Thursday 30th November 2006
 The Bishop of San Joaquin responds to the letter from the Presiding Bishop In response to Katharine Jefferts Schori’s letter, Bishop John-David Schofield has written... “I am in receipt of your letter to me and wish to make clear from the outset that I have always remained faithful to my vows as an ordained bishop in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. At my consecration, I vowed to “guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church of God.” I was charged by my chief consecrator to “Feed the flock of Christ committed to [my] charge, guard and defend them in his truth, and be a faithful steward of his holy Word and Sacraments.” I carry out my vow by defending and propagating “the historic Faith and Order” which The Episcopal Church commits to upholding in the preamble of its own Constitution. In 2003, the General Convention committed itself to a theological path that is irreconcilable with the Anglican faith this Church has received and has torn the fabric of the entire Communion. The Primates repeated calls for repentance have not been heeded. More than half of the Primates and Provinces of the Anglican Communion have declared themselves to be in impaired or broken communion with The Episcopal Church. Beyond our Anglican Communion, relations throughout Christendom have been profoundly strained. With obvious reference to innovations and novelties introduced by The Episcopal Church, last week Pope Benedict XVI publically stated to Archbishop Rowan Williams that recent developments, “especially concerning ordained ministry and certain moral teachings,” have affected not only the internal relations within the Anglican Communion but also relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. The Episcopal Church, as an institution, is walking a path of apostasy and those faithful to God’s Word are forced to make painful choices. At a diocesan level, the choice is between continuing membership in an unrepentant, apostate institution or following Holy Scripture and the Anglican faith....” [emphasis added] From the Diocese of San Joaquin website. (260kb PDF file)
Wednesday 29th November 2006
 Message from Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network to the Diocese of San Joaquin: “Stay the course” “As the Clergy and People of the Diocese of San Joaquin face into your Annual Convention of 2006, I want you to know that the whole Network is praying for you. Stay the course. You are doing important work in establishing that the diocese is the fundamental unit of the catholic church. While you are engaged in a ‘first reading’ and therefore not actually bringing any change for the moment, your determination makes clear your commitment to the Gospel above erring councils and positions. You will be poised to make the changes by a second reading if that proves God’s call. – The Rt. Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Moderator, Anglican Communion Network” From the Diocese of San Joaquin website. See below.
Wednesday 29th November 2006
“Christians blast Chicago for ‘Nativity’ movie ban” “The so-called war on Christmas has been reignited with an ironic decision by the city of Chicago to ban advertisements for ‘The Nativity Story’ movie from a local Christmas festival, fearing they might offend non-Christians....” Report from WorldNetDaily.
Saturday 25th November 2006
 “Blunt papal words for Anglican leader” “While welcoming the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Vatican on November 23, Pope Benedict XVI spoke plainly about the current tensions between the Holy See and the Anglican communion... ‘especially concerning the ordained ministry and certain moral teachings.’ ” Full report from Catholic World News.
Thursday 23rd November 2006
UK “Government Ploy To Force Through Sexual Orientation Regulations In Northern Ireland” “After the recent news that the Government were delaying the England, Wales and Scotland SORs by 6 months to deal with the ‘difficult issues’ which minister Ruth Kelly admitted had been highlighted by the response of faith groups to the consultation, it was a shock to find that behind the scenes the Government are rushing through identical Regulations in Northern Ireland using their direct rule powers, while the Northern Ireland Assembly remains suspended...” Story from Anglican Mainstream.
Wednesday 22nd November 2006
 Bishop Brian King – with Christ It is with sadness that we relay the news that Bishop Brian King has died this morning, after a long illness. We are grateful for Brian’s faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and his humble service in Christ’s name, over many years. Prior to his retirement, Brian served as the Bishop of Western Sydney 1993–2003. Before that, he was Rector in the parishes of Manly, Wahroonga and Dural. Please uphold in prayer Pamela and their entire family at this time. We understand there will be a thanksgiving service for Brian’s life, in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney at 11:00am on Tuesday 5th December. Philippians 1:21–23.
