Merry Christmas, Buddy!

Despite what most of the world would have us believe, tomorrow's celebration of Christmas is, in fact, all about a child born of a virgin in a small town in backwater Palestine about 2,000 years ago.

God is with us!

Lothar and his family wish all of you (I hope there is somebody out there) a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year.

Santa Ist Verboten!

"The movement is intended to raise awareness of the fact that the consumption-oriented Santa launched by the Christmas gift industry has very little to do with the holy bishop Saint Nicholas," Christoph Schommer of the Catholic aid group Bonifatiuswerk told Agence France Press (AFP).

Give another gold star to the Romans. While ECUSA is busy filing lawsuits, inventing progressive prophetical pronouncements (alliteration!) and worshiping at the altar of the MDG’s, the Catholics and Lutherans in Germany are making a point about how messed up the secular holiday of Christmas has become. (I know….it’s not Christmas yet, it’s Advent, but let us not allow facts to interfere with our wants and desires.)

St. Nick vs. Santa Claus

I commend this German priest for his de-Santa-fication efforts. After all, Christmas should be about the birth of the Savior of the world, not about helping the department store of your choice finish the year in the black.

Happy Advent!

What Planet Am I On?

WARNING: Before reading the article to which the following link shall lead you, take your blood pressure medicine.

http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3895:episcopal-presiding-bishop-battle-vs-schism-continues-&catid=13:news-stories&Itemid=76

I really should stop reading anything said or written by the Presuming Deacon. I am blown away at the brazen rejection of everything traditional or historic or logical.

If this truly is the direction of the Church; if the leadership of ECUSA really embraces nothing more than the right for a women to indescrimently kill her unborn child, diocesan property rights and social justice for hampster lovers, then the denomination is doomed, and this nation might as well be.

A great mind once posited, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." (Abraham Lincoln or Toby Keith, somebody like that.) There has to be a Truth that is greater than what is being proffered by the Church of the What's Happening Now!

The Truth is that God loves us despite the fact that we are all sinners, and we all fall short of the Glory of God. (Another inspired mind said that one, Paul of Tarsus or Paul Simon....) Christ meets us were we are, but (here's the kicker, folks) HE DOESN'T LEAVE US WHERE HE MEETS US!!!!!

Some things are good. Some things are bad. Yes, Virginia, there is a right and a wrong. The Bible tells me so. (Song lyrics.....Anonymous Evangelical songwriter inspired to write a song recognizable by children the world over or Brittany Spears? You make the call.)

Innovations such as the Enlightenment laid the ground work for all this. I blame Isaac Newton.

Post-modernism will be the death of us all. The Neanderthal has spoken.

Freakin' Ho Ho Ho to You Too, Buddy!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/3740949/Anglicans-give-Christmas-a-multicultural-makeover.html

Ok, get ready because here comes a rant……SNOWMEN WITH BINDI DOTS ON THEIR FOREHEADS??????? Who comes up this c**p? It should come as no surprize that this “innovation” came from the jolly old C of E. I can image the chapter meeting where this was first floated at Westminster Abbey:

Dean (I assume that the Rector of the Abbey is a Dean): Okay, what new ideas do we have for the coming Yuletide?

Canon 1: Excuse me, sir. The Chancellor would very much like to speak to the meeting.

Dean: (Obviously confused) Hurrumph. That is somewhat peculiar, but alright.

Chancellor: We have a problem. Christmas is too Christian.

Dean: What?! Of course it’s Christian; it is CHRISTmas after all. Are you daft?

Chancellor: Sir, with the new laws passed by Parliament, the continued increase in non-Christian population in Britain and the steady decline in attendance throughout the C of E, many in the Church believe that it is time to be…..more inclusive.

Canon 2: That is a great idea. Maybe we could put a Menorah next to the Cross at the High Altar.

Canon 3: Brilliant! I have a lovely statue of Shiva in my office that we could put right on the Altar. Canon 1 has a twig that was given to her by the Archbishop of Canterbury, himself.

Canon 4: This has been so long in coming. Christmas is all about peace and love and stuff like that anyway. It is so difficult to muck about with all that other stuff that just seems to keep people away from Church.

Dean: (Unsure of where he is and what has happened) May I remind all of you that Christmas is indeed the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is the Incarnation; God is with us.

Canon 4: True, I guess, but most people are more interested in the snowmen out front. Anyway, we mustn’t exclude anyone from the joy of the occasion just because they don’t believe in the legend of Jesus.

Dean: (Visibly upset) LEGEND???? Are you seriously suggesting that the birth of our Lord and Saviour might not be an actual event?

Canon 2: Sir, there has been ample theological progress over the last fifty years which should free us from accepting at face value the superstitions that oppressed previous generations. We have John Shelby Spong, after all.

Dean: Who?

Canon 3: Certainly, sir, you are familiar with the pre-eminent American scholar, the Rt. Rev’d John Spong. He had the courage to suggest that we really don’t need Christ in order to be Christians.

Dean: (Head in hands, moaning slightly) I believe that I need a drink.

