Diocese of Toronto elects first ‘openly gay, partnered’ suffragan bishop
News from the Anglican Church of Canada’s Diocese of Toronto –
“After many hours of prayerful consideration, the Rev. Riscylla Walsh Shaw, the Rev. Canon Kevin Robertson and the Rev. Canon Jenny Andison were elected suffragan bishops in the Diocese of Toronto at St. Paul, Bloor Street on Sept. 17.
[Bishop-elect Robertson said after the election], ‘It’s no secret that I’m the first openly gay, partnered bishop-elect in the diocese and perhaps in the Canadian church as well…”
– Report and video from the Diocese of Toronto.
Science and the Bible, debates about committees, hope and courage in mission
“Another week, another revisionist Church Times leader article penned by an academic heavyweight.
This time a consultant psychiatrist and Professor of Theology insists that we need to allow the latest scientific findings to inform our understanding of Scripture…”
– Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes comments the state of the Church of England.
Related: GAFCON UK Statement following the appointment of a ‘Bishops’ Reflection Group’ on homosexuality.
A Plea for Hymn Books
“It has become fashionable to dispense with hymn books, but they have a number of advantages over screens. Here are three …”
At Church Society’s blog, Liam Beadle wonders what we are losing when we just project the words on a screen.
New website for Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living
Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living has a new website, with easy access to resources and recordings of past events.
See it here – including news of the upcoming ‘Can we talk about Same-Sex Marriage?’ on Wednesday October 19.
The Intolerance of Tolerance
“It was only in 2012 that Don Carson published a book with the title The Intolerance of Tolerance.
It is a book that traces the development of so-called ‘tolerance’. How far we have come from the days of ‘I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’ The philosophical shift has happened so quickly, and it looks set to impact many areas of life.
The matter is worth contemplating afresh in the midst of the current discussion about same-sex marriage in our country. Or rather, the current discussion about whether or not our country should even have a national discussion!…”
– Over at SydneyAnglicans.net, Raj Gupta reminds Christians of the huge shift taking place around us.
Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales responds to Archbishop Barry Morgan
From GAFCON:
The Archbishop of Wales, the Rt Revd Barry Morgan, has recently claimed that ‘sex properly belongs’ in committed same sex relationships and that the Bible can be interpreted as supporting such relationships, but the Evangelical Fellowship of the Church in Wales considers these remarks to be a licence to disregard biblical authority.
The Governing Body of the Church in Wales met in Lampeter 14th -15th September, 2016. Following the press coverage of the Archbishop’s address, the executive committee of EFCW responds as follows:
We want to wish the Archbishop well in his retirement. We note the Archbishop’s final presidential address at Governing Body, and still struggle to understand how his approach to scripture is not just licence to disregard its authority. We believe that the inclusivity of Jesus, to which the Archbishop referred, was one not only of loving everyone, but also of calling everyone to a degree of repentance which would result in following him exclusively as Lord. We note Jesus gave an invitation to everyone, but warned repeatedly and frequently of consequences for those who rejected him. We are therefore delighted that one of the closing discussions at Governing Body got people talking about the need to engage in mission and evangelism. We hope and pray that these are the issues that occupy the time and energy of the Church in Wales in the years to come.
16th Sept 2016. (Source: Evangelical Fellowship of the Church in Wales.)
Photo: The Church in Wales.
Presbyterian Church of Australia re-affirms the biblical view of marriage
Here’s a post from John Wilson, the newly commissioned Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. In part, he says,
“Wednesday evening saw the reaffirmation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s resolute commitment to uphold the biblical and traditional view of marriage … For the sake of transparency, we held the debate in public. We took the risk that our debate might be disrupted or our decisions misreported.”
Full comments below:
“Wednesday evening saw the reaffirmation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s resolute commitment to uphold the biblical and traditional view of marriage. The Presbyterian Church has always believed and still believes that marriage is the lifelong union of one man with one woman, voluntarily entered into, excluding all others.
Through informed and thorough theological debate, the Church demonstrated that it has not moved from its historic position or the commitments expressed in 2013.
This week, the church strengthened its position by declaring that it cannot allow its ministers to conduct celebrations of same sex marriage.
The church went even further this time. It debated the point at which it should withdraw as a denomination from cooperating with the state in celebrating and registering marriages under the Marriage Act. The major alternatives were: at the moment the Marriage Act is redefined to include same-sex marriages (if it is changed), OR, at a later point – yet to be determined – when we are forced by legislation to conduct same-sex marriage. The church chose the second option.
The Presbyterian Church has been at the forefront of the spiritual battle in Australia to uphold and preserve the biblical and traditional view of marriage. It has been resolute in its opposition to same-sex marriage. The church maintains that while God provides forgiveness of, and redemption from, all sin through Christ, he condemns homosexual behaviour, along with all other forms of sin.
For the sake of transparency, we held the debate in public. We took the risk that our debate might be disrupted or our decisions misreported. Sadly, an online article was published without consultation by Eternity News on Thursday morning that placed our position in a different light.
