May 2011 Australian Church Record
The latest issue of The Australian Church Record has been released on their website.
It’s available as an 820kb PDF file.
Professor J I Packer: Anglican Church League Statement of Support
Anglican Church League President Dr Mark Thompson has released this statement in support of Professor J I Packer:
The ACL notes with alarm the Bishop of New Westminster’s threat to revoke Professor J I Packer’s ‘spiritual authority as a minister of Word and Sacraments’.
Professor Packer, one of the leading Christian voices of the twentieth century, is amongst those who have voted to stand with authentic and orthodox Anglicans rather than those who have undermined biblical truth over many decades and most recently by their innovations regarding homosexual practice. As one of these he has now become a target for revisionist aggression. Once again the intolerance and anti-liberal heart of liberal Christianity has been exposed. Read more
The Lambeth Decision: Dean calls briefing on 14th March
‘The Lambeth Decision: Refining or Redefining Anglicanism?
Sydney’s Bishops are not attending Lambeth – What do we do?’
It’s been announced that Dean Phillip Jensen is planning an afternoon briefing on the reasons for, and implications of, recent decisions concerning Sydney’s participation in world Anglicanism.
To be held in the Chapter House at the Cathedral on Friday 14th March, 1:30 – 3:30pm. The speakers will be –
Phillip Jensen – Should we break fellowship? Why? When? With whom?
Mark Thompson – What has happened in World Anglicanism to bring us to this point?
Robert Tong – What can Lambeth achieve?
Russell Powell – What is GAFCON all about?
Statement from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney on comments by the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding Sharia law
A media release from the Diocese of Sydney:
The Sydney Diocesan spokesman on this issue is the Bishop of South Sydney Robert Forsyth –
“We do not agree with the Archbishop’s comments. In the case of Australia, we are thankful for freedom of religion, but would oppose the idea of different systems of law for different people groups.”
Concerns over abortion paper
Concerns have been raised by some Melbourne Anglicans over a submission made to the Victorian Law Reform Commission on reform of the state’s abortion laws.
A think tank of eight women, by invitation from Archbishop Freier, made the submission in December. …
The Revd Tim Patrick, Associate Priest at St Jude’s Carlton, has sent a letter to parishes seeking signatories for a petition protesting against the submission. …
From this month’s The Melbourne Anglican. (The Submission is available here.)
Archbishop Peter Jensen in the Sydney Morning Herald
“On Saturday I had the pleasure of ordaining 49 men and women who were officially starting their ministries in Anglican churches in Sydney and beyond. Amid their joy and enthusiasm, I charged them to be faithful servants of the biblical message. I did so aware that I had to announce later in the day our painful decision that we will not go to the Lambeth Conference.
I have characterised this debate not just as one of sexual ethics but of faithfulness to the very message those ordinands had promised to uphold.
There has been a long road leading to this. …”
Raed the full article in The Sydney Morning Herald.
See also “Primate laments snub by bishops” in The Australian. “Dr Aspinall, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, said yesterday he failed to understand the motivation of the dissenting bishops…”
Sydney will not attend Lambeth – official
This Statement was made by Archbishop Peter Jensen – speaking after the service of ordination of 48 deacons at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney today –
“With regret, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney have decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference in July.
They remain fully committed to the Anglican Communion, to which they continue to belong, but sense that attending the Conference at this time will not help heal its divisions.
They continue to pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference.”
48 New Deacons in Sydney
This morning 48 men and women were ordained as deacons by Archbishop Peter Jensen at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
Please give thanks to the Lord for each and pray for them as they begin new ministries.
(Thanks to David Ould for the photo. More photos here courtesy of Ramon Williams. And a report here from SydneyAnglicans.net)
Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen on church music
In response to this ABC Radio PM item (“Archbishop of Sydney ‘vandalising’ Anglican culture”, Wednesday, 30 January 2008) and an article in The Spectator, Archbishop Peter Jensen has released this statement:
“I am disturbed by an attack on the musical tradition of St. Andrew’s Cathedral featured in the Spectator and aired on ABC Radio recently.
No opportunity was given to respond to these remarks before they aired.
There are inaccuracies in the reports about which I will say nothing, but I am compelled to speak to correct the record and to protect the real victims of such an attack, the musicians who do a splendid job, week in and week out, in congregations across Sydney, and not least at our Cathedral, St. Andrew’s.
Day of Thanksgiving for Rain – Armidale
The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Armidale, Dr. Peter Brain, has asked each of the churches in his region to take time on Sunday February 10th, to offer special prayers of Thanksgiving for the recent rains.
“Since we have set aside some special days of prayer for rain during the past 5 years of drought and God has been pleased to answer these prayers by graciously sending widespread rains, we want to give Him special thanks,” said Bishop Brain.
Agreement to be signed by local Anglican and Roman Catholic heads
In a sign of warming relationship between the Anglicans and the Catholics in NSW, a formal covenant will be signed between them with the Anglican Archbishop of Newcastle, Dr Brian Farran, saying it was an indication of the common value they shared together and a step towards ‘healing’ the differences. …
Story from Christian Today.
Australia Day Convention at the Cathedral
On Monday January 28th, St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney is host to the first Australia Day Convention.
The Dean, Phillip Jensen, is speaking on Mark chapters 1-8.
Details are available from australiadayconvention.com.
Don Carson in Sydney this March
A reminder that Professor Don Carson will be speaking at Moore College in Sydney on Wednesday 26th March.
Details are available in this PDF file from the Moore College website.
Anglican archbishop spurs opposition to gays
“Outspoken Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen is galvanising opposition to homosexuality in the church, in the lead-up to an unofficial meeting of conservative bishops in Jerusalem.
As rifts in the worldwide Anglican Church threaten to become a schism, the Sydney Archbishop said American Anglicans had become missionaries for homosexuality in defiance of the Bible and Anglican teaching. The Global Anglican Future Conference is provocatively timed just before the 10-yearly meeting of all the world’s bishops at Lambeth in London. That meeting must resolve the sexuality crisis or worldwide Anglicans will probably divide into two separate churches. …”
Read the full report by Barney Zwartz in The Age.
(Concerning the inaccurate headline – see the GAFCON FAQ.)
31 bishops stand with Bishop Schofield
Thirty one bishops, including Jack Iker (Bishop of Fort Worth), Peter Jensen (Archbishop of Sydney), Robert Forsyth (Bishop of South Sydney) and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali (Bishop of Rochester), have written a letter of support for Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin in his decision to leave The Episcopal Church and to align with the Province of the Southern Cone.
The letter, posted today on the San Joaquin diocesan website, reads as follows –
Dear Bishop John-David,
We, Episcopal colleagues from across the Anglican Communion and across the world, write to salute you on the courageous decision of the Diocesan Convention of San Joaquin to take leave of The Episcopal Church and to align with the Province of the Southern Cone. We know that decision was to a large extent the result of your tenacity and faithful leadership, and for that we give thanks to God. It has been said that you are isolated and alone. We want you and the world to know that in this decision for the faith once delivered to the saints, we stand with you and beside you. May Christ abundantly bless you and your diocese with all the gifts of the Spirit and with joy in believing.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth
and:
The Most Rev. Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney
The Rt. Rev. Matthias Medadues-Badohu, Bishop of Ho
The Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester…
Read the letter and see the full list of signatories on the San Joaquin website (PDF file).
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…