Short and Packer honoured
Distinguished Anglican theologian JI Packer and the Rev David Short have been appointed honorary clerical canons of Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral.
Both Dr Packer and Mr Short had their licenses removed by the Canadian Anglican leadership when their church, St. John’s Shaughnessy in Vancouver, voted to realign with the Province of the Southern Cone. …
– Russell Powell reports at SydneyAnglicans.net
What should evangelicals believe?
The question of the week on The Guardian ‘Comment is Free: Belief’ blog is, “What should evangelicals believe? What must an evangelical think and do to make him or her worthy of the name?”
My reply, the first of what will be five for the week, is here.
– John Richardson helpfully contributes to public debate in the UK.
Sola scriptura minus the scriptura
I knew we had to take a look at this week’s Newsweek’s cover story when I read the first line. It was just that bad. It was written by senior editor Lisa Miller who oversees all of the magazine’s religion coverage. Which is pretty shocking when you look at the unbelievable ignorance on display in her grossly unfair first paragraph…
– Mollie Hemingway at Get Religion. (hat tip Between Two Worlds.)
Episcopal Diocese of L.A. officially condones the blessing of gay unions
The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has announced that church leaders can bless the unions of same-sex couples as a matter of policy.
The Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, whose diocese encompasses Los Angeles County and five other Southern California counties, made the announcement Friday during a diocesan convention in Riverside. …
– Report from The Los Angeles Times.
Newsweek goes for Gay Marriage
Newsweek magazine, one of the most influential news magazines in America, has decided to come out for same-sex marriage in a big way, and to do so by means of a biblical and theological argument. In its cover story for this week, “The Religious Case for Gay Marriage,” Newsweek religion editor Lisa Miller offers a revisionist argument for the acceptance of same-sex marriage. It is fair to say that Newsweek has gone for broke on this question. …
– Southern Baptist Seminary President Al Mohler comments at his blog. (Photo: Together for the Gospel.)
Archbishop Peter Akinola interviewed by Nigerian media
“I saw a card with the inscription, season greetings, and I said what season? Winter season or rainy season? If we are celebrating Christmas, then we are celebrating Christmas season, not any other season but the birth of the Christ.
Christ is the centre, and purpose and essence of Christmas celebration, so if you remove Christ from the card and the greeting, then, what are you people talking about? To the ordinary person, it is a harmless thing but if you look at the background, and you see what is happening around, then you will know it is not ordinary. It is part of the game of the anti-Christ to remove Christ and not only that, to remove all Christian emblems from public domain.…”
– Published in The Nigerian Tribune, this interview with Archbishop Peter Akinola covers GAFCON, the church in Nigeria, the church in the West, and celebrating Christmas.
Anglican Coalition in Canada welcomes new Province
Dec 6th 2008 – Vancouver, Canada
The Anglican Coalition in Canada is pleased to announce its full participation in the emerging Province called the Anglican Church in North America. This new province was called into existence by the GAFCON Primates, representing the vast majority of the Anglican Church worldwide. Read more
GAFCON Primates’ Council welcomes North American Province
Primates of the GAFCON Primates’ Council meeting in London have issued the following statement about the Province of the Anglican Church in North America.
“We welcome the news of the North American Anglican Province in formation. We fully support this development with our prayer and blessing, since it demonstrates the determination of these faithful Christians to remain authentic Anglicans.
North American Anglicans have been tragically divided since 2003 when activities condemned by the clear teaching of Scripture and the vast majority of the Anglican Communion were publicly endorsed. This has left many Anglicans without a proper spiritual home. The steps taken to form the new Province are a necessary initiative. A new Province will draw together in unity many of those who wish to remain faithful to the teaching of God’s word, and also create the highest level of fellowship possible with the wider Anglican Communion.
Furthermore, it releases the energy of many Anglican Christians to be involved in mission, free from the difficulties of remaining in fellowship with those who have so clearly disregarded the word of God.
6th December, 2008 AD.”
– Available at the GAFCON website. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney.)
Christians in Jos are ‘scapegoats’, says bishop
“Christians in northern Nigeria have said that inaccurate reporting of riots in Jos at the weekend could fuel further Muslim violence against them. The worst sectarian violence in recent years claimed around 400 lives, a figure which the Bishop of Jos, the Rt Revd Ben Kwashi, said was likely to rise. …”
– Pat Ashworth reports for Church Times. See also this story by Ruth Gledhill for Times Online.
More information – and disturbing pictures – at the new website of the Anglican Diocese of Jos.
Greetings from the Anglican Church League, Sydney, to the new Province of North America
THE COUNCIL OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH LEAGUE SENDS GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS GATHERED IN THE NEW PROVINCE OF NORTH AMERICA
1. The ACL welcomes this new development while remaining deeply saddened by the circumstances which made it necessary. Faithful Anglicans have been marginalised within The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada because of their determination to remain faithful to the Scriptures as expressed in the Creeds and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. We rejoice with these our brothers and sisters in this way forward out of the difficulties that have plagued them over the past five years and more.
2. The Statement on the Global Anglican Future published in Jerusalem in June 2008 said ‘In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates’ Council.’ The ACL recognises the new Province of North America as fulfilling the vision of the GAFCON Primates’ Council.
3. There can be no doubt about the authentic Anglican character of this new province. It contains Anglicans from a variety of traditions who, though different at significant points and committed to taking seriously those differences, share the same prior commitment to the supreme Lordship of Christ and the authority of the Scriptures in all matters of faith and life. They have proven themselves to be faithful men and women who embrace the classic Anglicanism of the Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and more recently, the Jerusalem Declaration.
4. It is a matter of profound regret that Lambeth 2008 and the other so-called Instruments of Communion (the Anglican Consultative Council, The Primates’ Meeting and the Archbishop of Canterbury) have failed to address the crisis with any urgency or meaningful action. Their delay has given further opportunity to those who are using all means possible to hinder the faithful gospel ministry of orthodox Anglican Christians in North America and beyond.
5. We congratulate Bishop Bob Duncan on his election as Archbishop and Primate of the Province of North America. We pledge him and the members of the new Province our support and our prayers for the future. We call on all Anglicans around the world to join with us in these prayers and in congratulating the churches of North America for taking this bold but necessary step.
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever! (Rev. 5:13)
Mark D Thompson, President
Robert Tong, Chairman
On behalf of the Council of the Anglican Church League
3 December 2008
(ACL President, Dr. Mark Thompson, pictured.)
North American Anglican Province Formed
A new Province of the Anglican Church in North America, a rival province to The Episcopal Church USA complete with a provisional constitution and nine canons was birthed today with 700 churches and 100,000 church-going members. A formal ratification of the constitution and canons will take place in a provincial assembly in six months in Bedford, Texas at St. Vincent’s cathedral in the diocese of Ft. Worth.
It is historic and unprecedented, said Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan moderator of the Anglican Communion Network. “It is an extraordinary day for us. We have reversed 40 years of Anglican history and years of division among The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in Canada. Today we bring together 11 jurisdictions in Canada and across the US. Today marks 5 years of labor and attempts to come together.”
– full story from VirtueOnline. (image from Anglican TV stream.)
Constitution Approved for New Province
VirtueOnline reports:
“VirtueOnline has learned that new a Constitution and Canons has been approved of by the Common Cause Council with no abstentions to establish a new North American Anglican Province.
A Christ Awakening event is being held here on the campus of Wheaton College prior to the formal announcement of a new Anglican Province later tonight.…”
– image from the Anglican TV stream of the gathering in Wheaton.
Historic Common Cause event tomorrow (Aust time)
From the Anglican Network of Canada:
“The Common Cause Partnership bishops (including ANiC’s Bishop Don Harvey) met Monday and today near Chicago. Today and tomorrow the full Common Cause Council… meets to finalize a draft constitution for a new North American Church which will be officially launched on Wednesday evening at a celebration service.
AnglicanTV plans to live stream the Common Cause celebration service from Wheaton, Illinois on Wednesday (Dec 3) at 7:30pm Central Standard Time [Noon Thursday Sydney time]. Earlier in the day, AnglicanTV will also live stream a news conference – at 5:30pm CST [10:00am Thursday Sydney time] – at which the constitution of the new Anglican Church in North America will be released.”
Other details from Anglican TV.
Observing Evangelicalism with Don Carson
Mark Dever asks Don Carson about the highs and lows of the evangelical landscape in this 73 minute interview recorded in June and released last week by 9 Marks.
Fish out the perpetrators of Jos crisis – Akinola
“The Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Archbishop Peter Akinola, has urged government to fish out the perpetrators of the crisis that trailed Thursday’s local government election in Plateau State. Scores of people had been killed since violence erupted in Jos on Friday even before the election results were announced.…”
– Full report from the Church of Nigeria.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…