Firing Rome’s Canon
“The church at Rome just determined that these two popes exceeded God’s expectations for obedience. These men not only were able to escape the punishment of purgatory, having no need to purge their sins, having already achieved the holiness necessary to enter heaven.
Not only that, but all the merit they achieved which was beyond what was required was deposited, along with the merit of Christ, into the Treasury of Merit. This merit can become yours, via the purchase of indulgences…”
– Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. looks at the theology behind the canonisation of Popes John and John Paul.
Saints
“ I turned up for my early morning coffee today and, helping my newsagent friend, Charlie, dropped off today’s edition of La Fiama, the Italian newspaper, to my barista, Dom. I asked him, as usual, to translate the headline – ‘Pope declares two Popes saints’.
How does a person become a saint in the Roman Catholic church?…”
– David Cook on who the real saints are. (published 29 April 2014.)
Latimer Fellowship engages with ‘Ma Whea?’
NZ General Synod members will gather in the Bay of Islands for the General Synod of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, May 10–15.
The recently-published report of the ‘Ma Whea?’ [Where to?] Commission on Same-Gender Relationships, Ordination and Blessing will be a topic for discussion.
The Latimer Fellowship has published some brief reflections to help Synod members think through the issues raised in the report.
“To aid General Synod representatives, and to encourage evangelical thinking and engagement with the Report and the issues contained within it, various members of the Fellowship have written short reflections on it. Our prayer is that these pieces might strengthen confidence in God’s word revealed in Scripture, and be widely disseminated.”
Communiqué from the GAFCON Primates Council, April 27 2014
The GAFCON Primates Council has been meeting in London, and at the conclusion of the gathering released a Communiqué, which addresses current issues in the Anglican Communion.
On The Church of England:
“We are particularly concerned about the state of lay and clerical discipline. The House of Bishops’ guidance that those in same sex marriages should be admitted to the full sacramental life of the church is an abandonment of pastoral discipline. While we welcome their clear statement that clergy must not enter same sex marriage, it is very concerning that this discipline is, apparently, being openly disregarded.”
Read the full Communiqué here.
Moore College Open Night — 5th May 2014
“An informal night to come along and check out the College and find out for yourself what Moore is all about.”
– Details from the MTC website.
A Conversation with Tyndale House’s Peter Williams
Dr. Peter Williams, Warden at Tyndale House in Cambridge, was interviewed recently in Arizona. He was asked about the future of the church, and what challenges and encouragements there are.
15 minutes, worth watching. (h/t Justin Taylor.)
Anzac and Easter 2014 — Phillip Jensen
“Easter is a moveable feast. The latest day upon which it can occur is Anzac day. But not till 2038 will Easter and Anzac day coincide. Frequently, as in this year, Easter is close to Anzac Day. Inevitably they cast a shadow upon each other. Both are about paying the supreme sacrifice.
Australians, together with our cousins across the Tasman, remember the sacrifice of so many of our armed forces on Anzac day each year. It is right and proper to do so. …”
– Phillip Jensen writes in his weekly newsletter for the Cathedral.
‘Women, Sermons and the Bible’ coming in May
Tony Payne at Matthias Media writes:
“…I’m pleased to be able to announce that on Monday 5th May, Matthias Media will release Women, Sermons and the Bible: Essays Interacting with John Dickson’s Hearing Her Voice (edited by Peter Bolt and Tony Payne).
The collection not only responds to the main arguments of Hearing Her Voice (regarding whether women should give sermons in the regular Sunday gathering), but also bounces off this specific question to consider some larger issues…”
– See the table of contents at the Matthias Media website.
‘Supreme Court of Canada deals final blow to Anglican parishioners’
“A breakaway group of Anglican parishioners has been dealt a deathblow in their legal battle over ownership of a Riverside church.
The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to grant St. Aidan’s parishioners leave to appeal, dismissing their case with costs.”
– report from The Windsor Star, Ontario. (h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog.)
Mohler & colleagues publish important response to ‘God and the Gay Christian’
Albert Mohler and four colleagues at The Southern Baptist Seminary have published an e-book in response to “God and the Gay Christian”, which was also published today.
Mohler explains why a response is important:
“The church has often failed people with same-sex attractions, and failed them horribly. We must not fail them now by forfeiting the only message that leads to salvation, holiness, and faithfulness.”
Related:
Sexegesis: An important contribution to a vital debate.
Justin Taylor: Why book-length responses to other books can be helpful.
Themelios vol 39, issue 1 now available
The latest issue of the theological journal Themelios is now available for free download from The Gospel Coalition.
Check it out – including Don Carson’s editorial, “Do the Work of an Evangelist”.
h/t Andy Naselli.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at St. Andrew’s Cathedral for Easter Sunday
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were guests at the Easter Sunday service at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney yesterday. Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife, Margie, were also present.
The service was a carefully planned reminder of the wonder of the cross and resurrection. It was as normal an Easter Sunday service as possible, given the circumstances, with the regular congregational members of the Cathedral in attendance.
The Cathedral Kids sang Colin Buchanan’s ‘He died upon the Cross’ and a long-serving choir member was farewelled.
The Cathedral was full, and Sydney Square was packed with people vying to get a glimpse of the couple.
The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, led the service. Archbishop Glenn Davies preached on the resurrection of Lazarus and how it differs from the resurrection of Jesus.
All the elements of the gathering worked together so that the importance and meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection were clearly proclaimed.
Both couples, the Duke and Duchess and the Prime Minister and his wife, engaged fully in the service and appeared to appreciate the occasion.
In addition, the service was a major test for the Cathedral’s new sound system, which performed brilliantly.
Photo: Ramon Wiliams.
Story and photos at SydneyAnglicans.net, The Herald Sun (with a very nice News Corp photo) and Eternity Newspaper.
New Bishop for Rockhampton
The Rev. David Robinson (pictured here with his wife, Jan) has been elected the twelfth Bishop of the Diocese of Rockhampton. He is presently Ministry Formation Coordinator at St Mark’s National Theological Centre in Canberra.
News from Canberra & Goulburn.
Resurrection and Ethics
“Christ’s resurrection from the dead changes the trajectory of human life. In 1 Corinthians 15:32, the apostle Paul hypothesises that if the dead are not raised then ‘we should eat and drink for tomorrow we die’…”
– a (final?) Easter reflection from The Australian Church Record.
GAFCON Easter Message 2014
“What a wonderful truth we celebrate at Easter! The bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead assures us that our sins are atoned for and death is defeated. This is the reason we can be confident that despite failure, frustration and the things that perplex us, God’s saving purposes will certainly be fulfilled…”
– Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, with the GAFCON Easter Message 2014.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…