The Church that needs you — Charlie Skrine at JAEC 2023

At Church Society’s JAEC (Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference) two weeks ago, Charlie Skrine, Rector of All Souls Langham Place, spoke on the topic “The Church that needs you”.

While he says that he expects the next ten years will be very difficult, he calls his hearers to stand with him in the Church of England. He reminds us, “You only live twice”, and outlines several scenarios where evangelical ordinands are absolutely needed. Sobering and a cause for much prayer.

Before his talk, Dr Ros Clarke asks him a few questions about his background.

Also at the conference,

Ros Clarke speaks on “The Church that England has”,

James Cary addresses the topic “The Church that England needs”, and

Lee Gatiss gives a Pastoral Charge from 1 Timothy 5.

Photo: Church Society.

The Presbyterian Church of Australia: Highlights from the 2023 Federal Assembly


“Every three years the General Assembly of Australia (GAA) meets for a week-long conference to discuss business relating to the federal church. Whereas the various state assemblies focus on governance and state based responsibilities, the federal assembly has supreme oversight and focuses on oversight of matters of worship, doctrine and discipline…”

– While the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney is meeting this week and next, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia met at Hurstville earlier this month.

The national journal of the Presbyterian Church has this summary of the GAA’s proceedings, including a link to their “Statement on Sex, Gender and Marriage”.

Senate committee rejects call for inquiry into hospital takeover

“A Senate bill to force the ACT Legislative Assembly to conduct an inquiry into the takeover of the former Calvary Public Hospital Bruce should not pass, a committee has concluded. Source: Canberra Times.

The Labor-led legal and constitutional affairs legislation committee has said the bill “would undermine the independence” of the territory’s legislature.

But opposition members have dissented from the committee’s recommendations and have recommended the bill should pass. …

The opposition members accused the committee of not adequately engaging with concerns raised in 65 submissions and 7000 letters received by the committee in regard to the bill.”

– Report from CathNews with links to other news stories.

Photo: Calvary Hospital, Bruce, in Canberra’s north via Calvary Hospital website.

GSFA Chairman’s Letter September 2023

“The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) is a covenantal fellowship of orthodox Anglican provinces, dioceses and network of churches. We praise God for our history since Limuru, Kenya in 1994 which led to our re-formation under a new Covenantal Structure in October 2019. To date, eleven provinces have already joined GSFA as full members, with others considering to do so. Our Fellowship is world-wide in composition while remaining rooted in the traditional Global South provinces.

GSFA is committed to guarding , living out and propagating the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we are deeply saddened by the growing revisionism in our Communion …”

– The Most Rev Dr Justin Badi Arama, Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches Steering Committee, has released this letter for September 2023.

The Bishop of Bathurst on the Referendum

From Bishop Mark Calder on the referendum:

“I do not think it is the role of bishops or church bodies to encourage people to vote one way or the other, either in general elections or the upcoming referendum.

However, it is appropriate for me to urge us all to engage in the process carefully and prayerfully, seek out accurate and helpful information and then trust our wise sovereign Lord for the outcome.

To this end, I distribute a reflection from the Rev’d Neville Naden who many of you will know. And I share again, a statement arising from the national Anglican bishops’ meeting in March. I trust both these brief pieces are helpful and I commend the coming weeks and the outcome to your prayers.”

– Bishop Calder’s statement, and the two documents he mentions, can be found on the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.

For ease of reading, the Rev Neville Naden’s short reflection is reproduced below –

A short reflection on ‘The Voice’, by the Rev’d Neville Naden 

Not long after the last election the Prime Minister of our country announced that he would commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full. 

This statement involved a three-pronged approach to addressing the issues of First Nations People in our country. The first being a voice, then treaty and finally truth.

It was not long after this that I received an email asking the question, ‘Is a voice to parliament a part of God’s will for this country?’ to which I replied, ‘nothing happens outside of God’s will!’

Friends, as a follower of Jesus, and as I reflect on my Christian response to the proposed voice to parliament, two things are vitally important as I reflect in this space. 

