C of E Christmas Campaign back to basics
“A marketing initiative established to remind Brits about the true meaning of Christmas is trying something different this year … they have swapped their shock tactics for a simple, direct campaign message: Christmas starts with Christ. …
‘Just 12 per cent of adults know the nativity story, and more than one-third of children don’t know whose birthday it is.’” (emphasis added)
– from the Anglican Communion News Service. Photo: ChurchAds.net
What is the Problem?
“Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, has issued his most serious and straightforward diagnosis of the crisis within the Anglican Communion.”
– The American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey thinks the Archbishop of Canterbury has made a serious misdiagnosis. Related: Tearing the Fabric. (PDF.)
Barnabas Fund urges prayer for Syria and Egypt this weekend
“This Sunday (1 September), we are urging churches and individuals to hold a time of prayer for Syria and Egypt’s Christians.”
– Details from Barnabas Fund.
And you can find a prayer for ‘the Forgotten Church in Syria’ here. (h/t Carl Trueman.)
Assessing Christian election guides
Sandy Grant takes a look at four different Christian election guides –
“Thoughtful Christians could benefit from interacting with each one of these election guides, even the ones where they find a considerable amount to disagree with.” – Read it at The Briefing.
“Archbishops past and present urge caution on Syria intervention”
“Both Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and his predecessor George Carey have warned of the consequences of military action in Syria. …”
– Report and photo from The Anglican Communion News Service.
“Archbishop urges Christians to ‘repent’ over ‘wicked’ attitude to homosexuality”
“The Most Rev Justin Welby told an audience of traditional born-again Christians that they must ‘repent’ over the way gay and lesbian people have been treated in the past …”
– Report from The Telegraph.
Reaching the lost in England
“While in parts of Latin America or Nigeria a street preacher can regularly lead 20 people to make a decision for Christ in half an hour, in France or Britain even Christians will hurry past a street preacher, embarrassed, and the brave speaker may be more likely to get arrested than make a convert.”
– Andrew Symes, the new Executive Secretary of Anglican Mainstream, writes on the challenge facing the Church in England.
‘Discernment Synod’ held in Grafton
A ‘Discernment Synod’ was held in the Diocese of Grafton over the weekend as part of the process to elect a new Bishop. (Bishop of Grafton, Keith Slater, resigned in May.)
The August/September 2013 issue of The North Coast Anglican carries a report, written before the Synod, on page 4.
Archbishop Wabukala — with 2 months to GAFCON 2013
“As I write, we are now only two months away from GAFCON 2013. There is much still to do, but over the past month great strides have been made and I am confident that this will be another wonderful and historic occasion.”
– Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, gives an update on preparations for GAFCON 2013.
Cardboard Cathedral opens in Christchurch
“Christchurch has officially opened a transitional cathedral made from cardboard in Latimer Square, replacing the neo-Gothic structure destroyed in a 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people in New Zealand’s second largest city.”
– report from ABC News.
Image from cardboardcathedral.org.nz
Egypt — a call for prayer
“As I write these words, our St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Suez is under heavy attack …
Please pray that the situation will calm down, for wisdom and tact for the police and the army, for the safety of all churches and congregations, and that all in Egypt would be safe.”
– A call for prayer from Archbishop Mouneer Anis.
Update from the ACNS.
Ugandan primate calls for GAFCON support
“The primate of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali has likened GAFCON/FCA (Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans) to the East African Revival and called for believers to back the Nairobi conference to be held in October. …”
– from the GAFCON website.
Backlash in Western Sydney
“Islamic and Christian leaders in western Sydney have warned of a backlash against Labor following Kevin Rudd’s reversal of his views on gay marriage and his pledge to bring forward a bill to legalise it within 100 days of the election. …
In the marginal Labor seat of Greenway, held by Michelle Rowland, Geoff Bates of Quakers Hill Anglican Church said in the view of his 800-strong congregation, Mr Rudd was ‘walking away from the very people who put him in’. …”
– Report from The Australian.
Newcastle election synod set for 14 September
“After failing to reach agreement on a new bishop earlier this year the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle will meet next month to vote again. In March, five candidates were considered to replace retired bishop Brian Farran but none of them received enough votes.
The synod will be considering just one person this time, Northern Territory bishop Greg Thompson. …”
– Report from ABC News.
Diocese of Newcastle election synod page. Photo: Diocese of the Northern Territory.
“A non-theistic Christian”
“I describe myself as a non-theistic Christian.”
– Mark Tooley at The American Spectator takes a look at the new Dean of The Episcopal Church’s National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
(Photo: Washington National Cathedral.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…