General Synod Day 1 – A Time of Healing?
“General Synod 18 of the Anglican Church of Australia is now well underway with a full day of business already dealt with.
First order of business was the Presidential Address from Primate Archbishop Smith of Adelaide.
The Primate set a gentle encouraging tone as he spoke to the almost 300 delegates.
…
Smith suggested that the church’s mission was ‘to participate in the healing of all things – the world, its people, the planet itself’. That healing, of course, ought to apply in our own divisions.
So will we be in any way ‘healed’? It’s difficult to see how that might fully happen, particularly since the two positions on the key issue before us are genuinely polarised.
Notices of motion included 2 motions foreshadowed in today’s Australian article, ‘Anglican moderates hit back in same-sex spat’…”
– David Ould shares his reflections on the first full day of General Synod.
Please continue to pray for this gathering.
Related:
General Synod underway
“The COVID pandemic has had positive and negative effects for the church in Australia, the Archbishop of Adelaide and Primate of Australia, Geoff Smith has told the first day of the General Synod (or parliament) of the Anglican Church of Australia…
The Bishop of South Sydney, Michael Stead, who is also a member of the General Synod Standing Committee, called for prayer for the meeting.”
– Russell Powell reports at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Increased media interest in the Anglican Church this week
There seems to be quite a bit of media interest in the Anglican Church this week, as well as commentary about that media interest.
Here’s a selection –
The Attack on Sydney Anglicanism – David Robertson at The Australian Presbyterian.
Anglican moderates hit back in same-sex spat – The Australian (subscription)
Australian General Synod opens with Anti-Orthodox Media Campaign – David Ould.
If God is neither male nor female, should we change God’s pronouns? – ABC Religion and Ethics.
Prayer encouraged for General Synod 2022
The 18th Session of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia meets on the Gold Coast, Sunday 8th – Friday 13th May. (Progam here.)
The meeting had been planned for June 2020, but COVID concerns meant the meeting date was changed to June 2021 – and then again to this week.
After such a long break between meetings, the membership of the General Synod has changed more than would be usual, and some will not have met each other before this meeting.
We are sure that all members, representing all the dioceses of Australia, would crave your earnest prayers as they discuss issues of considerable importance to our unity in Christ.
‘The Line in the Sand’ Author Interview: Dr Mark Thompson
The following is an interview with The Rev. Canon Dr. Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological College and one of the authors of a newly published book, The Line in the Sand.
This book is a joint initiative of the Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League. It’s available for download here.
ACL Podcast Author interview.
Listen here:
or Download the file (right-click to Save As).
Transcript: Read more
‘The Line in the Sand’ Author Interview: Bishop Michael Stead
The following is an interview with Bishop of South Sydney Dr. Michael Stead, one of the authors of a newly published book, The Line in the Sand.
This book is a joint initiative of the Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League. It’s available for download here.
ACL Podcast Author interview.
Listen here:
or Download the file (right-click to Save As).
Transcript: Read more
‘The Line in the Sand’ Author Interview: Archbishop Glenn Davies
The following is an interview with former Archbishop of Sydney Dr. Glenn Davies, one of the authors of a newly published book, The Line in the Sand.
This book is a joint initiative of the Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League. It’s available for download here.
ACL Podcast Author interview.
Listen here:
or Download the file (right-click to Save As).
Transcript: Read more
‘The Line in the Sand’ Author Interview: Dr Claire Smith
The following is an interview with Dr. Claire Smith, one of the authors of a newly published book, The Line in the Sand.
This book is a joint initiative of the Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League. It’s available for download here.
ACL Podcast Author interview.
Listen here:
or Download the file (right-click to Save As).
Transcript: Read more
The Line in the Sand: The Appellate Tribunal Opinion and the Future of the Anglican Church in Australia
The Line in the Sand – edited by Robert Tong, Claire Smith and Mike Leite – is jointly published by The Australian Church Record and The Anglican Church League.
The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia meets Sunday 8 May to Friday 13 May 2022.
What is “The line in the sand”? How does it affect the future of the Anglican Church of Australia?
“This volume of essays is published in the hope that all Australian Anglicans and especially members of General Synod will be equipped and encouraged to hold fast to the historic Christian teaching about marriage and to hold out the pure gospel of God’s grace in Christ to all people.”
Download your copy of the book at this link. (PDF and ePub formats.)
Take the time to hear (or read) these Author interviews:
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…