“The Governing Board of the College has agreed to the Principal’s nomination of Peter Orr and Andrew Leslie, who will join the faculty over the next six months.”

– Read the story at the Moore College website.

– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen continues from last week on the theme of giving. Read it here.

(Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)

Louis Kinsey, Church of Scotland minister in Aberdeen,

“For those who look on, it must seem that the Church of Scotland is simply not able to make judgements on the basis of Holy Scripture, but only by sentiment and story, and by expediency and pragmatism.”

– An Open Letter to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2013.

and David Robertson, Free Church minister in Dundee,

“The liberals who reject the Bible as the Word of God, are delighted, declaring that this is the Holy Spirit speaking through the Church. … But many of us who love the Church of Scotland are devastated. Why? Because yesterday, and it pains me as I write this, the Church of Scotland wrote its own suicide note.”

–  The Church of Scotland, RIP?

Archbishop Jensen, Bishop Robinson.

– See this month’s two videos from Andrew Sach, as well as earlier overviews of Mark’s Gospel by Charlie Skrine, at the St. Helen’s website.

“Equality is not the issue. The consummation of a marriage by a man and a woman is unique and cannot be replicated. The precious differences between men and women, likewise cannot be replicated in any other bond.”

Full story:

Archbishop Peter Jensen has publicly disagreed with former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has done a turnaround and now says he supports same sex marriage.

Dr Jensen says Mr Rudd’s comments “do not grapple sufficiently with the question of what marriage is and what it is for”.

In a blog post on his electorate website, Mr Rudd said that after a conversation with a political staffer who he described as a pentecostal ‘god botherer’ he came to the conclusion that “church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same sex marriage”.

Although disagreeing with the christian viewpoint that homosexuality was wrong, as would be same-sex marriage, Mr Rudd said “I believe that this change should legally exempt religious institutions from any requirement to change their historic position and practice that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman”.

Prime Minister Gillard and Opposition Leader Abbott maintain their positions against same-sex marriage.

Dr Jensen told the Australian newspaper “I respect Mr Rudd and have always enjoyed my conversations with him on all sorts of subjects. He is an interesting and thoughtful man. On this matter, however, I am unconvinced.”

The Archbishop said “His discussion of the bible is historically shallow and he may be too confident about the state of current research” – referring to claims by Mr Rudd that children in same-sex relationships suffer no disadvantage.

But Dr Jensen said the main issue was that the statement and thinking outlined by Mr Rudd did not fully grapple with marriage and its intention.

“Equality is not the issue. The consummation of a marriage by a man and a woman is unique and cannot be replicated. The precious differences between men and women, likewise cannot be replicated in any other bond”.

Dr Jensen went on to tell the newspaper “Marriage is too important for all of us – it is not a church-state issue – to redefine it for the sake of an illusory equality. What cannot be done should not be attempted”.

Muslim and Jewish leaders quoted by the newspaper also supported the institution of marriage as between a man and a woman.

– from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill is set to isolate hundreds of thousands of young students and workers across the country who hold a fuller view of marriage based on religion or a traditional view. These young people, from teenagers to 30-year-olds, will suffer discrimination and face new risks to their careers, and futures, if the Bill passes in its present form. 

We are a diverse group of church leaders; each week, our congregations number 150,000, of whom 50,000 are aged between 13 and 30. For many in this rising generation, marriage is the union of sexual opposites, and the thread that binds generations. If the Bill passes into law without much clearer protections for freedom of speech and freedom of belief, teachers and public-sector workers will have to choose between their conscience and their career, as many will be deterred from a public-service career or from charity involvement.

The Bill is supposed to be pro-marriage, pro-equality and pro-diversity, yet, as drafted, it is none of those things. There will be anger and sadness, and this Bill will cause pain for many, without tackling prejudice against the few. We, and many young people in our congregations, are concerned about the consequences if it is passed in its current state.

The Rt Rev Peter Smith
Archbishop of Southwark

Rev John Stevens
National Director, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

Rev Vaughan Roberts
Rector of St Ebbe’s, Oxford

Rev Richard Coekin
Director, Co-Mission

Rev David Barry
Free Church Minister, Market Harborough

Rev David Gibbs
Vicar of St Andrew’s Leyland

Rev Christopher Hobbs
Midland Gospel Partnership

Rev Andrew McKenna
Free Church Minister, Market Harborough

Rev Justin Mote
North Western Gospel Partnership

Rev Marcus Nodder
Vicar of St Peter’s Barge, Canary Wharf

Rev Hugh Palmer
Rector of All Souls, Langham Place, London W1

Rev Paul Perkin
Vicar of St Mark’s Battersea Rise

Rev Stephen Shaw
South Western Gospel Partnership

Rev John Ross
Minister of Farnham Baptist

Rev Will Stileman
Vicar of St Mary’s, Maidenhead

Rev William Taylor
Rector of St Helen, Bishopsgate

Rev Richard Underwood
Free Church Minister, Market Harborough

From here (scroll down)

– This report from the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly claims ‘common ground’ in continuing to allow congregations to ignore its own official doctrine.

Related: Church of Scotland votes to allow gay ministers – The Scotsman.

Earlier stories – including:

“We believe the Church of Scotland is choosing to walk away from the biblical gospel, and to walk apart from the faith of the worldwide Christian Church.” – St. George’s Tron, Glasgow, secedes from Church of Scotland (June 2012).

Once marriage is redefined and reduced to only an intimate relationship, on what logical basis could the law turn away three people who say they want to get married?”

– read the full statement from Anglican Mainstream.