Core Message Reminder from the Bishop of York

Check out this thread for some very interesting discussion on the comments from the Bishop of York concerning the relative importance of the issues before us:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/25/nsentamu125.xml


Particularly noteworthy is this comment:

"As long as someone does not deny the very basic doctrines of the Church - the creation, the death, the resurrection of Christ and human beings being made in the image of God - then the rest really helps but they are not the core message.

"And I haven’t found that in Ecusa or in Canada, where I was recently, they have any doubts in their understanding of God which is very different from anybody. What they have quarrelled about is the nature of sexual ethics."

So, this downplay suggests nothing to steal a church over, huh?


Father Jakes's related thread is worth a look, especially in the first half:

http://frjakestopstheworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/andersons-variation-on-godwins-law.html

The Charges Finally Gain Some Traction

The action now moves out of the church and into the criminal courts:

http://www.krcc.org/krccnews/2007/08/springs_police_investigating_r_1.php



Father Jake has better blogging on this than I could ever support here:

http://frjakestopstheworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/police-investigation-of-don-armstrong.html

http://frjakestopstheworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/armstrong-found-guilty-of-theft.html

News Worthy of Awakening this Blog: GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!!!

Read it here:

http://www.coloradodiocese.org/06_newsandevents/PDFs/ecclesiastical%20trial.pdf


or here:

The Bishop and Diocese of Colorado are grateful to the Ecclesiastical Court of the Diocese for faithfully fulfilling their canonical responsibilities in hearing the case against The Rev. Donald Armstrong involving allegations of misappropriation of church funds.

The preliminary judgment made public today by the five members of the Ecclesiastical Court found unanimously that the Rev. Don Armstrong is guilty on all Counts included in the Motion for Summary Judgment in his case. Those counts are: Count 1 – commission of crimes, including theft of $392,409.93 from Grace Church, and causing Grace Church to issue false W-2s and underreport Armstrong’s income and benefits by $548,097.27; Count 2 – that Armstrong received illegal loans totaling $122,479.16 in violation of Diocesan Canons; Count 3 – unauthorized encumbrance and alienation of Grace Church’s real property; Count 4 – violation of the temporary inhibition placed on Armstrong; Count 5 – the improper use of clergy discretionary funds; and Count 6 – failure to maintain proper books of account.

Last week’s evidentiary hearing before the Ecclesiastical Court is the culmination of a well-defined disciplinary process established by the Canons of the Episcopal Church whereby serious allegations of wrongdoing against any member of the clergy can be thoroughly and impartially investigated, and throughout which the accused has numerous rights and protections. The Ecclesiastical Court—whose members are elected by The Diocesan Convention—functions independently of the Bishop and is governed by the disciplinary laws and processes of the Episcopal Church’s Canons. Those Canons exist to guard the well-being of all members of the church, and when there is wrongdoing to help restore the spiritual and institutional health of the church.

The preliminary judgment issued by the Ecclesiastical Court marks the beginning of a thirty day period during which all parties have an opportunity to respond. At the conclusion of that thirty-day period, the court will issue a final judgment along with recommendations for sentencing to the Bishop. Under the Canons of the Church, it is the Bishop’s responsibility to impose judgment. The Bishop can, at his discretion, lessen the court’s recommended sentence but cannot increase it.


I guess this is what mountain-biking can get you in your absence.