Eucharistic Signalling

“You may not have heard of a Rainbow Eucharist. But the idea has been around for a while, and is celebrated in the gay press.

Sometimes it might be called a Pride service, and the Lord’s table can be draped in the Pride flag. The associated rhetoric is usually of inclusivity, diversity, and equality (and who wants to argue against those nowadays?).

There is a service like this planned for 22nd September at Wells Cathedral. …”

– Church Society Director Lee Gatiss comments on the use of the Lord’s Supper for virtue signalling.

Related:

Rainbow revolution progresses as Bishop of Taunton announced as celebrant at Cathedral LGBT Eucharist.

D.W.B. Robinson and the puzzle of Sydney Anglicanism

“Donald Willian Bradley Robinson, AO (1922-2018), Bishop in Parramatta (1973-1982), Anglican Archbishop of Sydney (1982-1993), could appear to observers as something of a puzzle.

Not that he was complex or difficult personally. On the contrary, Robinson was famously measured and straightforward in his dealings with people – able to play the ball and not the player to an almost superhuman degree. Rather, his life and work puzzled observers by holding together a suite of commitments and values often assumed to be at odds. This is true of Sydney Anglicanism itself, which is more complex and more interesting that either its distractors or its partisans tend to realise.

To crack this puzzle is to understand one of the most profound developers of religious thought in Australia. And it is, in turn, to understand something important about the diocese of Sydney. …”

– The ABC has published this piece by Rory Shiner, who also supplied the photo. Read it all here.

Evangelical protest: Its cause and content (Galatians 2:11-21)

“Those who know the truth of the gospel may find themselves compelled within the professing Church to become outspoken ‘protestants’, and to give their positive witness to the gospel in order to counter practical abandonment of its truth, and that sometimes on the part of acknowledged leaders or so called ‘pillars’ of the Church.

Since the need for such protest occasionally recurs, it may well be profitable for us to learn from the New Testament its adequate cause and its essential content.

Such a situation is brought before us in Galatians 2:11-21, where Paul indicates how he had publicly to withstand even Peter to the face. …”

– The Rev. Alan Stibbs’ July 1960 column has been republished by The Australian Church Record.

Melanie Phillips in conversation with John Anderson

In seeking to share the gospel, Christians are concerned with objective truth and reasoned argument.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson recently spoke with British journalist, author and broadcaster Melanie Phillips about the tumultuous changes taking place in western society, including the death of reason and absolute truth.

The interview runs for 56 minutes.

The Slow Killing of Congregational Singing

“Here is a great historical irony.

Fifty years ago choirs ruled the church. Usually, they were supported by a very loud organ. To be frank, many choir members were performers, and when the choir was large they drowned out the singing of the congregation. So, sadly, the very people appointed to help the congregation sing actually smothered congregational singing. Bit by bit, choirs disappeared. I think most churches didn’t mourn the loss.

Here’s the irony: we then replaced the choirs with song leaders (or, what we inaccurately call ‘worship leaders’). Over time the number of song leaders grew and grew until they became as big as a choir. Then …”

– There is both challenge and encouragement in this Gospel Coalition Australia post by Mike Raiter.

(Photo courtesy GAFCON.)

GAFCON Chairman’s Letter September 2018

GAFCON Primates Council Chairman Archbishop Nicholas Okoh turns to the situation in New Zealand in his latest pastoral letter:

“This realignment of the Anglican Communion will undoubtedly continue. Compromise leads to more compromise, but can there be a better way forward than the aggressive legalism practised in the Americas?

New Zealand will be a test. Following the decision in May by the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ACANZP) to allow for the blessing of same sex relationships, contrary to Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, a number of parishes in New Zealand have announced that they can no longer in conscience remain part of the Province, but Gafcon is proposing a fresh approach in order to minimise conflict.”

– Read it all here.

Rainbow revolution progresses as Bishop of Taunton announced as celebrant at Cathedral LGBT Eucharist

“Wells Cathedral in Somerset is the latest to show its allegiance to the cause of LGBT ‘radical inclusion’.

The What’s On section of its website advertises a “Rainbow Church Eucharist”, under the banner of a stylised rainbow coloured cross …”

– Andrew Symes at Anglican Mainstream highlights the latest white flag of surrender to the popular culture.

A man of words and a man of his word – Bishop Donald Robinson

“The ninth Archbishop of Sydney, Donald William Bradley Robinson, has been laid to rest after a funeral service in St Andrew’s Cathedral which he helped write 40 years earlier.

Bishop Robinson died early on Friday morning, 7th September. He was 95.

A renowned New Testament scholar, Bishop Robinson was a lecturer and Vice-Principal at Moore College, before becoming Bishop in Parramatta and later Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of New South Wales from 1982 to 1993.

