Archbishop Mouneer Anis at Lambeth press conference
“From my experience of the Bible studies and of the Indaba discussions I see a great wall being put up by revisionists against those orthodox who believe in the authority of Scripture. The revisionists among us push upon us the view that current secular culture and not the Bible should shape our mission and morals. In this we are not divided by mere trivialities, or issues on the periphery of faith but on essentials.
I am shocked to say that we are finding it very hard to come together on even the essentials of the faith we once received from the Apostles. …”
– Archbishop Mouneer Anis, Primate of the Middle East, at a Lambeth press conference. Text via Global South Anglican.
GAFCON, the future and the Jerusalem Statement
The Global Anglican Future CONference held in Jerusalem at the end of June 2008 occurred not to stop a split in the Anglican Communion but because there already exists such a split. That is a sad but hard fact. …
In 2002 Rowan Williams was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. Rowan Williams had publicly admitted to ordaining a man he knew had a homosexual partner …
– David Holloway, Vicar of Jesmond Parish Church, Newcastle upon Tyne, reflects on the need for GAFCON – at Anglican Mainstream. (Photo: Reform.)
Bishop Richard Ellena of Nelson: Lambeth an expensive exercise in futility
Stand Firm has published, with permission, a letter from Bishop Richard Ellena of the New Zealand Diocese of Nelson:
We are now in the last couple of days of Lambeth and I am feeling deeply sad.
I don’t know why at the moment – everything I came here hoping for looks set to be agreed to:
It is very likely that the Windsor continuation report will be approved – which means that a moratoria on gay bishops will continue etc….
And it seems likely that a covenant process will be endorsed and a draft agreed to.
All this seems good to me and yet I can’t help this overwhelming sadness.
Because I am more convinced than ever that none of this will help us. Those who have stayed away will not agree to it and will continue their ministry in the States. And TEC will continue to bleat that they won’t follow the moratoria while these Africans continue to ignore it.
I believe (at this stage – and there are still two days to go) that this has been the most expensive exercise in futility that I have every been to. …
– Read the rest of the message at Stand Firm.
Sarah Hey of Stand Firm has also posted online an audio interview with Bishop Ellena.
(Photo: Diocese of Nelson.)
Lambeth 2008: A Conversation with Archbishop Venables
Kevin Kallsen of Anglican TV has posted online a 35 minute video interview with Archbishop Gregory Venables.
Archbishop Venables compares Lambeth with GAFCON and notes that Lambeth has totally ignored GAFCON – it’s as if it didn’t happen.
At Lambeth? “We haven’t talked about the gospel. We haven’t talked about salvation.” “The toothpaste has been squeezed out of the tube and we are not able to put it back again.”
Reports of Anglican demise exaggerated
There is an industry saying that people uncritically accept media reports, except in their area of expertise. Then the media gets it totally wrong. Although I have been a journalist for 30 years, my time in the GAFCON pressroom proved that old adage.
As well as being responsible for Archbishop Jensen’s media liaison, I was privileged to be a part of the GAFCON media team, a group made up of Anglican press officers from around the world: Uganda, Canada, Nigeria, the US and Kenya plus a Norwegian fellow traveller. …
– Russell Powell reflects on the media’s reporting of GAFCON at SydneyAnglicans.net.
(Russell interviews Bishop Al Stewart – with Tim Robinson filming – overlooking the Sea of Galilee . Photo: Zac Veron.)
Pittsburgh changes address – just in case
The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is in the process of moving its online home to www.pitanglican.org. The new address, based on Pittsburgh’s airport code, now is the primary host for the diocesan website and all diocesan staff email accounts.
“We are grateful for the use of our former address, pgh.anglican.org, which has been very kindly loaned to us by the Society of Archbishop Justus for more than a decade. That said, given the diocese’s coming vote on realignment and the decision of the Society earlier this year to take back the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin’s address after it approved a similar vote, it seemed prudent to make this change now,” said the Rev. Peter Frank, director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.…
– More at pitanglican.org. (See also “San Joaquin website disappears” from March 2008.)
“An Open Door, Pittsburgh Laity Discuss Realignment”
A ten minute video has been produced to help members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as they consider realigning with the Province of the Southern Cone.
Featuring lay members of churches across the diocese, the stark choice of either staying in The Episcopal Church or leaving is clearly presented. Worth watching as a reminder to pray for these brothers and sisters as their diocesan convention approaches next month.
– The video is available at parishtoolbox.org – a website produced by the Diocese of Pittsburgh. (Photo: Dr. Edith Humphrey narrates the video.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…