Montana Personhood Amendment Passes State Senate, 26-24 Vote.

Helena, Montana - 02/26/2009 - Montana's Senate passed constitutional Personhood Amendment, SB 406, in a 26-24 vote. The amendment, introduced by Senator Dan McGee, passed on its third reading on the Senate floor this morning. This is the first Personhood Amendment in U.S. history to pass a State Senate.

"Senator Dan McGee, writing the language of SB 406 himself, has shown what it truly means to be pro-life," stated Keith Mason, of Personhood USA. "Senator McGee's successful efforts on behalf of all human beings at all stages of human life are a giant step forward in historic efforts to ensure the rights and protection of every individual."

SB 406, which defines person for the purposes of application of inalienable rights, states, "All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights...person means a human being at all stages of human development of life, including the state of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency."

"Praise God! The honor of being the first State Senate in U.S. history to recognize the personhood of pre-born children goes to Montana," commented Cal Zastrow of Personhood USA. "Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Dan McGee, The Montana Personhood Amendment now moves forward to the State House of Representatives."

Read more about it here.

New Anglican Church in Southern Nevada

Fr. Howard and Deacon Erin Giles, clergy in good standing of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin, are forming a core group to plant an Anglican church in the Las Vegas/Henderson area of Southern Nevada. A group of twelve is planning Ash Wednesday and Lenten Soup Suppers in private homes. Please contact us so that you can join us in fellowship and in seeking the Lord.

Our first Sunday worship will be on Palm Sunday with a full schedule through Holy Week at an undetermined location.

The Lord has blessed us with chapter 34 of the Prophet Ezekiel as a foundation for our calling as a church. From this chapter, we were inspired to be named Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Our Statement of Purpose, Mission and Vision
We will seek those who are lost, and bring again those who were driven away, and will bind up those who are broken, and will strengthen those who are sick (Ez. 34:15,16a), by continuing stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:42); holding fast the profession of our faith without wavering, provoking one another unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, but exhorting one another as we see the day approaching (Heb. 10: 23- 25).

Please contact the Revs. Giles at 702-430-8789, at our mailing address, 2980 Sunridge Heights Pkwy, Suite 120, Henderson, NV 89052, by email, howard@goodshepherdhenderson.info or visit our website at www.goodshepherdhenderson.info.

We give thanks for the Anglican community that is supporting us in prayer and encouragement, and look forward to being a planting of the new province in Southern Nevada.

Williams sensitive to limits of his authority, archbishop says

Riazat Butt in Alexandria

guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 February 2009 21.17 GMT

The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is "sensitive" to the limits of his authority and role in the affairs of Anglican provinces, according the archbishop of Brisbane.

Speaking at a press conference in Alexandria today, the scene for a meeting between the world's most senior Anglican clerics, the Most Rev Philip Aspinall responded to a question about whether the assembled primates had discussed the role of the archbishop of Canterbury, who has caused resentment among traditionalists who believe he is too lenient with liberals in North America.

As a sign of protest, the Church of Nigeria deleted references to Canterbury from its constitution in 2005 and, last year, the Global Anglican Future Conference, a parallel network for conservative evangelicals, downgraded Williams' status, saying they did not accept that Anglican identity was necessarily determined through recognition by the archbishop of Canterbury.

Aspinall, who has been appointed spokesman for a meeting that will address divisive as well as less contentious issues, said: "The archbishop of Canterbury is trying to deal flexibly, creatively and responsively to the situation [affecting the communion]. He is very sensitive to the limits of his authority and role in provinces outside his own, [but] the see of Canterbury is pivotal."

Williams, the titular head of the communion,has yet to make public remarks about the nature or progress of the discussions, but he is expected to do so later in the week as the meeting draws to a close. . . .

Read it all in The Guardian

Anglican Primates discuss Covenant solution to problems: CEN 2.03.09

By George Conger

February 3, 2009

Moral suasion, not binding legislation will be the backbone for the proposed Anglican Covenant, Australian Archbishop Philip Aspinall told reporters on Feb 2.

In their second business session at the 2009 Primates’ Meeting in Alexandria, the primates were briefed by Archbishop John Chew of Singapore on the work of the Anglican Covenant Design Group — the group tasked by Archbishop Rowan Williams with crafting a document that would set the permitted boundaries of Anglican diversity.

Dr Aspinall said that it was his impression the Covenant designers were “pulling back from the language of sanctions and teeth” in the draft document. The Covenant would be about “koinonia … fellowship .. of communion” between churches. Given the legal structures of the 38 autonomous member churches of the Anglican Communion, he said it was unrealistic that the final Covenant would be a legal mechanism whose ultimate sanction would be “not inviting you to a meeting.”

“Hitting people over the head with sticks” was not the best way forward, Dr Aspinall said. . . .

Read it all at Geo Conger's blog

Canadian bishop resigns to join Anglican Network: CEN 1.31.09 p 6

By George Conger

January 31, 2009

A one-time candidate for election as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada has quit that church to join the breakaway Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC). On Jan 23 the Rt. Rev. Ronald Ferris, retired Bishop of Algoma announced he had been received by Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables into the Province of the Southern Cone. . . .