Tuesday 21st November 2006
 “Questions For Katharine Jefferts Schori” – NYT Interview “How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country? About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children. Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children? No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.” Read the full New York Times interview with Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. (May require registration.) Also worth reflecting on: 2 Timothy 3:7.
Tuesday 21st November 2006
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop warns the Bishop of San Joaquin “My dear brother: I have seen reports of your letter to parishes in the Diocese of San Joaquin, which apparently urges delegates to your upcoming Diocesan Convention to take action to leave the Episcopal Church. I would ask you to confirm the accuracy of those reports. If true, you must be aware that such action would likely be seen as a violation of your ordination vows to ‘uphold the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them.’ I must strongly urge you to consider the consequences of such action, not only for yourself but especially for all of the Episcopalians under your pastoral charge and care. I certainly understand that you personally disagree with decisions by General Conventions over the past 30 and more years. You have, however, taken vows three times over that period to uphold the ‘doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Episcopal Church.’ If you now feel that you can no longer do so, the more honorable course would be to renounce your orders in this Church and seek a home elsewhere. Your public assertion that your duty is to violate those vows puts many, many people at hazard of profound spiritual violence...” Read Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s ‘friendly’ letter here. Read the story from The Living Church. See also this earlier interview with Bishop Schofield.
Sunday 19th November 2006
 Bishop Iker’s address to the Fort Worth Diocesan Convention “Our highest loyalty is not to a denomination, but to the Lord Jesus Christ. However much we might love our church, we must not love it more than God. It becomes idolatry when we place anything else before Him. I say this because some would make an idol out of The Episcopal Church, it appears ... It is troublesome to me when some talk more about why they are an Episcopalian than why they are a Christian...” Read Bishop Iker’s full address here. See also the Convention’s vote in favour of the appeal made by Bishop Iker and his Standing Committee to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion for Alternative Primatial Oversight and pastoral care.
Thursday 16th November 2006
Truro Church vestry votes to “sever ties” with The Episcopal Church The vestries of Truro Church, Fairfax and The Falls Church, Falls Church in The Diocese of Virginia, have concluded a period of ‘40 days of Discenrment’ and have voted to sever ties with The Episcopal Church. Read this Open Letter to Truro church members. “...the vestry has met in a series of retreats considering these issues, hearing from many of you, and praying together.
... after another time of prayer and repentance, we voted unanimously to recommend to the Truro congregation that we sever our ties with The Episcopal Church and affiliate with the Anglican District of Virginia, an association of Virginia churches who are joining together to realign traditional Anglicans in Virginia. The district is part of CANA (the Convocation of Anglicans in North America), a branch of the Anglican Communion within the Church of Nigeria.”
See also this report on the Diocese of Virginia website, and also this story from The Living Church.
Tuesday 14th November 2006
 Bishop John-David Schofield from the diocese of San Joaquin interviewed by Anglican TV Watch this very interesting interview with Bishop John-David Schofield (one of the ‘good guys’), from the Diocese of San Joaquin in California, on the latest developments in the Episcopal Church. See the 15 minute video clip here (broadband recommended).
Tuesday 14th November 2006
 Alan Stewart announced as the next Bishop of Wollongong It was announced last night that Alan Stewart, currently CEO of Anglican Youthworks in Sydney Diocese, will become the new Bishop of Wollongong after Bishop Reg Piper retires in February to become the Rector of Gymea. In bringing the appointment to the Standing Committee last night, Archibishop Peter Jensen said, “Alan Stewart is a man of great wisdom and godliness. He is full of energy and enthusiasm, and is passionate about the spread of the gospel. He has exhibited skill in the area of strategic planning, and will bring energetic leadership to continue and expand the work of Bishop Piper. I believe that he has the abilities and qualities needed to serve as Bishop of Wollongong, and I recommend him warmly to you, and seek your approval of this appointment.”
Alan is well known to ACL members – he has served in the parishes of Tregear and Centennial Park – and has spoken at numerous Christian conventions. He also spoke at the ACL’s 2002 Synod Dinner. Alan is married to Kathy and they have four children.
