A Descent into Irrelevance

“The documents posted at the close of the recent Primates’ Meeting in Dublin tell the story. The takeover of the Instruments of Communion by ECUSA, aided and abetted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is now complete. …

Look at how the remaining primates now view themselves and their function. Their statement of purpose could as well have been written by the Presiding Bishop’s staff at 815 Second Avenue:

We endeavour to accomplish our work through:
* prayer
* fellowship
* study and reflection
* caring for one another as Primates and offering mutual support
* taking counsel with one another and with the Archbishop of Canterbury
* relationship building at regular meetings
* being spiritually aware
* being collegial
* being consultative
* acknowledging diversity and giving space for difference
* being open to the prophetic Spirit
* exercising authority in a way that emerges from consensus?building and mutual discernment leading to persuasive wisdom…”

– A S Haley, “the Anglican Curmudgeon”, responds to the Dublin Primates’ meeting.

‘All not well in Rowanland’

“Of the 38 primates who could and should be in attendance at a legitimate Primates’ Meeting, we understand some 15 are absent. The GAFCON primates AND Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis and Archbishop John Chew are among those with more important things to do than attend a meeting and be manipulated by procedural rules that Dr. Williams will dominate.

More important, because Rowan Williams structures the meeting to control the primates and disempower them from taking any action that he doesn’t wish, and when their photographs are taken together, the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) uses that photo to announce that all is well in Rowanland.”

– The American Anglican Council’s Bishop David Anderson gives his perspective on the Dublin Primates’ meeting. Full text below —   Read more

Mary Kassian on Girls Gone Wise

We’ve mentioned Mary Kassian’s book Girls Gone Wise before (1, 2). Earlier this month she was interviewed on a Canadian Christian TV programme about the cultural pressures facing young women today. Watch it here.

The Dublin ‘Meeting’ — commentary

“It has been reported that on two occasions Primates of the Global South advised the Archbishop of Canterbury that they would not attend the current Primates’ Meeting if the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church were present.

Of the fourteen Primates who made this representation, it appears that only one will be attending any part of the meeting.

In this light, the defensive explanations of why Primates are not attending offered by the Secretary General and the Communion Office (e.g. visa problems, diary conflicts, etc.) must raise eyebrows. Why should we think that those who publicly stated two months ago why they were not planning to attend now really wanted to come, but forgot they had another appointment?…”

– The Anglican Communion Institute asks the obvious, but uncomfortable, questions.
(h/t Stand Firm.)

‘An act of love, an act of justice, an act of triumphant redemptive power’

“Last year the Sydney Doctrine Commission produced its report on penal substitutionary atonement in response to a request of the Sydney Synod in October 2007.

I think the report is worth wide reading (and not just because I am the chairman of the Doctrine Commission). As the report itself remarks, ‘Because the death of Jesus has a central place in Christian thought and Christian living, it is our ongoing responsibility to carefully consider its significance’ (§2).

Here is part of the conclusion:

Penal substitution is an indispensable element in the Christian proclamation of the cross. It does not say everything about the atonement but it says a crucial thing, one which also helps to illumine every other facet of the Bible’s teaching on the subject. It has been treasured all through Christian history because it enables us to see how the atonement which reconciles us to God can be at one time an act of love, an act of justice and an act of triumphant redemptive power. What has been done for us was truly, morally done. What was done for us was complete and entire, addressing every dimension of the predicament we have created for ourselves. What was done for us secures our freedom and gives us a solid ground for assurance and hope. Precisely because in this penal substitution the consequences of human sin have been dealt with for those who belong to Christ, the words of Jesus from the cross are cherished above all others: ‘it is finished’ (John 19:30) (§45).

The full report can be found here.” From Mark Thompson at Theological Theology.

(There’s a version of the PDF file with smaller margins here.)

Griffith Thomas on The Lord’s Supper in the Prayer Book

Church Society is continuing to republish online excellent resources from days gone by.

They have just made available this chapter on “The Lord’s Supper in the Prayer Book”.

It’s from “A Sacrament of our Redemption — An Enquiry into the Meaning of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament and the Church of England” by W. H. Griffith Thomas, 1861-1924.

Some other chapters from the book are already on Church Society’s website, and you can download the entire book (in PDF, Kindle and other formats) from Archive.org.