Read it all at Geo Conger's blog

Legal Analysis and Opinion on San Joaquin Lawsuit

A.S. Haley has provided a detailed analysis and update on the lawsuit in San Joaquin on his blog: "Anglican Curmudgeon"

The entire article is here.

Black Bishop Rips Episcopal Lesbian Leader for her Views of Rick Warren and Intolerance

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
12/24/2008

A leading Black African Bishop, the founder and Chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition (HILC) and senior pastor of the 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in Washington, D.C., ripped the lesbian leader of the Episcopal Church's Integrity organization describing her condemnation of Dr. Rick Warren as "intolerant" and typical of the Left's "mischaracterization" of the views of the Saddleback pastor.

Bishop Harry R. Jackson butted heads with the Rev. Susan Russell on FOX News Channel. In a Sunday segment subtitled "President-elect Obama under fire for inviting Rick Warren to speak at Inauguration.", Jackson said that Russell slandered Warren's name in order "to advance their cause and their PR and wanting to sound tolerant about being so aggressive."

Jackson, who was named one of the top 50 most influential Christians in 2005 by the Christian Post, believes that the church and its leaders must lead the way to protect America's moral compass and heal the nation. A transcript of the " Fox News Sunday" segment on the controversy over President-elect Obama's invitation to Pastor Rick Warren to offer the invocation at his January 20th Inauguration appeared on Russell's blog:

Bishop Jackson: This controversy is a clear example of just how intolerant the gay community is about anyone they disagree with. They've mischaracterized what they've said about Rick Warren. He was not calling gay people pedophiles or anything of that nature and they've been putting out a false story for PR purposes.

MODERATOR: Joining us now on the phone is the Reverend Susan Russell, a priest at All Saints Episcopal Church in California where Prop 8 has been a hotly contested issue. What say you about the invitation to Pastor Warren to speak?

REVEREND RUSSELL: I think it's an unfortunate choice, I think it's a disappointing choice. As I said in my open letter to the President-elect, I applaud -- I applaud. -- his efforts to bring the evangelicals back to the table.-I think that's exactly the sort of post-partisan leadership we're looking for in our president-elect, but we could have done better than Rick Warren.

And I want to rebut your guest. This is not about gay intolerance. This about pointing out that Rick Warren as a pastor has compared a woman's right to choose to the Holocaust, who doesn't believe in evolution, he has said that the Bible would condone the assassination of the President of Iran. These are ideas that are way outside the mainstream of American religious thought.

What I'm saying is rather than seeing gays as being "intolerant," we're serving as the canary in the coal mine saying we deserve better - the American people deserve better - and if you're going to ask someone to pray a blessing on America on Inauguration Day, please select someone who speaks for all Americans.

MODERATOR: Bishop Jackson?

BISHOP JACKSON: Well, I think this is part of the PR spin. Your guest is mischaracterizing the statements of Rick Warren. He is the new Billy Graham. He represents American. The Purpose Driven Life ... everybody knows ...has sold multiple millions of copies ... and he's given millions of dollars to help people who are HIV/AIDS ... he is not intolerant ... he's helped the gay community. I just resent that they're slandering his name to advance their cause and their PR and they want to sound tolerant about being so aggressive.

MODERATOR: Let me point something out to both of you. Last night, Rick Warren spoke for a gathering of Muslims in Southern California - about 800 there. Melissa Etheridge opened up the event, performing there as well, and she of course is openly gay. She went on to say that Pastor Rick Warren is a great guy, someone that she enjoys talking to despite their differences. President-elect Barack Obama has said the same thing.

And then [Warren] also gave a quote here. He said, "Let me just get this over very quickly. I love Muslims, and for the media's purposes I happen to love gays and straights." He said people ask him what he prays for when it comes to the President-elect Obama and he said (quote): "I pray for the president the same things I pray for myself: integrity, humility and compassion." Reverend Russell, what's wrong with that?

REVEREND RUSSELL: There's nothing wrong with that. Our issue is, we want to see the actions meet the words. This is a person, Pastor Warren, who preaches family values and practices discrimination against gay and lesbian families. This is someone who fundraised and advocated to take civil rights away from California regarding civil marriage. We want to see the actions that meet the words and what we're asking is that rather than Rick Warren, the President-elect should look at evangelicals like Tony Campolo or ...

MODERATOR: Reverend Russell, we're running out of time here. I understand your point -- point well taken.

Bishop Jackson, I understand your point as well and of course it's up to the President-elect. He can choose who he wants to for the Invocation, and he says his choice is Rick Warren.

Russell is not the only pansexual proponent critical of President-elect Obama's choice. The openly homogenital Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson condemned Warren saying that the God Warren is praying to is not the God that he knows.

Washington Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane said he was "profoundly disappointed" by Obama's choice, accusing Warren of being "homophobic, xenophobic, and willing to use the machinery of the state to enforce his prejudices-even going so far as to support the assassination of foreign leaders."

Russell was angered and deflated by the recent passage of Prop 8 in California, vowing to push the California Supreme Court into reconsidering the issue."No one has the right to write their theology into our constitution," Russell said. This of course begs the question: If Prop 8 had lost, it would have been her pansexual theology written into the Constitution. Apparently, it is okay to write her version of theology into the California State Constitution, an apparently untenable position to most Californians.

The original article is here at VirtueOnline.