Qur’an in the Eucharist?
“I have just returned from Paris where I was invited to be part of a conversation with three imams sponsored by Lebanese TV.
I thought they were kind, impressive and delightful people. It was a privilege to meet them and talk to them. We had many things in common, but most of all a deep attraction to God who made us, whose intentions towards us, we know, are love and mercy.
The strength of the encounter was the friendship and mutual admiration it produced. The weakness was that we did not speak at all about ‘the problem’. …
What is the significance, then, of a Muslim standing at the lectern in a Christian cathedral and publicly proclaiming words from the Koran which announce that the Gospel writers were engaged in a blasphemous deceit?”
– The Rev. Gavin Ashenden writes at ArchbishopCranmer.com to reflect on a recitation from the Qur’an at service of The Lord’s Supper for Epiphany in the Cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church in Glasgow.
See also:
In response to the Qur’an recitation in St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow – Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali.
This Qur’an recitation was not the first at Glasgow Cathedral. Carol Service, December 2014.
Interview with William Taylor
David Ould has interviewed William Taylor, who is speaking at the NSW CMS Summer School, meeting this week at Katoomba.
He explains Summer School to those unfamiliar with it, speaks about the need for reform in the Church of England, and reflects on the terrible loss, this week, of Mike Ovey.
30 minutes. Listen here.
By faith we let them go
“The outpouring of grief over the death of our Principal Mike Ovey has been extraordinary. So much has been said. So much is still to be said. So much could be said.
Mike was my dear friend and brother, my boss and co-conspirator, my mentor and inspiration. I just wanted to say a few personal words which I know reflect the thoughts of our community at Oak Hill College. …”
– At the Oak Hill College blog, faculty member Dan Strange shares some thoughts and a meditation from C.H. Spurgeon.
Katoomba Christian Convention – a short history
From Lionel Windsor:
“During our time at the CMS Summer School at Katoomba, our family has been greatly blessed by the hospitality of Paul Innes, who operates Blue Mountains History Tours.
As part of Paul’s history work in the Blue Mountains, he regularly contributes history articles to the Scenic World Tourist Magazine. The latest story from the Summer 2016 edition concerns the history of the Katoomba Christian Convention. …”
– Read it here.
Tribute to Dr Mike Ovey by Archbishop Glenn Davies
Here’s a Public Statement released by Archbishop Glenn Davies on the death of Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College:
“Dr Mike Ovey was a gifted student of God’s word whose ability to convey the truths of Holy Scripture and their contemporary application was outstanding.
Mike’s scholarly analysis of current trends in philosophy and theology was astute and penetrating, always with a view to strengthening the Christian’s understanding of the nature of God’s kingdom and his sovereign rule over our lives. A gracious and godly leader, Mike’s presence and counsel will be sorely missed not only at Oak Hill College, where he served as Principal for a decade, but throughout England and the world.
We in Sydney have lost a true friend whose frequent trips to our city will be sadly missed.”
via SydneyAnglicans.net.
The Grace of God – or the World of the West? – Dr Mike Ovey
At the CMS NSW Summer School today, Rector of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor, paid tribute to Dr. Mike Ovey as “one of the great generals of the Christian faith”.
Take the time to thoughtfully watch this challenging and Christ-honouring address, given by Dr. Ovey, at GAFCON II in Nairobi in October 2013, to see why. Watch it here, courtesy of Anglican TV.
“My first really significant encounter with worldwide Anglicanism came at theological college.
It was 1990 and an east African priest was on secondment with us. He preached in the college chapel. He posed a question. Which gospel, he asked, which gospel do you westerners want us to believe? The one you came with or the one you preach now? Which gospel? I was horrified, not because what he said was not true. I was horrified because it was true.
My east African brother’s question has nagged away at me ever since. But how has it come about that we have a different gospel now from the one we first preached. What is this difference between what we westerners say now and what we said then? …”
Full text PDF from GAFCON.
Moore College tribute to Rev Dr Mike Ovey
“Moore College gives thanks to God for the life and ministry of Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College, who died suddenly on 7 January at the age of 58.
Dr Ovey taught at Moore for three years (1995-98) before returning to the UK to join the Oak Hill faculty. He was appointed Principal in 2007.
Dr Ovey has been author or contributor to numerous books, has contributed regularly to the journal Themelios, as well as producing many scholarly and popular articles for other journals. He has been the clearest and strongest voice in contemporary English evangelical theology.…”
– Read it all at the Moore College website.
And Lee Gatiss, Director of Church Society, has written this longer tribute.
Mike Ovey
We are very saddened to hear of the death, after a heart attack, of Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College in London, this morning Australian time.
A graduate of Moore College, and then a member of the faculty, Mike returned to the UK to teach at Oak Hill.