Chancellor: Sir, I do believe that a multi-cultural Christmas will be just the thing to protect the Abbey from any possible accusation of exclusivity. Besides, the Archbishop of York is behind it all the way.

Dean: WHAT? ++Sentamu agrees with this drivel. What about the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Canon 4: At last account, Dr. Williams has not announced his position on the matter. We expect that he might issue a letter to the Church, but it might not be until he meets with the ACC and the financial representatives from ECUSA. (Looking around in a suspicious manner) I heard a rumor that their Presiding Bishop was making a large pledge to help rebuild Canterbury Cathedral, as long as they don’t have to use the money for litigation or some such thing as that.

Dean: Where’s my drink?

Attention All Catholics (Roman and Anglo)

My Roman tendencies are showing. While perusing the Catholic News Service site, a daily habit of mine, I found the announcement of the death of Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., about which I have commented below. I also found the announcement of the publication of a new Instruction from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith on the subject of bioethics.

Allow me to step back one moment here to note to all those who are not in the know (wink, wink) that the C.D.F. is of course that office within the Vatican that ensures that the Magesterium knows and teaches the proper, approved Doctrine of the Church. Yes, friends, this is the office of the INQUISITION.

Now before you, dear friends, push back from your computers screaming epithets and questioning the marital relationship of my parents; please consider that the auto de fe is a thing of the past. The Grand Inquisitor is not about to descend from his tower and cast Jew and Gentile alike into the dungeon for a little quality time with the iron maiden or the rack (although the way my back feels right now, a little stretching might be good for me).

This is the newer, kinder Inquisition, and it serves a vital role in assuring that the Dogma and Doctrine of the Church are consistently understood by the Magesterium so that, in turn, they can instruct the faithful on the tenets of the Faith; especially those pesky teachings which are de fide (the things that you have to believe if you want to continue calling yourself a Roman Catholic).

Anyway……I just finished reading Dignitas Personae for the first time, and I’ve got to say that I am very impressed. This new Instruction updates Donum Vitae which was released 20 years ago and addresses the reality of modern medicine and all the new ways man has discovered to kill and manipulate the unborn. It is well reasoned and well written. The central theme, echoed time and time again throughout the document, is the value and dignity of human life. It begins, “The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death.”

And, in what I believe is a direct slap against certain highly placed and very powerful politicians who seem to have a problem remembering what the Church’s teaching on certain small matters like ABORTION are, there is this payoff statement: “Therefore, the Magisterium of the Church has ****consistently proclaimed**** the sacred and inviolable character of every human life from its conception until its natural end.” (Emphasis added so that morons like….oh, I don’t know….Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden will not miss this important part of the catechism again.)

Dignitas Personae is available on-line through the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website: http://www.usccb.org/comm/Dignitaspersonae/index2o.shtml. I hope and I pray that this supports the continued shift among the Roman Catholic leadership in this country toward holding politicians responsible to the religion that they profess. Unless of course those politicians are only fibbing about their adherence to the Faith; but I can’t believe that any politician would not really mean what they say.

Children, can we all say EXCOMMUNICATION!

"Well Done Good and Faithful Servant"

I note with sadness the announcement on the Catholic News Service website of the passing of one of the great theologians of our times: Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.

Author of such foundational works as Models of the Church, Models of Revelation and many many others, Cardinal Dulles has been a cornerstone of modern Catholic thought since the 1960's. I, for one, give thanks for his life and his work.

A wonderful article about his life can be found at CNS: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0806247.htm.

May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Katrina's Toll Continues to Rise

Like so many in the blogosphere, I wish to send my regards and prayers to the retiring Bishop of Louisiana. The Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins has done yeoman's work to serve his diocese and the people of New Orleans in the wake of one of the most catastrophic natural disasters to hit the United States. God's speed, sir.

It's About D**n Time!

The new Province rises from the ashes of ECUSA…..hurray…..hurray….I hope.

Like a cancer that has been left to grow and fester within a body that has already been weakened by a lifetime of wear, tear and abuse, the “current unpleasantness” perpetrated upon the Faith by ECUSA now pervades every aspect of our Anglican life and now threatens to rend asunder the entire Anglican Communion. Anyone who believes that ECUSA will alter its chosen path toward the utter rejection of anything outside its own narrow definition of “diverse” or “progressive” surely lives in a pleasant little world of his or her own creation; and I might enjoy hanging out with you there for a while. Reality impinges upon our happy places eventually; and most often today that reality comes in the form of a Presuming Deacon, flamboyantly attired in vestments stolen from a Wringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus yard sale and carrying an invisible letter of Renunciation of Orders that she assumes was meant to be sent to her but just got lost in the mail.

No, ACNA is not the preferred solution for most Anglo-Catholics, but I defy you to show me a better one at the present time. (Obviously, swimming the Tiber is an option, but not one I am prepared to take….yet.) If the Primates recognize the new Province in sufficient numbers, and then do not allow the ACC to “study” the situation to death and then shelve the whole thing for a decade of “Indabaing”, then we will be a step closer to a safe haven that will preserve our apostolic connection with the See of Canterbury.

