Dick Lucas steps down as PT trustee
Proclamation Trust’s Adrian Reynolds shares that Dick Lucas has stepped down as a Trustee of PT.
“Dick is 90 this year. Amazingly, he is still preaching, still sharp. But the time has come for him to step down as a PT trustee and I, for one, am enormously grateful for his wisdom and counsel. Once a week he stops by to sit on my sofa and chew the cud and, in characteristically humble mode, he listens patiently whilst I pontificate.
Join me in thanking God for this remarkable and continuing ministry.”
Here’s the audio of one of Dick’s most recent sermons.
The Reform Steering Group comments on the York Gay Pride event
The Reform Steering Group comments on the York ‘Gay Pride’ event:
July 8th 2015
“As the Steering Group of Reform met last week, the events surrounding the blessing of the Gay Pride march in York could not be ignored.
Whilst the Reform Steering Group stands opposed to homophobia, nevertheless they were unanimously of the view that it was an offense to all bible-believing Christians for the Minster to endorse, without qualification, the activities of York Pride with the intention of ‘affirming the LGBT community’.
They appreciated the Archbishop of York’s statement affirming the ‘traditional Christian understanding of human sexuality, orientation, and behavior’ and agreed with him that God loves and values all people, whatever their sexual orientation, and that that same love should be shown by Christians. They hope that the Archbishop of York is prepared to stand by the whole of Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects ‘homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture’ and the Dromantine Conference of Anglican Communion Primates Communiqué which affirms this teaching.
Susie Leafe, Director of Reform, said ‘We long for all churches to model Jesus Christ’s welcome to all people – a welcome that loves us enough not only to walk with us in self-sacrificial love but also to warn us of God’s judgment and call us to repent of our rejection of God’s ways.’
They therefore wish to express their unequivocal support for the stand that Rev Melvin Tinker, a founder member of Reform, has taken and they applaud his courage in being prepared to speak graciously and clearly of the Church’s responsibility to teach and act according to biblical principles.”
– See the Reform page for the list of members of the Steering Group.
Related: The Archbishop of York’s statement, 22nd June 2015.
Call to Prayer from the Church of England Evangelical Council
From the Church of England Evangelical Council:
“In writing to Timothy, Paul implores Timothy to live and teach in keeping with the gospel he has taught (1 Timothy 4:12-13) and indicates his never failing prayerful support for Timothy (2 Timothy 1:3).
It is our conviction that the Church of England needs evangelicals to pray afresh, and with this Pauline commitment, for her leaders, and in particular for those who are called to ordained leadership and the public ministry of preaching and teaching…
Recently there have been a number of public pronouncements and actions that undermine or are a direct challenge to the authority of Holy Scripture and the faith revealed in it and expressed in the tradition and teaching of the Church of England…
We therefore invite evangelicals in all the English Dioceses to renew a commitment to praying for those who lead God’s church.”
It would be good for Australian evangelical Anglicans to pray similarly.
Prominent Oxford Diocese Evangelicals call for the resignation of the Bishop
“This morning not one but two prominent evangelical ministers in the Diocese of Oxford appeared on BBC radio to call for the resignation of Bishop Alan Wilson…”
– David Ould has the details.
Evangelicals call for the Church of England to uphold the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Here’s a Joint Press Release from Reform and Oxford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship:
“This week began with Katherine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (TEC) of the USA, preaching in Westminster Abbey; it will end, we are told with Canon Michael Smith of York Minster blessing the York Gay Pride March. In between we have seen the Bishop of Buckingham describe doctrine that he swore to teach and pass on as ‘lousy’.
Nowhere in any of this has there been the clear message of the Gospel that despite our rejection of his ways we are all loved by God and can find forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not surprising, then, that the majority of the world’s Anglicans now look to the Primates of Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) for Leadership – the only question is whether after weeks like this one, those in the Church of England who wish to proclaim this Gospel will be forced to follow the same path…”
– Read the whole thing here (PDF). via Anglican Mainstream.
Related:
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori preaches at Westminister Abbey. – Abbey website.
York Minster Joins in with Gay Pride – Minster FM.
‘Archbishop Welby joins faith leaders calling for action on climate change’
“The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined faith leaders in Britain pledging to fast and pray for the success of key international negotiations over climate change, in a new declaration warning of the ‘huge challenge’ facing the world over global warming…
In the Lambeth Declaration, which will be launched tomorrow, signatories call on faith communities to recognise the pressing need to make the transition to a low carbon economy.”
– When you have a theological vacuum, something will fill it. Photo: Lambeth Palace.
Related:
- Evangelicals call for the Church of England to uphold the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.
- Albert Mohler responds to Pope Francis’ ‘Laudato Si’ –
“My guess is that the secular press will make much of the Pope’s statements on climate change and very little of his affirmation of historic Catholic teachings that run contrary to the modern secular worldview.”
GAFCON: A Moment and a Movement
This event, coming up on Friday June 19th, will be of interest for readers within travelling distance of Belfast.
It’s being organised by the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK & Ireland), and is a discussion on the future of global Anglicanism – with:
The Rt Rev Dr Peter Jensen – General Secretary, GAFCON
The Rev Canon Andy Lines – General Secretary, Anglican Mission in England
Mr Philip Robinson – Operations Director, GAFCON and the Global FCA.
