Freedom, Faith and Forgiveness — Os Guinness

In another ‘must see’ interview, John Anderson speaks with Os Guinness.

55 minutes, well worth your time.

Thoughtcrime is now a reality in Britain

“Whatever your view on abortion, even if you are strongly pro-choice, this whole episode should worry you immensely. The implications for personal liberty are terrifying. If an arrest for silent prayer is not an instance of Orwellian ‘thoughtcrime’, then I don’t know what is. …”

– Spiked. Further coverage and commentary from Not the Bee.

Essendon apologises to Andrew Thorburn

“Religious freedom received an early Christmas present this year with Essendon Football Club today issuing an apology to Andrew Thorburn.

The forced resignation of Andrew Thorburn in October, following less than 24 hours in the job as Essendon’s new CEO, was one of the biggest stories in Victoria for 2022. …”

– Murray Campbell has the story.

Anti-Conversion Coercion in Tasmania

At AP (The Australian Presbyterian), David Robertson shares his thoughts on what he calls “The Canary in the Coal Mine” –

“The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) have produced a report for the Tasmanian government recommending new laws to deal with sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices (SOGI). This doesn’t sound as though it would be riveting reading – and for many people within and without Tasmania, it hardly seems relevant to their lives.

I read the report, mainly to prepare a short response. However I found it so disturbing and revealing that I have taken some time to respond in more detail. Why? Because it is a great example of how progressive ideology takes over the basic civic institutions of Western societies. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

The report itself is 332 pages long. Which itself is a statement. Who is going to be bothered to read a report of that size on a subject which seems so inconsequential to most of us? If people bother with it at all it is likely to be within the comfort zones of their own interest groups – or they will just skim read it – note the various buzz words and either agree with the conclusions of the report, or just shrug their shoulders and walk away. Who cares? I do.

And so I thought I would share with you the main lessons to be learned from this report – lessons that can apply in many situations (e.g. The GRA reforms in Scotland, the compulsory trans ideology in the US, or the ‘diversity’ managers being imposed on the NHS in the UK, and corporations throughout the world). The message and the methodology is the same.

One of the main problems is the use of language. I am totally opposed to any form of conversion therapy which is coercive and harmful. Arguing against this report is not the same as arguing for conversion therapy. It is ironic that an ideology which is supposed to be against binary choices – only offers a binary choice. You are either on the ‘good’ side, the ‘right side of history’, the progressive; or you are an evil, hateful regressive. Although the report doesn’t put it in that language, the implication is the same. But life is much more complex than such simplistic binary views.

First, we will look at the sections of the report that deal with pseudo-science, the need for new legislation and the question of harm. Part two will look at the confused language, the question of consent and the definition of conversion. Part three looks at who the report is really aimed at and what its effect will be. …”

Part One: Pseudo-Science and Pseudo–Needs.

Part Two: The Emperor Has No Clothes.

Part Three: The World Turned Upside Down.

No more long grass for the Church of England. Repent or Differentiate.

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“One of the most respected voices in the Evangelical world, the senior minister of St Ebbes in Oxford, Vaughan Roberts, is calling on his own bishop and many of the leaders of the Church of England to repent and return to the Apostolic Christian Faith – or failing that, pursue a provincial-level split.

He says Church of England Bishops, who spent last week in meetings, have run out of long grass to hide in and says the Church of England is sleep walking towards the same disaster that has happend to the Episcopal Church in America, losing 100,000 members and seeing hundreds of clergy leaving or deposed. …”

– Watch or listen at The Pastor’s Heart.

Resistance and fidelity – Munro’s choice

“As the new conservative evangelical ‘flying’ Bishop of Ebbsfleet launches off, the Bishop of Rochester’s written answer to a question from a General Synod member shines a light on the Church of England’s direction of travel. …”

– At Anglican Ink, Julian Mann points out the difficulties facing an evangelical bishop in the Church of England. Also a good reminder to pray for wisdom for those in such positions.

