Latest from Canberra – Stutube July 2010

Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Stuart Robinson, plugs Back to Church Sunday and some other great ideas in his latest Stutube.

Christ-centred Communion – Further thoughts (full series)

Barry Newman has been adding to his series on ‘Christ-centred Communion’ and has now completed his ‘further thoughts’.

Even if you don’t agree with it all, you’ll find it stimulating and edifying.

C.S. Lewis on Democracy

Food for thought from C S Lewis –

“I am a democrat because I believe in the Fall of Man. I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that every one deserved a share in the government.

The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they’re not true. … I find that they’re not true without looking further than myself. I don’t deserve a share in governing a hen-roost. Much less a nation. … The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows…”

– C.S. Lewis, “Equality”, in Present Concerns. (h/t Between Two Worlds.)

‘Land disputes still raging on’ in San Joaquin

“What’s happened since the San Joaquin Diocese, under the leadership of Bishop John-David Schofield, became the first diocese in the country to leave the Episcopal Church in December 2007?

Four dioceses and more than 600 individual congregations in the United States have left the church over the interpretation of Scripture, including whether Jesus is the only way to salvation and the ordination of gay clergy. …

As for the Episcopalian theology, which conservatives say has changed in recent decades, Lamb said: ‘All churches change throughout time. … I think churches are constantly shifting. In this case, it’s not that the Episcopal Church has changed; our understanding of God has changed.’…”

– from The Modesto Bee.
(Photo: San Joaquin’s TEC Bishop Jerry Lamb greets Katherine Jefferts Schori – ENS.)

An important distinction in our thinking about church

“It seems to me that we are not often as careful when we think and speak about church as we are in other areas of Christian doctrine. Confusions abound, sometimes through a lack of careful distinctions.

Earlier this year I was in a debate with some older brothers in the faith about the threefold order (bishops, priests, and deacons)…”

– Mark Thompson seeks to stimulate our thinking at Theological Theology.

‘The Anglican church can’t now renege on women bishops’

John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester, writes this opinion piece for the BBC.

“When the decision was made to ordain women as priests, solemn promises were made to them that they would continue to have an honoured place in the Church of England.

To renege on that now would seem like a betrayal.”

Related: Developments in York.

Moore College Open Day and Info nights

The Moore College Open Day and Spring Carnival is on Saturday 25th September 2010 – and three information nights for prospective students are planned.

Details at the College website.

Some deep reflection needed

“I have been reading an immensely interesting book in the last couple of weeks. It is by Peter Hitchens, British journalist, author, broadcaster and brother of celebrated ‘new atheist’ Christopher Hitchens.

It is interesting for a whole host of reasons…”

– ACL President Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology.

The C of E’s General Synod: Doing the Best Things in the Worst Times

“While some may draw comfort from the apparent ruling out (if he was ever ruled in) of Jeffrey John as Bishop of Southwark, the Church of England’s direction of travel is now abundantly clear. Whether or not we agree with David Virtue’s assessment that the Church of England ‘is now Province XVII of The Episcopal Church’, he is absolutely right that we are seeing the same ruthless marginalisation of the orthodox as has happened in the United States…”

– Charles Raven’s latest commentary at SPREAD.

Archbishop Orombi’s Message to Uganda after the bomb blasts of July 11th

Ugandan Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi has released this message after Sunday’s deadly bomb blasts in Kampala –

“I call upon each one of us to desist from anger and revenge; this will only perpetuate the pain we already feel. Revenge is not a solution and neither is a sectarian approach to this problem helpful.…

And to the entire nation, I ask you to fix your eyes on the cross of Jesus…”

– Read the full text via the Anglican Communion News Service. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney.)

Back to Church Sunday in Canberra — Goulburn

“Every parish in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn is being encouraged to take part in Back to Church Sunday this year, on August 29. Because the scheduled date for the event throughout Australia (September 12) clashes with the diocesan synod meeting, this diocese has elected to hold the invitation day a fortnight earlier. The theme for this year’s event will be Come as you are…”

– from the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. (Related: Back to Church Sunday.)

The Anglican Curmudgeon on developments in York

“…the women priests in Synod combined with a sufficient number of male priests to ensure, by a bare minimum, that the wisdom of the other orders in the Church of England would not be put into practice. And in that description of the result is all the data that anyone needs to conclude that the admission of women to the priesthood in the Church of England was just the first step in a widening gyre.

There will be no turning back: after the approval of the ordination of women to the episcopate, the numbers will so change in the Church of England’s House of Bishops, and in the lay delegates as well, as to make inevitable the ordination of LGBT’s to the episcopate. And at that point, the Church of England — in whatever form it then remains — will be indistinguishable from ECUSA.”

– A S Haley (Anglican Curmudgeon) looks at the trajectory on which the Church of England has launched itself. (Photo: Women in the Church.)

Bishop of Montreal approves same-sex blessing liturgy

“Bishop Barry Clarke  is pressing ahead with a liturgy to bless same-sex unions in spite of the fact that General Synod in Halifax made no decision on the local option for or against…”

– from the Anglican Essentials Canada blog.

(Photo: Diocese of Montreal.)

ESV widget for Mac

If you use a Mac, you may find the updated ESV Dashboard widget useful.

After women bishops, what next?

“I’ve not had time to follow the Synod debate on women bishop’s much less to comment. However, I was having a discussion with some of our own folks on Thursday night, where I observed that the introduction of women bishops is by no means the end of the line, for there are explicit indications amongst the chief supporters of the consecration of women that our theology and liturgy are also in line for changes.

Just to give an idea of what this entails, I have simply cut and pasted the following from a paper on the WATCH website:…”

– John Richardson writes about moves for women bishops at the Church of England General Synod (which meets until Tuesday).

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