Obama and the ‘constitutional right’ of abortion

“When Barack Obama was running for President, he was described by some observers as one of the most radical candidates in the nation’s history in terms of support for abortion. Once in office, President Obama has done little to dispel that judgment. Even as the President is tracking to the middle on many issues, this is not the case when it comes to abortion…”

– Al Mohler comments on President Obama’s speech marking the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Lats week in “What about the Twins?”, he wrote:

“The national abortion rate is over twenty percent. Just last week it was reported that the abortion rate in New York City is over forty percent, and among African-Americans in that city, nearly sixty percent. Across the United States, an abortion industrial complex now claims over a million unborn lives each year.”

Ask Phillip

“Ask Phillip includes short and pithy answers from Phillip Jensen to all your questions about Christianity.” – a terrific resource from reasonforhope.tv.

Several of these videos are featured at phillipjensen.com, including “Is A Minister A Priest?”

Since the videos are hosted at Vimeo, they could be embedded on church websites or downloaded for use as discussion-starters in small groups.

Excited all over again by the Reformation

Mark Thompson:

“This is a book to share with the family as you encourage them to look at the Christian family album and rejoice in those who have proclaimed and defended the gospel before us, often at great cost. In an age when the Reformation is sidelined by some in the interests of Christian reunification, this is a must read. …

I cannot recommend the book highly enough. Every Christian home should have a copy.”

– high praise indeed for Andrew Atherstone’s just-published book, The Reformation: Faith and Flames. Read why here.

(From Moore Books, locally, or further afield.)

For a recent article by Andrew Atherstone, see here.

Bruce Ware on the exclusivity of Christ and the gospel

Colin Adams at Unashamed Workman provides links to the audio files from last week’s visit to Scotland by Dr Bruce Ware from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dr Ware’s topics included “Exclusivity of Christ and the Gospel”.

He also spoke on the latest assaults on biblical Christianity  – with a focus on the teaching of Brian McLaren (who was invited to speak at the last Lambeth Conference). Well worth hearing.

See Unashamed Workman for the links. (Related: Earlier stories on Brian McLaren.)

‘There could be sandwiches to spare in Dublin’

“Pity the poor caterers. The next Primates’ Meeting starts in Dublin in four days’ time — and no one knows how many Primates will actually turn up.

At the end of last year, it was announced that ten Primates from the Global South intended to boycott the meeting, in protest at the inclusion of the US Primate after rows over gay bishops and same-sex blessings. The Church Times understands that this number might have risen to 14 out of the possible 37 Primates eligible to attend…”

– Report from The Church Times.

Anglican Communion website.

Expositions for Expositors — John Woodhouse on 1 Timothy

Moore College Principal Dr John Woodhouse has been preaching on 1 Timothy in the College chapel.

He expounds the letter with a view to helping preachers think about how they might do the same. Very helpful and refreshing.

The video files are on Vimeo, with thanks to Audio Advice. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)

Links to each talk below: Read more

From the archives — Are we stronger than He?

Six years ago, we published this paper by David Short, Rector of St. John’s Shaughnessy in Vancouver. It’s a good reminder of what is (still) at stake around the Anglican Communion. PDF file here.

(The paper was first delivered at The National Canadian Anglican Essentials Conference in Ottawa on August 31, 2004.)

Taking Christ’s church seriously – a tonic for the confused and disenchanted

“Talk about refreshing! I was recently encouraged to read the relatively recent book by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion (Chicago: Moody Press, 2009). It helped that the person recommending the book was my principal, John Woodhouse. He said I’d like it. And he was right.

Book endorsements, in my experience, seem to be getting more and more out of touch with reality. They make grand claims which just aren’t met when you shell out the money and buy the book. But on this occasion the endorsements by J. I. Packer — ‘As I read, I wanted to stand up and cheer’, by Mark Dever — the authors are ‘theologically faithful, fresh, and insightful’, and Al Mohler — ‘a powerful word of correction, offering compelling arguments and a vision of church life that is not only convincing, but inspirational’ all hold up. I was genuinely excited by what I read. …”

– Mark Thompson hopes you will read the book and stand up and cheer with Jim Packer.

(Best prices here.)

The emergence of legal Christian publishing in China

“About the year 2003 it became possible to legally publish some forms of Christian literature in the People’s Republic of China.

Ten years ago, legal Christian publishing was barely on the radar screen, but today the situation is far different. The demographic and publishing statistics are staggering…”

– There are important publishing opportunities in China, according to this article from the current The Banner of Truth Magazine, republished by Desiring God.

← Previous Page — Next Page →