GAFCON backs English renewal
“GAFCON understands the challenges that faithful Anglicans face in England, according to the Chairman Eliud Wabukala.
The Archbishop made the comment in a message to the recent RENEW conference, organised by the groups Reform, Church Society, and the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE).
Archbishop Wabukala, who chairs the GAFCON Primates Council, recently issued a pastoral letter in which he said “AMiE is authorised by the GAFCON Primates to work within and, where necessary, outside the structures of the Church of England as a missionary society”.
The conference committed delegates to “work for a nation of healthy, local Anglican churches throughout England.”
In particular, it committed to looking at opportunities for church planting, training and to “to contend together for the faith once delivered to the saints by developing a joint approach to working within our diocese /region given the theological convictions and teaching of the diocesan leadership.”
The conference also approved a doctrinal statement which began “Knowing that unity is a work of the Holy Spirit which can only be established through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice in the fellowship of all those who subscribe to the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration.”
The Jerusalem Declaration was agreed to by the first Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in 2008.”
– from GAFCON.
Related:
GAFCON Chairman’s Pastoral Letter September 2014.
ReNew: united, confessing, missional
“Is the Commitment signed on Tuesday by delegates at the ReNew conference a manifesto for schism? In a word, no. …
The partnership of Church Society with Reform means that there remains a strong commitment to working within the existing structures of the Church of England. There is a real desire to take Archbishop Welby at his word, that as Conservative Evangelicals are considered to be part of authentic Anglicanism and encouraged to “flourish” (according to the July statement on Women Bishops), so churches in this tradition should be encouraged to grow and multiply.…
The controversial part of the commitment is the recognition that there will be times when pioneering new congregations will on occasion mean operating without Diocesan approval, and the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) is the mechanism to enable this.”
– Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes looks at the new vision for growing evangelical churches in England.
‘Gay rector faces backlash in pews’
“An Anglican clergyman is facing opposition from parishioners over a service in his local church to bless his same-sex civil partnership.
The Rev Dominic McClean, the Rector of 13 parishes around the village of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, invited parishioners to the special service this weekend to mark his civil union with his partner…” – Story from The Telegraph. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net) Photo: Market Bosworth Benefice.
UK must offer asylum to terror refugees — Abp of York
“The Archbishop of York has urged the government to do more to offer asylum to Christians and others being persecuted by Islamic State terrorists…”
– Report from BBC News. (Photo: Diocese of York.)
Dear prime minister: what is the UK government’s strategy in Iraq and Syria?
Dear Prime Minister …
The focus by both politicians and media on the plight of the Yazidis has been notable and admirable. However, there has been increasing silence about the plight of tens of thousands of Christians who have been displaced, driven from cities and homelands, and who face a bleak future. Despite appalling persecution, they seem to have fallen from consciousness, and I wonder why…”
– Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, writes to Prime Minister Cameron.
‘All you need to know about christening’ — without mentioning…
“The Church of England has created a new website which promises to tell you ‘all you need to know about choosing, planning and going to a Church of England christening’. How far does it succeed in this endeavour?
Let’s start with a positive. The fact that the church is seeking to provide clear and accessible resources for those considering having their child baptised is much to be welcomed. …
Unfortunately, problems start to crop up when we begin to read what the website actually says…”
– Mark Smith at Church Society looks at the new Church of England “christening” website – or you might want to check it yourself first. (And compare 1 Corinthians 2:2.)
Flourishing after the consecration of women bishops?
“Many of us in the Church of England today see the consecration of women as bishops to be a departure from God’s revealed plan for the flourishing of his church. As Christians, our basic confession is ‘Jesus is Lord’, and so we believe he must decide how the church is governed…”
– Church Society’s Director Lee Gatiss addresses the new situation in the Church of England.
A letter from Rod Thomas to Reform members
“Dear Member of Reform,
You will have been saddened, but probably not surprised, by the General Synod’s vote last Monday on women bishops.
This was the logical outcome of the decision in 1993 to enable women to be ordained to the presbyterate in the Church of England. That decision prompted the formation of Reform and since then we have actively sought to urge the Church to reform herself under the authority of the Word of God. …”
– Rod Thomas, Chairman of Reform, responds to the Women Bishops vote.
‘Church of England says yes to women bishops’
“Women can now become bishops following an historic vote by the Church of England’s General Synod today.
Following a day of debate at the General Synod meeting in York on the issue of women in the episcopate, at least two thirds majority of each house – laity, clergy and bishops – voted in favour of the measure to pass.
General Synod votes in favour in all three houses:
• Bishops: 37 in favour, 2 against, 1 abstention.
• Clergy: 162 in favour, 25 against, 4 abstentions.
• Laity: 152 in favour, against 45, 5 abstentions…”
– from the Anglican Communion News Service.
See also: The transcript of the Archbishop Justin Welby’s remarks during the General Synod debate.
‘Anglican archbishops clash over assisted dying ahead of UK law debate’
“Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has stressed his opposition to assisted dying as one of his predecessors announced he has changed his mind and will now support the right of terminally ill patients to seek help to end their lives. …
George Carey … said he would now oppose the church’s official line by supporting the right to be helped to die…”
– Report from The Sydney Morning Herald.
Related:
Blogger “Cranmer” weighs in: “Lord Carey unhelpfully tells us via the Daily Mail that ‘The old philosophical certainties have collapsed in the face of the reality of needless suffering’.”
“Desmond Tutu: I support assisted dying” – The (UK) Telegraph.
A succession plan for our parish
“Blake’s words about ‘dark, satanic mills’ were not specifically about Oldham, but they could have described the Oldham of my childhood, surrounded as we were by over 360 mills.
The damp, gloomy atmosphere of this Pennine town, together with the coal mined here, provided ideal conditions for it to be the textile processing capital of the world. The parish of Christ Church Chadderton was founded in 1870 at the height of this industry as a clearly evangelical witness.…”
– At Church Society, John Simmons shares why his parish has asked Church Society to be its Patron. (It’s a rather different system in the CofE – and evangelical patronage is a significant responsibility.) Photo: Christ Church Chadderton.
C of E General Synod agenda ‘built around women bishop business’
“The General Synod of the Church of England meets in York in July for a five day meeting from 3.00 pm on Friday 11th July until 1.00 pm on Tuesday 15 July.
The Agenda for the meeting is published today. The Agenda is constructed around a sequence of legislative business on Women in the Episcopate…”
– Report from The Church of England.
Stuart Townend says don’t censor ‘In Christ Alone’
“Liberal Anglicans do not like the reference to the wrath of God being satisfied in the hymn ‘In Christ Alone’, so what do they do? Censor it …”
– Julian Mann (‘Cranmer’s Curate’) writes about that much-loved modern hymn.
St. Helen’s looks back with thanksgiving
On Thursday 11th May 1961, the Rev. Richard Charles (Dick) Lucas was inducted to the parish of St. Helen, Bishopsgate, in London.
Many in Sydney can join with the congregation at St. Helen’s in giving thanks and praying for future growth.
Here’s a nicely-done 12 minute video released for the anniversary.
Abp Welby marks 20 years of women priests
“Men and women are “equally icons, witnesses, vessels of Christ for the world”, the Archbishop said today during a service at St Paul’s Cathedral marking the 20th anniversary of female priests.”
– Read Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s sermon here. Photo: ACNS.
Related: Reform press release.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…