. Rome is a great place to buy vestments. Since there are lots of stores (competition), the prices are pretty good. That lovely lady standing next to me is my wife, of course.

"Merrily on High"

I have just begun reading an absolutely fantastic little book called 'Merrily on High' by the Rev'd Colin Stephenson. He was a priest in the C of E, who came of age at the height of the anglo-catholic movement in 20's and 30's. Eventually he became the warden of the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. This book is his spiritual biography. Sadly, it is no longer in print, but I managed to procure a used copy through the Anglican Bibliopole. It was recommended to me by my spiritual director and confessor.

Stephenson has a real gift for writing. The book is full of all sorts of hilarious ancedotes about churchmanship, and the sometimes misguided effort of a hearty band of priests and laymen to rescue the C of E from the clutches of Protestantism, and to restore to its liturgy the color, sound, and smell of its Roman ancestor (from the introduction). It is a MUST read for every anglo-catholic... absolutely hilarious. Once I am finished with it I plan to lend it to my rector whom I know will enjoy it.

I am Tired of Roman Triumphalism

Every morning, one of the first things I do, after my Daily Office, is sit down at my computer and read the New Oxford Review online. I check out their news links and read about all of the crazy stuff going on in the Roman Catholic world (Legionaries of Christ and their scandels; the banking scandels; the supression of traditional liturgies; clergy murdering people; bishops involved in hit-and-run accidents; child sexual abuse scandels; etc.). They have this ongoing parody about "Fr. Flapdoodle" of St. Bozo's Catholic Community - a wishy-washy priest who is always embroiled in some sort of homosexual scandel, or trying out some weird new thing at the liturgy... it is quite funny.

These articles, as well as the history of Christianity general, show that the Roman Church is just as screwed up as any other church out there, despite all of their claims to the contrary. The Episcopal Church, and other western Anglican churches, are, without a doubt, completely wacko themselves (one could fill volumes with their antics: bishops divorced and remarried multiple times; acceptance of Mormon baptism; woman "priests" and "bishops"; syncrenistic rites; clergy that double as Wicca clergy; etc.). But I will say this for them: at least they are not outright hypocrites with a lot of this stuff like Rome - at least the American Church - is. The Episcopal Church may ordain practicing homosexual clergy, but at least they are following their collective conscience (however disordered that may be), whereas Rome speaks out of two sides of their mouth on the issue, saying publically that homosexual acts are disordered and evil, but privately turning a blind eye to the highly active gay subculture culture in their own church - a very well-documented culture (e.g. is anyone else following the Fr. Haley affair in the gloriously "traditional" Diocese of Arlington?).

Rome looks great on paper. But their (false) belief that the pontiff is infallible, and the "center of catholic unity", and the "Vicar of Christ on earth", is just a lot of smoke and mirrors when it comes to day-to-day Roman Catholic parish life. The authoritarian model of their governance, and their innovative "four-fold office", is not a foolproof system that absolutely prevents strange doctrines and practices from ever developing. In the long run, there is nothing doctrinally or morally more "safer" or "secure" about the Roman Church as compared to any other Church. The faith that some Roman Catholics have in the office of the pope is truly amazing. They truly believe that the pope and curia will never err (e.g. ordain women, or allow married clergy, etc.). They would do well to learn from history, and study the corrupt lives of some of the Renaissance popes, or perhaps revisit some of the controversies of the Reformation (treasury of merits, indulgences, etc.... oh, yeah, indulgences are still around , by the way.). Popes have erred in the past, so why would they not in the future? They are, after all, only human. Those who think "swimming the Tiber" will solve all of their problems, and answer all of their questions, and end the struggle with sin and heresy, should think twice. It won't.

My point, believe it or not, is not to sit and bash Rome. Continuing Anglican churches have their problems too, don't get me wrong. Any church will have its problems. I think, though, we have to choose our poison. Personally, I would rather be in a church that may have a problem with overlapping jurisdiction, too many people running around claiming to be bishops, and buildings that are not grand edifaces instead of being in a church where God is spoken of as "mother", and where so-called bishops and clergy routinely deny the core doctrines of Christian faith and morality and go undisciplined. And personally, I would rather be in a church that does justice to the scriptural and historical notion of a collegial episcopate (among other things) than one that does not. I do not condemn those who, following their conscience, belong to some other church (Roman, PCA, Episcopal, ELCA, etc.). But we should always be aware of the problems in our own commmunity before we criticize others' communities. Rome seems to be one of the only churches left out there that hasn't quite realized this just yet.

What to read?

