Chairman’s October 2019 Letter — Reformation Day!

“Beloved in Christ Jesus: Greetings in the name of the crucified, risen, and ascended King, our Lord Jesus Christ!

I write to you from Wittenberg, Germany, where Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation 502 years ago by posting his 95 Theses on the doors of the Castle Church.

This month has seen an historic step in the life of the Anglican Communion. …”

– Archbishop Foley Beach, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council, shares, in his October Letter, news of the New Zealand consecration.

FREE2BME Religious Freedom Event in Blacktown, Monday 18 November

Mark Tough, Rector of St. Clement’s Lalor Park and Kings Langley, is advertising a Religious Freedom Event on Monday November 18 at 7pm at the Bowman Hall in Blacktown.

He writes, “We have a great line up of speakers – John Steenhof from the Human Rights Law Alliance, Professor Michael Quinlan from the University of Notre Dame Australia, Michelle Rowland MP the Federal Member for Greenway, and the Hon. John Anderson AO, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.

The event is free but people need a ticket in order to gain entry. Tickets can be obtained at https://www.trybooking.com/BFRMK.”

Download the flyer (1.6MB PDF file) with all the details, and be encouraged to share it widely. See also the Free2BMe Facebook page.

Mark Tough has recorded this video to encourage you to come along.

Remembering the Reformation

“As one who loves to read history, I have never quite shared the desire to keep anniversaries. It often seems that the louder the celebration, the more distorted the message, and history gets replaced by lessons in civics. But October is Reformation month, and 31 October 1517 is as convincing a date as any to remember as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General Peter Barnes encourages us to remember the Reformation.

Newcastle Synod decision pushes Australian Anglicans to Precipice

“The synod of the Diocese of Newcastle which met this past weekend has taken a decision that will only further exacerbate the already very high tensions in the national church.

As we reported last week, the synod was due to consider 2 controversial pieces of legislation.

The first is an ordinance to remove the possibility of clergy in a same-sex marriage being open to a disciplinary tribunal by virtue of that relationship. The second, a bill, sought to establish a “Wangaratta”-style blessing for persons in same-sex marriages.

Only the first ordinance actually passed. Reports from the synod tell of time running out on the second bill and so, although it had support in principle, it could not be completed and will have to be presented next year. …”

– David Ould takes a close look at what happened at last weekend’s Newcastle Synod.

Photo of Bishop Peter Stuart addressing the Synod: Diocese of Newcastle.

What future has the Anglican Church of Australia?

“There can now be no doubt that the Anglican Church of Australia is headed towards a crisis moment. Some might argue it has been a long time coming but recent events have catalyzed the sense that we are rapidly arriving at a moment of decision.

So what has brought us to the edge of this cliff? …”

– At The Australian Church Record, David Ould gives his take on what is happening, and where he thinks things may go from here.

“Who Am I?” A Sydney Anglican Female Perspective

“My favourite moment of my favourite musical comes when Les Miserable’s protagonist breaks into his moment of existential crisis. “Who am I?”, he lyrically wails.

As I read Julia Baird’s latest offering about the caricatured, oppressed, silenced and invisible women of the Sydney Anglican Diocese (“In praise of the oddities and outliers resisting bonkers fundamentalism in Sydney”, SMH Oct 26th), I found myself having my very own Jean Val Jean moment (though, sadly, without the accompanying symphony). Who am I? I’m an ordained member of the Sydney Anglican clergy. But I’m also a woman. …”

– The Australian Church Record has published an expanded version of an article by Dani Treweek which was first published in The Sydney Morning Herald.

What has the Sydney Morning Herald got against Anglican women?

“I love the word bonkers. My mum used to say it all the time, and I just don’t seem to hear it often enough anymore. That was until Julia Baird used it in a piece for The Sydney Morning Herald, to describe the position many Sydney Anglicans hold regarding the role of women in the church. Yet I want to suggest the reason people hold this view isn’t quite as muddled headed as Baird might presume. …”

– Writing at Spectator Australia, Archdeacon Kara Hartley responds to an article in the SMH.

‘Newcastle Anglicans support gay marriage’

“Newcastle’s Anglican diocese has voted to change church rules to allow ministers to bless same-sex marriages and prevent clergy in same-sex marriages from being punished by the church.

More than 200 clergy and lay people voted on the two bills at the diocese’s synod on Saturday, the majority in their favour. …”

– The Northern Daily Leader is carrying this AAP report.

Like the earlier move by the diocese of Wangaratta, it appears that this will be considered by the Appellate Tribunal.

See also:

“Bishop Peter Stuart Opens Synod with Presidential Address” – Newcastle Diocese. It includes a link to Bishop Stuart’s Presidential Address (PDF).

Photo: Diocese of Newcastle.

