Thursday 31st May 2007
“Church of Uganda will uphold Road to Lambeth Statement” – i.e. Not going “In response to the recent announcement that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams, has sent out invitations to the 2008 Lambeth Conference of Bishops, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, made this statement: On 9th December 2006, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, meeting in Mbale, resolved unanimously to support the CAPA Road to Lambeth statement, which, among other things, states, “We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.” We note that all the American Bishops who consented to, participated in, and have continued to support the consecration as bishop of a man living in a homosexual relationship have been invited to the Lambeth Conference. These are Bishops who have violated the Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture” and “cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.”
Accordingly, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda stands by its resolve to uphold the Road to Lambeth. The Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi
Archbishop of Church of Uganda” Via Global South Anglican.
Thursday 31st May 2007
Death of Liberal Scholar John Macquarrie “The Reverend Professor John Macquarrie, who died on Monday aged 87, was one of the best known and most influential theologians of his time; he began life as a Scottish Presbyterian and taught for some years at Glasgow University, but during his time as Professor of Systematic Theology at the Union Theology Seminary in New York he became an Anglican and was for 16 years Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford...” Report from The Telegraph.
Wednesday 30th May 2007
“Trinity Seminary Names AMiA Bishop Rodgers Interim Dean” “The Rt. Rev. John H. Rodgers, Jr., has been appointed interim dean at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. He will serve for one year beginning Aug. 1 while Trinity searches for a permanent successor for the Very Rev. Paul F.M. Zahl, who announced May 10 that he would resign effective at the end of July...” Report from The Living Church.
Wednesday 30th May 2007
“All hell breaks out as pagans given go-ahead for university gathering” “The University of Edinburgh has granted permission to the Pagan Society to hold its annual conference – involving talks on witchcraft, pagan weddings and tribal dancing – on campus next month. Druids, heathens, shamans and witches are expected to attend what is a major event in the pagan calendar. But the move has enraged the Christian Union, which accuses the university of double standards after banning one of its events on the ‘dangers’ of homosexuality...” From The Scotsman.
Tuesday 29th May 2007
“Akinola Threatens Lambeth 2008 Boycott” “The Anglican Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, has warned that he may lead a boycott of the Lambeth Conference 2008, following news that two controversial bishops did not receive invitations from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Communion’s spiritual leader. Dr Akinola revealed he was greatly upset that Archbishop Dr Rowan Williams did not issue an invitation to Bishop Martyn Minns, missionary bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America...” From Christian Today.
Friday 25th May 2007
“Theologian damns most Britons to hell” “Ninety-five per cent of Britons are heading for hell, according to the principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, who has been under fire from some staff for taking one of the leading Anglican theological training colleges in a conservative direction. Richard Turnbull, appointed two years ago, made the claim in a speech to the annual conference of Reform, a conservative evangelical pressure group within the Church of England. If he truly believes it, the figure would encompass at least all non-evangelical Christians, including many members of the Church of England, and those of all other religions and none...” From The Guardian.
Wedneesday 23rd May 2007
“2 Bishops Not Invited to Anglican Parley” “Two bishops at the heart of the U.S. Episcopal Church’s divisions over sexuality and scripture will not be invited to next year’s global gathering of Anglican prelates, the archbishop of Canterbury’s office said Tuesday. Bishops V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire and Martyn Minns of the breakaway Convocation of Anglicans in North America were not among more than 850 bishops invited, said Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary-general of the Anglican Communion...” Report from The Washington Post.
Tuesday 22nd May 2007
“On Universalism, Hell and the Episcopal Lectionary” “As I often point out when I teach on hell, Dante assumes hell exists, that it was created out of God’s character (including, please note, His love), that it is eternal, that it is terrifying, and that there are some people there. You could hardly have an idea more on a collision course with modern mainline Western Christian theology. Universalism – the idea that it is not possible for anyone not to be saved – runs rampant in the Episcopal Church, for example, particularly among the clergy. But there is also a huge amount of what I call practical universalism, that is, in a number of Episcopal parishes, you will not hear unversalism explicitly affirmed, but you will just never hear the alternative affirmed or spoken about either. Hell may as well not exist in terms of the way the parish functions in its day to day existence...” From Canon Kendall Harmon on TitusOneNine.
