How does an election for a new Archbishop of Melbourne work?

“Current lay and clergy members of the Diocese of Melbourne’s synod will gather at St Paul’s Cathedral on 23 and 24 May to elect a new archbishop. The meeting will be closed to the public.

The last time the two houses of synod (the House of Laity and the House of Clergy) came together to elect an archbishop was in 2006. It was a protracted and rancorous process requiring two separate meetings.

The diocese is currently without an archbishop, with Archbishop Freier retiring on his 70th birthday, as per the synod regulations, earlier this month. …”

– At The Melbourne Anglican, Penny Mulvey provides an outline for the election process.

It’d be good to uphold in prayer Melbourne Anglicans as they work through this process.

Communion Restructure Fails to Bring Renewal — GAFCON

“To my brothers and sisters in the Gafcon family,

The recommendations of the December 2024 Report of IASCUFO (the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order) will fail to bring about renewal in the Anglican Communion.

There is merit in the leadership of the Primates’ Council and the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) being handed over from the Archbishop of Canterbury to a rotating, international chair.

But their proposed restructure of the ‘Instruments of Communion’ fails to bring genuine renewal to our Anglican Church.

The IASCUFO recommendations weaken the foundations of our common doctrine by sanctifying the revisionist theologies of provinces and dioceses that have wandered from the truth. …”

– A message from The Most Rev’d Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council.

Related:

Fatal Flaws in the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals – Bishop-Elect Phil Ashey at The American Anglican Council.

Praying for the Muslim world during Ramadan

Various groups produce resources to help Christians pray gospel-focussed prayers for Muslim people during the month of Ramadan. Here is one such resource which you can purchase and download:

“30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World has been inviting Christians to pray with love and respect for Muslim peoples around the world since 1993.”

Details here.

God’s Deep Irony!

“HG Wells, historian and author of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds responded to a request from The American Magazine in July 1922, to identify the six most influential people in history.

‘I am an historian,’ he said. ‘I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history’.

Why then was HG Wells, and many like him, not a believer? Perhaps it has something to do with what we might call, God’s deep irony. …”

– John Mason writes in this week’s Word on Wednesday from The Anglican Connection.

Fatal Flaws in the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals

From by Bishop-Elect Phil Ashey at The American Anglican Council:

“In December 2024, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) offered a new take on the divisions within the Anglican Communion. The IASCUFO Nairobi-Cairo (2024) proposals are the official statements of the Canterbury-led and TEC-funded Anglican Communion. These IASCUFO proposals call for a ‘reset’ of the Anglican Communion on the basis of mutual loyalty to a common faith, doctrine, and order.

So far so good. But in the process they proposed significant amendments to Resolution 49 of the 1930 Lambeth Conference, which describes the requirements for following Jesus in the Anglican way and therefore membership within the Anglican Communion.

It is these changes proposed by the IASCUFO Nairobi-Cairo (2024) proposals that simply fail to bring about the Communion—much less ‘the highest level of communion possible’—within the global communion of Anglican Churches on the basis of a mutual loyalty to biblical and apostolic faith and order. …

But why would any of us want to be included in a Communion of Anglican Churches that are held together by conversations rather than a common faith, order, and mission?…”

– Read it all here. (Bold added in first paragraph.)

Creator, King and Country — The importance of the first five words

From Phillip Jensen:

Citizenship is a wonderful thing. To be part of something larger than yourself gives meaning purpose and identity. Peter and I grew up in the British Empire having been born before the granting of Australian citizenship. It was for the Empire that our parents and grandparents generation went to the world wars. Today that is almost unimaginable, for now people find their identity in being Australians.

However, when we read Genesis 1 we are confronted with a ruler who is over and above every empire and nation because he is the Creator of all things. In this episode of Two Ways News we look at the meaning and implications of the opening words of Genesis 1.

– Listen here.

J. D. Vance on Scotland – Some Lessons for Australia

“The US vice-president, JD Vance, recently caused quite a stir in the circles of the European and UK elites. His explosive speech in Munich may well turn out to be one of the most significant political speeches for decades. He has been accused of everything from being a fascist to a Trump stooge, but his speech deserves much more careful consideration, other than name calling and partisan abuse.

