Baptist statement reaffirms marriage

“[O]n Friday the President of the Baptist Association of NSW & ACT released the following statement to all our churches, affirming our understanding of the nature of marriage…”

– Baptist minister Rod Benson (who is also Public Affairs Director for the NSW Council of Churches) points out that NSW Baptists have not changed their position. He also comments on statements made to the media by a Sydney Baptist.

Related: Baptists overwhelmingly oppose gay marriage.

Archbishop Peter Jensen in the Sydney Morning Herald on same-sex marriage

The Sydney Morning Herald has published this opinion-piece by Archbishop Peter Jensen –

“We are in the midst of a sustained and brilliantly orchestrated campaign to radically alter the marriage laws of this country to allow same-sex marriage.

Three slogans carry the message: ‘marriage equality’, ‘marriage won’t change’, ‘it’s inevitable’. Of course, the difficulty with slogans is that they are not arguments and, so, are hard to refute, except by slogans in return…”

– Read it all here, ‘Stylish same-sex campaign glosses over real issues’. Worth reading and passing on.

‘Sexegesis’ book launch in Hobart

Bishop of Tasmania, John Harrower, reports –

“Today we launched Sexegesis – An Evangelical Response to Five Uneasy Pieces on Homosexuality at St David’s Cathedral, Hobart. I would like to express my thanks to the Revd Joel Kettleton and the Dean Richard Humphrey, for their work in putting together this event.

Here is the introduction which I gave at the book launch:

2012 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Anglican Church of Australia. At the recent Synod of our Diocese we gave thanks that our founding documents affirm that we are part of the apostolic and worldwide church, that we are biblically based and that we are Christ centered.

As Anglicans then as we deal with issues such as homosexuality we do so in this context.

We are part of a worldwide Anglican communion and need to listen to that body which has clearly stated in the Lambeth Resolutions (1.10 – Human Sexuality) that homosexual practice is incompatible with the Scriptures.

As that resolution makes clear and the constitution of our Church says we take the Scriptures “as being the ultimate and standard of faith given by inspiration of God.” The Church is not at liberty to “ordain anything contrary to God’s Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another.” (Article XX of the Anglican Church’s 39 Articles of Religion).  We need to keep coming back to Scripture, to wrestle with it, understand and apply it, even when it corrects and challenges us and our culture. Read more

Same sex marriage — Weekend Sunrise interview

On Saturday (June 9 2012), Archbishop Peter Jensen, Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous and the Australian Christian Lobby’s Jim Wallace were interviewed by Andrew O’Keefe on the Seven Network’s Weekend Sunrise.

The topic was, “Why are so many Christians opposed to same sex marriage?”

The segment runs nearly 12 minutes and is well worth watching and passing on.
(h/t Lionel Windsor.)

Queen’s Birthday Honours 2012

We spotted these people among those in the just-published Queen’s Birthday Honours List –

Member (AM) of The Order of Australia

Professor Alanna Nobbs (pictured)
Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University
For service to education in the fields of ancient history and the classics, particularly the Society for the Study of Early Christianity.

Medal (OAM) of The Order of Australia

Canon Dr Peter Adam
For service to theological education, and to the Anglican Church of Australia.

Mrs Noelene Beer
For service to the Anglican Church of Australia through the Girls Friendly Society.

Professor Trevor Cairney
Master of New College, University of New South Wales
For service to education as an academic and administrator.

The above are summaries – details and the full list may be seen here.

Nationwide launch announced for Sexegesis

“On June 14, senior clergy of the evangelical church in Australia will make statements in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Adelaide (June 19), with an online launch in Canberra.”

– Download the full media release here (PDF) via the Diocese of Tasmania.

Related:
An important contribution to a vital debate.
Bishops publish protocols.
Sydney Standing Committee motion on Gippsland ‘breach of trust’.
Bishop McIntyre breaks ranks on homosexuality.
The Gippsland Crisis.
Bishop defends gay priest appointment.

Bishops publish protocols

“Australia’s Anglican bishops have published 17 protocols for their ministry, three of which they approved at their meeting in Melbourne in March, and have agreed to abide by them and renew them annually by consensus.

The protocols, which may be found [here] cover issues including pastoral guidelines for private confession especially relating to child sexual abuse, Eucharistic hospitality, women in the episcopate, approaching clergy in another diocese, receiving clergy from other churches and episcopal collegiality…”

– story from Anglican Media Melbourne.

Living Between Times — The Bishop of Tasmania’s 2012 Synod Address

“Next month there is an anniversary which has special significance for me. Can you imagine which anniversary it might be? No! It’s not my wedding anniversary. It’s the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falkland Islands War.

