Brian McLaren ‘invited to participate’ at Lambeth
Brian McLaren, one of the leaders of the emerging church movement, has now confirmed that he has been “invited to participate in the Lambeth Conference” to speak on “evangelism/disciple-making”.
Matt Kennedy, who broke the news at Stand Firm, comments,
We ought not be naive with regard to Brian McLaren’s invitation to Lambeth… He will be there to tell the assembled bishops just how hazy, foggy, undefined, and ultimately, unresolvable the question of homosexual behaviour really is and why nothing ought to be done until at least 2016.
For some responses to McLaren’s theology, see Mark Dever’s review of Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christian – at IX Marks – and Al Mohler’s 2005 article What Should We Think of the Emerging Church? part 2. (Photo: brianmclaren.net.)
Archbishop of Uganda responds
The Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, has responded to this letter from TEC Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, accusing him of an “unwarranted incursion into The Episcopal Church”.
“I am not visiting a church in the Diocese of Georgia. …
Your selective quoting of the Windsor Report is stunning in its arrogance and condescension. …
You and your House of Bishops rejected outright the Pastoral Scheme painstakingly devised in Dar es Salaam, and to which you agreed. You have, therefore, left us no choice but to continue to respond to the cries of God’s faithful people in America for episcopal oversight that upholds and promotes historic, biblical Anglicanism. …”
Read Archbishop Orombi’s full letter below – Read more
Inaugural Queen’s Birthday Convention
St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney is hosting the inaugural Queen’s Birthday Convention on Monday June 9th.
It’s the sequel to this year’s Australia Day Convention in which Phillip Jensen expounded Mark 1–8. The series will conclude with talks on Mark 9–16.
You can register – and also hear and see the last talk (on Mark 8) from the Australia Day Convention – at the QBC website.
New Westminster: Assets must be protected
Bishop Michael Ingham has told his Diocesan Council that he feels he has no option but to protect the property and assets of the Diocese of New Westminster and the Anglican Church of Canada, and warned that the diocese may find itself in the civil courts to do so. … He said the diocese had attempted to “create space” for people of differing opinions. …
– from the Diocese of New Westminster.
TEC bulletin inserts ‘explain’ Lambeth
Each week, the Episcopal Church publishes Episcopal LIfe weekly: bulletin inserts which may be used by churches across the US.
Starting this weekend, the bulletin inserts begin a nine (or is it ten?)-part series “on the Lambeth Conference and the Anglican Communion”. The first insert is on how Lambeth will be “equipping bishops for mission”.
– See The Episcopal Church website.
UK women priests say price of ‘safeguards’ too high
“From: Women Clergy undersigned
… As ordained women, from amongst whom some of the first generation of women bishops may come, we wish to make our own contribution to the current debate.
We believe that it should be possible for women to be consecrated as bishops, but not at any price. The price of legal ‘safeguards’ for those opposed is simply too high …”
– Ruth Gledhill reports in Times Online on a letter sent by women priests to the Church of England’s bishops.
Gospel of Luke Introduction from the ESV Study Bible
The people behind the ESV Study Bible have made available their Introduction to the Gospel of Luke as a free download. Obviously, they hope to encourage you to order the Study Bible.
You can see the sample with this 1.1MB PDF file.
Ugandan Primate’s ‘incursion’ into Georgia
Archbishop of Uganda Henry Orombi’s actions to visit a Savannah congregation on May 14 without the invitation of Episcopal Bishop of Georgia Henry Louttit “violate the spirit and letter of the work of the Windsor Report, and only lead to heightened tensions,” Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori wrote in a May 12 letter to Orombi. …
– from the Episcopal News Service. (Graphic: The Episcopal Church.)
An Evangelical Response to “An Evangelical Manifesto”
Who are the Evangelicals? The issue of Evangelical identity and definition has been central to the Evangelical project from its very beginning in America. Given the nature of the movement, definition is elusive and constantly contested.
The release of “An Evangelical Manifesto” on May 7 caught the attention of the national media [in the US] …
– From the blog of Al Mohler.
Don Carson addressed a related topic at a recent European Leadership Forum – “What is an Evangelical? An Assessment of the Evangelical and Roman Catholic Project” – available online as a 43MB, 3h 8m mp3 file.
Archbishop Williams writes on Lambeth
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has sent an open letter to the bishops of the Anglican Communion in advance of the 2008 Lambeth Conference, set for July 16 – August 4 at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.
“I indicated in earlier letters that the shape of the Conference will be different from what many have been used to.… At the heart of this will be the indaba groups … close to what Benedictine monks and Quaker Meetings seek to achieve as they listen quietly together to God …
The hope is that over the two weeks we spend together, these groups will build a level of trust that will help us break down the walls we have so often built against each other in the Communion. And in combination with the intensive prayer and fellowship of the smaller Bible study groups, all this will result, by God’s grace, in clearer vision and discernment of what needs to be done.”
– via the Episcopal News Service. (Photo credit: Jim Rosenthal, Anglican World.)
1,000 to attend GAFCON in Jerusalem
Over 1000 senior leaders from seventeen provinces in the Anglican Communion, representing 35 million church-going Anglicans, have registered for the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in Jerusalem at the close of the online registration process. They include 280 bishops, almost all accompanied by their wives. Final attendance figures will depend on smooth processing of requested visas, and other factors. …
– Read the full press release from GAFCON.
ESV Gospel of John free audio
The publishers of the English Standard Version of the Bible are selling audio versions of the entire Bible in MP3 format read by Max McLean – downloadable from their website.
Some will find it helpful, others may not (it’s not an Australian accent – and there’s background music), but you can find out by listening to samples or by downloading the free copy of John’s Gospel – from Good News & Crossway.
Ontario churches to meet elsewhere
Members of two Anglican churches are choosing not to worship in their buildings tomorrow in the wake of a court order that they share the facilities with the diocese they have left.
A Superior Court ruling on Monday required three breakaway churches to share the property Sunday mornings until ownership is decided…
– Report from The Hamilton Spectator.
See also St. George’s Lowville and St. Hilda’s Oakville. (Photo: Rev. Charlie Masters, St. George’s Lowville)
Warning for Christian polygamists
Nigeria’s Anglican leader has told the country’s many Christian polygamists to give up their extra wives.
In a letter to the faithful, Archbishop Peter Akinola warned the issue could “make a mockery” of the church. …
– Report from the BBC.
GAFCON: 267 bishops signed up so far
Organizers of the June Gafcon meeting in Jerusalem report that as of April 25, 267 bishops have registered for the June meeting in Jerusalem. …
Approximately 150 bishops and conferees from Muslim majority countries unable to travel freely to Israel along with the Gafcon leadership team will meet at a resort on the Dead Sea in Jordan from June 18-22, while a further 600 are expected to join the self-styled “pilgrimage” in Jerusalem from June 22-29. –
– Report by George Conger for the Church of England Newspaper.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…