Sunday 12th November 2006
 “Jesus Christ is ‘Our Vehicle to the Divine?’ The Episcopal Church is in Big Trouble” “In an interview with CNN’s Kyra Phillips, Bishop Schori was asked, ‘So what happens after I die?’ Her answer: What happens after you die? I would ask you that question. But what’s important about your life, what is it that has made you a unique individual? What is the passion that has kept you getting up every morning and engaging the world? There are hints within that about what it is that continues after you die. There is nothing even remotely Christian about that response. This woman is now the leader of the Episcopal Church in America, and she can do no better than this? It gets worse...” From the Albert Mohler Blog (Al is the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville). You can also listen to his radio programme.
Friday 10th November 2006
 “An Open Letter from the Warden of the Latimer Fellowship to the Archbishops and Bishops of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia” “Although it was widely known that Juan Kinnear was in a same-sex relationship, there had been no public admission of that fact from the Bishop of Dunedin until his Statement on Friday November 3. Even as late as Wednesday afternoon (November 2), the Bishop of Christchurch, in a public meeting, expressed his lack of knowledge of the circumstances of the ordination. This suggests that either the Bishop of Dunedin had withheld important information from the Bishops during their conference call of Friday (October 27), or a number of Bishops (including my own) were deliberately withholding from the church significant information about what was to take place. Both scenarios are extremely serious and damaging to the integrity and openness of our church. In our view they warranted the public protest we made...” See the Latimer Fellowship website for the full text.
Wednesday 8th November 2006
“A Statement by the Global South Steering Committee on Consultations with bishops requesting APO”  “As indicated in the Kigali Communiqué (September 2006), we will be holding a consultation with the leadership of Episcopal dioceses requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight (APO). Our aim is to investigate their appeal in greater detail and identify possible responses. We will also meet leaders from dioceses who may not have specifically requested for APO, but will like to explore together what the steps forward may be. We will meet after the Nov 12-15 Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) Trustees meeting, at a separate location. Since these consultations are confidential there will be no provision for media access. We would, however, welcome your prayers. A number of the primates have also been sent an invitation by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schorri. They will be responding to her in due course through private communication. Archbishop John Chew,
Secretary for Global South Steering Committee
8 November 2006.” Source: Global South Anglican.
Tuesday 7th November 2006
“Research Director Calls Membership Loss ‘Precipitous’” The Episcopal Church has suffered a net loss of nearly 115,000 members since 2003, but the Very Rev. James B. Lemler, the church’s director of mission, said those numbers ‘are not more than we expected.’ In an interview with The Christian Century magazine, Dean Lemler said that church officials were in fact encouraged that average Sunday attendance (ASA) in 2005 did not decline as much as it had in 2003 and 2004. ASA in 2005 was 787,000 people, 8,500 fewer than in 2004...” Report from The Living Church.
Monday 6th November 2006
 “Bishop under-fire as gay priest ordained” “The head of the Anglican Church in Dunedin is under-fire by a senior vicar, furious at yesterday’s ordination of a gay man as a deacon. Bishop George Connor ordained three people as deacons at St Paul’s Cathedral. One was Juan Kinnear, who is in a same-sex relationship. But before the bishop could begin the ceremony, two vicars – Rev Malcolm Falloon and Rev Wally Behan – stood in front of about 200 parishioners and asked him not to proceed with the ordination...” Report from Stuff.co.nz (See their website for information on the Diocese of Dunedin.)
Saturday 4th November 2006
“Statement of Protest at Dunedin Gay Ordination” PRESS RELEASE : 04 November 2006 “Statement of Protest We have publicly expressed our protest at the actions of the Bishop of Dunedin in ordaining a man in a same-sex relationship for the following reasons. - It ignores the clear teaching of the Bible on matters of human sexuality. We cannot call holy what the Bible does not call holy, nor can we bless behaviour that does not belong in the kingdom of God.
- It disregards 2000 years of the Christian understanding of the Bible on which the Anglican Church is founded. The church from the very first days has insisted on either marriage or celibacy for its ordained ministers, and the Anglican Church has always affirmed this.
- It violates the rules of our Church and denies those who disagree with the Bishop the right to a fair hearing and due process. The Bishop of Dunedin is not authorised or free to apply the rules of the Church merely subject to his own opinions.
