Gracefully leaving an apostate denomination

From Dominic Steele at The Pastor’s Heart:

“Minister of St Stephen’s Christchurch Jay Behan tells the heartbreaking story of leading his church away from the traditional Anglican Church in New Zealand and working to form a new Diocese for faithful Anglicans.

Jay Behan tells of his tearful resignation from the New Zealand Anglican Church’s General Synod, just hours after the Synod voted to abandon the teaching of Jesus on sexuality. …”

– Watch here.

From Susie Leafe, Director of Operations, Gafcon UK:

Today and tomorrow (Friday & Saturday) the inaugural synod of a new Anglican extra-provincial diocese will be meeting in New Zealand. Last month, the Gafcon Primates affirmed the decision to form this new diocese and it would be great to pray for them as they face this ‘day of small things.’

And from the Gafcon Secretariat (via e-mail), some history:

In 2016, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ACANZP) accepted a report which stated that the Church wanted to find a way to remain united despite having two integrities on matters of sexuality. After much debate, the Church changed their canons last year to allow the formal blessing of same-sex relationships.

For some, the decision in 2016 caused them to leave the ACANZP, others followed when the canons were changed.  Relationships between these folk and between them and the ACANZP have, for the most part been gracious and cordial.

The churches forming the extra-provincial diocese include those who left in 2016 and those who left later. As they made their decisions about the future, their desire to serve each other and those who will come after them, was evident.

Why we should thank Israel Folau

“You might have had the experience, especially with a mobile phone in hand, of someone suddenly grabbing you to hold you back from crossing a busy city street.

At that point, you can do one of two things. You can accuse your fellow pedestrian of assault – even false imprisonment – or you can look up to see that they have saved you from being run over and thank them profusely.

It all depends on whether you perceive a danger and how you understand the intention of the other person. …”

– Bishop Michael Stead has written a very helpful piece which is ideal for sharing with your friends.

4 Urgent Conversations Australians need to have after Folau

“The Israel Folau saga has uncovered an urgent need for Australians to have conversations about the sort of society we want to live in.

When Folau first posted his controversial Instagram post, there was an immediate reaction from many cultural commentators, demanding he step down. Rugby Australia, his employer, was only too happy to agree. But as time has passed and emotions have cooled, there seems to be a growing backlash against Rugby Australia’s actions toward Folau. And I don’t just mean from Christian or conservative voices. …”

– Akos Balogh writes at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

Hell just won’t go away

“It is time for Christians to think about what they really believe and why, and to formulate answers to these hot topics, explanations that are grace seasoned with salt. If colleagues at work or fellow students uni are aware that we follow Jesus, are they not already asking us these kinds of questions?

Surely it is prudent for us to be thinking biblically, lovingly, clearly, and winsomely.”

– Murray Campbell on how Christians should respond to the topic which introduced into the election campaign this week.

Before you vote

“… I need to inform the church on recent events, and then I add my own plea based on the conviction that now is a critical moment in the life of our nation. Clearly, we have moved into a post-Christian world, and we expect this not to be reversed soon. But this doesn’t mean Christians lay down and roll over.

Because I was out of the country, on my invitation our Clerk signed letters on behalf of the PCA to Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten asking a series of searching questions ranging from religious freedoms in general, to employment in Christian Schools and holding to biblical views on marriage. The letters contained the same eleven probing questions, but couched differently according to the track record and previous statements made by each leader on particular subjects. They were co-signed by several evangelical churches and Christian schooling groups.

Yesterday, we received a reply from PM Scott Morrison. I encourage you to read the letter yourself …

No reply has been received from the Labor Party, except an automated confirmation that our concerns have been forwarded to their Campaign Team. …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General John P Wilson shares the responses (so far) to the letter from Christian leaders to Mr Morrison and Mr Shorten.

Read it all, with the attachments linked to that post.

Religious Freedom and the Federal Election

“Australia goes to the polls in a Federal election on May 18, 2019.

It seems worthwhile to note, for those interested, some recent information about the views of the major political parties on religious freedom, and to report an important study of public opinion on the topic. …”

– A new post from Associate Professor Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia.

The Book your Pastor wishes you would read (But is too embarrassed to ask)

“While there are thousands of books meant to teach pastors how to serve their churches, this is the only book I know of created specifically to teach churches how to serve their pastors. In a sense it’s the most obvious topic in the world, yet one that remains largely unexplored, at least as far as I know. …”

– Tim Challies provides a brief review of Christopher Ash’s new book The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read (But Is Too Embarrassed to Ask).