I am currently reading "Principles of Christian Theology" by John MacQuarrie. He is a recognized expert on Heidegger (he translated "Being and Time" years ago) and Bultmann, and taught at Union (NYC) for many years before going to Oxford where he currently teaches. He is Scottish, so he's obviously wonderful, as all Scottish people are, and a priest - I guess in the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is a very interesting book, and it reminds me of my seminary days when we were studying (in virtually ALL of the classes) the theology of Karl Rahner, who was also a student of Heidegger. When I am finished this book, I hope to zip through his book on the sacraments.

Other books I am reading right now include "Narcissus and Goldmund" (Hesse), the Thomas Cranmer biography by MacCulloch - which is very long and ponderous, and reading through the Copleston "History of Philosophy" series (I am currently on the Neo-Platonists). Like many of you, I have a backlog of books to read, and sometimes it overwhelms me. I want to read the monumental N.T. Wright series on Christian origins, maybe beginning this spring, as well as the "Stripping of the Altars" (Duffy), and the new biography on Mao. But will there ever be enough time?. There is just so much great stuff out there to read, but not enough time to read it all! Theology demands that you read in many different areas too, so I think we "theologians" (armchair or no armchair theologians) have a lot more to read than your average person. May God help us get it done! I will close with a prayer:

I consecrate my reading and study to Thee, O Lord, that thou wouldest use what I have learned and reflected on to help others come to a deeper knowledge and love of Thee, and that my own heart wouldest be pierced by Thy holy grace and mercy. AMEN.

Bible Sunday - Advent 2

This past Sunday I preached at all three services, so I preached on the Bible and Bible study. The Second Sunday in Advent is traditionally known as "Bible Sunday", because the collect - which dates from the Reformation - asks for God's grace that we might"...read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest..." the sacred scriptures. One of the great things about the Reformation was that its leaders sought to give the Bible to people. In England during the reign of Henry VIII, for example, Cranmer issued a decree that an English Bible should be placed in every parish church. Thus, from the beginning, study and knowledge of the scriptures was very important in our tradition. Just look at the Daily Offices: look at how much scripture we have to read compared with Roman Catholic "Liturgy of the Hours". We read a lot more. (Disclaimer: The Liturgy of the Hours has other merits, though.) Scripture study is still important for us today - perhaps more than ever before.

The guy that runs Prayer Works, which is a great little company that all traditional Anglican's should check out (they sell these snazzy little 1928 BCP desk calendars), writes that the traditional BCPs are two-thirds direct scripture, while the remaining third is scripture put into devotional form. Anyone who reads the BCP and the Bible will notice this. The various versicles and responses are direct quotes from the Bible. So, the 1928 BCP is 100% scripture, and if you know the BCP, you will know the scriptures.

Evangelicals & AIDS Ministry

Exciting news on Yahoo today about how Saddleback Community Church, a large non-denominational church in California, is starting a huge AIDS awareness and ministry program. I think this is fantastic.

AIDS is a horrible disease that we must strive to find a cure for. We need to pray that God would help us end this horrific disease. Most of the people who suffer from it are poor women and children in Africa. It is not only a "gay" disease. For too long, many of us conservative Christians have ignored minstering to people with this disease, and have not sought to do what we could to educate people about it, lobby congress for money to find a cure for it, and more. We cannot be Christians and ignore this disgusting disease and those who suffer from it. If we purport to care about the sick and diseased in the name of Jesus, then we should do all we can to help those people - even if they have a disease like AIDS, which we, rightly or wrongly, associate entirely with sexual deviancy.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us not only to speak prophetically, but to act prophetically. Here is an example of what I mean from the world of abortion: don't be pro-life, and then do nothing to support your local crisis pregnancy center with financial and other gifts. Don't be a pro-life guy, but then refuse to date a single mother because she has too much "baggage". Don't be pro-life, and then sleep around or have sexual relations outside of marriage. Yes, the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us not only to speak prophetically, but to act prophetically.

"O the doctrines, they are a changin'"

Looks like Rome is planning on abolishing limbo. I wonder what will happen to all of the poor souls there? Limbo is just a "hypothesis", they say. They are right about that. It is not taught in Scripture, but is more the product of scholastic reasoning. They have been planning this for sometime now, as limbo is not even in the new catechism. What they will replace it with, if anything, is a mystery.