(Photo: Church Society.)

The Status Quo Is The Only Option

“Following the last meeting of the College of Bishops to consider the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith process, it was reported that there was general agreement that simply restating the existing ban on same-sex marriages or blessings in church was not an option.

Sadly, I agree. It will not be enough merely to restate the ban. Clearly there are large numbers of people in the church, in General Synod, and even in the College of Bishops, who will need to have the biblical and theological basis of the ban explained to them. They will need what the Living in Love and Faith resources have consistently failed to provide: teaching about the historic, orthodox position of the church, as evidenced in Scripture, and outlined in the formularies of the Church of England itself. …”

– Ros Clarke at Church Society’s blog looks at what is needed in the Church of England.

Archbishop of Perth continues with Ordinations in the face of large objection

“The Archbishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy, chose on Wednesday evening to continue with and preside over the ordination to the priesthood of a man living with his civil union partner despite receiving a formal objection from a large number of members of the diocese, both clergy and lay.

The letter of objection, forwarded to davidould.net, is signed by 25 clergy, 12 wardens, 18 parish councillors and 64 other church members. It asks the Archbishop to not proceed with ordaining the candidate …

The clergy objecting represent more than 15% of clergy in the diocese (based on 2022 General Synod delegate numbers). The laity represent a variety of the largest parishes and the overwhelming majority of financial contributions for the diocese from the parishes.”

– David Ould draws attention to events in Perth.

The U.S. Senate Subverts Marriage: The So-Called ‘Respect for Marriage’ Act Passes Senate Vote

“Yesterday is going to be one of those days we remember in American political history because I believe it represented a major turning point. And furthermore, it was a moral disaster. Yesterday, by a vote of 61 to 36, the United States Senate voted to codify same-sex marriage.

Now, technically what it did in adopting what is mis-characterized as the Respect for Marriage Bill, the central issue there is to require states to recognize legal, same-sex marriages performed in any other state. That effectively means coast to coast legalized same-sex marriage. Now, you might say, “I thought the Supreme Court had already granted a federal right to same-sex marriage in all 50 states.” And you would be right. That would be the Obergefell decision in 2015. But nonetheless, this is political grandstanding. But it is political grandstanding of a particularly dangerous sort. …”

– In his The Briefing broadcast for 30 November 2022, Dr Albert Mohler analyses what’s just happened in the USA.

‘Wokeness’ used to be amusingly eccentric – now it’s an authoritarian bid to re-write the history of Western civilisation

“That political use of the term ‘woke’ still has many Australians puzzled.

It’s probably the word I’m asked to explain more often than any other.

So, let’s see if I can give a definitive account of the word’s origins, history, development, and how it’s being used now.

It first appeared in print in America in 1891. …”

– Broadcaster and word expert Kel Richards introduces mystified Australians to the meaning of “woke”.

Baptists haven’t sold their soul, they are following God’s heart

“No, Baptists have not sold their soul over same-sex marriage. What they have chosen is faithfulness to God and upholding gospel unity.

New South Wales Baptists have reaffirmed the Bible’s teaching on marriage and are following Jesus’ teaching on human sexuality. They have also reaffirmed the importance of the Baptist doctrine basis by requiring accredited pastors and churches to affirm these statements. …”

– At the time, we missed this development from the week before last. Murray Campbell in Melbourne looks at news from NSW.

The Bishop of Southwark’s Presidential Address – An intial response

“The Presidential Address given by Bishop Christopher Chessun to the Southwark Diocesan Synod last Saturday has now been published online.

In his address the bishop sets out his view of what the outcome of the LLF process should be both for the Diocese of Southwark and for the wider Church of England. The purpose of this paper is to give an initial response to what the bishop has said, explaining why it is problematic from the perspective of traditional Anglican theology. …

If the Church of England were to adopt either or both of the bishop’s suggestions this would mean that it had ceased to uphold Christian orthodoxy with regard to sexual ethics.”

