British Columbia parishes to be merged
Shrinking attendance at Island churches is forcing the Anglican Church of Canada to close one Victoria parish and merge eight others in an effort to shore up the diocese’s finances.
St. Alban’s Church will be shuttered in the next one to three years as part of an Island-wide restructuring confirmed at the Diocese of B.C. leaders’ conference in Metchosin at the weekend.…
– Report from The Province. (Crest: Diocese of British Columbia.)
Jim Packer on the ESV Study Bible
Dr Jim Packer, Theological Editor of the forthcoming ESV Study Bible, speaks about the project in this 5 minute 38 second promotional video – at YouTube.
(hat tip: Justin Taylor.)
Rowan Williams to visit Lourdes
“Archbishop of Canterbury to preach in Lourdes for 150th anniversary of the visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will participate in anniversary celebrations at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the invitation of the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Monsignor Jacques Perrier.
He will preach at the International Mass on 24th September 2008 which is being celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. The Archbishop will also participate in a Pilgrimage of bishops, clergy and laity of the Church of England, which is organised by the Society of Mary and the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.…”
– from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.
Letter to Williams: Suspend TEC and recognise Common Cause
“I write, therefore, to ask that you take immediate action in suspending the Episcopal Church from any further participation in activities of the Anglican Communion and in calling a meeting of the Primates to give formal recognition to a new Province in North America…”
– Bishop Colin Bazley, former Primate of the Southern Cone, writes to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Read his open letter at Anglican Mainstream. (Photo: Lambeth Conference media.)
Why it’s a great day to be a traditional Anglican
“Barely two months after lots of indabaing with 617 fellow Anglican Communion bishops… Katherine Jefferts Schori and her advisors had two choices. They could violate the canons flagrantly and hang ’em high now, further shattering TEC’s global reputation… or they could attempt to follow the canons scrupulously. They chose the former…”
– Sarah Hey writes at Stand Firm. (Photo: ENS.)
New website in support of Bishop Duncan
“The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s communications team has created this website for the purpose of posting and sharing comments in support of Bishop Robert Duncan and The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh in light of his purported deposition by The Episcopal Church on September 18.
Posted below are several public announcements of support from leaders throughout global Anglicanism.”
– See the latest statements of support at support-duncan.blogspot.com.
Support for Bishop Duncan flows in
From Archbishop Mouneer Anis:
…It is with great joy that I welcome you alongside the ranks of St. Athanasius who, as Bishop of Alexandria, was deposed and exiled from his see. St. Athanasius did not waver and stood firm. History proved that his stance for orthodoxy was not in vain. I trust it will do the same for you! So please count it as honor my brother.
I don’t know what to call it, a tragedy or comedy, for the faithful to be disciplined by those who tear the fabric of our Anglican Communion. …
– Read the full letter from Archbishop Mouneer Anis – along with messages Archbishop Peter Jensen and Archbishop Robinson Cavalcanti – at the Diocese of Pittsburgh website.
John Woodhouse on OT Narrative
Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds has this for us –
If you want to learn how to read/preach OT narrative, John Woodhouse (Principal of Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia) is an excellent guide.
If you want to learn by watching him do it, check out his expository commentary on 1 Samuel.
If you want to learn by hearing him teach on it, check out the following six one-hour lectures on OT narrative delivered for the Charles Simeon Trust:
Lecture 1 Lecture 2 Lecture 3 Lecture 4 Lecture 5 Lecture 6. (Photo: Moore College)
Archbishop Peter Jensen’s statement on the deposition of Bishop Duncan
Statement from the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, on the deposition of Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh by the Episcopal Church House of Bishops.
“The unfolding tragedy of the Episcopal Church starkly reveals the folly of the original decision to break with the Bible and centuries of historic Christianity on the issue of human sexuality.
We grieve for Bishop Duncan but are encouraged by his courageous witness.
I welcome the statements of the many significant figures in the Anglican world who have expressed grave concern at this act towards a man who remains in good standing with the majority of the communion.”
– 19th September 2008.