Firstly, I need a healthy understanding of the sovereignty of God. That is to say that nothing in all of history happens outside His will. God either ordains things to happen or he allows it. (More on this a little latter)

Secondly, the very thing that underpins ‘The Voice to Parliament’ is a desire that people living in this country would reconcile with First Nations People.

Reconciliation 

As I reflect in this space, I too want to see reconciliation. Reconciliation is a good thing. However, is such a thing ever possible? If conciliation never existed between Fist Nations people and the wider community, how can we have reconciliation? 

Many of my people have asked the question, ‘How can we have reconciliation when unity has never existed in the first place?’ To have reconciliation there needs to be some kind of conciliation to start with. This then beckons the question, ‘Is reconciliation possible where unity never existed?’ The obvious answer is no. Certainly not outside the church at least.

God is the only source of a reconciliation that works. This reconciliation is possible because God has initiated it. 

In 2 Cor 5:17, we have that well known verse that says, ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here’ Note the very next verse, ‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation’. 

True reconciliation is only possible because God makes it possible. He makes it possible by sending his Son into the world to give his life a ransom for many. 

It is this reconciliation that says, it is not what you do for me or what I do for you that brings about oneness unity. It is what Christ has done for both of us. It removes the human element.

The reconciliation that this country is trying to achieve will never be realised outside the church. Conciliation is the only possible outcome. The reconciliation that this country is working towards says, ‘If you do something for me and I do something for you, we can have a relationship.’ However, this is not biblical reconciliation.

Friends, we are called to a biblical model of reconciliation. The model that says, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. A reconciliation that says, its not what you do for me or what I do for you, it’s what Christ has done for both of us.

Sovereignty 

But what about sovereignty? Why is a healthy understanding of the sovereignty of God important in this space? 

The Bible declares that God is the only sovereign and he never gives His sovereignty to anyone. He only gives stewardship and custodianship of His creation to His created humanity. 

Someone once asked the question, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ Friends there are no good people. The only one (Jesus) who was good was crucified, buried, and risen. We are all deserving of God’s wrath. However, He chooses to have mercy on some and not others. 

When we read the Old Testament, we find in the narrative section many events whereby God is exercising his sovereignty. 

For example, Joshua 1:1-5, God says to Joshua, to get ready to go in and occupy the land that he promised to Moses. Note what He says, verse three I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.’ Here the Creator is exercising his sovereignty over his creation. The promises that he made to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; Isaac, Genesis 26:1-5; and Jacob, Genesis 28:10- 22, are continuing to be rolled out. Here we see God causing people to be displaced from their lands because of His plan for his created humanity. 

As we look back on the events in the Old Testament, we can see God’s footprint and handiwork all over the narrative. Once we get to the New Testament and we get to the end of the book of Acts we tend to think that God is finished with his creation. My friends, this is not the case. God is still rolling out his plan for his creation. We might not see it as clearly looking forward as we do looking back, but he is continuing to roll out His plan even when we cannot see it, nor understand it. 

Did God ordain Australia to be colonised by the British? Absolutely! If He didn’t, it would not have happened. This is not a popular thought, and I will probably get push back on this from many who cannot see God would ever allow that to happen nevertheless ordain it to happen. 

As was mentioned earlier, nothing, and I mean nothing, happens outside of God’s will. For if it did, God would not be in control nor sovereign. 

Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming referendum, we can be assured that God’s will, will be done and regardless of which side of the debate we sit, we need to be OK with that. 

It is my prayer that we, the church, will not become embroiled in such activities. We need to stay the course when it comes to our core business, that of proclaiming Christ and a reconciliation that works.

The Rev’d Neville Naden,
Bishop’s nominated representative for Bathurst Diocese on NATSAIC
Indigenous Ministry Officer, BCA

02 September 2023

______

New City of London Deanery Chapter commissions gospel worker

“On Wednesday 30 August the New City Deanery Chapter held a commissioning service for George Diwakar. George has now completed his training at Oakhill. His new role at St Helen’s will involve training associates and serving in gospel ministry across the congregations.”

As William Taylor suggests, unless the House of Bishops changes direction, there will be many others seeking to be commissioned outside the authority of heterodox bishops.

– Watch a five minute summary of the service here – and the full Commissioning Service here.