– Dr Martin Davie takes a look at the Presidential Address (PDF thanks to Anglican Mainstream,) given by the Bishop Southwark.

Faith-Based Schools in the Northern Territory threaten to close

“The Northern Territory parliament is currently considering amending the Anti-Discrimination Act so as to end an existing provision that allows ‘religious educational institutions to discriminate against staff based on their sexuality’. This would mean people who do not share the beliefs or values of a faith-based school or institution could no longer be excluded from employment.

In response, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Darwin, Charles Gauci, has said that he will consider closely all eighteen Catholic colleges and schools in the Northern Territory. Christian schools have also thrown their support behind this response, strongly suggesting they would follow a similar course of action. …”

– AP (The Australian Presbyterian) has this on the latest from the Northern Territory.

Update:

Northern Territory parliament passes anti-discrimination law reform amid fierce backlash – ABC News.

“The CLP has vowed to overturn the legislation if elected in 2024.”

Canada Euthanized 10,000 People in 2021. Has Death Lost Its Sting?

“In the past five years, the number of patients dying with physician assistance in Canada has grown tenfold, from around 1,000 in 2016 to more than 10,000 in 2021—3.3 percent of all deaths in Canada that year, according to official government reporting. …”

– Published last month, this Christianity Today article shows how quickly things are changing in Canada, and the pressures facing doctors.

(link via Tim Challies.)

A safe harbour for faithful Anglicans — Anglican Network in Europe response to the Bishop of Oxford

Here’s a Press Release from The Anglican Network in Europe:

The recent publication by the Bishop of Oxford of a paper ‘Together in Love and Faith’, and the briefing to the Church Times after the College of Bishops’ meeting on ways forward after LLF (31 Oct – 2 Nov 2022), both indicate a situation that is causing widespread dismay: a majority of bishops apparently now claim that maintaining a biblical orthodox position on same-sex blessings or marriage “is not an option” for the Church of England.

In his essay, the Bishop of Oxford, while advocating the full acceptance of same sex marriage within the Church, proposes some sort of provision of an alternative structure of oversight for those unable to accept this radical innovation.

This has been welcomed by some who hold to the historic, biblical teaching on sex and marriage, who acknowledge that there is an irreconcilable division in terms of understanding of the Christian faith, but would like an orderly, negotiated separation to occur within the church. This would have to involve robust protections for biblically faithful ministers, together with their congregations and buildings, should the Church of England be led into accepting heterodox faith and practice.

However a growing number are increasingly uncomfortable with this proposal, as it would require an acquiescence to ‘plural truth’ within the denomination. It would require an acceptance of divergent and irreconcilable views within the same church on a matter about which the Bible is unequivocal. As one commentator has put it, a church with “two integrities” on a primary, gospel issue has no integrity.

When senior Bishops call publicly for the departure from the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, the universal witness of Christian tradition and the great majority of Anglicans worldwide, this is not a matter for polite negotiation, but requires a call for repentance, which if not heeded, must result in an immediate break in fellowship, and the establishment of a faithful jurisdiction under godly oversight committed to the authority of the word of God.

Such a body has already been established: The Anglican Network in Europe, with its constituent members the Anglican Convocation Europe and the Anglican Mission in England. It is the result of gracious provision by the majority of faithful Anglican leaders worldwide. It is a safe harbour and a genuine, authentic and authorised Anglican alternative to compromise and cultural capitulation. Why not look for your nearest ANiE church, or investigate starting a new one?

As Archbishop Foley Beach (Primate of the Anglican Church in North America and Chair of the Gafcon Primates’ Council) said at the Network consecrations in October 2022, “We are here to say ‘you are not alone’, and as representatives of the majority of Anglicans in the Anglican Communion, we recognise what the Lord is doing in this emerging province.”

ENDS

PDF download here.

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