Bishops speak out on Gambling Reform

“This past week the Australian Anglican Bishops met in Melbourne for the annual National Bishops’ Meeting. One important item on our agenda was Gambling Reform…”

– Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower draws attention to this media release from last week.

Church of Nigeria on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision to resign

PRESS STATEMENT — CHURCH OF NIGERIA REACTS TO ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY’S RESIGNATION

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt. Hon. Dr. Rowan Williams took over the leadership of the Anglican Communion in 2002 when it was a happy family. Unfortunately, he is leaving behind a Communion in tatters: highly polarized, bitterly factionalized, with issues of revisionist interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and human sexuality as stumbling blocks to oneness, evangelism and mission all around the Anglican world.  Read more

Reform on Rowan Williams’ announced departure

From Reform:

Rev’d Rod Thomas, chairman of Reform, the 1,700-strong network of conservative evangelicals within the Church of England, said:

“Many people will have appreciated Rowan’s great courtesy in dealing with people of different views within both the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion. But his departure opens up the potential for a new leader to heal the deep divisions within the Anglican Communion. What is needed is someone who will hold firm to biblical truth in areas such as human sexuality in order to promote the gospel and unite the church in the face of militant secularism.”

Canterbury not the future?

In his weekly video message, Canon Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council, reflects on the legacy of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. He argues that GAFCON, with a clear focus on the Lord Jesus, is the way of the future for Bible-believing Anglicans.

Rowan Williams to step down as Archbishop of Canterbury in December

A press release from the Anglican Communion News Service:

“Archbishop of Canterbury to be Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge

Archbishop Rowan Williams has today announced his acceptance of the position of Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge with effect from January 2013. He will therefore be stepping down from the office of Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of December 2012.  Read more

New Hampshire names nominees for bishop

“The Diocese of New Hampshire’s Bishop Search and Nomination Committee March 15 announced a three-nominee slate for a bishop coadjutor to succeed Bishop V. Gene Robinson… Robinson announced in November 2010 that he would retire in January 2013.”

– Report from the Episcopal News Service.

The Gippsland Crisis

At Theological Theology, Dr Mark Thompson, puts the recent developments in Gippsland in their wider Anglican context. We’ve reproduced his comments below, and added links to some related material at the end.

“This all too brief history is widely known. In particular it is known by all the Anglican bishops in Australia. None of them is in the slightest doubt about the volatile state of the communion and the issue which lies at the heart of the turmoil.”

“It is no secret that global Anglicanism is being torn apart over the issue of homosexuality. Actually, homosexuality is just the current presenting issue of a very deep and long running divide between liberal revisionists in the denomination and those who remain committed to the teaching of Scripture and the theological character of Anglicanism as represented in the Thirty-nine Articles, the Homilies and the Book of Common Prayer. However, it is the presenting issue, the point at which gospel faithfulness is currently being tested.  Read more

‘Bishop defends gay priest appointment’ – updated

“The Anglican Bishop of Gippsland has defended his decision to appoint an openly gay priest to a local parish, saying he has acted appropriately…”

– Story and audio from ABC Gippsland. (February 27th 2012)

Related: ACL Statement on developments in the Diocese of Gippsland.

Update March 8th:
Bishop John McIntyre of Gippsland Responds, “I have no intention of responding…”

(Photo: Diocese of Gippsland.)

Archbishop Duncan gives thanks for Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti

Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Robert Duncan writes to his province:

“Bishop Robinson was a champion of the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”

“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti was among the great friends and steadfast heroes of the Anglican Church in North America. He and his wife, Miriam, are mourned by all of us in this Province. Our prayers and love are extended to the clergy and people of Recife, and to all friends and family, not least because of the tragic circumstances of their murder.

Bishop Robinson was a champion of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. He led his diocese to stand against the theological revisionism that plagued his Province and he stood with all of us in the parallel battles in North America and in global Anglicanism. Internationally, he was among the band of courageous bishops and archbishops who adopted North American congregations during our days of trial.

