A top Anglican bishop-elect from BC has accused Alberta’s UCP of invoking the blessings of God for their party in a Christmas message, and to the confusion of some, anti-Semitism..The UCP’s tweet included a short passage from the Old Testament Book of Isiah which to nearly all Christians and many Jews prophesied the coming birth of the messiah..The UCP sends out news releases and social media graphics for nearly every religious day of consequence in the province, and Christmas was no exception..Bishop-elect Anna-Lee Greenwood said it was “wholly inappropriate” to present a passage of the Bible as divine support for their party..“As a Priest and Bishop-Elect, I’d ask that the UCP send Christmas greetings without the wholly inappropriate inference of divine sanction for their government. There are so many things wrong with their use of these words from the Prophet Isaiah it’s hard to know where to start,” Greenwood-Lee tweeted Saturday..The tweet from the UCP’s official account showed an image of Mary and Joseph watching baby Jesus as he lay in a manger. It contained the words: “For unto us a child is born: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.For the Anglican bishop-elect, this was anti-Semitic..“First, it’s supersessionism (a form of anti-Semitism) whenever Christians use the Hebrew Scriptures and say it was just foreshadowing Jesus (this passage is likely about King Hezekiah from the 8th Century BCE),” Greenwood-Lee continued..This was news to many Christians and Jews that recognize the passage as a prophecy of the coming messiah. Every mainstream Christian sect in the world uses Old Testament prophecies to place Jesus in the context of the Jewish messiah, or “Christ”..Christians generally consider Jesus (Christ) to be the messiah prophesied in the later books of the Old Testament..Green’s tweets went on about other alleged wrongdoings and can be read in their entirety on her Twitter feed..An internal report of the Anglican Church’s General Synod in 2019 said that within two decades, the church would have no members or attendees left..“Projections from our data indicate that there will be no members, attenders or givers in the Anglican Church of Canada by approximately 2040.”.In a 2017 report, Anglican membership fell to 357,123 and an average Sunday attendance of 97,421..But while membership are at historical lows, Anglican clergy levels are at record highs, increasing from 2,380 in 1961 to 3,491 in 2017..Greenwood-Lee, of the St. Laurence Anglican Church in Calgary, was elected bishop of the diocese of BC on September 26..Greenwood-Lee said the diocese’s vision of transformation spoke to her..“It felt like my gifts and what they were looking for in terms of their vision lined up,” she told the Anglican Journal..Greenwood-Lee said she will be consecrated January 30, 2021 and is planning to move from Calgary in January..“It’s a bit complicated, because I have two kids who are 12 and 17, my husband, and my in-laws live with us,” she told the Journal..She hopes to commute back and forth until the end of the school year and then move her family to B.C..Greenwood-Lee was ordained a priest in the diocese of Calgary in 2001. She holds a B.A. in religious studies, a clinical pastoral degree, a M.Div and a MBA. She has served as a priest in the diocese of Calgary and diocese of Toronto, according to the Journal..She will be the BC diocese’s 14th bishop, and the first woman to hold the position..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
