Tim Swan to head Anglican Aid

“A former missionary has been chosen to head the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid following the retirement of founding CEO The Rev David Mansfield.

The Rev Tim Swan will lead the organisation from April 2020. …”

– More good news from SydneyAnglicans.net.

Churches need to be more like the world?

“I’ve just read Nikki Gemmell’s latest contribution to The Weekend Australian, ‘Why the Anglican church must evolve or die’.

At first, I assumed this must be satire, for the essence of her argument is that for Churches to succeed they need to become more like majority culture!

‘the majority of Australians do support same-sex marriage. It feels like the archbishop is damaging his church and Jesus’s teachings of tolerance, gentleness and inclusivity.’

‘The church has been on the wrong side of public opinion recently on abortion as well as same-sex marriage. It’s slowly killing itself by refusing to open its heart to others.‘ …

Without question, Gemmell’s call to the Anglican Church sounds almost identical to what Jesus says, in a misutopian Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy kind of way…”

– Murray Campbell in Melbourne takes a look at Nikki Gemmell’s Commentary published today.

Photo: Nikki Gemmell courtesy of The Australian.

“Who Am I?” A Sydney Anglican Female Perspective

“My favourite moment of my favourite musical comes when Les Miserable’s protagonist breaks into his moment of existential crisis. “Who am I?”, he lyrically wails.

As I read Julia Baird’s latest offering about the caricatured, oppressed, silenced and invisible women of the Sydney Anglican Diocese (“In praise of the oddities and outliers resisting bonkers fundamentalism in Sydney”, SMH Oct 26th), I found myself having my very own Jean Val Jean moment (though, sadly, without the accompanying symphony). Who am I? I’m an ordained member of the Sydney Anglican clergy. But I’m also a woman. …”

– The Australian Church Record has published an expanded version of an article by Dani Treweek which was first published in The Sydney Morning Herald.

What has the Sydney Morning Herald got against Anglican women?

“I love the word bonkers. My mum used to say it all the time, and I just don’t seem to hear it often enough anymore. That was until Julia Baird used it in a piece for The Sydney Morning Herald, to describe the position many Sydney Anglicans hold regarding the role of women in the church. Yet I want to suggest the reason people hold this view isn’t quite as muddled headed as Baird might presume. …”

– Writing at Spectator Australia, Archdeacon Kara Hartley responds to an article in the SMH.

The Rev Dr Ed Loane appointed the 12th Warden of St Paul’s College

News from Mr Mark Elliott, Chairman of the Council of St. Paul’s College at the University of Sydney:

“The St Paul’s College Council is delighted to announce the appointment of the Rev Dr Ed Loane as the 12th Warden of St Paul’s College.

Following an extensive and thorough search, which yielded many high quality applications, we have found the right candidate to lead this exciting next chapter at St Paul’s. …”

– Read it all here.

New role for Bishop Ivan Lee

“The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has announced he is seconding Bishop Ivan Lee to work on strengthening church growth in the Diocese, in a new portfolio for the experienced Bishop.

Bishop Lee, who was appointed by Archbishop Jensen in 2003, is the longest-serving Assistant Bishop in Sydney. …

Archbishop Davies is planning, with the concurrence of the Standing Committee, to appoint a new Bishop for Western Sydney by the end of the year.”

– News from SydneyAnglicans.net – and a reminder to uphold Ivan in your prayers.

True Discipleship and The 51st Synod

“He said what?!

By now, most of you would have heard about Archbishop Glenn Davies’ address at the 51st Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. It has been quoted and misquoted on social media, the Sydney Morning Herald, and has even reached British shores where I am living, with an article in the Guardian from former Sydney pastor Joel Hollier.

As he has made clear, Archbishop Davies was not calling on those struggling with same-sex attraction to leave the church. We all struggle with sin, which is why the grace and mercy of Christ is such a wonderful message to the world. But there is a difference between struggling with sin, and declaring something not to be a sin. …”

– Tom Habib cuts to the heart of the matter at The Gospel Coalition Australia. Be sure to read it all.

By sad contrast:

“The Bishop of Liverpool [in the Church of England] told the Guardian: ‘I still hope that bishops from Sydney will attend the Lambeth conference next year so that we can all talk together and learn from one another there.

‘Meanwhile, I’m glad that other parts of the Australian church are engaging in dialogue with Sydney and are advocating for a greater inclusion and a wider and more diverse church. It’s good to be in the same communion with all these people.’

