Time for churches ‘catch up with where God is’ on same-sex marriages – Dean of Brisbane

“The church communities of which I have had the privilege to be part, both as a lay and ordained person, have been blessing same-sex unions for years.

Rarely have these blessings been done in any formal or liturgical sense. But that is the overdue step that is now required. …”

– The Dean of Brisbane, Dr Peter Catt, claims that the church need to ‘catch up with where God is’. Article in The Brisbane Times.

Photo: St John’s Cathedral.

Oxygen 2018 talks available

The main talks from this year’s Oxygen 2018 conference have been made available by KCC.

Check them out here.

Whatever happened to that same-sex marriage boom?

“Now that all the glitter has settled after last year’s non-binding voluntary postal survey – remember, we couldn’t be trusted to have a plebiscite, let alone a fair dinkum referendum – just exactly how many of the LGBTIQ community have tied the knot?

Well, rather than being the over-whelming flood, it has turned out to be nothing more than a trickle. In short, we were conned.…”

– At The Spectator Australia, Mark Powell asks the question.

Crunch time for the Uniting Church of Australia

The Uniting Church of Australia’s 15th Assembly meets in Melbourne this week, 8th – 14th July 2018.

The theme of the 15th Assembly is “Abundant Grace, Liberating Hope”,

However, the big question to be decided is whether the UCA will submit to God’s word in Scripture, or adopt a new doctrine of marriage – marriage being between any two people, regardless of gender.

A growing number of UCA ministers and Church Councils have have attached their names to this statement:

If the 15th Assembly of the Uniting Church adopts these proposals in or close to their current form, we humbly state that in accordance with our prayerful convictions, we will not accept these decisions, and we will stand apart from them in ways that we will determine after the Assembly meets.

More from the Assembly of Confessing Congregations. Much to pray about.

Update: 15th Assembly blog:

“Monday July 9 will see the start of the marriage debate. From 2 pm the eight proposals that have now been confirmed will be presented in order of their receipt. This session will continue until 3.30 pm. It is purely a presentation and information session and given the number of proposals will certainly take up this time. …”

Have a Fun Event – Like on National Ice Cream Day!

“Getting visitors does not guarantee that your church will grow. However, I guarantee that your church won’t grow without getting visitors.

I agree with those who argue that the ‘Attractional’ model of church growth is no longer the best model in our largely post-Christiandom culture, and that we must take on a more ‘Missional’ model where we go out into our surrounding communities to connect with non-believers.

Once you connect with them, you still, eventually, have to invite them to something. You still must bring them into the church where, in community, they will be transformed to be like Christ. So inviting people to church remains an essential component to church growth.

Yet, even with all the preaching, teaching, poking, prodding, and even sometimes guilting that church people receive about inviting others to church, most of the time they don’t.…”

– Here’s some encouragement from Canon Mark Eldredge of the American Anglican Council.

Withering on the Vine?

“The Archbishop of Canterbury has assured us that the Church of England is “deeply committed” to the flourishing of conservative evangelicals, many of whose churches are growing and planting. …

But is it credible to claim that this is what the Church of England is really doing? Intentions do not always lead to actions. What is the actual situation on the ground?

According to the latest figures … since the legislation on women in the episcopate came into force in November 2014, no fewer than 14 women have been appointed as Bishops, 3 as Deans and 20 as Archdeacons. But not a single person who is unable for theological reasons to recognise the priestly or episcopal ministry of women has been appointed as an Archdeacon or Dean. And only 2 suffragan bishops who do not ordain women have been appointed (one of which is evangelical)…”

– At Church Society’s blog, Dr Lee Gatiss wonders if the words of senior Church of England leaders are more than just talk.

Andrew Atherstone on C H Spurgeon

Take the time to watch this talk by Andrew Atherstone on C. H. Spurgeon, with a wonderful account of Spurgeon’s conversion.

The big point: Preach Christ, and preach the Cross!

From the 2018 Evangelical Ministry Conference in London. Very encouraging.

GAFCON Chairman’s Letter July 2018

‘I will fulfil my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD – in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.’ – Psalm 116:18,19

“My dear people of God,

Like the psalmist of old, we came to Jerusalem in the presence of God’s people with great thanksgiving. Since our first gathering in 2008 we have seen the Almighty God powerfully at work. By his grace, we have provided a home for the spiritually homeless and hope for orthodox Anglicans around the world who longed to see the reform and renewal of our beloved Communion.

We expressed our thanksgiving not only in joyful worship, but also by committing to a shared vision and shared action. …”

– Read Archbishop Okoh’s July 2018 pastoral letter. (Photo: GAFCON Media.)

No Christians at all among 1,112 Syrian refugees resettled in the UK this year

“In response to a Freedom of Information request from Barnabas Fund, the UK Home Office have just released figures on Syrian refugees resettled in the UK for the first quarter of this year (1 January–31 March 2018). Appalling as previous figures were, these are much worse. …”

– From Barnabas Fund.