Among his achievements was the production of An Australian Prayer Book (AAPB), highlighted in the eulogy by his daughter Anne. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell reports on today’s funeral service for a dearly loved and respected Christian leader.

See also:

Servant of the Church of God: Donald William Bradley Robinson, 1922–2018 – by Rory Shiner at Shenton Park, who recently completed a PhD on the life and work of Donald Robinson.

Remembering Donald Robinson – The Gospel Coalition Australia has assembled a number tributes.

The Rev. Peter Robinson spoke about his father’s legacy on 2nd September 2018, as part of the Australian Legacy series at Holy Trinity Wentworth Falls.

(Photo courtesy Ramon Williams.)

Funeral service for Bishop Donald Robinson Tuesday 11:00am

The funeral service for Bishop Donald Robinson will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, September 11, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.

Church leaders: realistic idealists

“Here’s a thought I’ve been musing over: leaders in ministry need to be realistic idealists. Primarily, we need to be idealists because we are gospel people. We are people of God’s word who seek to do all we do through the lens of Scripture.

However, secondarily, we also need to be realistic. We need to remember that we operate in a fallen world, full of sinful people, where the first heaven and the first earth have not yet passed away, and when God has not yet made everything new (Revelation 21). …”

– Mike Leite explores how this looks in Christian ministry – at The Australian Church Record.

A Drought Reflection

“I teared up! The farmer’s dozer was broken down, the diesel mechanic had returned to town for parts and the farmer’s chainsaw filled the bush with noise as he brought down branches suitable for his sheep to eat.

Over a sandwich we talked of assistance but the response was like that of others, ‘There are people a lot worse off than us!’ Five thousand dollars a week I am told to keep his sheep alive but his wife made clear that they’d take no help. …”

– Bishop of Armidale Rick Lewers writes with a plea to the farming communities and those who would seek to help them.

Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Australia to be known as “GAFCON Australia”

“The AGM of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Australia has been held during the Anglican Future Conference in Melbourne.

The meeting agreed to change the public name and title to “GAFCON Australia” in order to match similar decisions in other provinces. …”

– David Ould shares this and other news from the Anglican Future Conference in Melbourne.

Related:

Archbishop Davies presents proposal for NZ Anglican future (25 August 29018)

Donald William Bradley Robinson (1922-2018)

“We at Moore College rejoice today that our dear brother and father in the faith, Archbishop Donald William Bradley Robinson AO, has been called home to be with Christ, ‘which is better by far’.

The debt we owe to this faithful disciple and Bible teacher is truly incalculable. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, many of whom do not even know his name, have been shaped in their reading of the Bible by the approach to biblical theology that he pioneered at Moore College in the 1950s and 1960s. Graeme Goldsworthy’s Gospel and Kingdom and Vaughan Roberts’ God’s Big Picture have taken that approach around the world.

Donald William Bradley Robinson was born on 9 November 1922, the son of a clergyman in the Diocese of Sydney. He studied classics at Sydney University, graduating in 1946, and theology at Queen’s College, Cambridge, graduating in 1950. …”

– Moore College Principal Dr. Mark Thompson adds his tribute to Bishop Donald Robinson.

Read it all at Theological Theology. (Also published at the Moore College website.)

With much thanks for Bishop Donald Robinson

“One of the towering figures of Anglicanism in the 20th century and former Archbishop of Sydney Bishop Donald Robinson, has died at the age of 95. …

The first to pay tribute was the current Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, who described the contribution of Bishop Robinson as ‘immeasurable’.

“We have lost a giant in the world of New Testament scholarship” Dr Davies said in a statement.

“Bishop Robinson, who lectured at Moore Theological College for more than 30 years, influenced a generation of future ministers and scholars. His innovative approach to Biblical Theology is one of his many lasting legacies.

While a scholar of great intellect, he was also a man of great humility and grace.” the Archbishop said.”

– SydneyAnglicans.net has the first tribute.

Bishop Robinson’s funeral service will be held at 11:00 am next Tuesday, September 11, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney.

(Top photo courtesy Dr Chase Kuhn, via Dr Mark Thompson. Bottom photo from the 1982 Sydney Diocesan Year Book.)

Anglican Future starts with ‘Gospel Confidence’

“The opening of the Anglican Future Conference in Melbourne has begun with a stirring call for Christian leaders to defy secular stereotypes of the church as a dying force. …

The conference, with the theme “Grace and Truth in Uncertain Times” is organised jointly by the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Church (EFAC) and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, Australia and New Zealand, chaired by the Bishop of Tasmania Richard Condie.”

– Russell Powell reports at SydneyAnglicans.net.

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