‘Lord’s Prayer should remain a part of opening parliament’
Here’s a media release from The Australian Christian Lobby –
“The Australian Christian Lobby believes the support of mainstream politics for the Lords’ Prayer in Parliament means the latest Greens’ push to remove it will fail.
ACL Managing Director Lyle Shelton said Labor and the Coalition have consistently told ACL, through its election questionnaires over the past three federal elections, that they support parliament opening with prayer and will not change this…”
A Canterbury Tale
“The archbishop of Canterbury means well and there is no doubt that his heart is with GAFCON in many ways. He told the delegates that he wants its aims to be those of the Communion as a whole and there is no reason not to believe him. But if he is going to occupy the place that the Anglican Communion assigns to him and exercise the kind of influence for good that he undoubtedly wants to, he will have to get with the programme, as the Americans say.
GAFCON is not just one more Anglican organisation, like the Mothers’ Union, that can be flattered and pacified by an occasional nod from the hierarchy. It is a renewal movement that wants to make its agenda that of the church as a whole, and it will expect Justin Welby to nail his colours to the mast. It is a wonderful opportunity for him to assume the leadership of the Communion and use the GAFCON base to bring about the kinds of changes that he wants to see, but will he take it?”
– In the Editorial of the latest issue of Churchman, Gerald Bray writes about GAFCON, the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury. PDF file – direct link.
An Alternative Baptismal Liturgy
John Richardson in the UK proposes an alternative Baptismal liturgy for the Church of England. It has a bit more substance.
‘Is the Church of England ashamed to preach Christ crucified?’
“It must be the ultimate irony in liturgical development that the Church of England becomes ashamed of the exhortation not to be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified …”
– UK blogger ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ on the CofE trial Baptism service.
Anglican church accused of ‘dumbing down’ baptism service
“The Church of England has been accused of ‘dumbing down’ the baptism service by changing its wording so parents and godparents no longer have to ‘repent sins’ and ‘reject the devil’.…”
– story from The Guardian.
‘Emulate Mandela’ says Abp of Canterbury
“People should pledge this new year to try and emulate Nelson Mandela and change the world around them, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.”
– Report from BBC News.
Christmas Massacre — and a call for prayer
“It was good to remember our Saviour on the day we call his birthday. But sadly this year it was not a good day for vulnerable Christians in difficult places around the world.
‘We see injustice in the ever more seriously threatened Christian communities of the Middle East,’ Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury… preached in his Christmas sermon. ‘They are attacked and massacred, driven into exile from a region in which their presence has always been essential.’
… On Christmas day, Welby’s prediction of threat came true.”
– from Eternity Newspaper.
Archbishop Akinola kidnapped, later rescued — reports
“A former Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola, was kidnapped yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
… Akinola was waylaid at about 3pm by gunmen … and driven away in his Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) along with his daughter and driver.
However, their ordeal was short-lived as the trio was rescued by officers and men of the Ogun State Police Command at about 8pm. …”
– from This Day Live, Nigeria. More from PM News.
Update: “My ordeal in the hands of kidnappers”
Kirsty Birkett on The Pilling Report
Dr Kirsty Birkett, at Oak Hill College in London, takes a look at The Pilling Report’s approach to Scripture –
“The majority of those writing the Pilling report felt unable to articulate what scripture actually says on the issue of homosexual activity.”
2. What if scripture really is unclear?
“‘But we do not all believe that the evidence of scripture points to only one set of ethical conclusions. In short, Christians who share an equal commitment to scripture do not agree on the implications of scripture for same sex relationships’ (The Pilling Report, 235).
This is one of many statements that the Pilling Report makes to the effect that it was impossible for the group to come to one mind on the meaning of scripture as regards homosexual relationships.”
Mike Ovey on The Pilling Report
Principal of Oak Hill College, Dr Mike Ovey, has now posted eight responses to the Pilling Report (“the Report of the House of Bishops Working Group on Human Sexuality’).
