Anglican Mainstream responds to French vote
Anglican Mainstream in the UK has published a brief statement on this morning’s vote to approve ‘same-sex’ marriage in France.
New Executive Secretary for Anglican Mainstream
“The Trustees of Anglican Mainstream are delighted to announce that the Revd Andrew Symes has accepted appointment as Executive Secretary of Anglican Mainstream in succession to Dr Chris Sugden…”
– from Anglican Mainstream.
Archbishop of Canterbury’s inauguration sermon
“For nearly two thousand years the Church has sought, often failing, to recognise in its way of being that Jesus is the Son of God. The wind and waves divided Jesus from the disciples. Peter ventures out in fear and trembling (as you may imagine I relate to him at this point). Jesus reconciles Peter to Himself and makes the possibility for all the disciples to find peace.”
– Read Archbishop Justin Welby’s sermon delivered at his inauguration ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral overnight. (Photo: Diocese of Durham.)
Your guide to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s inauguration
“The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s public ministry will commence on Thursday when he is enthroned – or ‘installed’ – in two special seats in Canterbury Cathedral. …
The date of the ceremony resonates in several ways: March 21st is the feast day of St. Benedict of Monte Cassino, a significant figure for both Canterbury Cathedral and Archbishop Justin himself, who is an oblate of the Order of Benedict. A thousand years ago, the cathedral was a Benedictine monastery.”
– Everything you wanted to know about this week’s enthronement – from the Anglican Communion News Service.
(March 21 is another anniversary which is perhaps more significant – the execution of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1556.)
Archbishop Welby and the E-Word
“Archbishop Justin Welby very seldom uses the E-word – ‘Evangelical’. He mentions it only when amongst friends.
Speaking at New Wine, for example, in 2006 he declared: ‘I’m an orthodox Bible-believing Evangelical … Scripture is my final authority for all matters of life and doctrine.’ But it’s not a label he usually chooses to define himself. …
… Although the ‘Evangelicalism’ label will not often be heard at Lambeth Palace, that other momentous E-Word – ‘Evangelism’ – falls much more frequently from Welby’s lips. His abiding passion is for people to come to faith in Christ and for churches to grow.”
– In an article to be published in the Spring 2013 issue of Cross†Way, Andrew Atherstone provides a very informative profile of the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
St. Helen’s Thanksgiving service for Chappo
The video from the Thanksgiving service for John Chapman, held at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London a week ago (1st March 2013), is now available on Vimeo.
Participants include William Taylor, Dick Lucas, Richard Bewes and Hugh Palmer.
Dick Lucas remembered the first time he met Chappo – and Hugh Palmer preached from Romans 1.
The video runs for 51 minutes and is most edifying.
Canterbury tale
Evangelicals Now, has an account of last month’s visit by Archbishop of Canterbury-Designate Justin Welby to a Vineyard church.
“Unusually perhaps for a senior Anglican, Justin Welby was very clear on the exact time and date he became a Christian and on the gospel he responded to.”
– Read the article here. (Photo: Diocese of Durham.)
Freedom is the issue
“Any expression of the view that marriage is between a man and a woman is held to stigmatize those who believe that marriage is gender neutral.
Such alternative views are claimed to be prejudiced, to stigmatise others, and to be the source of unhappiness and searches for “change”. Such stigmatization has to be banished from society by the state.
Therefore even holding such an opinion is wrong – or rather causes offence and hurt, and must be eliminated. Even if the state admits diversity and plurality, certain pluralities cannot exist. …”
– The American Anglican Council has published an important article from the UK by Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden. Read it all here.
(images via Anglican Mainstream and GAFCON.)
Church Society calls for preaching on marriage
“In light of yesterday’s historic debate in parliament where MPs voted in principle to redefine marriage, Church Society have released the following comment, and are suggesting co-ordinated action by ministers…
As evangelicals, we are persuaded that the means God uses to transform individuals, churches and nations is the Word of God. Therefore, this April we are calling all evangelicals to preach on the true nature of marriage as a picture of the marriage all Christians will enjoy with Christ in the New Creation.”
– at EVnews.
Phillip Jensen on The Gospel Partnerships
Phillip Jensen was interviewed for St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2011, and the video has just been posted online.
In the 8 minute clip, he speaks of the Gospel Partnerships in the UK – and the need for all the UK churches to get behind one central leader.
C of E House of Laity rejects vote of no confidence in Chairman
“The Church of England website reports today that the House of Laity, meeting in Church House, Westminster today, rejected a motion of no confidence in its Chair, Dr Philip Giddings, with 47 voting for the motion and 80 voting against, with 13 abstentions.
The motion was brought by Mr Stephen Barney, a lay canon of Leicester Cathedral, who said he had lost confidence in Dr Giddings as Chair of the House of Laity following Dr Giddings’ speech in the debate on women bishops legislation in November. …”
– EV News. There are also reports at Anglican Mainstream (of which Dr Giddings is a Trustee). Dr. Giddings had spoken against adopting legislation to allow the consecration of women bishops.
Global South Primates ‘deeply concerned and worried’
The Global South Primates have added their voice to calls for the C of E’s House of Bishops to reverse its stand on Civil Partnerships. See the 12th January 2013 statement here. h/t Anglican Ink.
A wink and a nod?
In this extract from his weekly e-mail, Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, turns to the announcement from the C of E House of Bishops –
“Orthodox Anglicans, both within the CoE and worldwide, see this for the great mistake and stumble toward the precipice that it is…”
Read below – Read more
The Church of Nigeria responds to the Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships
The Church of Nigeria Responds to the Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships
“Sadly we must also declare that if the Church of England continues in this contrary direction we must further separate ourselves from it and we are prepared to take the same actions as those prompted by the decisions of The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada ten years ago.”
Full text:
1. The Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) meeting for their annual retreat held from Jan 7/11, 2013, at the Ibru Centre, Agbarha Otor, Delta State, Nigeria, heard with dismay the news of the recent action of the Church of England House of Bishops. The decision to permit homosexual clergy in civil partnerships to now be considered for the episcopacy is one step removed from the moral precipice that we have already witnessed in The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. Read more
Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships – Statement by Archbishop of Kenya
A STATEMENT BY ARCHBISHOP ELIUD WABUKALA
As we enter the season of Epiphany we rejoice in the splendour of the light that has dawned upon us in the appearance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yet it is a great sadness that before the New Year has hardly begun, the life of the Anglican Communion has yet again been clouded by compromise with the secular preoccupations of the West.
The decision by the Church of England’s House of Bishops, just announced, that clergy in Civil Partnerships can be eligible to serve as bishops will create further confusion about Anglican moral teaching and make restoring unity to the Communion an even greater challenge.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…