Oops. I forgot. In order for that to work, the ABC will have to climb down out of his ivory tower of happiness and sunshine and MAKE A DAMN DECISION!

I believe that it is preferable for us to remain in communion with Canterbury, however, when the final accounting is taken, +++Rowan is going to find that the majority of practicing Anglicans in the world have broken communion with him and are rallying around one of the other ancients Sees like Jerusalem, Antioch or (perish the thought) Rome. This is the great realignment that is coming, and it will make the strife in the US pale in comparison.

We await GenCon ’09, but more than likely, the regular cast of ECUSA characters will orchestrate a successful move to push consideration of the Covenant to GenCon ’12. At the same time, B033 will be officially repudiated, orthodoxy will be decried for delaying the progressive work of the church, the MGD’s will become an authorized substitution for the Creed on Sunday, and work will formally begin to authorize SSM rites and rewrite the BCP.
At some time in the foreseeable future, all persons of Faith will have to make a decision. For myself and my house, I choose God, which means that a move may be in order. My bags are packed (water wings included); but my ticket is not yet purchased. I trust that God will show me what to do.

It's Advent.....!

Periodically, I feel that it is my responsibility to practice a little “tough love”. As a parent, I am called upon to do this on occasion (about 16-17 times per day); and as a Christian, I must recognize that a big part of loving my neighbor means taking the time to tell him or her that they are a raving moron and that they are in serious need of a reality check. (Message to any Progressive Episcopalians, read Neo-Unitarians, who might be reading this: love does mean sometimes having to tell people the truth whether they want to hear it or not. Sorry, but that’s the way it goes.)

Today is the First Sunday of Advent; the beginning of the season of the Church meant to focus our attention on preparing for the arrival of Sweet Baby Jesus (curse you, Will Ferrell). More than that, however, Advent is a penitential season that gives us an opportunity to prepare ourselves for that day when we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is a time of prayer and, hopefully, of peace. It is a time of preparation and anticipation. But there is one thing that Advent is not……..

ADVENT IS NOT CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Christmas lights and decorations go on sale in the stores a week or two before Halloween. People are up on ladders hanging said lights and decorations all over their houses the day after Thanksgiving. That same day, hundreds of thousands of crazed, credit card wielding fiends descend on shopping venues all over the nation; driven to a frothy, consumeristic furor by well dressed advertising men whose sole purpose in life is to convince every person who bought an I Phone a year ago that if they don’t buy the new I Phone that just came out, they are a complete loser.

THIS IS NOT CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Christmas begins on Christmas Eve, and like that funny little song goes, it lasts for twelve whole days. So, contrary to the popular wisdom that drives people to take down their trees and decorations on December 26 and compels radio stations that have spent the last month playing nothing but “Jingle Bell Rock” and “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” by Alvin and the Chipmunks to switch back to their former oldie and moldy pre-programmed programming…………

CHRISTMAS DOESN’T END UNTIL JANUARY 6!!!!!!

But we’ll talk about Epiphany another time. Happy Advent, y’all.

Welcome To My Cave

Greetings and salutations. Indeed, I am a self-professed knuckle dragging Neanderthal, and I am okay with that. It’s the rest of the world that is messed up. That is my humble opinion, anyway.

Since everyone and their grandmother currently posts their thoughts on the InterWeb (don’t scoff, this has been scientifically proven by a secret government initiated study conducted by the same people who collate ASA figures for ECUSA), I felt that it was necessary for the benefit of all mankind for me to periodically post a prodigious plethora of positively profound prose. Nice alliteration…huh?

In the days and weeks and months and years to come, I will chime in with overly well reasoned thoughts and/or rants regarding the various things in this world that make absolutely no sense to anyone who chooses to think about it. Very often, these musings will be centered around life in that wacky collection of semi-autonomous entities that we optimistically call the Anglican Communion.

As a practicing Anglican (yes, some day I will get it right), my life revolves around my Faith and my love and devotion to God. About that, my Faith and love of God, I will make no jokes. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost are the most important Three in One person in my life. The Church of my fathers is vitally important to me (even though it doesn’t seem to be that important to many in ECUSA nowadays) but rest assured, many a wisecrack or outright snide comment will be made at the expense of many who claim to be “leaders” of the Church.

What part of my faith does not revolve around my Faith and the Church is devoted to my family: my wife and all the little Neanderthals. My wife is actually a Cro-Magnon so she’s far more advanced than me, but she doesn’t have a blog, ha!

Mostly, this site will be a way for me to blow off steam and wax poetic about a whole bunch of stuff that nobody else really cares about too much. If you like it – great. If you don’t – great. If you read it – great. I appreciate comments, both good and bad (although I doubt I’ll spend much time reading the bad ones), so please say something. I like discussions, even the banal (hey, the Neanderthal owns a thesaurus) ones.

May God shine His light upon you and illumine the path upon which He has set you.

BYW: I am in no way shape or form connected to or subsidized by that insurance company that objectifies small amphibians or abuses gentlemen of culture who through no fault of their own live in caves.