Gary Nelson installed as 7th Bishop of North West Australia

“On Saturday the 26th of May, over 200 people gathered in the Cathedral to show their support, to pray for and to welcome the 7th Bishop of the Diocese of the North West Australia, Bishop Gary Nelson.  Friends and family came from Perth, Sydney, The Kimberley & the Pilbara to celebrate this new beginning for Bishop Gary.

We value your prayers for Bishop Gary and the whole Diocese of North West Australia.”

– from Geraldton Anglican Cathedral. where they have posted a couple of photos and the audio of Bishop Nelson’s sermon on Titus 2:11-15.

Sydney Standing Committee motion on Gippsland ‘breach of trust’

“The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Sydney has expressed ‘dismay’ at what it calls ‘a breach of fellowship and trust’ with the Bishop of Gippsland who has appointed a partnered gay man to a ministry position in his diocese.

The appointment was announced earlier this year in the Gippsland diocesan newspaper. The resulting controversy led to the adoption of an Australian bishops’ protocol on sexuality.

Now, Bishop John McIntyre has announced his intention to continue such appointments, saying to his Synod “I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us…….. I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.”

The Standing Committee resolution ‘notes its dismay’ at the Bishop’s comments from which, it says, “it is reasonable to infer his intention to appoint, amongst others, practising homosexuals to ministry roles in his Diocese and support same-sex marriages.”

The resolution continued “Standing Committee considers that Bishop McIntyre’s earlier appointment of a practising homosexual to a ministry office and his May 18, 2012 statement represent –   Read more

The seduction of pornography and the integrity of Christian marriage, Pt 1

“Not only have we severed sex from marriage, but as a society, we now look at marriage as an imposition, chastity as an embarrassment, and sexual restraint as a psychological hang-up. The doctrine of sin explains why we have exchanged the glory of God for Sigmund Freud’s concept of polymorphous perversity…”

– Albert Mohler begins a two-part series on the pornographic crisis gripping the western world.
Related:
Online safety resources (Communicate Jesus),
Avoiding pornography’s perils (SydneyAnglicans.net),
and Just1ClickAway (from John McDowell Ministry).

Garage Hymnal in Concert to support BCA

Garage Hymnal in Concert to support the Bush Church Aid Society – at St Barnabas’ Broadway on Friday 15th June.

Please click the image for details.

St. Hilda’s says goodbye to a building

“Today was our last Sunday worshipping in the building that has been known as “St. Hilda’s” for the last 53 years. A negotiated settlement with the Diocese of Niagara will result in the building being turned over to the diocese on June 1st. …”

– Anglican Essentials Canada blog reports on the last service at St. Hilda’s Oakville in Ontario.

Photo: David Jenkins. More photos here.

Depression and Euthanasia

“I am deeply troubled by the availability of euthanasia to people suffering from depression and mental illness. Recent research from Oregon, USA, where euthanasia is available has not stilled my troubled soul. …”

– from Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower.

An Anglican Conference focussed on the Future

Gav Poole was among the attendees at the FCA Conference in London –

“The crisis has happened, there is impairment within the communion and now we look forward to the renewal of the Anglican communion.”

“The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) leaders conference was held in London, 23 to 27 April. It was made up of 200 delegates within the Anglican communion from 30 countries. The theme of the conference was ‘Jesus the Christ: Unique and Supreme’.

The conference was designed to critique the current state of the Anglican communion and under teaching from the Scriptures move the delegates to a common commitment as to the direction of the FCA and its role within the Anglican communion. The program included Bible studies, services, seminars and networking. It culminated in the adoption of a conference commitment at the end of the week.  Read more

Rick Lewers consecrated Bishop

On Friday night Rick Lewers was consecrated as Bishop of Armidale. Russell Powell has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Southern Cone declines to ratify Bishop of Uruguay’s election

“The House of Bishops and provincial executive committee of the Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur (de América) have declined to ratify the election of the Ven. Michael Pollesel as Bishop of Uruguay.

At the close of their 21 – 25 May 2012 meeting in Montevideo the bishops released a statement saying that ‘after discussion and prayer and in accord with its canons the Provincial Executive of the Cono Sur together with its College of Bishops did not ratify the election of the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel as bishop-coadjutor for Uruguay’…

Last December, Dr. Pollesel, the former general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada … was elected Bishop of Uruguay by the diocesan synod to succeed Bishop Tamayo who retires in June.

Concerns whether Dr. Pollesel shared the Cono Sur’s doctrinal and Scriptural views or followed those prevalent in the Anglican Church of Canada were raised after his election…”

– Full story at Anglican Ink.
(Photo of ACA Archbishop Fred Hilz with Dr Michael Pollesel: Anglican Journal.)

As good as it gets

“‘This is as good as it gets’ the man assured me. I was initially shocked, but then deeply saddened by his statement. It was an astonishing statement but there was no doubting the sincerity with which he was speaking.

It was the night before the Commonwealth Day Service in the Cathedral. Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Edward were all to be present. …”

– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes in his weekly column.
(Photo courtesy Ramon Williams.)

The costly faithfulness of The Falls Church

“The Falls Church is one of hundreds of congregations across the country that have given up their buildings rather than stay affiliated with a branch of their church they believe denies the final authority of Scripture. …”

– Alicia Constant writes about Falls Church at The Gospel Coalition. (h/t Tim Challies.)

Appreciating the ministry of Graeme Goldsworthy

“On Wednesday night Moore College held the Graeme Goldsworthy’s celebration at which the Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen launched Graeme’s latest book Christ-centred Biblical Theology…”

— from the Moore College website.
Related: The ‘must read’ Christian book of the year?

Josiah and the essentials underpinning reform

“And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” (II Chronicles 34 : 2).

These words refer, of course, to King Josiah. They are noteworthy not least because in the Second Book of Chronicles, they form a summary, quite remarkably, of his thirty-one year reign in Jerusalem, beginning when he was a mere eight years old. Of how many kings and rulers can the same be said after the close of so lengthy a reign? …

– James Crabtree, Chairman of Church Society Council, looks to Josiah as an example of godliness. From the Spring 2012 edition of Cross†Way. (PDF file.)

The day I took Matthias Media’s money to the casino

“I was in the precinct of Sydney’s main casino on Saturday, and, with the full knowledge and approval of several of my Matthias Media colleagues, I trotted off to the casino with $140 of MM’s money in my pocket…”

– At The Briefing, Ian Carmichael reflects on what he saw.
(Photo: Matthias Media.)

Bishop McIntyre breaks ranks on homosexuality

How does this square with the Australian Bishops’ Protocol?

The Synod of the Diocese of Gippsland met in Sale, 18–20 May 2012. In his Presidential Address, Bishop John McIntyre spoke of the “new place” to which he had come in his understanding of homosexual people and the church. He said –

“I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us … and I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.”

Read the full text of his address – linked from the diocesan website (PDF) – also quoted at length in The Gippsland Times (“Anglican Bishop enters gay marriage debate”, 19 May 2012).

Related posts. (Photo: Diocese of Gippsland.)

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