Has the listening process of LLF now broken down?

In a letter to Church Times, The Rev James Paice (pictured) asks, “One wonders: has the listening process of LLF now broken down?”

He writes in response to a Church Times report (‘London conservatives look for support from breakaway Anglicans’), published on 1st March 2023, regarding the Bishop of London’s response to a large gathering with clergy –

“The Church Times understands that the London bishops held a two-hour meeting on Thursday evening of last week in St James Garlickhythe, which was attended by between 150 and 200 members of the clergy, many of whom were concerned about the Bishops’ proposals on same-sex blessings. …”

The report references a statement from the Diocese of London, effectively claiming that nothing has really changed.

Anglican Mainstream has published the letter by James Paice – read it here.

Earlier:

GAFCON press release 9th March 2023

Press release, 09 March 2023

“Many Anglicans across the world are deeply distressed by the Church of England’s recent decision to separate from the historic faith through the creation and implementation of prayers of blessing for same-sex marriages.

Several churches and Provinces within the Anglican Communion are considering their future with respect to the Church of England. The Primates of The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (who represent the majority of the world’s worshipping Anglicans) have already declared that they are in impaired communion with the Church of England and said that they do not recognise the present Archbishop of Canterbury as the “first among equals” leader of the global Anglican Communion.

The Gafcon Movement is a global family of authentic Anglicans standing together to proclaim the unchanging truth of the Bible in a changing world, and to support those who wish to remain Anglican but feel they are no longer able to sit under the authority of their Bishop or Diocese.

On 20 February 2023 the Gafcon Primates endorsed the statement released by the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans pointing to Paragraph 13 of the Jerusalem Declaration (2008) which says: ‘We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed’.

In a number of countries around the world (including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, the United States, and Wales), Gafcon has supported the establishment of alternative episcopal oversight for those Anglicans who in good conscience cannot remain part of their provincial Anglican Church.

Presently, the Gafcon Primates are meeting regularly with the Primates of The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches and other Orthodox Primates across the world to discern the path forward. The outcome of these meetings will affect the majority of the 85 million Anglicans worldwide.

Gafcon will not be commenting on the content of these meetings while they are ongoing but will be releasing a statement at the end of the upcoming GAFCON IV Conference to be held from 17-21 April in Kigali, Rwanda.”

When is a wedding not a wedding

“A woman in a white wedding dress laughs as she looks up into a cloud of rainbow confetti. She stands at the entrance to a church, holding hands with her partner, surrounded by friends, family and photographers. The photo is shared on Twitter with the notice that they are now Revd and Mrs X.

But this is not a wedding. It cannot legally be a wedding…”

– At Church Society’s blog, Ros Clarke highlights the mess caused by the internal contradictions in Justin Welby’s ‘radical inclusion’.

“No wonder that what is being proposed does not satisfy anyone.”

Would John Stott have continued on as an Anglican?

“One of the largest evangelical Anglican churches in the UK, St Helen’s Bishopsgate, recently announced that it will no longer accept episcopal oversight from the Church of England’s House of Bishops.

This comes as a result of the General Synod’s decision to bless couples who are in a same-sex marriage or civil partnership. …

The current context raises the question of whether the late John Stott, the famous Anglican evangelical stalwart, would have himself continued to remained.

In 1966 Stott and Martyn Lloyd-Jones had a confrontation which many regarded as a dispute over whether it was time for evangelicals to withdraw from the Anglican communion. For Lloyd-Jones the time was now, but for the Stott the response was not yet. …”

– Presbyterian Mark Powell asks the question. We suspect the answer to the hypothetical question in the title would be, “Yes. And aligned with GAFCON.”

Rev. Calvin Robinson: a crisis of faith for the Anglican Church?

“What follows is one of the most articulate and powerful speeches you are likely to view this year. It is by Rev. Calvin Robinson, who recently argued at the Oxford Union as to why Christianity should not allow gay marriage, or even the blessing of same-sex unions.

Robinson’s twelve-minute talk is a model of graciousness, fidelity to historic Christian doctrine, and personal courage. …”

– You may already have seen the speech by Calvin Robinson. If not, take a look – and also see Mark Powell’s summary in Spectator Australia.

Image: Oxford Union.

Chaplain who was sacked for identity politics sermon to appeal ruling

“An ordained Church of England (CofE) chaplain, who was sacked and secretly reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog for a moderate sermon in a school chapel on identity politics, will appeal an employment tribunal ruling handed down this week.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Rev. Dr Bernard Randall had taken his employer, Trent College in Nottingham, to court for discrimination, harassment, victimisation and unfair dismissal.

He has described the ruling against him as a ‘blow for free speech and Christian freedoms.‘…”

– Christian Concern in the UK has this report on the sacking of the Rev. Dr Bernard Randall.

This story is quite an eye-opener to what is happening in the UK and in the Church of England.

You can hear his redelivery of the offending sermon below – do take the time to watch and listen.

Also read the transcript, courtesy of Christian Concern.

This case is also a reminder of why Australia needs robust freedom of religion legislation.

See also:

School chaplain loses unfair dismissal case over LGBT sermon – BBC News.

“Employment judge Victoria Butler, who heard evidence from Rev Randall and senior school staff during a three-week hearing, dismissed the clergyman’s claim he was ‘sacked’ by the school after he twice delivered a sermon called Competing Ideologies in chapel services. …”

Class and the evangelical church in England

“I have been asked to write some observations on class in the evangelical church in England.

