Moore’s newest students called to proclaim Christ
“One of my favourite quotes about preaching, one I fear you will get tired of hearing if you spend four years with us, comes from a congregational minister and head of a theological college from the early twentieth century. James Denney insisted,
‘No man can show at one and the same time that he is clever and Jesus Christ is mighty to save’.
You have to make a decision — early on in your ministry — that it does not matter if you are entirely forgettable. What matters is that Christ is known. I’m going to be drawing attention to him or to myself. I can’t do both.”
– Moore College Principal Mark Thompson addresses the college’s newest students.
Also on the College website: Enrolment for new Moore Distance offerings launched.
Revolutionary Sex
From St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London –
“Our recent sermon series ‘Revolutionary Sex’ gave us opportunity to examine the Bible’s teaching on marriage, sex, sexuality and singleness. William Taylor helpfully pointed out that in a society that is confused about these issues the Bible calls Christians everywhere to be sexual revolutionaries.”
See the videos here:
1. The Call to Revolution.
2. Revolutionary Sex and the Gospel.
3. Same Gender Sex.
4. Singleness and Marriage.
5. Q&A Compilation.
Audio files at this link.
Update: William Taylor talks about the rationale behind the series in the latest Preaching Matters (9 minute video).
‘New Anglican bishop promises justice, compassion’
“Newly installed Anglican Bishop of Newcastle Greg Thompson focused on the issues of justice and compassion during his first official sermon at Christ Church Cathedral yesterday. …”
– Report from the Newcastle Herald. (Please also keep in your prayers the Diocese of the Northern Territory as a new Bishop is sought.)
Broadside from Canterbury and York
“The English Archbishops of York and Canterbury have fired the equivalent of a broadside into the respective Anglican Provinces of Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, and naturally it has to do with the Western hot button issue of homosexuality. …
When the head, nominal though he be, of the Anglican Communion lectures and cautions any Province, the implications and threat cannot be missed. It is odd that this lecture and caution would be directed toward the orthodox Anglicans of the Communion and not against the heterodox Anglicans both in North America and indeed within the Church of England itself…”
– Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, looks at the extraordinary intervention during the week.
GAFCON Chairman responds to the statement by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
A response to the statement by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York of 29th January 2014
This week, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York sought to remind the leadership of the Anglican Communion and the Presidents of Nigeria and Uganda of the importance of friendship and care for homosexual people.
Christians should always show particular care for those who are vulnerable, but this cannot be separated from the whole fabric of biblical moral teaching in which the nature of marriage and family occupy a central place.
The Dromantine Communiqué from which the Archbishops quote also affirmed (Clause 17) the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 which states that ‘homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture’ and that the conference ‘cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions’.
Yet earlier this week, the English College of Bishops accepted the recommendation of the Pilling Report for two years of ‘facilitated conversation’ because at least some of the bishops could not accept the historic teaching of the Church as reaffirmed in the Lambeth resolution.
Indeed, in making the case for such a debate, the Pilling Report observes ‘In the House of Lords debate on same sex marriage, the Archbishop of York commended that the Church needed to think about the anomalies in a situation where it is willing to bless a tree or a sheep, but not a faithful human relationship.’ The anomaly only exists of course if it really is the case that a committed homosexual union can also be Christian.
The good advice of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York would carry much more weight if they were able to affirm that they hold, personally, as well as in virtue of their office, to the collegial mind of the Anglican Communion. At the moment I fear that we cannot be sure.
Regrettably, their intervention has served to encourage those who want to normalize homosexual lifestyles in Africa and has fuelled prejudice against African Anglicans. We are committed to biblical sexual morality and to biblical pastoral care, so we wholeheartedly stand by the assurance given in the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution that those who experience same sex attraction are ‘loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.’
May God in his mercy grant that we may hold to the fullness of his truth and the fullness of his grace.
The Most Rev’d Dr Eliud Wabukala
Archbishop, Anglican Church of Kenya
and Chairman, GAFCON Primates Council.
30th January 2014
Re-posted from the GAFCON website.
Ordinands get ready for the big day
“A group of 35 men and women will be ordained as deacons on Saturday, taking positions from church planting, indigenous ministry, school chaplaincy to parish work.
Archbishop Dr Glenn Davies has been addressing the group this week at the pre-ordination conference and will ordain them at a service at St Andrew’s Cathedral on Saturday, February 1st, 2014 at 10am.
The number is one more than were ordained at last years service. Sydney Anglican churches are being asked to remember the ordinands in prayer.”
– See the full list at SydneyAnglicans.net and take the time to pray for these brothers and sisters.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…