Philip North crisis: ‘Good Disagreement’ has become ‘bad bullying’

“When the house that has been painstakingly constructed on the sand falls flat, there is nothing to rejoice over. Discernment works better when unclouded by the sin of taking and giving offence.

Bishop Philip North’s election to the Diocese of Sheffield was a litmus test. … a serious test for the much vaunted ‘Good Disagreement’ that Archbishop Justin Welby has staked his archiepiscopal strategy on.

It has all gone badly wrong.”

– Dr Gavin Ashenden guest posts at Archbishop Cranmer.

Those who attacked Philip North have made same-sex blessing compromise impossible

“Remember that ‘radical new Christian inclusion’ Justin Welby spoke of in the wake of Synod’s decision not to ‘take note’ of the Bishops’ report on marriage and same-sex relations? Well, you can forget it. …”

– ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ argues the hounding of Philip North demonstrates that ‘radical inclusion’ is not possible in today’s Church of England.

(Photo of Bp North courtesy Diocese of Blackburn.)

“Beauty and the Beast fans in Sydney welcome ‘queer’ twist in remake of classic tale”

“Hundreds of fans have lined the streets outside Sydney’s iconic State Theatre to welcome US actor Josh Gad, one of the stars in the remake of Disney’s classic Beauty and the Beast. …”

– ABC report.

Related: The Facts about Beauty and the Beast Disney Movie – Amy Bevin (h/t Tim Challies.) Image: ABC TV.

Exacerbating the credibility crisis

“It is with regret that we have today heard that Philip North, suffragan Bishop of Burnley, has chosen not to accept his nomination as diocesan Bishop of Sheffield.

The circumstances surrounding his withdrawal exacerbate the already acute credibility crisis for the Church of England, especially in its treatment of those with traditional Christian views. What now does ‘flourishing’ mean?…”

– Church Society Director Lee Gatiss responds to the news that Philip North has been forced to withdraw his nomination as Bishop of Sheffield.

Statement on the Rt Rev’d Philip North’s withdrawal from nomination as the next Bishop of Sheffield

Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas, has released this statement on the withdrawal of Bishop Philip North for consideration as the next Bishop of Sheffield.

“I am deeply saddened that Philip North has felt forced to withdraw from his nomination as the next Bishop of Sheffield. It will be a huge loss to Sheffield and is a body blow to the concept of ‘mutual flourishing’ which lay at the heart of the agreement to introduce women bishops in the Church of England.

Philip has huge gifts to offer the Church, and his leadership in Sheffield would have given a great boost to mission.

However, the damage to the principles on which the House of Bishops Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests is based, is profound. If all orders of ministry and all appointments are equally open to men and women, then the same has to apply to those who hold that the ministries of men and women are distinctively different. If it does not, if there is, in effect, a glass ceiling that prevents those of traditional churchmanships ministering at all levels of the Church, then the Declaration and the provisions that came with it lose all credibility.

I know that both Archbishops were personally wholly committed to the concept of mutual flourishing and it was warmly supported by the General Synod. If it is to survive as our governing motif, then urgent action will be needed to demonstrate its effectiveness. In the absence of such action, we will simply have given in to those who hounded Philip North out of office.”

– So much for ‘radical inclusion’ in the Church of England. Emphasis added.

And from Bishop North’s statement:

“There is clearly much to be done on what it means to disagree well and to live with theological difference in the Church of England. The highly individualised nature of the attacks upon me have been extremely hard to bear. If, as Christians, we cannot relate to each other within the bounds of love, how can we possibly presume to transform a nation in the name of Christ?”

Moore College Graduation 2017

This year’s Moore College Graduation is this coming Monday, 13th March.

Details at the College website.

If you can’t be there, this is a good reminder to pray for the College.

GAFCON Chairman’s March 2017 letter

“As I remarked in my last letter, because of our shared history events in the Church of England have a special significance for the whole Anglican Communion. So this month I must comment on the vote by General Synod on 15th February not to ‘take note’ of the House of Bishops report on marriage and sexuality.

A refusal to ‘take note’ is very unusual. Such a motion is usually just a formality preceding further debate. In this case, people on both sides of the argument about sexuality perceived that the report tried to face two ways. …”

– GAFCON Chairman, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, shares his March pastoral letter.

