Anglican Church of Canada’s synod guide for talking about sex

“According to the Windsor Report 2004, scripture is the channel through which the supreme authority of the triune God is exercised (WR section B paragraphs 53–54). However…”

– The Anglican Essentials Canada blog has posted some excerpts.

Missional Church

“‘Missional Church’ is a hot topic at present, and almost everyone in church leadership says that they are committed to church being ‘missional’. But what does the term mean? And what implications does it actually have for how we understand church and, more importantly, how we live as a church?…”

– John McClean at the Presbyterian Theological Centre in Sydney plugs an upcoming lecture by Mike Goheen.

New Archbishop of Polynesia

“The Anglican Church in these islands has a new Archbishop: Dr Winston Halapua, the new Bishop of Polynesia.

Dr Halapua, who is 64 and a Tongan-born, Fijian citizen living in New Zealand, was announced this morning as the new Bishop of Polynesia. As such, he automatically becomes one of the three Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia…”

– Report from Voxy News NZ. (Photo: Anglican Taonga.)

Reform initial response to Revision Committee Report

Reform Press Release 11th May 2010

“The Revision Committee’s report on Women in the Episcopate published on 8th May “provides no adequate framework for recognition of our future ministry in the Church of England and so could lead to a serious squeezing of the pipeline for future ordinands” said Revd Rod Thomas, Reform chairman today.  Read more

‘The bishops with the minds of gnats’

The Herald-Sun’s Andrew Bolt is one of many to comment negatively on today’s story that “The Anglican Church wants Australians to have fewer children and has urged the federal government to scrap the baby bonus and cut immigration levels.” (AAP report via The Sydney Morning Herald.)

While the report may give the impression it is official Anglican policy, after enquiries, the ACL website has not yet found any source for such a statement.

Update: Thanks to Kevin Goddard for tracking down a related document.
And Andrew Bolt interviewed Professor John Langmore, Anglican Public Affairs Commission Chairman, on Melbourne radio 3MTR, starting at the 18’36” point of this mp3 file.

Call to prayer for next UK government

From Anglican Mainstream:

“O Lord, you give the rulers of your people wisdom, discernment and insight in order that they might govern with justice, compassion and righteousness. As the leaders of our political parties negotiate the formation of the next government, we ask you so to move the hearts and wills of our leaders and people that in righteousness we may be led, and in righteousness may gladly follow; the the honour of your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord,  Amen.”

Dr Philip Giddings (Convenor)
Canon Dr Chris Sugden (Secretary)

(A good idea in the light of 1 Timothy 2:1-6.)

‘Scripture classes lose half of students to ethics, say Anglicans’

“The controversial trial of secular ethics classes has ‘decimated’ Protestant scripture classes in the 10 NSW schools where it has been introduced as an alternative for non-religious children, with the classes losing about 47 per cent of enrolled students…”

– report from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Paul White Dinner Lecture

SMBC’s annual Paul White Memorial Dinner / Lecture is set for Wednesday 26th May, with Archbishop Peter Jensen speaking on the place of mission in the local church.

See the SMBC website to book.

Great Jazz to help theology students in poor countries

Moore College External Studies has a great idea to raise support (and awareness) for theology students in poor countries (esp Nigeria, Fiji and Cuba). It involves jazz.

Read about it here – and tell your church!

Presbyterians in the fight for SRE

Presbyterian Youth NSW is also encouraging Christians to go to the Make a Stand / Save Our Scripture website and to make their views known to the NSW government.

See their videos and other resources here.

SRE on Trial

“On November 25, 2009, the former NSW Premier Nathan Rees made an unprecedented intervention to waive regulations, giving students in State schools the choice between SRE (Special Religious Education) and the trial of Ethics-based classes.

This is against long-standing assurances given by governments and current legislative guidelines where no secular subjects can be taught during the period assigned for SRE.”

See the website.

‘Help defend marriage’

A press release from FamilyVoice Australia –

“Until now marriage – the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life – has been the only couple relationship that could be registered under New South Wales law. The reason for this unique treatment of marriage is that:

•    only marriage provides the best environment for raising children – stability plus complementary male and female role models (Mum and Dad);
•    men and women complement each other in marriage – benefiting each other and society.

Now the Keneally government has introduced the Relationships Register Bill 2010, to enable unmarried and same-sex couples to register their relationships in the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

On 23 April, government MP Barry Collier, on behalf of Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt, said: “Unmarried couples, whether in heterosexual or same-sex relationships, will be able to register their relationships, receive a certificate of registration, and know that their relationship is respected and recognised in New South Wales.”   Read more

Archbishop Mouneer Anis on the Global South

Archbishop Mouneer Anis spoke at last week’s Global South to South Encounter in Singapore. He gave an historical overview of the global south Anglican movement and spoke of the future –

“we are not creating a new Anglican Communion, because we are the Anglican Communion. We need a structure not to compete with the current dysfunctional structure of the Anglican Communion, but to move forward…”

See his address at Anglican TV. (Thanks to Kevin Kallsen.)

Government trial decimates SRE

“If ethics classes compete directly with SRE next year as planned, then Scripture enrolments will be slashed by up to 60 percent, the NSW Government’s own trial demonstrates.

Across the ten trial schools, Anglican and Anglican-Protestant scripture classes lost 123 students or 47 percent of those enrolled“”

– Jeremy Halcrow reports at SydneyAnglicans.net

Related: Save our Scripture.

FCA General Secretary responds to the Global South to South Encounter

Archbishop Peter Jensen:

“In my judgment, the assembly was unresponsive to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s video greetings. I don’t think that what he said was obscure. It just seemed to be from another age, another world. His plea for patience misjudged the situation by several years… He seemed to suggest that the consecration of a partnered lesbian Bishop will create a crisis. In fact the crisis itself has passed. We are now on the further side of the critical moment; the decisions have all been made; we are already living with the consequences.”   (Read it all.)

The Fourth Blast of the Trumpet

The image of the trumpet blast seems to be an over-dramatic description of the communiqué issued from the latest Global South Encounter. In fact, the response to it has been somewhat muted. But as a guest at the conference, I believe that it fully deserves the title ‘trumpet’ and will in time be regarded as an historic statement.

One reason why it fails to create a strong reaction is that it simply confirms the obvious. The crisis moment has now passed. Many of the Global South provinces have given up on the official North American Anglicans (TEC and the Canadian Church) and regard themselves as being out of communion with them. They renew the call for repentance but can see that, failing something like the Great Awakening, it will not occur. The positive side to this is that they are committed to achieving self-sufficiency so that they will cease to rely on the Western churches for aid. That is something the Global South has been working on for some time, with success.

In my judgment, the assembly was unresponsive to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s video greetings. I don’t think that what he said was obscure. It just seemed to be from another age, another world. His plea for patience misjudged the situation by several years and his talk of the Anglican covenant was not where the actual conference was at. He seemed to suggest that the consecration of a partnered lesbian Bishop will create a crisis. In fact the crisis itself has passed. We are now on the further side of the critical moment; the decisions have all been made; we are already living with the consequences. And it was in working out the consequences that the communiqué may eventually be seen to be historic.   Read more

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