I personally have the warmest of memories of Robinson Cavalcanti throughout all of my years as bishop. Moreover, since the founding of our Province, he was often a guest at meetings of our Provincial Council and College of Bishops, most recently in September.

We thank God for the lives of these faithful servants. We entrust them to the merciful keeping of our Lord and Savior in whose Resurrection ‘death is swallowed up in victory.’ Robinson’s words to us at this moment would be one with the Apostle Paul’s in I Corinthians 15, not least in the exhortation at the end: ‘Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.’”

– via the ACNA website.

Tragic news from Brazil

“The Diocese of Recife reports that Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti and his wife were murdered in their home in Olinda in Northeastern Brazil [on Sunday] night. The bishop’s adopted son is alleged to have knifed his parents following a quarrel…”

– Report by George Conger.
• Announcement via Anglican Mainstream.
• Diocese of Recife website (mostly in Portuguese).

New Abp of the Province of Southeast Asia

“Bishop of the Diocese of Kuching the Most Reverend Datuk Bolly Lapok was officially installed as the fourth Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia at an elaborate ceremony in St Thomas’ Cathedral [in Kuching]… Bolly, who is the first Sarawakian ever to hold the post, succeeds Bishop of Singapore the Most Reverend Dr John Chew…”

– Report from Global South Anglican.

Will General Convention be able to approve same-sex blessings?

“At its meeting last October, the General Convention’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music agreed to present at the 2012 session of General Convention a resolution to authorize the trial use, over a three-year period, of a rite for the blessing in a church ceremony of same-gender relationships…

In contrast to those locally approved rites, what is now being proposed is a church-wide standard rite that would have the imprimatur of General Convention itself.”

– The Anglican Curmudgeon, A S Haley, wonders if the TEC General Convention will ignore its own Constitution – again.

When bishops disagree

“What should bishops do when a bishop breaks ranks and violates the collegiality of the House of Bishops?

That would seem to be the question confronting the Church of England since the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam apparently stated, in an interview with The Times, that he did not see any need to ‘sublimate’ his support for same-sex marriage to the views of the Church.

Given the inevitable shortcomings of newspaper reporting, that may not be exactly what he said or exactly what he meant, but given also that there has been no refutation from him, for the moment we must assume this is the case…”

– John Richardson at the Ugley Vicar looks at events in the UK.
Related: ACL Statement on developments in the Diocese of Gippsland.

Archbishop Peter Jensen on the DNWA election

Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, has issued this statement on the election of Gary Nelson to be the new Bishop of North West Australia –

“I’m delighted to welcome the election of Gary Nelson as Bishop of Northwest Australia.

Gary is a Gospel-hearted man, firmly grounded in the Scriptures, with a wide experience of ministry and a deep desire that all God’s people grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We look forward to continued fellowship with him and the Diocese of Northwest Australia in the years to come.”

(with thanks to Russell Powell / SydneyAnglicans.net.)

ACL Statement on developments in the Diocese of Gippsland

“The Anglican Church League expresses its dismay at the appointment of an openly homosexual man as priest in charge of a parish in the Diocese of Gippsland as announced in the December 2011 issue of The Gippsland Anglican.

The teaching of Scripture about appropriate sexual behaviour for disciples of Christ and the appointment of elders who are ‘beyond reproach’, is quite clear. Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, the professional standards embodied in the document Faithfulness in Service (a document approved by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia) and the express commitment of the General Synod on a number of occasions to uphold the biblical teaching on marriage and human sexuality leave no room for ambiguity. Appointments like this put unwanted strain and tension upon relationships between the various dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. It also contributes to the fragmentation of the Anglican Communion.

For the sake of the parish, the diocese and the Anglican Church of Australia we call upon the Bishop of Gippsland to rescind this appointment. We also call on him to make clear his commitment to the teaching of Scripture, to Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10, to the standards embodied in Faithfulness in Service and the various resolutions of the General Synod of the Anglican Church on this issue.

Mark Thompson        Robert Tong
President                    Chairman. ”

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