A Call to Evangelicals to Stand Firm — Bp. Rod Thomas

“Since the widely publicised General Synod debate about the House of Bishops’ Report on marriage and same-sex relationships, there has been speculation about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s call for ‘radical inclusion’ and a number of bishops have called for the Church of England to be more affirming of same-sex relationships. The latter see the Church as being on a trajectory towards change. One bishop, John Wraw, has explicitly said he hopes that in time there will be full acceptance of same-sex marriages in the Church of England.

Evangelicals in the Church of England are on a different trajectory. We hope we are not insensitive to the value of intimate relationships or the needs we all feel for intimacy and life sharing. But it is both our conviction and our experience that, as people who find their identity in Christ, there is great joy, fulfilment and blessing in obedience to the Word of God. …”

– Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas, calls evangelical Christians in the Church of England back to the saving gospel, and away from false teaching.

When good friends dream big for the gospel: Newton, Wilberforce & Johnson

“In the mid-1780s John Newton, the celebrated slave-trader turned preacher, became re-acquainted with one William Wilberforce, a young MP who had recently become an Evangelical. It was the start of a remarkable partnership.

1786 saw their first great project. The British Government had announced plans to establish a convict colony at Botany Bay in New South Wales. Newton had been thinking about mission to ‘the South Seas’ for a long time. …”

– From The Australian Church Record – an edited extract from a paper by Craig Schwarze, first presented at the Moore College Library day in 2013.

Related:

Giving Thanks for John Newton.

(This painting of John Newton by John Russell hangs in the CMS building in Oxford. Photo © Marylynn Rouse / The John Newton Project, used with permission.)

From Strength to Strength — A Life of Marcus Loane — reviewed

In the Autumn 2017 issue of Australian Presbyterian, Bruce Murray briefly reviews From Strength to Strength – A Life of Marcus Loane, by ACL Emeritus Vice-President Canon Allan M. Blanch.

“Together with a good supply of appropriate photographs, this book gives an excellent coverage not only to Loane’s life but also to the history of the Anglican Church in Australia.”

It’s on page 21 of this 7MB PDF file.

The book was launched in October 2015. Copies are available through the publisher.

Christian street preachers convicted for quoting the King James Bible

“Two Christian street preachers have been convicted of religiously aggravated harassment after quoting from the King James Bible when asked questions about Islam and homosexuality by hecklers. … 

the claims of the prosecutor that merely quoting the Bible is both abusive and criminal goes to the very heart and foundation of freedom of religion in the UK.”

– Story from Barnabas Fund.

See also: In 2008 the UK was saved from a new blasphemy law – Barnabas Fund.

TEC Bishop Michael Curry “intervenes” in Supreme Court transgender case

“Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the US based Episcopal Church has put his name to a document going before the Supreme Court, as it examines the issue of transgender bathroom use. …

The case involves a teenager who took on male gender identity and was allowed by his school to use the boys’ bathroom for two months. But then, after some parents objected, he was offered a private bathroom instead. …

Bishop Curry anchored his support of the brief in Genesis 1:26-27…”

– Report, including an ‘interesting’ reading of Genesis 1:26-27, from The Anglican Communion News Service. Photo: Episcopal News Service.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

“That simple statement from 1 Timothy 1:15 has always been one of my favourite Bible verses, for a number of reasons.

Pre-eminently, though, it is because it conveys the heart of the gospel. It always reminds me of the picture the Lord Jesus himself gave of the shepherd who seeks the lost sheep until he finds it, lays it on his shoulders and brings it home safely.

Whatever else you may think about the Lord coming into the world, saving sinners was his chief aim and his death on the cross was the chief means.…”

– GAFCON General Secretary, Dr Peter Jensen, continues his series of posts marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

What has God joined together?

Sydney Anglican parishes will soon be receiving copies of the booklet “What Has God Joined Together?”. 

A companion website has also been launched.

It has the full text, Chnese translations, an essay entitled “Does God approve of same-sex sexual activity?”, and links to resources for Ministers.

Archbishops Jensen and Akinola in Burlington, Ontario

“Archbishops Peter Jensen and Peter Akinola in were in Burlington Ontario this evening to talk about GAFCON.”

– Anglican Samizdat. has photos and video of the event, which was introduced by the Anglican Network in Canada’s Bishop Charlie Masters.

They speak in Vancouver next week.

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