Rev John P Wilson
Moderator-General
Presbyterian Church of Australia.”
“Christian ‘no’ campaign event forced to fold”
“Christian groups have been forced to cancel a same-sex marriage meeting in Sydney amid physical threats.
Four Christian groups were scheduled to meet at the Mercure Sydney Airport Hotel in preparation for a ‘no’ campaign for the potential plebiscite…
About one hundred people – from the Sydney Anglicans, Sydney Catholics, the Marriage Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) were expected to attend the meeting.”
– See the full report at Sky News.
Is Reformed faith without Reformed works dead?
“For many of us, the label ‘Reformed’ is one we would happily apply to ourselves. …
But I want to ask you today if, when push comes to shove, you really are Reformed. I want to ask if your (Reformed) faith apart from (Reformed) works is dead (if I may borrow from James 2:26).
Here’s the thing: I’m not sure you can call yourself ‘Reformed’ and, firstly, not be active in reaching out to the many Roman Catholics around you, and secondly, not call on the Reformed brothers and sisters in your church to see Catholics as a people group who need to be brought under the sound teaching of the gospel of grace.”
– At GoThereFor, Ian Carmichael wants to know if you are genuinely convinced of the truths of the Reformation.
What to look for in a theological college
Moore Theological Principal Mark Thompson was asked what people should look for in a theological college. It’s a good question. He begins his answer by speaking about Moore –
“Moore College exists for one reason: to see Christ and his gospel proclaimed in all the world. We want everyone in this city to hear what God has done in Christ and have an opportunity to respond with repentance, faith and a new life. We want to see them knit into local churches and built up in the faith. We want to see them being shaped in the way they think and the way they live by the Bible’s message about God and his purpose, with its focus on his Son.
But there’s more than that. Our vision is not limited to one city or one denomination. We want to see men and women in every nation and people-group on this planet hear the good news of Jesus and be brought from darkness to light. So at the heart of what we do is a message: God’s message about his Son. And that message gives us the twin priorities of mission and ministry.”
Mark goes on to outline what people should look for in any theological college:
“Without doubt the first answer is ‘Look at the faculty’. Don’t just ask whether they are clever, well-qualified, skilled in teaching, with a long list of publications to their name, and all of that. No doubt at least some of that’s important. You want to be taught by people who will stretch you and help you grow in the knowledge of God. But more important is the orientation of the faculty…”
Read it all here at Moore’s ThinkTank blog.
Bishop of Ballarat declares support for same-sex marriage, despite Bible’s teaching – report
“Ballarat’s Anglican Bishop Garry Weatherill has declared his support for same-sex marriage and said he opposed the Federal Government’s proposed plebiscite on the issue. …
Bishop Weatherill told the ABC he supported ‘marriage equality’.
‘The local position of this particular bishop is for marriage equality,’ he said.
‘The Bible teaches marriage is for man and woman, that is pretty clear and that is our standard position.
‘But it is saying marriage is good for people and society, and I think whether or not we approve of same gender relationships, we want people to be in strong, monogamous and sustainable relationships that give harmony to their lives and to the community.’…”
– ABC News report, 15 September 2016. Emphasis added.
Northwest Network September 2016
The latest issue of Northwest Network – the newsletter of the Diocese of North West Australia – is now available.
Download the 1.3MB PDF file, and use it to fuel your prayers for the people and churches of NW Australia.
The good God who speaks
“It is a sad feature of our moment in time that Christians are ridiculed for their confidence in the Bible as the word of God and that this ridicule has an edge of suspicion about it. Our appeal to the Bible is understood by some as a personal power-play. We are simply trying to impose our own opinion or our own religious preferences.
Others suggest even darker motives. Five decades ago a visiting American evangelist could repeat ‘the Bible says …’ and Sydney took notice. Hundreds of thousands wanted to know what the Bible says, what God says. What he has to say changes everything for good. Today, however, the response is more often ‘How do you know?’ or ‘Why should I listen to your inhumane religious bigotry?’…”
– Posted back in 2014, Moore College Principal Mark Thompson writes with a reminder that genuine Christian discipleship involves a serious commitment to the Bible as the word of God.
Related:
A Small Alteration, A Significant Statement – Change To Ordination Vows – Gary Ware on a proposal to change the ordination vows of Ministers and Elders in the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
New Presbyterian Moderator-General
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia is meeting in Sydney this week.
David Cook concluded his three-year term as Moderator-General. Read his final address here.
John Wilson, Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, was installed as Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. He is pictured here with his wife Paula. Read his address to the GAA (PDF).
Archbishop Glenn Davies was present to convey greetings to the Assembly.
Please pray for our Presbyterian brothers and sisters in their commitment to share the gospel of Christ with our nation. (See John Wilson in this video on Presbyterian plans to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with evangelism.)
Moore College School of Theology 2016
This year’s Moore College School of Theology is planned for Thursday 15th September.
“Come with us on a journey from sin and death to redemption and new life, in a series of master classes on the value of theology for the life of the church at the 2016 Moore College School of Theology.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…