Mike was also a key member of the GAFCON theological team. He was due to return to Sydney to speak at the NEXUS Conference in April.
He will be sorely missed, and his death is a blow for English Evangelicalism.
Please uphold Mike’s family in prayer at this time – as well as the communities at Oak Hill and Moore College, and Mike’s many friends around the world – pray that they may cling to Christ, and receive the comfort and hope only he can give.
From Oak Hill:
‘Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants’ (Psalm 116:15).
It is with profound shock and sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of our Principal, the Revd Dr Mike Ovey, at the age of 58.
As the Oak Hill community comes to terms with the loss of our dear brother and leader, we cling on to the promise that ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’. It reminds us that for Mike, death is not an end but a glorious beginning.
Please hold in your thoughts and prayers Mike’s wife Heather and their three children Charlie, Harry, and Ana. More details about Mike’s funeral and thanksgiving will follow in the coming days.
See also:
Moore College tribute to Rev Dr Mike Ovey.
The Grace of God – or the World of the West? – Dr Mike Ovey.
Free Bible Reading Plans from Crossway
“Man doesn’t live on bread alone, but on the very Word of God.
We believe that the Bible is God’s provision of our true daily sustenance because it nourishes us with the truth of who he is. It’s not uncommon, however, for new believers and older saints alike to need some recommendations for how to structure daily time in the Bible. …”
– Crossway has a selection of Bible reading plans you, or your church, could use – with a link to more at ESV.org.
(Image: Crossway, though we’re not certain coffee is always necessary to study the Bible.)
Preparing for death
“…you won’t find a shelf labelled ‘death’ at your local Christian bookstore. Have a look, and tell me if I’m wrong. My guess is that you’ll find shelves marked ‘marriage’ and ‘prayer’, but probably not a section on dying.
Your local Puritan bookstore (if there was such a thing) would have been different.”
– At GoThereFor.com, Jean Williams has a book recommendation. (“Despite the topic, it’s not dreary or depressing, but joyful and uplifting.”)
GAFCON Chairman’s New Year Message for 2017
“As you will have seen from our end of year review, GAFCON is increasingly active. We are extending our reach, growing in influence, standing with the marginalised, strengthening our organisation and equipping key leaders, but all these things are the outworking of faithful prayer in the power of the Spirit. We are a spiritual movement in a spiritual battle and at the heart of the struggle is the challenge to the Word of God.
This is nothing new. Right at the beginning of bible history, the serpent says ‘Did God really say?’ (Genesis 3:1) and this is the question the traditional leadership of the Communion seems unwilling or unable to resolve. For instance…”
– Read Archbishop Okoh’s New Year message for 2017.
Death, the New Year and the Hope of Christ
“2016 was a sobering year for our celebrity-driven culture.
A recent CNN article reminded us of the many well known individuals that we lost over the course of the last year. More names have been added just in this past week. More than usual, it seems that many of these celebrities and artists lost in 2016 were icons of culture–a part of people’s personal identities and memories.
Social media has provided an unprecedented forum for shared grief and lament. …
From a biblical perspective, these social laments don’t go far enough; and, sadly they seem to miss the point altogether.”
– At Reformation21, Matt Foreman reflects on the only hope there is.
Religious Freedom, transgender issues and abortion – overruling the US Health Department
“The recent (31 Dec 2016) decision of US Federal District Court Judge O’Connor in Franciscan Alliance Inc v Burwell (ND TX, Case 7:16-cv-00108-O; Dec. 31, 2016) (thanks to “Religion Clause” for the report and information) is a significant one.
In short, the Obama administration had used the prohibition on ‘sex discrimination’ in US Federal law to enact an administrative regulation requiring Christian health care providers (and some State governments) to provide transgender ‘transition’ procedures, and abortions, to all patients, arguing that denying this coverage amounted to sex discrimination.
This highly questionable interpretation has now been overturned by this very significant decision…”
– Neil Foster, at Law and Religion Australia, reports on developments in the United States.
Is GAFCON the problem?
“An interview with the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, was recently published as an article in the Church of Ireland Gazette. The newspaper’s website carried the audio of the interview in full here.
For a self-confessed Ambassador and reconciler, Archbishop Josiah Fearon uses some undiplomatic language. The frank expression of his views on the Anglican Communion and the sexuality debate, and his sweeping dismissal of GAFCON and African church leaders have caused considerable dismay. However they reveal the thinking of the Anglican Communion Office and presumably those who endorse its leadership…”
– Archbishop Dr Peter Jensen, GAFCON General Secretary, responds to strong criticism of GAFCON, and what that criticism appears to say about the senior leadership of the Anglican Communion. Well worth taking the time to read. (link fixed)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…