- It dismisses the call for a “moratorium” on such actions from the leaders of the Anglican Church worldwide and deepens the current crisis that is in the words of the Communion’s Archbishops “tearing the fabric” of the Anglican Communion.
- It completely undermines the process of careful listening and conversation that the General Synod and our Archbishops have requested by unilaterally acting in a way that effectively shuts down all debate.
Therefore we appeal to the Archbishops of this church and the whole House of Bishops, as “guardians” of the Church’s discipline, to break their silence. As Bishops called to “promote peace and unity among all God’s people”, we ask them to “keep the Church true to its faith” by publicly dissenting from the Bishop of Dunedin’s actions. For not to do so will give tacit approval to the Bishop’s actions and will precipitate a constitutional crisis in our Church. Revd Malcolm Falloon Warden of the Latimer Fellowship
Vicar of Bryndwr, Christchurch.”
Friday 3rd November 2006
 “Sheikh Hilali” – weekly message from Dean Phillip Jensen “The events of the last week have revealed the inadequate way our society deals with religion. This is a complex matter so let me make some numbered summary points... ... The great motto about ‘I will defend to the death’ the person’s right to speak has been significantly missing-in-action in this last week.” Read the full text on the St. Andrew’s Cathedral website.
Friday 3rd November 2006
“New Presiding Bishop of TEC on sexuality and other faiths” Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: “Christians understand that Jesus is the route to God. Umm– that is not to say that Muslims, or Sikhs, or Jains, come to God in a radically different way. They come to God through... human experience... through human experience of the divine. Christians talk about that in terms of Jesus. ... Hindus and people of other faith traditions approach God through their.. own cultural contexts; they relate to God, they experience God in human relationships, as well as ones that transcend human relationships; and Christians would say those are our experiences of Jesus; of God through the experience of Jesus...”. Transcript by Anglican-Mainstream of an interview broadcast on 18th October on (US) National Public Radio’s “Here & Now”. Listen here.
Friday 3rd November 2006
“Dr Jensen champions pan-Evangelicalism” “The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, has signalled that his diocese might play a greater part in the controversies dividing the Anglican Communion. Delivering a statement to his diocesan synod last week, in the context of a motion commending the Primates of the Global South for their ‘forthright stand’, Dr Jensen said that Sydney was well-placed to support and resource Evangelicals in other first-world Churches. ..” From The Church Times.
Thursday 2nd November 2006
“New Zealand Anglicans Divide over Gay Ordination” “Leading Anglicans said today that the ordination of a ‘practising homosexual’ in Dunedin this Saturday could split the Church in New Zealand and the Anglican Communion. The Latimer Fellowship and Anglican Mainstream NZ have written a letter to the three Archbishops of the New Zealand Church appealing to them to stop or postpone the ordination of a man who is understood to be in an 18-year same-sex relationship. The Bishop of Dunedin, the Rt Revd George Connor, has announced his intention to ordain him in Dunedin on Saturday 4th November...” Full story from Latimer Fellowship.
Tuesday 31st October 2006
Martin Luther day It was on this day in 1517, that Martin Luther posted 95 statements (now known as The 95 Theses) on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg. This action is seen by many as the beginning of the Reformation. Never read them? Not read them in a while? You can find a copy and related articles on the Church Society website.
Tuesday 31st October 2006
“Presiding Bishop's Chancellor Threatens Fort Worth, Quincy Dioceses” “On the eve of Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s investiture as the 26th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, her chancellor, David Booth Beers, has written identical letters to the chancellors of two traditionalist dioceses demanding that they change language ‘that can be read as cutting against an “unqualified accession” to the Constitution and Canons of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church’... ‘The timing of this letter is shocking,’ Fort Worth Bishop Jack L. Iker told The Living Church.” Report from The Living Church.
Friday 27th October 2006
 Helpful resources from Oak Hill College, London In recent times, Oak Hill College in London has begun making some of its resources available via its website. See the Resources section for lecture transcripts and mp3s as well as a list of recommended Bible commentaries. And see the News section for a report that David and Lesley Peterson plan to return to Sydney at the end of the academic year, next July (David has been the Principal of Oak Hill since 1996).
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Alan Stewart announced as the next Bishop of Wollongong