Interview with Archbishop Ben Kwashi

“AB Kwashi seemed calm and joyful when he greeted us today. One would never know that just the night before last, his own compound was attacked, all his cows stolen by Fulani raiders, and his neighbor murdered while trying to protect his friend (the Archbishop). The terrorists seemed to be sending the Archbishop a warning. …”

– This interview with Archbishop Ben Kwashi was conducted earlier this week, just after the attack on his compound. (Link via Anglican Mainstream. Photo: Patheos.)

Can we learn from ancient prayer books?

“Why would a 21st century evangelical be interested in liturgy?, asked Mark Earngey as he began his talk at Wycliffe Hall (on 11 June).

An extrovert Australian, Mark is definitely not a nerdy academic, fascinated by church history for its own sake. His time in Oxford working on a DPhil and a book (both just completed) hasn’t affected his accent, his regular use of words like ‘mate’ and ‘ripper’, or his commitment to see the church reflect Christ better.

Born into a Sydney Anglican churchgoing family, as a young man Mark rebelled against the Christian faith, returned to the Lord through a Pentecostal fellowship, and then found his way back to Anglicanism. Liturgy for him used to be associated with older generations, and an inauthentic expression of faith with repetition of words by rote replacing heart worship.

Like many evangelicals he believed that liturgy creates a barrier to mission, an extra layer of weirdness for newcomers. But on reflection he realised that every church develops a worship pattern or liturgy, even if it’s not written down. What matters is preparation, engagement, and worship in the Spirit, irrespective of the form of words…”

– Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes outlines a recent talk given in Oxford by Mark Earngey.

See also:

(Ripper picture of Mark Earngey and Dominic Steele from the GAFCON livestream.)

Diocese of the Northern Territory celebrates 50 years

In June, the Diocese of the Northern Territory celebrated fifty years of ministry.

The latest edition of Top Centre (PDF) has a special photo feature. A good reminder to pray for the salvation of many across the Top Emd.

Related: Nungalinya College in Darwin is seeking a new Principal. Applications close this month.

Three Aussies in Galilee

Last week, on The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele spoke with Kanishka Raffel (St. Andrew’s Cathedral) and Ray Galea (MBM Rooty Hill) about their reactions to GAFCON 2018.

Coming up on Tuesday 3rd July at 2:00pm AEST:

“On ThePastorsHeart.net we are talking about and with the minister who loses it all, when the diocese moves into apostasy, leaving you and your people as faithful followers of Christ Jesus, but without denominational support and sometimes stripped of your church building and house.

Next week on The Pastor’s Heart we will get back to our regular format of a live discussion and you asking questions, but this week we are still dealing with issues raised by the #Gafcon2018 Conference in Jerusalem a few weeks ago.”

A turning point in the history of Anglicanism — must read

“Almost 1700 years ago, on 20 June 325AD, 318 bishops concluded a very significant meeting. They had gathered in Nicaea because errors had arisen in the church which were so profound that they undermined the very foundation of the Christian message. Those bishops renounced the heresies and upheld orthodox Christian doctrine which had been revealed by God through the Scriptures.

On 22 June 2018, 316 bishops (along with 669 other clergy and 965 laity), concluded another very significant meeting. They gathered in Jerusalem because errors have arisen in the church which were so profound that they undermined the very foundation of the Christian message. Those delegates renounced the heresies and upheld orthodox Christian doctrine which had been revealed by God through the Scriptures.

Those in Jerusalem were gathered from around the Anglican communion and represented the majority of that fellowship. But as this was the third GAFCON that has been held, a justifiable question is whether this conference will make any lasting difference in the way the conference at Nicaea did?…

In order to answer that question, it is worth understanding the context in which this movement has arisen.”

– Here’s a must read article from Dr. Ed Loane – published at SydneyAnglicans.net.

(Photo: Moore Theological College.)

Prayers urged for Archbishop Ben Kwashi and Nigeria

“The premises of the Archbishop of Jos was breached overnight by suspected Fulani Herdsmen days after he was appointed General Secretary of GAFCON for the Anglican Church worldwide.

Archbishop Ben Kwashi who was named GS just this week after a meeting in Israel attended by hundreds of Anglican leaders from around the world is believed to have recently returned to Nigeria only for this attack to occur.

The esteemed clergyman posted on his Facebook page decrying  attacks and insecurity inspite of a curfew announced following last weekend’s massacre of at least 238 people …

Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi also lamented the death of a driver during last night’s attack…”

– Troubling news from Plateau State in Nigeria.

(Photo: Archbishop Kwashi with Archbishop Foley Beach during GAFCON 2018.)

Related: Christians Slaughtered. Yawn.

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