News update George Whitefield College

“The first quarter of the year has seen much progress for the College, both here in Muizenberg as well outside of South Africa. Locally speaking, our larger than usual group of first years have shown great desire to knuckle down and do all that is required of them. Outside the country, our Explore team (of which I was a part) visited Accra in Ghana and spent a week there engaging almost 50 people in facilitator training. …”

– Dr Mark Dickson at George Whitefield College in Capetown writes in their latest newsletter (PDF). Fuel for prayer.

Thanksgiving for Richard Bewes 1934-2019

The Rev. Richard Bewes, OBE, former Rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place, in London, has received his homeward call at the age of 84.

All Souls Church has posted several tributes here – as has GAFCON, of which Richard had served as a member of their Board of Trustees.

Canon Chris Sugden has published this tribute in the Church of England Newspaper (via Anglican Mainstream):

“Christian leaders from across the world responded with warm tributes to the news of Prebendary Richard Bewes’ peaceful release from months of suffering from cancer at 6.25pm on Friday 10 May at his home in Virginia Water, surrounded by Timothy, Wendy, Stephen and his wife Pam.

A child of the East African Revival in the 1930s, he treasured his African roots and was the UK chairman of African Enterprise for 32 years. The son of missionary parents, Canon Cecil and Mrs Sylvia Bewes, he was born in 1934 in Nairobi…”

Are your church structures undermining the gospel?

“Many churches seek to reach specific groups of people by engineering services to suit each group. I remember as a teenager going to a ‘Hawaiian’ themed service, not trying to reach Hawaiians, but people that preferred a relaxed island environment with music played on an ukulele. While many of our churches aren’t so specific about the affinity groups they seek to reach, they are clearly divided on demographic and interest lines.

For example, one church I was previously a member of operated something like this …”

– Moore College’s Chase Kuhn asks some simple questions you might not have considered. At the Gospel Coalition Australia.

Dapto mourns Senior Minister

Members of the parish of Dapto are mourning today after their Senior Minister, the Rev. Stephen Semenchuk, was called home to be with Christ after a short illness, on Sunday 12th May.

There will be a funeral and public celebration of Stephen’s life on Thursday 16th May.

All can give thanks for Stephen’s love for Jesus, and his desire for all to be saved (which included his work in the wider diocese).

Please uphold Stephen’s family and the entire congregation in prayer in these days.

Standing with Israel Folau and religious freedom

“Archbishop Glenn Davies and the chair of the Religious Freedom Reference Committee, Bishop Michael Stead, have been pushing for assurances on religious freedom as the election campaign enters its final stages.

Concern about the issue has been heightened by the actions of Rugby Australia in sacking star player Israel Folau for a Christian message on Instagram.

Bishop Stead first raised concern soon after the controversy began when he told The Australian newspaper last month ‘If a rugby player can be sacked by doing nothing more than posting on his social media page what is essentially a summary of the Bible then it’s a signal to the rest of us that we better keep our mouths shut.’…”

– Read the full story from SydneyAnglicans.net. (SBS image.)

See also this SBS report.

Israel Folau decision may set a course for the future

“Christians across Australia have been given a message, ‘don’t commit social blasphemy’ and ‘be careful if you choose to use the Bible’. …

Lest we conclude that this story will soon be forgotten as a blip on the cultural radar, Rugby Australia’s stance may well soon find legislative legs. The Australian Labor Party (as the Greens have already done) have announced that they are considering expanding ‘anti-discrimination legislation to shield gay and transgender ­people from harmful speech if elected, in a move that has alarmed lawyers and free-speech advocates.’…”

– Murray Campbell writes about what seems to be coming – and how Christian believers should respond.

Workplace Laws “a Test of Faith”

“Christian leaders have warned that workplace codes of conduct could force Australians to leave their faith ‘at home’, after Bill Shorten and Scott Morrison hid behind employment law in their comments on rugby union star ­Israel Folau.

Michael Stead, chair of the religious freedom reference group for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, said he was frustrated that Mr Morrison and Mr Shorten characterised the dispute between Folau and Rugby Australia during Wednesday’s leaders debate in Canberra as a matter of workplace law. …”

– Story from The Australian. (Subscription)

Related:

Israel Folau’s case prompts Australian religious leaders to pen letters to Scott Morrison, Bill Shorten – ABC News.

Nick Farr-Jones on Folau: The ban is a ‘trainwreck’

“Wallabies legend and devout Christian Nick Farr-Jones has threatened to boycott the upcoming Rugby World Cup. He says Rugby Australia’s move to ban star Israel Folau for posting that ‘hell awaited homosexuals’ is a ‘trainwreck’. He spoke to Folau before coming on The Bolt Report.”

– Watch on YouTube. Image: Sky News Australia.

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