The end of that war introduced a significant season in the life of Argentina: a change from military dictatorship to democracy.

Let me explain. Argentina suffered a civil war, the so called “Dirty War”, during the rule of a brutal military dictatorship from 1976-83.

The Argentine dictatorship ruled ruthlessly to guard and grow its own ends. We lived in a street that had abandoned and burnt out houses. We were told that the occupants of an abandoned house on the corner of our street had ‘disappeared’ one evening following a raid by military personnel. Behind closed doors Argentine confidants told us of all the year 12 students in a college ‘disappearing’ one night and never being seen or heard of again; of whispered reports of people thrown from military planes.

We often wondered, ‘Would the dictatorship ever end? Would democracy ever come?’…”

On Friday, Bishop John Harrower delivered his Presidential Address to the Synod of the Diocese of Tasmania. Well worth hearing or reading.

Bishop Rick Lewers commissioned in Armidale

“Hundreds of people crowded into St Peter’s Cathedral on Wednesday to welcome Armidale’s new Anglican bishop.

Rick Lewers was installed and commissioned as the Bishop of Armidale in front of some 400 people watching both in the cathedral and via video link in a nearby hall. The event was not restricted to Anglicans, with representatives of other Christian denominations and the Salvation Army [!!] also in attendance …”

– Story and photo from The Armidale Express.

Does Moore matter?

Cam Capel, Chief Executive of Moore College, writes in the Winter 2012 issue of Moore Matters of the strategic gospel significance of the College:

“With the likes of D Broughton Knox, Graeme Goldsworthy, Donald Robinson and TC Hammond, the College has had a massive impact on the biblical theology of the Australian church across denominations.”

“Does Moore matter?

This question has become a critical one for the future of the church in Sydney, Australia and the world. We as a College community have been considering this question as we review our structures, education programs and delivery channels—to ensure we continue to serve individual Christians and the churches effectively. To answer this question we have to understand what Moore is, what it does and where it has come from in history. Read more

Gary Nelson installed as 7th Bishop of North West Australia

“On Saturday the 26th of May, over 200 people gathered in the Cathedral to show their support, to pray for and to welcome the 7th Bishop of the Diocese of the North West Australia, Bishop Gary Nelson.  Friends and family came from Perth, Sydney, The Kimberley & the Pilbara to celebrate this new beginning for Bishop Gary.

We value your prayers for Bishop Gary and the whole Diocese of North West Australia.”

– from Geraldton Anglican Cathedral. where they have posted a couple of photos and the audio of Bishop Nelson’s sermon on Titus 2:11-15.

Sydney Standing Committee motion on Gippsland ‘breach of trust’

“The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Sydney has expressed ‘dismay’ at what it calls ‘a breach of fellowship and trust’ with the Bishop of Gippsland who has appointed a partnered gay man to a ministry position in his diocese.

The appointment was announced earlier this year in the Gippsland diocesan newspaper. The resulting controversy led to the adoption of an Australian bishops’ protocol on sexuality.

Now, Bishop John McIntyre has announced his intention to continue such appointments, saying to his Synod “I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us…….. I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.”

The Standing Committee resolution ‘notes its dismay’ at the Bishop’s comments from which, it says, “it is reasonable to infer his intention to appoint, amongst others, practising homosexuals to ministry roles in his Diocese and support same-sex marriages.”

The resolution continued “Standing Committee considers that Bishop McIntyre’s earlier appointment of a practising homosexual to a ministry office and his May 18, 2012 statement represent –   Read more

Rick Lewers consecrated Bishop

On Friday night Rick Lewers was consecrated as Bishop of Armidale. Russell Powell has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Bishop McIntyre breaks ranks on homosexuality

How does this square with the Australian Bishops’ Protocol?

The Synod of the Diocese of Gippsland met in Sale, 18–20 May 2012. In his Presidential Address, Bishop John McIntyre spoke of the “new place” to which he had come in his understanding of homosexual people and the church. He said –

“I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us … and I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.”

Read the full text of his address – linked from the diocesan website (PDF) – also quoted at length in The Gippsland Times (“Anglican Bishop enters gay marriage debate”, 19 May 2012).

Related posts. (Photo: Diocese of Gippsland.)

Anglican and Catholic Dioceses of Bathurst to enter into Covenant

A report from Bathurst Diocese’s Anglican News –

“Clergy from across the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst and their counterparts from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst will gather in Bathurst on Thursday May 24 to witness the signing of a covenant between the two denominational groups.  Read more

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