I find this interesting and am blogging about it because Anglicans (anglo-catholics especially) are often accused by Romanists of holding beliefs that certain Reformers and/or the Articles of Religion rejected. They seem to think that our whole position as a true branch of Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is undermined because our beliefs about a doctrine may have changed, or developed, over time. Or they think that our change of opinion about, say, Benediction, indicates that there is some fundamental problem in our tradition as a whole. This is a very arrogant supposition, though. It assumes that the Roman Catholic Church is the only Church that is allowed to change positions on certain matters of faith and practice over time. Why Rome and no one else? Sounds pretty arbitrary to me.

Reconciling the Jurisdictional Chaos

This is the title of an article that may be downloaded from the Christian Challenge from a recent conference about the Affirmation of St. Louis that a couple of jurisdictions participated in. While there are several articles from this conference that are worth downloading and reading, I thought that this was the best. Fr. Warren Tanghe, SSC (chaplain of All Saints' Convent - Catonsville, MD) exhorts orthodox Anglican parishes in various regions to enter into grassroots partnerships to foment a sort of "bottom-up" organic unity, rather than legislating a top-down merger, as those have been prone to fail in the past. Bp. Paul Hewitt, SSC of the Diocese of the Holy Cross has a response which includes nine suggestions for concrete action. Many of these steps are being taken right now, which is surely positive. It is a good article that is well worth reading, and may give each of us ideas as to what we can do in our part of the country to promote unity amongst orthodox Anglicans.

Jurisdictional chaos is a sad reality within the Church. It is not only continuing Anglicans that have the problem. Roman Catholics have overlapping jurisdiction, as do the Orthodox. And their jurisdictions overlap with each others' and ours! So don't let anyone tell you that it's just us. I think that the problem of multiplying jurisdictions within the continuing movement, though, comes in part from a defective understanding of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which is viewed more so as something that an individual possesses rather than something that belongs to the Church. We have ultimately, I believe, Rome to thank for this. Their ridiculous condemnation of Anglican Orders, as many scholars have pointed out, has made some Anglicans think of orders as something that is limited to a pedigree, while other important items, such as orthodoxy and "communio", are conveniently left out of the equation. If holy orders is limited to a lineage, then any "bishop" can go start his own "apostolic" jurisdiction whenever he feels like it. In the end, such practice actually undermines the historic Catholic position on Holy Orders and Apostolic Succession, and destroys the unity of the Church.

Theological Exams & The Seminary Question

One of the most important parts of my recent ordination was the theological examinations by the board of examining chaplains. My exams were a couple hours long, and we covered all sorts of areas: sacraments; church history; biblical studies; practical theological questions; christology; moral theology - you name it, we discussed it. Each topic was interwoven with others, as they all relate to each other in various ways. They were very similar to my comprehensive exams from seminary, actually. Each diocese has its own board, served by a group of priests who rotate on and off. The board reports to the bishop.

Now personally, between inquisitor and candidate, I think they - the board - have the harder job. The reason I say that is because they have to interview and question people who have done their theological training at vastly different seminaries... because there is no "continuing church seminary". They might interview someone like me, who went to a liberal Roman Catholic seminary, and then someone who went to a conservative Presbyterian seminary, and then someone who went to an ECUSA seminary, and so on. That requires lots of discernment and very specific questioning on the examiners' part. Would not someone who went to a conservative Presbyterian seminary and someone who went to a liberal UCC seminary answer a question about the sacraments in a very different way? What is the standard of judgment? It has to make questioning very difficult in some areas, and thus the job of examiner difficult at times. Indeed, they need our prayers and encouragement.

Their job would be a lot easier if there were a set of traditional Anglican seminaries around the country with the same standards of education and formation to send men to. That way, everyone would be coming at them from the same background. I hope that one day there will be a couple of places like this to send our men to. Anyone have a couple million bucks to get this thing off the ground?

Covenant of Union

The APA/REC signed a covenant of union with the Anglican Province of Nigeria last week. This is very exciting as it is the first concordat between a so-called "separated" Anglican body and a province of the "official" Anglican Communion (a HUGE province). Here is the link to the documents.

This is exciting to me, not because it gives some sort of "official seal of approval" to the APA/REC (and by extension, some of the other continuing bodies), but because it highlights positive and constructive changes in peoples' perception as to what Anglicanism really is. Anglicanism is no longer about being in some sort of official "club" with fancy buildings and paid choirs. That changed a long time ago. And don't get me wrong: I like fancy buildings and great choirs as much as the next guy. But that is not the core of the Christian faith. Sadly, those nice things often end up becoming idols for people.

At its heart, Anglicanism is about following Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Saviour, and bringing all of our thoughts, passions, and desires under His Lordship and rule. It is about proclaiming the unchanging "faith once delivered" to the saints, and about affirming the authority and inspiration of the sacred scriptures and the tradition which interprets them.