1. God’s work versus God’s will?
“ultimately in practice, it prefers our judgment of what we think good to God’s judgment expressed in the scriptures of what is good.”
2. Does sincerity grant a veto?
“This creates the bizarre situation of an explicit submission to the authority of scripture, while not in fact applying what scripture says, either against same-sex marriages, or in favour.”
3. Groundhog Day: ‘scripture’s lack of clarity’
“As we have seen, judgments about the obscurity of scripture have been made before, notably in Roman Catholic responses to the Reformation.”
4. How common is the common ground?
“Like an iceberg, the most significant parts of the Pilling Report lie beneath the surface.”
“They have talked at length, listened at length and have had both clerical and expert help in all their deliberations. They have listened both to each other and to a wide range of witnesses. But this process has not enabled them to reach a collective conclusion as to whether or not same-sex sexual relations in the context of a faithful long-term commitment are right or wrong.”
6. Common grace and stolen fruit
“After noting that the tradition of the church for 2,000 years and indeed worldwide at the moment is against recognition of same-sex marriages and relationships, the report nevertheless goes on to speak in laudatory terms about the same-sex couples who have testified before it.”
“If we want a biblical precedent for a hermeneutics of suspicion where the hermeneutics of suspicion is wrongly placed, then we need look no further than Genesis 3:1ff.”
“Churches can get things wrong. One of the more disturbing moments in the Thirty-Nine Articles comes in Article 19 which deals with the doctrine of the church.”
Christmas messages 2013
As we spot Christmas messages, we’ll post them here. So far…
From around Australia —
John Harrower, Bishop of Tasmania.
Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne.
John Parkes, Bishop of Wangaratta.
Ian Lambert, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force.
Stuart Robinson, Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
Peter Stuart, Bishop Administrator of Newcastle.
Bill Ray, Bishop of North Queensland.
And from further afield –
Global South Statement in response to the Pilling Report
“The Global South considers forward movement on the Pilling Report’s recommendations as equal to what the North American churches did ten years ago which caused much confusion in the Communion.
This reminds us of Eli the High Priest who turned a blind eye to the wrongdoings of his sons which led to a period of spiritual dryness when the Spirit of God departed from the midst of His people (Ichabod).”
– Archbishop Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis, Chairman of the Global South of the Anglican Communion, and Archbishop Ian Ernest, Hon. General Secretary, have issued this Statement – read it via Anglican Mainstream (PDF file).
High Court throws out ACT’s same-sex marriage laws
“Same-sex couples who wed in the ACT will have their marriages annulled after the High Court ruled against the laws. … today the High Court in Canberra unanimously ruled that the laws were inconsistent with the Federal Marriage Act, and were therefore unconstitutional.”
– Report from ABC News.
Related: Legality and Validity – Mark Thompson.
Legality and Validity
“Does something become legitimate by virtue of legislative enactment? Does the decision of a parliamentary majority or of a court of law suffice to settle the question of whether a course of action is appropriate, or legitimate or valid? Can Christians recognise the legal or constitutional reality of a situation without for a moment consenting to its reality in a deeper sense — something that legitimately exists in a world constituted by God’s word?
Two recent developments in Australia raise this question in stark terms for us.
The first is the conduct of same sex ‘marriage’ services in the Australian Capital Territory last weekend. …
The second development is the consecration of women as bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia.”
– Moore College Principal Mark Thompson writes an important post at Theological Theology. Challenging times ahead.
Mike Ovey responds to the Pilling Report
“We humans have to live with grey. Sometimes we must weigh whether an action or life-choice is right or wrong. But so often, actions and life-choices are shades of grey rather than simply black or white. …”
– Oak Hill’s Principal, Dr Mike Ovey, responds to the Pilling Report –
Part 1 – God’s work versus God’s will?
Part 2 – Does sincerity grant a veto?
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…