I want to fact check one claim he made in the speech concerning my native country, Scotland. This is also relevant to Australia because the same tactics used in Scotland are being used here – to undermine the pro-life stance and portray those who are opposed to abortion as extremists. …”

– At AP, the Presbyterian journal, ‘Scot-in-exile’ David Robertson fact checks the fact checkers.

Rob Smith: The body and the gendered self

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“As pastors we’re expressing leadership in our churches on gender and sexuality. We want to help our people think biblically – and yet with the culture moving so fast – it is an area that we feel ill equipped.

On today’s Pastor’s Heart we benefit from the hard work of Sydney Missionary and Bible College Theology and Ethics lecturer Rob Smith who has just published a reworked version of his PhD under the title ‘The body God gives’.

As transgender visibility reaches new heights, we explore its historical and philosophical roots, noting the pivotal cultural shifts since the ‘Transgender Tipping Point’ in 2013.

We outline the biblical stance on the sex and gender binary while engaging with contemporary philosophical debates.

We dissect the relationship between second-wave feminism and the transgender movement.

Our discussion ventures into the diverse theories surrounding sex and gender, distinguishing between non-trans, soft trans, hard trans, and queer perspectives.”

“Rob has done us a great service with this book.” – Dominic Steele.

– Watch or listen here.

Church of England General Synod summary — Church Society Podcast

Confused about what happened at the Church of England’s General Synod meeting this month?

From Church Society: “In this double-length episode of the podcast, Michael Hayden and Ros Clarke discuss the February 2025 meeting of General Synod, what happened, what didn’t, and the differences watching online and in person.”

– Listen here.

Mainstream media pays little attention to reports of massacre in eastern DR Congo

“On 12 February 2025, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants entered the village of Mayba in Lubero Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo and abducted at least 70 Christian civilians.

The captives were subsequently taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they were executed by beheading via machetes. Their bodies were discovered on February 14. …”

– This Wikipedia article includes references to a number of reports of a massacre in a church in eastern DR Congo.

Update (25 February) – SydneyAnglicans.net has this story:

Christians massacred in Congo chaos.

“Hate speech” and religious freedom: Recent developments in Australia

“Recently there have been a number of legislative moves or proposals attempting to deal with issues around the area of ‘hate speech’. The term of course is problematic – we will try to unpack it shortly.

But the context, in Australia at least, is the shocking rise in the number of anti-semitic slogans and actual violence being seen in the last few months. Insults have been daubed on buildings and cars, fires lit at buildings associated with the Jewish community. And more recently…”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster looks at what is happening in terms of Federal, NSW and Victorian legislation.

Bathurst Diocese – updated list of Ministry Opportunities

The Diocese of Bathurst has updated its profiles of Parishes without Rectors.

See the profiles to inform your prayers – and there’s a link to use if you are interested in serving in Bathurst Diocese.

Preaching Workshop 3-5 June 2025 — Expository Preaching Trust

At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook shares details of the Preaching Workshop coming up on 3-5 June at Drummoyne.

A valuable resource for preachers.

27 Ordained and Director of Indigenous Ministry Commissioned in Sydney

Russell Powell writes at SydneyAnglicans.net –

“With more than 1000 people in the congregation and 27 servant-hearted men and women, St Andrew’s Cathedral echoed with the sound of singing, fulfilling Charles Wesley’s hope for ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise’.

Newly ordained, the deacons then made their way through the crowds for a group photo on the steps of the cathedral and then celebrated with family and church members from across Sydney, Wollongong and beyond. …”

– Read it all here.

Scotland: Pensioner Arrested for Silent Abortion Protest

“A 74-year-old woman has become the first person to be charged under Scotland’s new abortion buffer zones law.

The quiet, unthreatening pensioner was handcuffed and detained under new rules that came into force late last year, setting a 200-metre zone around abortion clinics in which ‘protests’ – including silent prayer– are not allowed.…”

– Report from The European Conservati . (Link via Anglican Mainstream.)

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