CMS-UK calls for prayer and fasting for ‘creation care’
“On Sunday 7 June, members of the Church Mission Society are switching off their gadgets to write, pray and act for climate justice.
The CMS community invites people to join them for this day of action on creation care – the Anglican Communion fifth Mark of Mission – as they disconnect their electronic devices and contemplate lifestyle changes that can be made for the environment…”
– Report from the Anglican Communion News Service.
Related:
Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 1:20-25.
Church of England launches ‘GraveTalk’
“The Church of England is launching a new national resource to help churches get people talking about death and dying.
GraveTalk, provides resources for a café space in which churches provide a relaxed environment for people to explore questions about death and dying, funerals and loss…”
– Report from the Anglican Communion News Service.
The accompanying website mentions the Lord Jesus, though the main message seems to be how flexible Church of England funeral services can be. You can also light a virtual candle.
Related: ‘All you need to know about christening’ — without mentioning…
Reform’s Chairman Rod Thomas to be Bishop of Maidstone
“Reform is delighted that their Chairman, Rev’d Preb Rod Thomas, has been appointed to the revived See of Maidstone. Rod has served as a senior officer of Reform for nearly two decades. In that time he has been unswerving in his commitment to the principles set out in the Reform Covenant. But for Rod’s passionate advocacy of conservative evangelical Anglicanism the Church of England would have been much impoverished.
Rod’s predecessor as Chairman of Reform, Rev’d Canon David Banting, said, ‘Rod’s presence in the College of Bishops will strengthen and enrich the priority of the mission of the gospel to the nation and the centrality of biblical witness in the Church.’…”
– A media statement from Reform.
See the press release from Lambeth Palace…
“The appointment of Rod Thomas follows a meeting of the Dioceses Commission in December at which unanimous agreement was given to a proposal from the Archbishop of Canterbury to fill the see, which has been vacant since 2009, with a bishop who takes a conservative evangelical view on headship.”
And Church Society reaction from their Director, Lee Gatiss –
“Rod is the only complementarian evangelical to be made a bishop since Wallace Benn in 1997. This appointment is part of the package of compromises agreed recently by General Synod, through which women bishops have been introduced into the Church. It is a great pity that despite Synod’s overwhelming approval of the first Pilling Report, Talent & Calling, in 2007, which called for more conservative evangelicals to be considered for such roles, there has been no such appointment until today. …
It may be asked whether a single isolated new bishop is mere tokenism. Surely ‘flourishing’ implies rather more than the reluctant toleration of one among more than a hundred bishops?”
First C of E woman bishop to be installed at Chester Cathedral
“The Church of England’s first woman bishop, Libby Lane, will be formally installed in her new role as Bishop of Stockport this afternoon. More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the event at Chester Cathedral on International Women’s Day…”
– Report from ITV.
Challenging the C of E to believe that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’
“It’s not often that there’s a good Christian article in the otherwise secular press. But today’s Thunderer in The Times is an exception to the rule.”
– Adrian Reynolds writes at the Proclamation Trust.
The evangelistic strategy of a bishop
“What marks a truly Reformed minister of the gospel? How do you become an impotent waste of a clergyman? Have you got a strategy for ministry or are you merely faffing in the shallow end?
This essay by Andrew Atherstone is simply wonderful and could not be more vital. It will stir the heart and get you really excited about ministry…”
– At Church Society’s blog, Rob Brewis points to a terrific essay on the evangelistic strategy of Bishop J C Ryle.
(We linked to the essay a while back, but it’s certainly worth reading again at the start of a new year.)
Lord Carey ‘wrong to support State-sanctioned suicide’
“Apparently the UK is ‘closer than ever’ to introducing legislation which will permit the terminally ill to end their lives at a time and place of their choosing. Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill simply will not die: it is deemed to be the virtuous and noble solution to the problem of unbearable suffering; the only ethical and justly moral response to a heartless society which insists on sustaining lives which simply no longer wish to be lived. We treat dogs better.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey is amongst the signatories to a letter demanding that the political parties pledge to giving this Bill parliamentary time after the General Election, in order that the issue might be finally resolved. By “resolved”, they mean, of course, that the Bill must be passed, or the issue has not been “resolved” to their liking and will simply need to be revisited until Parliament votes correctly. The only settled conclusion that is acceptable is the one which concludes a settlement in favour of ‘assisted dying’. The argument is teleological; the trajectory is locked…”
– UK Christian blogger ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ weighs in on the hot issue of ‘euthanasia’.
Related:
On the elimination of the suffering – Dr Megan Best. (SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Euthanasia lives again – Social Issues Executive of the Diocese of Sydney.
From Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower:
Euthanasia resources.
Depression, disability & ‘safe’ euthanasia.
A Response to Giddings & McKim’s euthanasia proposal.
Archbishop of Canterbury’s ‘ecumenical Christmas greeting’
“The deceit and cruelty of governments and rulers has not changed in the 2000 years since King Herod. 2014 has been a year of desperate suffering for many Christians, unparalleled for centuries. Christian communities have been uprooted from the places that they have dwelt since within living memory of the time of Jesus…”
– Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has released this Christmas message to ‘ecumenical partners and heads of churches around the world’.
(Image: Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…