See also Network, Common Cause Leaders offer Support for Bishop Duncan…
Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth:
“In spite of the sham deposition of Bishop Robert Duncan by the House of Bishops, he remains the formidable leader of traditional Episcopalians and loyal Anglicans in North America. Bishop Duncan continues to have the respect of a majority of the primates and bishops of the entire Anglican Communion, including the Archbishop of Canterbury. In an effort to silence him, the House of Bishops has only given him greater creditability as the leader of the realignment movement.”
Archbishop Akinola’s address to the General Synod of Nigeria
From Archbishop Peter Akinola’s Opening Address at the 9th General Synod of the Church of Nigeria –
We called Gafcon because we refused to ‘succumb to the turmoil in our Communion and simply watch helplessly. We have found ourselves in a world in which Anglican leaders hold on to a form of religion but consistently deny its power. We have a situation in which some members of the Anglican family think they are so superior to all others that they are above the law, they can do whatever they please with impunity.’
– Read the full address at the Church of Nigeria website.
Bp Duncan’s Statement on his ‘Deposition’
It is a very sad day for The Episcopal Church. It is also a sad day for me, a faithful son of that church.
Nevertheless it is also a hopeful day, hopeful because of the unstoppable Reformation that is overtaking the Christian Church in the West. It is also a hopeful day for me personally as I am unanimously welcomed into the House of Bishops of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, an act applauded by Anglican archbishops, bishops, clergy and people all around the world.
The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will move forward under its new Ecclesiastical Authority, its Standing Committee. That body will carry the diocese through to our realignment vote on October 4. With the success of that vote, it will be possible that we be joined together again as bishop and people.
I offer my deepest thanks to the company of saints all around the globe who have sustained me, my wife and all who are dear to me in these days.
Robert Duncan. September 18, 2008
(Source: Diocese of Pittsburgh.)
See also the statement released by the Pittsburgh Standing Committee.
Diocese of Pittsburgh maintains course
The House of Bishops purported deposition of Bishop Robert Duncan will not change the agenda for the Oct. 4 Diocesan Convention or change Bishop Duncan’s status as a bishop in good standing within the Anglican Communion.
The action of the House of Bishops, which was taken in a closed meeting on September 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah, contravenes numerous canons of The Episcopal Church.…
– Read the full statement at the Diocese of Pittsburgh website.
Retired bishops wheeled in to depose Bishop Duncan
The Episcopal Church House of Bishops today passed a resolution formally requesting that the Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan be deposed from the Episcopal Church for abandoning the communion of the church.
By a vote of 87 to 36 with four abstentions the HOB overwhelming moved to have the evangelical catholic bishop removed as a bishop from TEC. It is now up to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to officially depose him. She is expected to do that before The Diocesan Convention in 2 weeks. …
Springfield Bishop Peter Beckwith described the debate for deposition as “shallow”.
“They were blaming Bishop Duncan saying he needed to be deposed because he said terrible things about the House of Bishops. I have never seen so many retired bishops at a HOB meeting. The majority voted for deposition. The hypocrisy was incredible.…”
– Report from VirtueOnline. See also this update from Sarah Hey at Stand Firm.
Welsh Bishops pledge pastoral care – but no flying bishop
“The Bishops of the Church in Wales today promised to provide continuing care for those opposed to the ordination of women, following a decision not to appoint a new assistant bishop.
They stressed there was still a place in the church for those unable in conscience to accept the ordination of women and emphasised their commitment to sensitive pastoral care for all people and parishes in each diocese.
The announcement follows the retirement last June of Bishop David Thomas who came to be known as the Provincial Assistant Bishop. He was appointed in 1996 when the church decided to ordain women as priests…”
– Statement from the Church in Wales.
Forward in Faith UK has expressed its disappointment: Read more
‘Breakaway Anglican group uses Jensen’s postbox’
“The Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, is helping to organise a breakaway faction of the global Anglican Church that is opposed to same-sex blessings and the consecration of gay clergy from his diocesan headquarters at St Andrews House.
The controversial move has angered moderates in the Australian church. …
[Yet] … The diocese denies that Dr Jensen’s new position means the GAFCON movement will be administratively headquartered in Sydney.”
– Another story mentioning controversy, subversion, that ‘breakaway faction’ and ‘strict literal interpretations of the Bible’ – from The Sydney Morning Herald.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…