Italy seeks to end classroom crucifix ban

“The Italian government is appealing to the European court of human rights to overturn a ban on classroom crucifixes. … If the government loses, it would mean that all religious artefacts in classrooms across the European Union could be outlawed.”

– report from BBC News.

Presiding Bishop welcome in Brisbane, says Primate

“The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, Katharine Jefferts Schori, is welcome to visit the Diocese of Brisbane, according to Dr Philip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia…”

– Report from Anglican Media Melbourne. Related: ACL Statement on visit.

(Photo taken at the November 2008 JSC meeting: ACNS Rosenthal.)

Jefferts Schori in Canterbury

Not that Canterbury. TEC Presiding Bishop Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori spent Sunday evening in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, preaching at St. Michael and All Angels in Christchurch.

Sermon here. Also, Episcopal News report. (Photo: Anglican Taonga.)

Katharine Jefferts Schori heads Down Under for ‘conversations around human sexuality’

From the Episcopal News Service:

“The Anglican churches in Australia and New Zealand are hosting Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for an informal two-week visit to the two provinces.

‘I’m to speak with people there about their conversations around human sexuality and also about their missionary development work…’ Jefferts Schori told members of Executive Council during their June 16-18 meeting in Maryland…

During her visit to Australia, the presiding bishop will preach July 4 at Christ Church St. Lucia in the Diocese of Brisbane, where Archbishop Philip Aspinall of the Anglican Church of Australia serves as bishop.…”

J I Packer’s preface to Griffith Thomas’ Principles of Theology

In 1977, Dr J I Packer wrote the Preface to an edition of W.H. Griffith Thomas’ The Principles of Theology.

“As in general terms Calvin’s 1559 Institutes rounded off the forty-year Reformation era in European theology, so in general terms The Principles of Theology may be said to have rounded off a four-hundred year era of Protestant Anglicanism, and in particular to have summed up a century of vigilant scholarship which, in face of what looked like Rome’s Trojan horse in the Church of England, had sought to vindicate historic Protestantism as authentically Anglican and as the only position with more than squatter’s rights within the Establishment.

This was the scholarship of such men as William Goode, George Cornelius Gorham, T. P. Boultbee, T. S. L. Vogan, Nathaniel Dimock, E. A. Litton, Henry Wace, Handley C. G. Moule, J. T. Tomlinson, W. Prescott Upton and Charles Sydney Carter – giants in the land in their own day, however little remembered now.”

– Read the rest on the Church Society website.

Learn more about Griffith Thomas here. (Photo: Theopedia.)

SMBC Preaching conferences

Sydney Missionary and Bible College has a couple of interesting preaching conferences coming up in September. Click on the links for PDF brochures: Communicating Isaiah and Preaching the Old Testament with Integrity.

‘Federal leaders court Christian vote’

A few cliches in this ABC TV Lateline report on the Australian Christian Lobby’s leaders’ debate.

And Russell Powell has this report at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Bishop of Ballarat resigns

“Shock and relief have rippled through the south-west Anglican community in the wake of Ballarat bishop Michael Hough’s decision to step down.

His departure follows months of speculation and was announced at a synod in Portland by Melbourne assistant bishop and acting Ballarat vicar-general Philip Huggins.

It will take effect on December 20, with a 12-member committee elected over the weekend to find his replacement…”

– Report from the Warrnambool Standard. (Image: Diocese of Ballarat.)

Tasmanian Prayer Pilgrimage continues

Bishop John Harrower would appreciate your prayers as he continues his ‘Prayer Pilgrimage’ around Tasmania.

Jesus says, ‘for apart from me you can do nothing.’ – John 15:5.

New Archbishop of PNG

“The provincial council of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea has elected the Rt. Reverend Joseph Kopapa, bishop of Popondota diocese, as its new archbishop and primate…”

– report from the Episcopal News Service.

Burning Down ‘The Shack’

Tim Challies reviews James De Young’s new book Burning Down The Shack:

“James De Young writes from an interesting perspective—that of a former friend, or acquaintance at least, of Paul Young. He begins his book by providing some important but little-known background to The Shack.

In April of 2004 De Young attended a Christian think tank and there Young presented a 103-page paper which presented a defense of universal reconciliation, a Christian form of universalism—the view that at some point every person will come to a right relationship with God. If they do not do this before they die, God will use the fires of hell to purge away (not punish, mind you) any unbelief. Eventually even Satan and his fallen angels will be purged of sin and all of creation will be fully and finally restored.

This is to say that after death there is a second chance, and more than that, a complete inevitability, that all people will eventually repent and come to full relationship with God…”

– Read it all.

Southwark clergy write to The Times

A letter to The Times, 12th June 2010:

“We, the undersigned clergy of Southwark diocese, distance ourselves from Bishop Schori’s teaching and presiding in our cathedral.”

“Sir, We wish to express our concern over the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (USA), Katherine Jefferts Schori, preaching and presiding at Holy Communion in our cathedral at Southwark tomorrow.   Read more

TEC’s gospel on show at missions conference

This week, TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori spoke about her understanding of the gospel at the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel’s ‘Witnessing to Christ Today’ Annual Conference in Edinburgh. From an Episcopal Life Online report:

The Episcopal Church’s mission in the world is shaped by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals “as a proximate vision of the reign of God,” she said.

– Full report here. Photo: Matthew Davies.

Archbishop Bob Duncan and the last 50 weeks

On Tuesday, Archbishop Bob Duncan reflected on the first fifty weeks of the Anglican Church in North America – in his address to the Annual Provincial Council.

He reaffirmed that ACNA’s mission is ‘to reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ’.

See his address courtesy of Anglican TV. Runs for 24 minutes.

Latest North West news and prayer points

The latest North West Network (June 2010, PDF) and Prayer Notes & Bishop’s Letter (June – July 2010, PDF) are available on the Diocese of North West Australia website.

← Previous Page — Next Page →