My Very Own American Altar Missal

A friend of mine just gave me an altar version of the American Missal. I will use when, Lord willing, I am ordained to the priesthood. The binding is really beat up, as it is a first edition from 1931. The inside, though, is in great shape! Hopefully it will not cost too much to get it rebound. The Anglican Parishes Association has not carried the American Missal for some time, though I think they own the copywrite for it. I believe it used to be the only place where you could get one. But it obviously sold out some time ago. They still carry the Anglican Missal, but it is so much harder to use than the American, so I have been wanting to find an American. It would be funny if it cost as much or more to get this rebound as it would be to buy a new Anglican Missal and just get used to using that.

Fr. Ray Unterburger with New Monstrance

As promised, here is a picture of the magnificent new monstrance that a kind, older couple generously donated to our parish. The picture really doesn't do it justice - if you can believe it. It is even more amazing in person! Also in the picture is the rector of St. Alban's, Joppa, Fr. Ray Unterburger. This will add a lot to the eucharistic life of the parish.

ACC Elects New Metropolitan

The ACC (Anglican Catholic Church) has elected their Bishop of the South, Mark Haverland, Ph.D, to be their new metropolitan. Brother John-Charles retired due to health reasons, I guess. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes the ACC in over the next few years.

Like most continuing archbishops, he also still serves as the ordinary of his diocese. And to my knowledge he also still pastors a parish - again, like most continuing church bishops. It's got to be a lot of work, and require the wearing of many different hats, but I think it is good to have bishops serve a parish, as bishops are fundamentally the "pastor" of a diocese.

I know that ACC Deacon, A.R. Bayles, of St. James, Cleveland, has made comments on this blog before. Perhaps he could say a few words about this and give his thoughts and impressions if he is somehwere out there. Other ACCers are also welcome to give their thoughts and opinions. We are anxious to hear!

One Year Anniversary

This month is the one year anniversary of this blog. Thanks to everyone out there who reads and comments. I feel that all of the remarks have been charitable and constructive, and that, overall, I think it is a very positive blog. I started it as a way to anonymously talk about being a continuing Anglican... never expecting anyone to actually read it, or make comments. Then somehow, people found it and started reading. So thanks for participating.

Sincerely,
SJA

New Monstrance

Our parish was recently given a monstrance, cope, and humeral veil by a devout couple. The rector showed it to me the other day, and I was blown away. It is huge and magnificent! I hope to be able to post a picture of it sometime soon. I have never seen a monstrance this nice in any continuing church. What a tremendous gift. The couple came to every Benediction that we had last year (we used to use a ciborium). I think the guy was raised Roman Catholic, so he really likes the devotion. His wife, who was raised Lutheran and never experienced it, has grown to love it as well. They are both regular communicants and devout churchmen.

In my opinion, interest in eucharistic devotion is a sign of a healthy, eucharist-focused parish. For example, in the Roman Catholic Church here in Baltimore, the parishes that have regular eucharistic devotions (not all of them have it) are much healthier than those who do not have them. I think the same can be said of many Anglican parishes I have seen. When eucharistic devotion is done correctly it augments Holy Communion and draws people out to receive the Precious Body and Blood ("I, when I am lifted up will draw all men to myself.").

This has been a blessed year for our small country church: new organ, new monstrance, new members, new postulants, new clergy.... everything new! Except the faith - that's not new. It is the same old unchanging Christian faith, rooted in Scripture and Tradition, and the same time-tested, living liturgy. And all of that is just fine with us! Thanks be to God!

Mainline Protestant Volunteer Organizations

I am on the mailing list for an organization from one of the mainline churches that takes kids just out of college and puts them together in houses 0f 4-10 around the country for one year, and has them volunteer at various institutions. The point of this organization is to "explore spirituality while working for social justice, living in intentional community, and simplifying their lifestyles." I'm on their mailing list because I know some people involved in the group, and went to a few meetings with them a few years back.

Social justice - properly understood - is a very real part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Lord challenged the conventions and assumptions of the religious establishment of His day, and He helped people physically and materially. The early Church did the same things, as know from reading the New Testament. The Incarnation is the basis of social ministry and social justice.