What do Anglican clergy think about ‘Christian’ Britain, sexuality, and clergy morale?

“At the end of July, Kaya Burgess, the Religious Affairs correspondent of The Times, sent out an email to 5,000 Church of England clergy, inviting them to complete a questionnaire giving their views on a whole range of issues, including whether Britain is a ‘Christian’ country any more, the Church’s teaching on sexuality, their own morale, and the leadership of the Church. …”

– At Psephizo, Dr Ian Paul provides some much-needed context and balance to the survey of Church of England clergy.

“This really is the worst way to conduct an opinion poll or survey. …

I completed the survey in August, but with just about every section I wanted to say ‘But that is a false dichotomy!’ or ‘Yes, but not for the reason you think’.”

“Most Church of England priests back gay marriage, survey finds”

“Most Church of England priests want the C of E to allow same-sex weddings and to drop its opposition to premarital and gay sex, according to a survey. …”

– Story from The Guardian.

Vilification claims based on critique of drag queens event dismissed

“The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, in its decision yesterday in Valkyrie and Hill v Shelton [2023] QCAT 302 (18 August 2023), has dismissed claims of vilification based on sexual orientation or gender identity, made against conservative commentator Lyle Shelton. …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster looks at one decision affirming free speech.

Freedom to preach, pray & counsel under attack in NSW

The Australian Christian Lobby’s Wendy Francis warns of the NSW government’s reported intention to introduce ‘conversion therapy laws’.

– Watch here.

See also:

Report from The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 August 2023.

In another move, this one by the federal government:

Why bureaucrats can’t be left to censor free speech under Labor’s ACMA bill proposal – David Coleman, Opposition communications spokesman. The Australian. (Subscription.)

– New ACMA powers to combat misinformation and disinformation – Australian government. Submissions on the proposal close on 20 August 2023.

Calvary Hospital update — Federal Senate Enquiry

Here’s a short video update on the Calvary Hospital acquisition from Tony Percy and the Catholic Voice Archdiocese Canberra & Goulburn.

“Our aim, as you know, is to make sure that this is the first – and the last – hostile compulsory acquisition done by an Australian government on a private institution. In this case it was a Medical Institution – Calvary Public Hospital – we want to make sure it doesn’t happen with our educational institutions whether they’re religious or otherwise…”

NSW Gay conversion law would ban suppression of gender identity

“The NSW government’s plans to ban gay conversion therapy will be expanded to include making it illegal to change or suppress a person identifying as trans or gender diverse.

Attorney-General Michael Daley has confirmed the government is pushing ahead with its own new laws, rather than backing independent MP Alex Greenwich’s bill later this month. …”

– Report from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Brett Murphy explains why he had to leave the Church of England

In an interview with Dave Piper at TWR-UK, Brett Murphy gives some of the background why he felt compelled to leave the Church of England. Link via Anglican.ink.

Earlier:

Rev Brett Murphy leaves the Church of England – 08 July 2023.

Brett Murphy — I have joined the Free Church of England (GAFCON) – 14 July 2023.

Update on the Church of England’s General Synod — July 2023

Tony Rucinski from the Coalition for Marriage in the UK speaks with the Rev Dr Ian Paul for an update on the July session of the Church of England’s General Synod.

What actually happened with the Bishops’ push for the blessing of same-sex relationships? “We’re in this sort of bizarre no-man’s land.”

Video here.

Link via Anglican Mainstream.

Confirmed: The C of E’s Net Zero mania

“Confirmation services in the Church of England are about to become politicised after the General Synod voted to include a liturgical response to ‘the climate emergency’.

The July sessions in York saw the bitter divisions in the C of E laid bare, particularly over sexual morality and in the row over the sacking by the Archbishops’ Council of two members of the Church’s Independent Safeguarding Board. It was on the last morning of the five-day hate-in that the Synod voted overwhelmingly for the ‘Responding to the Climate Emergency’ motion moved by the suffragan Bishop of Reading, Olivia Graham, on behalf of Oxford Diocese. …”

– Opinion-piece by Julian Mann at The Conservative Woman.

Direct link to the end of the debate on video.

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