Sunday 20th May 2007
“Gender roles and pastoral ministry: Q&A with J. Ligon Duncan” J. Ligon Duncan is chairman of the board of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This 2004 interview with Gender-News has some relevance to the current debate on women bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia. “Q: Wayne Grudem has said that feminism is the entry point into the church for wholesale liberalism. Is he right? A: That is so far beyond being an intriguing theory that it is to the point of being an incontrovertible fact. You can chart every denomination that has placed women in leadership in the last 120 years and you can chart their numerical decline in the western world and their theological decline. When our evangelical egalitarian friends whine that we are using an illegitimate slippery slope argument, this is not some sort of wild-haired spin theory that we are coming up with. It is a fact. Just go look at the denominational statistics, look at the denominational histories of the last 120 years and you cannot find an exception to this trend. In the Church of Scotland in 1960 when they began hammering for women elders-the argument was ‘we don’t have enough elders in our churches, this will revitalize our churches to get women elders’ – the Church of Scotland is on chart to cease to exist in 2034...” Read the full interview on Gender-News.com from The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Saturday 19th May 2007
 “Archbishop Akinola on Nigerian Elections, Holiness, and Other Issues” At the end of last weekend’s Abuja Synod, Archbishop Peter Akinola spoke with the press on a range of issues, including the West. “We met to study and discuss the theme “Be ye Holy” 1Peter 1:16. We examined God’s calling upon our lives to be holy and live exemplary lives. You will find in the distributed communiqué, our resolutions on this important issue. Allow me highlight some salient points... ... Many people look to the USA as a Christian country and its leaders often assume the role of moral leaders for the world who are ready to point the finger at problems around the globe and yet we must not forget that there is another side to their story. The present generation of Americans would do well to remember their own history. While they and their forebears claim their nation to be a gift from God it is in truth a land forcefully taken with no respect for the human rights of the despised and dispossessed Indians – it is also a land where a great deal of its early economic foundation was built on the sweat and blood of de-humanized African slaves. Americans seem to have forgotten the same LORD in whom they say “In God we trust”. Deuteronomy 7 and 8 are relevant biblical passages – “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth” 8:18a “Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” 8: 19 The God who has blessed so abundantly is also a jealous God who requires obedience and holy living. But instead of calling for obedience to the Word of God we now have the situation where those who call for faithfulness in holy matrimony or abstinence outside of it risk being accused of hate speech. The breakdown in marriages in the USA is a scandal. It is causing a massive crisis in their own society and the rest of the world. But instead of admitting the problem and finding creative ways to strengthen traditional families we see a relentless promotion and protection of so called ‘alternative lifestyles.’ Recent legislative bill H.R. 1592 (Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007) passed in the House on May 3rd 2007, and the H.R 2015 (Employment Non-Discrimination Act.) being discussed are worthy of note. God will not be mocked. We see a similar crisis in the UK. The decline in marriages and the breakdown in families has become an epidemic. But instead of encouraging holy living and strengthening family life we read of a bishop of the Church of England called before tribunal to explain his refusal to hire a certain youth worker. His offence was ‘discrimination’, we were told because the job seeker in this case was a self-confessed homosexual and who said he had just ended a five-year homosexual relationship. Surely the Church has an obligation to promote holy living not apologise for it! • Where is the Christian voice in all these?
• Why are Church leaders not concerned about this breakdown in society?
• Why are they ashamed of promoting holy living?
• Why have they lost their confidence in the Word of God? We are very much aware of the challenges that face us today in Nigeria. Many of these we addressed in our Synod and continue to do so day by day. Our hope is in the Lord – the maker of heaven and earth – and in His Holy Word. We call on Christians worldwide to rise to the challenge of protecting our Christian: – • Freedom to read the Bible privately and in public
• Freedom to preach from the Bible, and declare uncompromisingly the total oracles of the Lord
• Freedom to shield ourselves, and our children, from what we believe our God says is immoral and abominable.
• Freedom to seek to help those willing to escape Satan’s deceitful traps.
• Freedom to live holy and acceptable lives in the sight of God The issue here is not about homophobia. We are concerned about defending the right to existence of Biblical Christianity. It is about allowing the Spirit of God to transform people rather than deceive them that there is nothing wrong in their unholy practices. It is about rejecting a world system that wants to curtail our freedom to live as our Saviour taught us to. It is simply trying our best to live and encourage others to live to be HOLY as our GOD IS HOLY.”.” From The Church of Nigeria website.
Friday 18th May 2007
podBible for your iPod If you have an iPod, you can now read the New Testament (ESV) on the small screen. Available for both video iPods and iPod nano. Details from podbible.org
Wednesday 16th May 2007
“Statement by Evangelist Billy Graham on the Death of Rev. Jerry Falwell – Charlotte, May 15, 2007” “Jerry Falwell was a close personal friend for many years. We did not always agree on everything, but I knew him to be a man of God. His accomplishments went beyond most clergy of his generation. Some of my grandchildren have attended and currently attend Liberty University. He leaves a gigantic vacuum in the evangelical world.
“I am praying for his family, and especially the university that he headed.” – Statement issued by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Monday 14th May 2007
 “So many jailed, and the key of compassion thrown away” “The subject of law and order and what we do with offenders comes up at every state election. That is exactly the wrong time. We need space and time for mature and well-informed debate on the issues. Politicians respond to our fear of crime by being anxious to avoid all risk and so creating a stricter regime of policing and imprisonment. Hence their promises of more people in prison for longer periods and under harsher regimes...” Opinion by Archbiship Peter Jensen in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Monday 14th May 2007
“Tom Frame: Canberra is right to ban cricket tour” “There are times when governments must show firm moral leadership. Prime Minister John Howard’s announcement yesterday that Canberra had instructed Cricket Australia to cancel the forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe is one such instance. It was the right decision and the only one that a morally responsible government could have taken in the circumstances...” Opinion by former Bishop to the Defence Forces, Tom Frame – in The Australian.