The problem I have with groups like this, though, is that they seem to be entirely focused upon meeting the temporal needs of people, but not their spiritual needs. One would expect a "Christian" organization to address both sides of the issue. Sadly, these groups do not; for they are based more on Marxism than the Sacred Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. Classical Marxism is an entirely materialistic system, where there is nothing transcendent, and most, if not all, of life is reduced to an economic struggle. These groups do not believe that man has any spiritual need. And if they do, it is just that: a vague sort of spiritual need - not a need for union with the Holy Trinity through Jesus Christ. Not a need for salvation from sin and alientation from God and others. Indeed, they do not even mention Jesus in any of their literature! How sad. It is especially sad when one considers that this group is named for one of the greatest reformers of the Church - a man who was especially concerned that people know and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One person from this group writes in the latest newsletter: "When we view our year of service only as 'my good deed for others' or 'the way I am going to help people', then we do the people we work with a disservice because we have stopped viewing them as people and have begun seeing them as objects of charity. The beauty of service is then lost because you are no longer relating person to person as equals, but rather as one with power and one without."

Did you catch that last little bit that smacks of Nietzche and Marx? Since when is helping someone doing them a disservice or disrespecting them? What she says is true if everything is material, and there is nothing transcendant, and man is no different from anything else in creation. But as Christians we do not believe that everything is material, and we believe that man is made in God's image, and placed in a position of lordship over the creation. The beauty of service in the Christian tradition is that in serving others we are serving Jesus Christ. If we serve Jesus Christ, does that do Him a disservice? Of course not! We are being obedient to Him and worshipping Him in that act. The same thing is true when we serve others in His name.

The liberal mainline groups have completely undercut their social ministries by stripping them of their biblical and theological foundations. I hope that some day soon orthodox Anglicans can establish a social ministry group similar to these that is based on orthodox Christianity, and that addresses all of the needs of people: the social and spiritual.

Altar from Church

Here is picture of the altar at our little country church. There's no missal or mass candles because it is set up for Evening Prayer. We're supposed to be getting a new tabernacle at some point - actually I think some people from the parish are going to make one. The painting around the altar was done by a guy from the church who specializes in this style of English decorative church painting. It was painstakingly done entirely by hand (no stencils). He has also done extensive painting at another area continuing church. He is involved in the tabernacle project, too, incidently.

I love the icons - they were hand "written" in Greece, I believe, and were specially ordered through the Icon and Book Service in Washington, DC. One is of the Theotokos, and the other is of Christ the Pantocrator. We also have a similarly made icon of St. Alban, our patron saint, above the credence table.

What would I like to change that would be easy to change? Well, it would be nice to have three steps on the altar, though I don't know how easy it is to raise an altar - especially when there's a painting on the wall behind it. I would like to rip out the red carpeting. I hate red carpeting in churches - even if it is an American church tradition. A corpus on the on the cross would be nice (Maryland is historically very low church, so it's hard to get by with that sometimes). Six individual candle stands would be nice too. And maybe two more santuary lamps. All in good time, though.

I think it is a very smart looking altar and sanctuary. Simple, yet elegant. It fits our setting and worship. The painted reredos really makes the whole thing pop out. It is literally "the work of the people" - everyone from the church chipped in in some way to make it what it is today. And it shows what can be done with a simple building, a couple of cans of paint, and some TLC.

Unity Meeting

The Virtue Online has an interesting article on a recent meeting of orthodox Anglicans that included representatives from several continuing churches, as FiFNa and AMiA. It is well worth reading. The organizer was Bp. Hewitt, of the Diocese of the Holy Cross, was at the APA/REC unity synod this past spring. The article made it seem like a very positive event. Indeed it seems like much progress towards unity has been made over the past couple years. I notice a big difference between the way things are now as compared to when I was in seminary only a few short years ago. That is good news. No doubt the various situations within ECUSA, the CofE, and other Anglican provinces has helped encourge more serious talk of unity. And much of this talk is actaully becoming action, like with the APA/REC merger, and fairly recent joint services of the ACC, ACA, and APCK. It is easy to have talks, but getting those talks to result in action is the real trick.

We orthodox Anglicans must unite for mission and ministry. The liberals unite based on their main beliefs - which is usually a belief in nothing; so we should unite based on our shared beliefs: the creeds, episcopate, sacraments, and BCP. There is a spiritual vacuum to be filled, and there are souls to be saved! What are we doing about it?

The liberal churches are dying. Their congregations are shrinking, and their money is going to support their every expanding bueracracies. They are becoming like the former communist states: huge governments with no people behind them because no one believes in them anymore. Their money, and precious, property goes simply to support themselves. In the end, they become like a huge monster that is eating itself alive... consuming its own vile flesh... until eventually it is no more. And out of these ashes, orthodox Christianity, with its message of salvation in Jesus Christ, will emerge triumphant, because "...the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church." The time for us to act is now. May God bless us as we seek to minister to this dying world in the name of His blessed son, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ.