New Archbishop of Polynesia

“The Anglican Church in these islands has a new Archbishop: Dr Winston Halapua, the new Bishop of Polynesia.

Dr Halapua, who is 64 and a Tongan-born, Fijian citizen living in New Zealand, was announced this morning as the new Bishop of Polynesia. As such, he automatically becomes one of the three Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia…”

– Report from Voxy News NZ. (Photo: Anglican Taonga.)

Reform initial response to Revision Committee Report

Reform Press Release 11th May 2010

“The Revision Committee’s report on Women in the Episcopate published on 8th May “provides no adequate framework for recognition of our future ministry in the Church of England and so could lead to a serious squeezing of the pipeline for future ordinands” said Revd Rod Thomas, Reform chairman today.  Read more

Music from The Village Church

The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, has graciously made available online their new kids album, “Jesus Came to Save Sinners” – for free download.

Their earlier (adults’) album, “Village Worship” and other music is also freely available.

See it here. (h/t Justin Taylor.)

The Silence has been Deafening

“We are now less than six days from ECUSA’s “consecration” of a partnered lesbian to the (ECUSAn, at any rate) episcopacy. As I wrote in this earlier post, in so consecrating Canon Mary Glasspool, ECUSA will shoot itself in the foot. Even so, the silence from Lambeth Palace over the past weeks has been deafening…”

– A S Haley writes at Anglican Curmudgeon.

A marriage which is no longer a marriage

Bishop Gregory Venables:

“First of all although the Covenant is a wonderful effort it looks as if it’s not going to succeed because it doesn’t really get to grips with what the problem is. There are two versions of Christianity: the original version and the new version which isn’t true Christianity. It does not address and we are not going to resolve it. Really the Covenant seems to be a way of holding together a marriage which is no longer a marriage.

Also even if we sign the Covenant and believe that there is enough there to work through the problems, the Anglican Church does not have a structure to implement how it would be worked out. We haven’t got a leadership, we haven’t got anybody who can say right now that we’ve done this, this is what’s going to happen.

And the worst thing about it is that now it looks as if there is going to be a standing committee which could fulfil that role but the standing committee is representative of the problem rather than the solution so it doesn’t look very hopeful.”

– Archbishop Venables sees the proposed Anglican Covenant as dead in the water.

(Quoted by A S Haley in his commentary, The Silence has been deafening. Photo from an Anglican TV video.)

Eternity at the Cathedral

The theme for the Queen’s Birthday Convention III at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney is Eternity.

Monday 14th June 2010, 10:00am – 5:00pm.
Details here.

(Related: The story of Arthur Stace.)

Planning for the Lord’s Day

“In his book Expository Listening Ken Ramey offers a list of ways you can ‘Plan Ahead, and Schedule Your Week Around the Ministry of the Word.’

‘For the majority of people, even church members, church is not the priority of their week. Too often school, work, sports, and other activities take precedence over going to church. They make the mistake of letting their time be ordered by the world, which views the weekends as a time to relax, to play sports, to stay up late and sleep in.

For Christians, however, Sunday should be the most important day of the week. You should try to schedule your work, activities, get-togethers, and vacations around church.’…”

– Tim Challies posts some of Ramey’s helpful suggestions we could all learn from.

‘The bishops with the minds of gnats’

The Herald-Sun’s Andrew Bolt is one of many to comment negatively on today’s story that “The Anglican Church wants Australians to have fewer children and has urged the federal government to scrap the baby bonus and cut immigration levels.” (AAP report via The Sydney Morning Herald.)

While the report may give the impression it is official Anglican policy, after enquiries, the ACL website has not yet found any source for such a statement.

Update: Thanks to Kevin Goddard for tracking down a related document.
And Andrew Bolt interviewed Professor John Langmore, Anglican Public Affairs Commission Chairman, on Melbourne radio 3MTR, starting at the 18’36” point of this mp3 file.

Try not to be cool like this

This satirical video from North Point Media in the US says it all.

(h/t Justin Taylor.)

Call to prayer for next UK government

From Anglican Mainstream:

“O Lord, you give the rulers of your people wisdom, discernment and insight in order that they might govern with justice, compassion and righteousness. As the leaders of our political parties negotiate the formation of the next government, we ask you so to move the hearts and wills of our leaders and people that in righteousness we may be led, and in righteousness may gladly follow; the the honour of your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord,  Amen.”

Dr Philip Giddings (Convenor)
Canon Dr Chris Sugden (Secretary)

(A good idea in the light of 1 Timothy 2:1-6.)

‘Scripture classes lose half of students to ethics, say Anglicans’

“The controversial trial of secular ethics classes has ‘decimated’ Protestant scripture classes in the 10 NSW schools where it has been introduced as an alternative for non-religious children, with the classes losing about 47 per cent of enrolled students…”

– report from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Paul White Dinner Lecture

SMBC’s annual Paul White Memorial Dinner / Lecture is set for Wednesday 26th May, with Archbishop Peter Jensen speaking on the place of mission in the local church.

See the SMBC website to book.

Why expository preaching protects preachers

Many of our readers will be convinced of the importance of expository preaching. Here’s some more encouragement – Tony Reinke writes:

“During the second T4G panel discussion Mark Dever and Al Mohler discussed evangelism, preaching, and the hesitancy among some Christians to speak openly on tough subjects like God’s judgment…”

– At the Sovereign Grace Ministries Blog.

On shooting oneself in the foot

A.S. Haley last week reflected on the consequences of the imminent consecration of Mary Glasspool –

“The image of a ham-fisted gunslinger, unable to keep from pulling the trigger before he can draw his Colt .45 from its holster, fits ECUSA to a T. It has recklessly ridden into the middle of the Anglican Communion and proceeded to shoot the place up, just as in a Hollywood grade-B Western. While everyone else ducks and runs for cover, ECUSA whoops it up, gets drunk on its cheap imitations of Scripture, and tosses its collective miter in the air to celebrate its raucous belligerence. It is still big and powerful enough to do considerable damage, but it is the rest of the Communion who will have to pick up the pieces.

Meanwhile, the local sheriff hides away in his home, and announces that just as soon as the bully has left, he will sponsor another round of indaba at the local saloon. Talk will go on, accomplishing nothing, but what the sheriff has not noticed is that there are fewer and fewer people at the table.”

– read it all at The Anglican Curmudgeon.

The Heart in the New Testament

Barry Newman is still working away on his posts on ‘the heart’ – he’s now looking at ‘the heart’ in the New Testament, and is up to part 7.

← Previous Page — Next Page →