Anglican Report with Kevin Kallsen and George Conger

From Today's Morning Prayer: Psalm 2, Quare fremuerunt gentes

Camille Saint-Saëns: Quare fremuerunt gentes

il Concerto di Natale del Coro Polifonico di San Nicola, Pisa Coro Polifonico San Nicola di Pisa, Tuscan Chamber Orchestra; conducted by Stefano Barandoni

This is a boldly tempestuous rendition of Psalm 2, which is quite a tempestuous Psalm:

Why do the nations conspire
   and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up
   and the rulers band together
   against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,

“Let us break their chains
   and throw off their shackles.”

Latin text and translation of Psalm 2 

Interestingly enough, it is a part of a larger Christmas Oratorio.

Of course, this should be no mystery; the plight of mankind lost in sin is an essential element of the Incarnation - and should be a part of any musical Christmas narration.  It's also present in Händel's Messiah.  Today, however, we don't tend to expect such in Christmas music.

The King's English: Sackcloth and Ashes

Jonah mosaic at St. Anne Melkite Church

Glen Scrivener writes over at The King's English:

Could Jonah be the most successful evangelist in the Bible?  In Hebrew the report of his sermon consists of 5 words.  And yet, in response, the 120 000 residents of Nineveh cover themselves in sackcloth and ashes and turn to the LORD.

Throughout 2011, Glen Scrivener has been calling our attention to various English language expressions which are largely due to the influence of the 1611 Authorized Version or "King James" Translation.  A delightful project indeed - allowing us not only to contemplate the beauty of the English language, but also important bits of theology and history which have since become obscured by many intervening layers of ideological sediment.  His blog is called The King's English.

This latest blog posting caught my attention in particular because of its appropriateness for the Anglican Communion today.

Fabián Pérez Ximeno (16th C, Mexico): Kyrie from Missa de la Batalla

Ximeno (c1595-1654) was born in Mexico City; known as a composer and organist - maestro de capilla of the Mexico City Cathedral.  He's known for his antiphonal polychoral works.  This is the Kyrie (first movement) if his Missa de la Batalla (battle mass?) performed by Angelicum de Puebla, conducted by Benjamin Juarez Echenique.  Thanks to youtube user hotkikee, who posts some excellent renaissance and baroque sacred music from colonial regions (mostly South and Central America) on his channel.

R.I.P., Punk

Founder of Angle Park Exploitations and cultural commentator Martin Baumgartner alerts us to some clear evidence of culture "moving on":

Martin Baumgartner's moving commentary:

Well, I guess this makes it official. 1975 - 2011. RIP, Punk.
(O'Hare Terminal 3 Starbucks. She's stirring a chai.)

My own obituary:

You were a beautiful thing while you lasted. A bit vile and stinky yes, but many beautiful things are. You were more fragile than you seemed to be; we really should have noticed that more. But protecting you would have been an oxymoron, and would have only hurried your demise.

You were a cute baby skunk that got run over by a Macy's truck. You were a pale, skinny, nasal-voiced drama-queen beauty; squashed by a garantuanly obese paramour in his pursuit of things exotic and weird.

R.I.P., Punk

(The photo itself is the poetry here; not the parting words) 

Johann Kuhnau - Ihr Himmel jubiliert von oben

an Ascension Day Cantata  

"Therefore rejoice, you heavens
   and you who dwell in them!"

- Revelation 12:12

A Tanzanian reaction to possible episcopal election fraud; and US / African comparison

Possible election fraud in bishop of Tanzanian Anglican Church - arrest warrant for Primate of ACT. Very likely election fraud for American Presiding Bishop - virtually no one notices. What does this say of western Anglican church governance?

From Tanzania, we have news of a possible election fraud.  The province of Tanzania has been rent over the ethical question of the permissibility of condom use in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.  It was largely thought that the installation of a new bishop - the Rev. Stanley Hotay - for the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro would effectively end the division on this matter.

Unfortunately, it has become more complicated than this.  Some laypeople of the diocese have alleged that the age of Rev. Stanley Hotay was falsified.  There was a court order issued which was aimed at blocking Hotay's being seated as Bishop of the diocese of Mount  Kilimanjaro, pending adjudication.  I could not find the exact wording of the court order, but evidently it has prompted quite some drama in Tanzania.  Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa went forward with the consecration of the Rev. Hotay, though the Rev. Hotay was not installed as Bishop of Mount Kilimanjaro.  A warrant was issued for the arrest of Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa.  It has not yet been executed, police in Arusha replying to a reporter that they have not yet received the warrant.

It does sound like the situation is remaining peaceful.

“I don’t protest the court order, but the public should understand that someone is missing the point here… we actually honoured the order not to install the new bishop. What we did was to consecrate him as a new bishop… as of now he does not belong to any diocese,” said Dr Chilongani [Anglican Church of Tanzania Secretary General]. - The Citizen, " Police yet to arrest Mokiwa despite order"

Notes from the ground make it sound as if there's a little drama to the story.  An Episcopal Priest, the Rev. Dr. Douglas Richnow, reports that the police had been tracking Archbishop Mokiwa via his cellphone, and that he was advised to dispose of the SIM card.  We shall see how this story unfolds.

See also George Conger's excellent reporting on the matter for The Church of England Newspaper, here and here.

It is interesting to compare the current situation in Tanzania to the situation of the very likely election fraud in the TEC 2006 election.  Here, we have the election of a diocesan bishop being investigated by the government, because of alleged misinformation about his age.  The situation escalates to the issuing a warrant of arrest for the head of the church.  In the United States, the election of the very head of the church is marred by misinformation regarding her career - the false information that she was, for six years, dean of a school of theology.  Far be it from the government having interest in the likely fraud - the church itself fails to investigate, even though it had spent $200,000 on a committee tasked with nominating and vetting candidates.