New Archbishop of York, and other news from the UK

“It has been announced this morning that the new Archbishop of York will be Stephen Cottrell, currently Bishop of Chelmsford.

Stephen Cottrell is the President of Affirming Catholicism, an organisation which is ‘seeking to bring together and strengthen lay and ordained people who recognize the positive, inclusive and joyful currents in the Catholic tradition of Christianity.’ Among other things, they are seeking to allow same sex marriage and the ministry of people in same sex relationships within the Church of England. …”

– See Church Society’s website for more. Photo: Diocese of York.

The Church of England website has a story.

In other news from the UK, Bishop Gavin Ashenden, who joined the Anglo-Catholic Christian Episcopal Church two years ago, has now announced that he is ‘crossing the Tiber’.

Related:

Rome Scholars & Leaders Network, June 15th-19th 2020.

“Evangelicalism currently has an incoherent relationship with Roman Catholicism. Many evangelicals are uncertain about what Roman Catholics actually believe. Do they believe in the same Gospel, or something entirely different?…”

Swimming the Tiber? by Mark Jones at Ligonier Ministries.

Advent Letter from Archbishop Ben Kwashi

“Peace be with you!

Our Advent card celebrates the wonderful truth that our Lord Jesus who first appeared in the humility of the incarnation will most certainly return in glory, ‘For all the promises of God find their Yes in him’ (2 Cor 1:20).

The gospel brings a hope that nothing and nobody else can give and living myself in a situation where Christians risk their lives for faithfulness to Christ, I know the power of this hope to sustain and strengthen. …”

– Gafcon General Secretary, Archbishop Ben A Kwashi, shares his Advent 2019 message.

Reflections on leaving the Church of England

“Having served for 23 years as an ordained minister in the Church of England, I was recently licensed as minister of Emmanuel, Morecambe in the Free Church of England, a smaller Anglican denomination which formed in the mid-19th century. …

People have asked me what has changed in the CofE in recent years such that I have decided to leave it now and whether this decision has involved some soul-searching.”

– Julian Mann shares something of his journey, at VirtueOnline.

Second draft of Religious Discrimination Package released

“The Commonwealth Government has released a second version of its draft legislation dealing with religious discrimination issues, for further comment before it is formally introduced into the Federal Parliament in the New Year. There are a number of important changes from the previous drafts which in my view make it a much better package of amendments. But there are areas for improvement…”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Associate Professor Neil Foster, shares his response to the updated draft legislation.

Diocese of Sydney Response to Second Exposure Draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill

Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney

Media Statement

The Release of the Second Exposure Draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill

We appreciate the thorough way in which the government has approached this issue and takes seriously the deeply-held views of people of faith.

In particular, I am encouraged by a number of changes in the second exposure draft. The respect given to faith charities is an important model for the future harmony of Australian society.

Personal faith and the activities of religious communities touch so many areas of our lives. As the Prime Minister has pointed out, we have laws preventing discrimination on race, sex, age or disabilities and faith should likewise be protected.

We look forward to providing further feedback on the updated Bill.

Glenn N Davies,

Archbishop of Sydney

10 December 2019.

Source: SydneyAnglicans.net

Advent 2019 Message from Archbishop Foley Beach

“In his Advent letter to the family of global Anglicans, Archbishop Foley Beach reflects on his time in Pakistan, the launch of Gafcon’s weekday devotion ‘Lift Up Your Hearts’, and despite hostility, he encourages us to press forward in Jesus, the Coming King.“

Gafcon Ireland pushes back against claims it is un-Anglican

Here is a letter printed in the Irish Times in response to the open letter from liberal Irish clergy urging the Irish bishops to reject the election of David McClay as Bishop of Down and Dromore due to his support of GAFCON.

_______

Sir, – It saddens me that once again The Irish Times has allowed its pages to be used to spread vicious and untrue rumours about Gafcon (Analysis, November 18th, Rite and Reason, November 19th). Far from being schismatic, Gafcon has allowed the vast majority of the Anglican Communion to remain united despite attempts from some to tear the very fabric of our common life.

The pleas of brothers and sisters across the globe have been ignored and the plain teaching of Scripture has been abandoned. Instead there has been a persistent and prolonged attempt to drive the Church of Ireland away from its true Anglican heritage shared by millions across the world. It was my privilege to be at Gafcon in Jerusalem last year, the biggest international gathering of Anglicans in over 50 years. Men and women from more than 50 countries gathered in that great city to proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations.

Every Church of Ireland minister is committed to this. At their ordination, they promise to expound the Scriptures and teach the doctrine of the Church of Ireland to all irrespective of gender, race or sexuality.

Anyone reading the Jerusalem Declaration, which sets out the beliefs of the Gafcon movement, will notice that it merely upholds the classical authorities of Anglicanism, the Bible as the word of God written, the Creeds and Councils of the early church, the Articles, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. This is something that every bishop in the Church of Ireland is called to do and what the average church-goer in Ireland expects from their bishop. These are the things that unite us. – Yours, etc,

Rev Timothy Anderson, Chair, Gafcon Ireland

– from GAFCON.

Preparing for GAFCON Kigali 2020

Archbishop Foley speaks briefly about why evangelism is a key theme for the Kigali 2020 conference being planned by GAFCON.

Evangelical Anglicans on the Fault Line in New Zealand

“I have been privileged to visit New Zealand twice this year. On my first visit in May I had time to explore a little of this beautiful land from alpine mountains to the lush forests bordering restless volcanic lakes, but I am still haunted by the sight of the ruined Christchurch Cathedral, its west end still open to the elements after the spire collapsed in the 2011 earthquake.

