Food for thought
“…even assuming that there will be a remnant of Evangelicals at Lambeth … the 70% who will be there represent a MINORITY of Anglicans worldwide, while the 30% of bishops attending GAFCON represent 70% or more…”
From a Viewpoint article by Anglican journalist David Virtue.
Archbishop Peter Jensen in the Sydney Morning Herald
“On Saturday I had the pleasure of ordaining 49 men and women who were officially starting their ministries in Anglican churches in Sydney and beyond. Amid their joy and enthusiasm, I charged them to be faithful servants of the biblical message. I did so aware that I had to announce later in the day our painful decision that we will not go to the Lambeth Conference.
I have characterised this debate not just as one of sexual ethics but of faithfulness to the very message those ordinands had promised to uphold.
There has been a long road leading to this. …”
Raed the full article in The Sydney Morning Herald.
See also “Primate laments snub by bishops” in The Australian. “Dr Aspinall, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, said yesterday he failed to understand the motivation of the dissenting bishops…”
Archbishop aims to save divided Church
The Anglican archbishop in charge of drawing up the document intended to reunite his warring Church said he believes that schism can still be averted in spite of divisions over the issue of homosexuals.
The Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, said that a new formula had been found that would allow the disciplining of errant churches while respecting the traditional autonomy of the 38 worldwide Anglican provinces. …
But he indicated that the Episcopal Church of the United States was unlikely to face discipline or any form of exclusion from the Anglican Communion … The new draft is expected to introduce greater autonomy for individual provinces to do what they believe to be right. …
Full report by Ruth Gledhill in The Times Online.
See also the earlier Draft Covenant (April 2007)
and an analysis of it by The Church Society’s General Secretary David Phillips (PDF file).
Three more AMiA bishops consecrated
Three more bishops have been consecrated into the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), the ‘alternative province’ set up in North America for disaffected traditonalists who reject the leadership of the American Episcopal Church, particularly their liberal stance on homosexuality.
American priests Terrel Glynn, John Miller and Philip Jones were consecrated bishops into the Church of Rwanda in a ceremony at AMiA’s winter conference in Dallas, Texas, which was attended by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and Justice Akrofi, the Archbishop of West Africa. …
Report from Religious Intelligence.
(See also these details from the AMiA website. Photo: Dick Kim.)
Helpful music on special
Many of our readers have been blessed through the work of Australian groups Emu Music, Garage Hymnal and others who produce gospel-focussed music.
In the US, Sovereign Grace Ministries produces similarly helpful music (some of which will be familiar to attendees of CMS NSW Summer School). Read more
Sydney will not attend Lambeth – official
This Statement was made by Archbishop Peter Jensen – speaking after the service of ordination of 48 deacons at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney today –
“With regret, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney have decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference in July.
They remain fully committed to the Anglican Communion, to which they continue to belong, but sense that attending the Conference at this time will not help heal its divisions.
They continue to pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference.”
From the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin
This letter has been sent to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin –
“Friday, February 01, 2008
We have received your letter dated January 25 in which you state that you do not recognize us individually as members of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin. We find your statements, published by ENS on the internet and read in Hanford prior to most of us receiving the actual letter, to be unhelpful. While you may hold any personal opinion you wish as an individual, the office of Presiding Bishop does not have the legal, canonical or moral authority to proclaim for the Episcopal Church non-recognition of duly elected members of a diocesan Standing Committee. …”
Read the full letter sent from the San Joaquin Standing Committee to Katharine Jefferts Schori.
48 New Deacons in Sydney
This morning 48 men and women were ordained as deacons by Archbishop Peter Jensen at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
Please give thanks to the Lord for each and pray for them as they begin new ministries.
(Thanks to David Ould for the photo. More photos here courtesy of Ramon Williams. And a report here from SydneyAnglicans.net)
Anglicans keep Lourdes anniversary
Eight Church of England bishops are together planning to make an unprecedented group pilgrimage to the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes on the 150th anniversary of the reported appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Bernadette.
… the Society of Mary, one of the Church of England’s Catholic Societies, has organised a pilgrimage for a large group of Anglican bishops, along with about 400 lay worshippers. …
Full story from The Church Times.
(For a very helpful resource on the difference between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs, see Ray Galea’s Nothing in My Hand I Bring published by Matthias Media.)
Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen on church music
In response to this ABC Radio PM item (“Archbishop of Sydney ‘vandalising’ Anglican culture”, Wednesday, 30 January 2008) and an article in The Spectator, Archbishop Peter Jensen has released this statement:
“I am disturbed by an attack on the musical tradition of St. Andrew’s Cathedral featured in the Spectator and aired on ABC Radio recently.
No opportunity was given to respond to these remarks before they aired.
There are inaccuracies in the reports about which I will say nothing, but I am compelled to speak to correct the record and to protect the real victims of such an attack, the musicians who do a splendid job, week in and week out, in congregations across Sydney, and not least at our Cathedral, St. Andrew’s.
Christ Church Plano – The Anglican Initiative for Mission
David Roseberry, Rector of Christ Church Plano, reports from the first meeting of The Anglican Initiative for Mission: an annual workshop to inspire, train and support the planting of new churches in America.
The workshop was held as a prelude to the AMiA Winter Conference last week in Dallas.
Watch David’s report via Youtube. See also the The Anglican Initiative for Mission website.
Archbishop Akinola thanks GAFCON Theology Resource Team
Members of the Theology Resource Team for GAFCON met in Lagos, Nigeria from January 28-30. They came from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Australia, Ghana, India, and England.
(They are pictured here with Primate of Nigeria Archbishop Peter Akinola, centre. ACL President Rev. Dr. Mark Thompson is second from the left in the second row.)
At at the conclusion of their meeting, Archbishop Peter Akinola spoke at a press conference. Archbishop Akinola said: Read more
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…