The Rev Dr Ed Loane appointed the 12th Warden of St Paul’s College

News from Mr Mark Elliott, Chairman of the Council of St. Paul’s College at the University of Sydney:

“The St Paul’s College Council is delighted to announce the appointment of the Rev Dr Ed Loane as the 12th Warden of St Paul’s College.

Following an extensive and thorough search, which yielded many high quality applications, we have found the right candidate to lead this exciting next chapter at St Paul’s. …”

– Read it all here.

New role for Bishop Ivan Lee

“The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has announced he is seconding Bishop Ivan Lee to work on strengthening church growth in the Diocese, in a new portfolio for the experienced Bishop.

Bishop Lee, who was appointed by Archbishop Jensen in 2003, is the longest-serving Assistant Bishop in Sydney. …

Archbishop Davies is planning, with the concurrence of the Standing Committee, to appoint a new Bishop for Western Sydney by the end of the year.”

– News from SydneyAnglicans.net – and a reminder to uphold Ivan in your prayers.

Newcastle 2019 Synod to consider blessings for same sex couples

Apparently taking the lead from Wangaratta diocese, the Newcastle Synod will debate same-sex blessings when it meets on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th October 2019.

The Newcastle diocesan website explains:

“Human Sexuality & Marriage

The Right Reverend Professor Stephen Pickard will be a guest of the Synod and will be assisting the Synod explore its response to discussions about human sexuality and changes in the Marriage Act.

Two Bills (11.1 & 11.2) will be discussed relating to these topics.

The first Bill seeks to remove the potential for discipline against a member of the clergy who offers a blessing to a same sex couple as well as removing the potential for discipline against a member of the clergy who declines to offer a blessing.

It is a complex bill that requires it to be passed, assented to by the Bishop and then for the debate to be held again next Synod with a further occasion of the Bishops assent.

If passed the Bill would also allow a married clergy same sex couple.

The second Bill seeks to propose a form of blessing for people who have been married in a civil service.”

(Formatting and red highlights added.)

See also:

Newcastle Synod to debate same-sex blessings – davidould.net, 22 September 2019.

Melbourne Anglicans vote to express ‘sorrow’ over blessing of same-sex marriages – ACL, 19 October 2019.

Guarding the faith in a changing world – Archbishop Glenn Davies, 14 October 2019.

True Discipleship and The 51st Synod

“He said what?!

By now, most of you would have heard about Archbishop Glenn Davies’ address at the 51st Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.  It has been quoted and misquoted on social media, the Sydney Morning Herald, and has even reached British shores where I am living, with an article in the Guardian from former Sydney pastor Joel Hollier.

As he has made clear, Archbishop Davies was not calling on those struggling with same-sex attraction to leave the church. We all struggle with sin, which is why the grace and mercy of Christ is such a wonderful message to the world. But there is a difference between struggling with sin, and declaring something not to be a sin. …”

– Tom Habib cuts to the heart of the matter at The Gospel Coalition Australia. Be sure to read it all.

By sad contrast:

“The Bishop of Liverpool [in the Church of England] told the Guardian: ‘I still hope that bishops from Sydney will attend the Lambeth conference next year so that we can all talk together and learn from one another there.

‘Meanwhile, I’m glad that other parts of the Australian church are engaging in dialogue with Sydney and are advocating for a greater inclusion and a wider and more diverse church. It’s good to be in the same communion with all these people.’

Other Church of England bishops declined to comment on Davies’ comments, saying they did not represent mainstream views within the church.”

– from The Guardian.

A Model of Convictional Courage

In his The Briefing podcast for Friday 18 October 2019, Albert Mohler spoke about Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Presidential Address.

“I can only say that I pray for the day that the average evangelical pastor in the United States of America would summon the courage to speak as courageously as the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney on these central and unavoidable issues that are necessary to our understanding of sin and sexuality, but also to gospel and church.”

The segments starts at 09:32 into the programme. Listen or read the transcript.

Waiting for the day of the Lord

“Over the past year or so I have spent many a Monday morning immersed in 2 Peter, working through it verse by verse in our senior clergy meetings. What a joy it’s been. I’ve especially come to love 2 Peter 3 because it has reminded me once again about how I should use the time I’ve been given. So I thought I’d share three things that have struck me. …”

– Kara Hartley, Archdeacon for Women in the Diocese of Sydney, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

There’s an integrity problem in the Anglican Church of Australia

“Imagine the marketing director for a major soft drinks company who drank and promoted the competitor’s leading brand of drink at press conferences. They wouldn’t expect to keep their job very long.
If they had any integrity.

Imagine a left-wing politician who only ever advocated for conservative positions. You’d think they’d resign and join another party.
If they had any integrity.

So what about ordained Anglican ministers who promised to defend and promote the church’s teaching from the Bible but instead constantly undermine and attack it while banking their stipend every month. The right thing to do would be to resign and join another group.
If they had any integrity. …”

– David Ould challenges Bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia to act with integrity. See it all at the link.

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