My second visit in mid-October was for the consecration of the Revd Jay Behan as the first bishop of the new Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa, New Zealand …”

– GAFCON’s Charles Raven reflects on what’s happening in New Zealand.

Attending to the National Soul: Book launch Thursday 12 December

Here’s an invitation to all ACL members and others interested in Australian history:

Attending to the National Soul – Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1914 – 2014 by Stuart Piggin and Robert D. Linder follows the highly awarded book The Fountain of Public Prosperity – Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740–1914, which was published in 2018.

Both volumes are the result of thirty years’ research and writing. Read more

Archbishop calls for compassion for bushfire victims

In a tweet today, Archbishop Glenn Davies has urged all Christians to continue to show compassion for bushfire victims, and to pray for the threat to ease.

He refers to Luke 13:1-5, where Jesus warns against ascribing a particular tragedy as a direct judgment of God.

Related:

Media Release from The Australian Christian Lobby:

The Australian Christian Lobby is responding to requests from the media to comment on Israel Folau’s recent sermon.

“Sermons don’t lend themselves to quick soundbites, and the media’s attempts to paraphrase a sermon has caused some unnecessary angst,” said ACL Managing Director, Martyn Iles, “For one thing, Israel did not claim to know that the current bushfires are God’s direct judgement for same-sex marriage.”

“Nobody knows God’s mind, nor do they understand ultimately why bad things happen,” Mr Iles added, “We do know that the Bible says God is sovereign over everything, and He is ‘our ever-present help in times of trouble.’ (Ps 46:1)”

“A call to turn our minds and hearts to God in challenging days such as these is supported by all Christians,” Mr Iles confirmed, “Churches across Australia are not only offering practical support to victims, firefighters, and communities, but are also praying for rain, for repentance, and for God’s plan in people’s lives to be strengthened even through difficulty.”

“Not all Australians will resonate with these beliefs, but the many who do shouldn’t be threatened or lose their freedoms,” Mr Iles urged.

The Australian Christian Lobby calls on Australians to pray for our nation, and to help those who are doing it tough, including victims, firefighters and their communities.

ENDS.

Church of Ireland clergy object to conservative bishop’s appointment

“Thirty-six senior Church of Ireland clergy have put their names to an open letter objecting to the appointment of the newly elected Bishop of Down and Dromore due to his involvement with a conservative Anglican group [GAFCON]. …”

– Story from The Irish Times.

Photo of David McClay via the Diocese of Down and Dromore, where it is reported:

The Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, said: “I wish to congratulate David McClay on his election as Bishop of Down and Dromore. An experienced parish clergyperson and archdeacon, he has a strong reputation as someone with a heart for the dispossessed and lonely, and I would wish him and his family God’s blessing and every fulfilment in his future ministry.”

Urgent prayer for our country

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has announced the opening of a bushfire appeal as one million hectares of land has been burned already this fire season. Tuesday, Nov 12, has been declared a day of catastrophic fire danger.

Archbishop Davies has appealed for Anglicans and other Christians to pray fervently in light of the danger facing New South Wales, Queensland and other parts of the country.

Dr Davies has written a prayer, which reads:

A prayer for Our Country, in drought and fire.

Our heavenly Father, creator of all things and especially the creator of this land and its original peoples, we call out to you in these desperate times as we see the first catastrophic fire warnings for New South Wales, as fires have already swept across several parts of our land.

Our hearts cry out to you in desperation for those whose properties are affected by ravaging fires and whose very lives are in danger.

Father we pray, in your mercy, restrain the forces of nature from creating catastrophic damage; in your mercy protect human life.

Guard those who selflessly step into the breach to fight these fires. Guide police and authorities who help evacuate and shelter those who are displaced.  Bring comfort and healing to all who suffer loss.

Remembering that long ago you extended your hand through your servant Moses to stop the waters and then to return the waters to their normal course, so we pray for rain. 

In your mercy, we pray for drenching rain. 

We pray that despite the forecasts, in your miraculous power you would bring forth rain to quench these fires and to bring life back into the earth, so that crops may grow and farmers may bring forth the harvest of the land again.

We bring these requests before your throne, in the name of your Son, who died and rose again for our deliverance,

Amen.

The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid appeal page can be found here.

– Source: SydneyAnglicans.net.

Further, the Archbishop has written to all Rectors, Assistant Ministers and Chaplains:

“I have announced a special appeal by the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid to raise tax-deductible funds for those affected.

Funds raised from this appeal will help those who miss out on NSW government emergency assistance. I encourage you to circulate the details of the appeal and encourage your congregation to support it https://www.anglicanaid.org.au/nsw-bushfire-appeal or please telephone (02) 9284 1406.  More importantly, funds from this appeal will come with prayer and human connection. Our donations are a tangible symbol of God’s grace to us all.  Donations for this appeal are tax deductible.

Sadly, there are fires burning right now in the Anglican Dioceses of Grafton, Armidale, Newcastle, Bathurst, Brisbane and Sydney, but we can rejoice that there are established churches on the ground in the places most seriously affected, providing an existing network of prayer and the delivery of financial assistance.

All funds donated to the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid appeal will go to Anglican churches in the affected areas, so that specific distributions can be made to those most affected within their communities.”

Go Without For The Drought

Learn about the Anglicare initiative to assist drought-affected communities.

(And see the photo sequence which brings home the impact of the drought.)

Albert Mohler says he will accept nomination as Southern Baptist Convention President

“All my life, I have sought to serve whenever asked by my denomination, and I would hope, if elected, to serve in a way that would unite Southern Baptists, strengthen our work together, add energy to our evangelism, and keep our hearts set on taking the gospel to the nations.”

– Report from Baptist Press.

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