Other Church of England bishops declined to comment on Davies’ comments, saying they did not represent mainstream views within the church.”

– from The Guardian.

A Model of Convictional Courage

In his The Briefing podcast for Friday 18 October 2019, Albert Mohler spoke about Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Presidential Address.

“I can only say that I pray for the day that the average evangelical pastor in the United States of America would summon the courage to speak as courageously as the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney on these central and unavoidable issues that are necessary to our understanding of sin and sexuality, but also to gospel and church.”

The segments starts at 09:32 into the programme. Listen or read the transcript.

Marriage motions passed as General Synod support questioned

“If we abandon God’s Word we have nothing to offer the world. That is why this motion is before you tonight,” said the Dean of Sydney Kanishka Raffel as he introduced one of the key motions of the 2019 Synod, one which he said he moved ‘with a heavy heart’.

“My heaviness of heart is because the motion before you addresses not a departure from God’s word in the laws of the land but a departure from God’s word that is being promoted by Bishops and Synods in our Church.” Dean Raffel said. “There is one God and Father of us all, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism – but Bishops and Synods in our church nationally, risk rending the fabric of our fellowship by promoting a theology of marriage that is contrary to Scripture.”

The motion followed the Archbishop’s Presidential Address where he spoke of at least two Dioceses pushing to bless same-sex relationships. A ten-point motion, seconded by Bishop Michael Stead, reaffirmed man/woman marriage as the doctrine of scripture and of the Anglican Church, declared that blessings or affirmations of same-sex marriage are contrary to scripture and called for action where the doctrine was not being upheld.…

– Read the full report by Russell Powell at Anglican Media Sydney.

My words were for the bishops and I stand by them — Archbishop Glenn Davies

“Every year at about this time I am asked, ‘Why don’t you update what you believe – it doesn’t fit with modern Australia.’ The subject lately has been same-sex marriage, but it has been a kaleidoscope of issues over the years.

When representatives of our churches meet at our annual Synod, we do so publicly. Our churches are open to all people in the suburbs of Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains, so our governing body is public as well. We do not hide our beliefs, nor are we ashamed of them. People know what we believe and are free to comment on what we do and what we believe. …”

– Archbishop Glenn Davies has written this opinion-piece for The Sydney Morning Herald, regarding reporting of what he said in his Synod Presidential Address on Monday 14th October.

Archbishop Davies was also interviewed on Sydney’s Radio 2GB by Ben Fordham.

Video of Archbishop Glenn Davies’ 2019 Presidential Address

Courtesy of Anglican Media Sydney, watch the full 2019 Presidential Address to Sydney Synod by Archbishop Glenn Davies. Delivered on Monday 14th October. Watch it all. Link to Vimeo. Full text here (PDF file).

Archbishop Davies received a standing ovation from the Synod at the conclusion of his address (as well as sustained applause, at 26:20, after his remarks about bishops who abandon the plain teaching of Scripture).

ACL Synod Dinner Address 2019

Jay Behan Bishop-elect of the Diocese of the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa/New Zealand, spoke to a packed gathering at the Anglican Church League’s Synod Dinner in Sydney on Monday 14th October.

Jay will be consecrated on Saturday in Christchurch.

Synod members will look forward to next year’s ACL Synod Dinner.

A friendly welcome!

Jay Behan addresses a capacity crowd.

Guarding the faith in a changing world – Archbishop Glenn Davies

“Archbishop Glenn Davies has spoken of the challenges to Christian faith within the Anglican Church in his final Presidential Address to the 2019 Synod of the Diocese of Sydney.

Taking his inspiration from the Pastoral Epistles, which he said had been a regular source of comfort throughout his ministry, Dr Davies said ‘The first priority of the Archbishop of Sydney is to be a guardian of ‘the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3). This is true of all those who hold office as a bishop in the church of God.’…”

– Russell Powell has the story on Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Presidential Address.

Read the full text here (PDF file). Well worth reading in full.

or watch the address, courtesy of Anglican Media Sydney.

Moore College Spring Carnival, Saturday 26 October

“A day to come along and check out the College, get an insight into Moore’s in-depth theological training, tour our new building, plus have all your questions answered by faculty and students. A presentation overviewing the College is followed by a tour of the new building with lunch to follow. Meals are our shout, but RSVP is essential for catering purposes.”