Those who asked me apparently think that my Australian background gives me an advantage; I am not embedded in the British class system myself, so can be more objective. I’m not sure that this is all that much an advantage: class in Britain is a very complicated and deeply-entrenched matter, not at all easy to understand. It still surprises me that even after 17 years living and working in Britain, I find certain aspects of the class system entirely foreign. Reading and researching on class issues has demonstrated that there is a lot that even now I had never realised, in particular the how powerful are the emotions and attitudes involved. The classes are different, in significant ways, and it really matters to people.

What has struck me most, and what will be the main point of this series of articles, is that running middle-class churches will not reach the working classes. …”

– Kirsten Birkett begins a series of articles at Church Society.

William Taylor: The Bishops have chosen to walk apart – but others stand with us

William Taylor, Rector of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London, has made an important announcement – and he speaks with the support of Anglican bishops worldwide including

Kanishka Raffel, Archbishop of Sydney;
Foley Beach, Primate of North America and GAFCON Primates Council Chairman;
Jay Behan, Bishop of the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand;
Glenn Lyons, Presiding Bishop of REACH South Africa.

– See William Taylor’s announcement and the messages of support from these Anglican leaders.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet — 2023 State Election Faith Groups Town Hall

The NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, was a guest at the 2023 State Election Faith Groups Town Hall in Parramatta on Wednesday night (22nd February 2023).

You can watch the meeting as the Premier responded to questions in the run up to the State election.

In response to a question on ‘conversion therapy’, he said,

“There is no place for harmful practices in our state. Since this issue was raised, people have raised with me examples of food deprivation, electroshock therapy. Well, those practices are wrong, and we will move to outlaw them…

At the same time, we will not ban prayer, we will not ban preaching. That is fundamental to freedom of religion in this state and in this country. We can do both. We can ban harmful practices and we can protect freedom of religion in our state…

It’s not one or the other, it’s respecting everyone’s perspectives in relation to this and having a balanced approach.”

A similar event with the State Opposition Leader, Chris Minns, is planned for next week. We’ll aim to post a link to that event as well.

– Watch here. Thanks to Freedom for Faith for the video link and for the quote from the Premier.

‘Catastrophic” — Dr Lee Gatiss on the Global South’s rebuke of the Church of England

Church Society Director Lee Gatiss is interviewed by Dave Piper for Trans World Radio about the Global South’s rejection of the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

“Lee argues this has left the majority of Anglicans worldwide aghast.

He says vicars will essentially be left to decide doctrine themselves – and could get it in the neck if they go against society’s views on marriage and sexual relationships. And he warns some parishes and dioceses could break away and seek oversight from outside of the UK.”

Watch here. 8 minutes.

Whose conscience deserves protection in Australia?

Yesterday, Associate Professor Neil Foster presented a short paper at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney – as part of a panel on “The Importance of Conscience”.

He’s made it available for download at Law and Religions Australia.

(Photo from a Sydney Diocese training day.)

Praying for Nigeria

GAFCON’s prayer focus for today –

“Let us join with Christians in Nigeria praying for the elections on February 25.

These elections are for the President and Vice-President, and to the National Assembly.

Pray for peaceful balloting and for the election of a leader who can work effectively for the good of the whole country.”

Related:

What the Church of Nigeria expects of political parties and candidates.

Source: Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion.

Even Vladimir Putin noticed the C of E’s General Synod

Even Vladimir Putin has commented on the Church of England’s General Synod. (Not that we’re endorsing other comments in his speech.)

Link via Anglican Ink.

Church of England departs historic Christian faith – with Archbishop Justin Badi

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“12 Primates of the Global South Provinces have issued a statement saying ‘The Church of England has departed from the historic faith, passed down from the Apostles.’

The Primates – who are all national leaders within the denomination – say that the Church of England has disqualified herself from leading the Anglican Communion.

They say the Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith.

The Chair of Global South, Archbishop Justin Badi of South Sudan, says they are withdrawing support for Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who has led his House of Bishops to make recommendations that run contrary to the faith & order of the orthodox provinces in the communion.”

– Watch or listen here.

Grieving the Anglican Communion: English Primacy and the Anglican Consultative Council

“After the high drama of the Church of England’s General Synod, we had one day to wash and repack before flying to Ghana for the eighteenth plenary meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-18), hosted by the Province of West Africa.

It was like being evacuated from the battlefield to a temporary sanctuary, where the artillery bombardment is hushed, wounds can be bandaged, and the foot soldiers of rival armies lay down their weapons for mutual refreshment and embrace. Eight days of Anglican bliss, while all around us the Communion implodes. …

The Anglican Communion has been in choppy seas for several decades, but the bishops of the Church of England are now driving it directly towards the rocks. If they do not change course, then what can be salvaged from the imminent wreckage? At the ACC we worked gallantly, with cheerful smiles, trying to believe it was ‘business as normal’, but all the time aware that the epoch-changing statement from the primates of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) would be waiting for us when we returned home.”

– At Psephizo, Andrew Atherstone reflects on the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council last week and the seismic shift taking place in the Anglican Communion.

He points out,

“Global South provinces have now seized the initiative to establish firebreaks between themselves and the Church of England. Emergency action is needed, if the riches of the Anglican Communion are not to be squandered forever.”

Andrew Atherton is Latimer Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and biographer of Justin Welby.

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