Saturday 12th May 2007
“Lord is our stockman in newest Bible” “Tens of thousands of Aborigines in Australia’s north can now read the entire Bible in their mother tongue for the first time, but it is not quite the Good Book many English speakers would recognise...” Report on the Kriol Baibul from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tuesday 8th May 2007
“Archeologist: King Herod’s tomb desecrated, but discovery ’high point’ ” “The archeologist who located King Herod’s tomb at Herodium said Tuesday that the grave had been desecrated, apparently shortly after his death, but called the discovery a ‘high point.’ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday night that it has uncovered the grave and tomb of Herod, who ruled Judea for the Roman empire from circa 37 BCE...” Report from Haaretz.
Tuesday 8th May 2007
| “This is not something that brings any advantage to us – neither financial nor political. We have actually found it to be a very costly initiative and yet we believe that we have no other choice if we are to remain faithful to the gospel mandate.” |
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Archbishop Akinola writes to the Archbishop of Canterbury “Archbishop of Canterbury
Lambeth Palace, London
Sunday, May 6th, 2007 My dear Rowan, Grace and Peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus the Christ. I have received your note expressing your reservations regarding my plans to install Bishop Martyn Minns as the first Missionary Bishop of CANA. Even though your spokesmen have publicized the letter and its general content I did not actually receive it until after the ceremony. I do, however, want to respond to your concerns and clarify the situation with regard to CANA. I am also enclosing a copy of my most recent letter to Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori.
We are a deeply divided Communion. As leaders of the Communion we have all spent enormous amounts of time, travelled huge distances – sometimes at great risk, and expended much needed financial resources in endless meetings, communiqués and reports – Lambeth Palace 2003, Dromantine 2005, Nottingham 2006 and Dar es Salaam 2007. We have developed numerous proposals, established various task forces and yet the division has only deepened. The decisions, actions, defiance and continuing intransigence of The Episcopal Church are at the heart of our crisis.
We have all sought ways to respond to the situation. As you well know the Church of Nigeria established CANA as a way for Nigerian congregations and other alienated Anglicans in North America to stay in the Communion. This is not something that brings any advantage to us – neither financial nor political. We have actually found it to be a very costly initiative and yet we believe that we have no other choice if we are to remain faithful to the gospel mandate. As I stated to you, and all of the primates in Dar es Salaam, although CANA is an initiative of the Church of Nigeria – and therefore a bonafide branch of the Communion - we have no desire to cling to it. CANA is for the Communion and we are more than happy to surrender it to the Communion once the conditions that prompted our division have been overturned.
We have sought to respond in a measured way. We delayed the election of our first CANA bishop until after General Convention 2006 to give The Episcopal Church every opportunity to embrace the recommendations of the Windsor report – to no avail. At the last meeting of the Church of Nigeria House of Bishops we deferred a decision regarding the election of additional suffragans for CANA out of respect for the Dar es Salaam process.
Sadly we have seen no such respect from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church. Their most recent statement was both insulting and condescending and makes very clear that they have no intention of listening to the voice of the rest of the Communion. They are determined to pursue their own unbiblical agenda and exacerbate our current divisions.
In the middle of all of this the Lord’s name has been dishonoured. If we fail to act, many will be lost to the church and thousands of souls will be imperilled. This we cannot and will not allow to happen. It is imperative that we continue to protect those at most risk while we seek a way forward that will offer hope for the future of our beleaguered Communion. It is to this vision that we in the Church of Nigeria and CANA remain committed.
Be assured of my prayers.
Sincerely,
Signed,
The Most Revd. Peter J Akinola, CON, DD
Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of all Nigeria..” Via the Church of Nigeria website. See also Archbishop Akinola’s letter to Katharine Jefferts Schori.
Tuesday 8th May 2007
 “Anglican ‘Missionary’ Bishop Named for America – The Schism Arrives” “William Bennett once observed that America was fast becoming ‘the kind of nation civilized nations sent missionaries to’. In truth, that is what America has now become. The schism in the Anglican communion was visible for all to see when the Nigerian primate Archbishop Peter Akinola, installed Bishop Mims in a ceremony held in northern Virginia...” From the Blog of Albert Mohler, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President.
Sunday 6th May 2007
“Rebel Anglicans install bishop” “About 30 American Episcopal Churches reinforced their traditional theological views on Saturday by consecrating Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns. His new position marks a new beginning for the 30 churches that no longer align themselves with the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church in the U.S...” Story from Potomac News. Also see this story (U.S. Bishop, Making It Official, Throws in Lot With African Churchman) from The New York Times.
Thursday 3rd May 2007
“Episcopal bishop hits Anglican installation” “Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is confronting Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola head-on with a new demand that he not install Truro Church rector Martyn Minns as head of a parallel denomination this coming weekend. ‘Such action would violate the ancient customs of the church’ in terms of the sacrosanct boundaries of individual bishops, the presiding bishop wrote in a letter released yesterday...” From The Washington Times.
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