Listening process or Repentance?
“An Anglican council that advises member churches worldwide and works to facilitate cooperative work has announced the continuation of a listening process that seeks to open the ears of Anglicans to the experiences of homosexual persons. …
According to the Rev. Canon Phil Groves … trust must be based on the belief that ‘we’re not going to amend or betray the Gospel…'”
– A rather optimistic report on the ACC meeting from Christian Today.
For a more sober report, see the latest from Philip Ashey in Jamaica –
During his presentation of the Windsor Continuation Group Report and recommendations, Dr Williams spoke to us about a deficit in our Communion life, which he describes as an “ecclesial deficit.” I would like to suggest that a different deficit is at the heart of the Anglican Communion’s malaise. …
– read it all on The American Anglican Council website.
(Photo: Abp Phillip Aspinall, left, at the morning press conference, from the Anglican Communion News Service.)
Coming to a church meeting near you: Indaba funded from Atlanta, Georgia
Chris Sugden in Jamaica reports on Day 5 of the Anglican Consultative Council’s meeting:
The Lambeth centre continues to impose its hegemony by introducing into all the central meetings of the Communion, Lambeth, the Primates’ Meeting in Egypt and the ACC meeting in Jamaica, the indaba process. This is designed to maintain matters as they are and avoid all discussion and decision about Anglican identity, membership and morality. Worse, this process claims to use a deracinated process that those from the Global South are expected to acknowledge as a tribute to their cultural contribution.
– Via Anglican Mainstream.
See also this report on Day 5 by Robert Lundy, Communications Officer for The American Anglican Council:
On a day when the cloud of litigation surrounding The Episcopal Church grows darker, many couldn’t help but notice it even from the sunny shores of Jamaica. However this litigious church tempest seems to have escaped the sight of the 14th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council and some of the Anglican Communion’s top officials.
Today, a pastor and his wife are being evicted from their home in Colorado Springs. At the same time, the individual members of the vestry of Saint James Newport Beach are being sued by the Diocese of Los Angeles for $500,000 a piece in legal fees for a total of $6 million being sought by the diocese.…
– at The American Anglican Council. (Photo: AAC.)
How BBJ came to Christ
Over at SydneyAnglicans.net, past President of the ACL, Bruce Ballantine-Jones shares how he came to Christ at the 1959 Bill Graham Crusade in Sydney.
Connect09 Prayer Day planned
A Day of Prayer for Connect09 is being planned for Friday May 22nd in the Chapter House of St. Andrew’s Cathedral – from 10:00am–2:30pm.
As the Lord Jesus reminded his disciples, ‘apart from me you can do nothing’. Details here. Video message from the Archbishop here.
The Disappearance of God
“Has God disappeared? The tragic reality is that we are living in an age that is marked by so much spiritual and theological confusion that the God of the Bible has largely disappeared from view — replaced by less imposing deities that are more amenable to the modern mind. …”
– Albert Mohler provides an extract from his new book, The Disappearance of God: Dangerous Beliefs in the New Spiritual Openness.
Report from Day 4 of ACC meeting
“In essence it would appear that the Archbishop is preparing himself and the communion for a significant change. He admitted it could no longer be the communion it was 20 years ago. Therefore the proposals are not an attempt to put the clock back, put Humpty Dumpty back together again or the toothpaste back in the tube. …”
– Chris Sugden and Philip Ashey (declared to be guilty of ‘cross border intervention’ and denied a seat representing Uganda) give their perspective on the Anglican Consultative Council’s 4th day of meeting in Jamaica, yesterday.
ACC refuses to seat Ugandan delegate due to his ‘cross border intervention’
Background: At the Anglican Consultative Council’s meeting in Jamaica one of the elected representatives of the Church of Uganda has been refused a seat because he is involved in ‘cross border intervention’ in the US.
Here’s a Statement from the Church of Uganda —
“On the first day of the ACC-14 meeting, the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council made an unconstitutional decision to refuse to seat the clergy delegate from the Church of Uganda. The Church of Uganda is entitled to three delegates – a Bishop, priest, and lay person. …”
– from the Church of Uganda via Anglican Mainstream.
And the Anglican Communion News Service has released this statement justifying the decision – there’s also the audio of a press conference with ‘Secretary General of the Anglican Communion’ Canon Kenneth Kearon. Some questions from the press allege inconsistencies in the decision.
Canon Dr Chris Sugden sums it all up –
“We see here what appears to be a lack of fairness, evenhandedness and consistency applied to the advantage of those who have caused the current problems by departing from the teaching and practice of the Communion in faith and morals and to the disadvantage of those who have adhered to the teaching and practice of the Communion in faith and morals.”
Read the full text of his commentary here.
And the correspondence between Archbishop Orombi and Canon Kearon has been made available.
Archbishop of Sydney in rallying call to Church of Ireland evangelicals
Delivering an extensive survey and commentary on the current inter-Anglican crisis over human sexuality last week at an open meeting of the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy (EFIC), the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Peter Jensen, issued a rallying call to Church of Ireland evangelicals to be vigilant that no “official act which endorses sin” should take place in the Church of Ireland. …
– The Church of Ireland Gazette. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Cathedral to celebrate Graham Crusades
Chris Moroney, Senior Minister at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, writes –
“[W]e are holding a special Thanksgiving Service for the Billy Graham Crusades in Australia. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the first Billy Graham Crusade in Sydney. It was a very exciting and significant time in the life of our churches, here in Sydney and in many other parts of Australia. Many of our key leaders were converted at the Billy Graham Crusades. Our own Archbishop, Peter Jensen, and his brother Phillip Jensen, the Dean of Sydney, were among those converted at that time.
This will be a special time to gather with people from all our Anglican Churches and fellow Christians from other denominations and give thanks to God for his gracious work of gospel proclamation and personal conversion.
The service will be led by the Dean and the Archbishop will be preaching. We will also be praying for ongoing gospel outreach, and taking up a collection specifically for evangelism. Copies of the DVD Remembering ’59 will also be available for sale.”
2:00pm Saturday 9th May 2009, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney.
Download a PDF advertisement (with thanks to the Cathedral). Please pass on this news.
The amazing new iBible
Yes, it’s a spoof, but you might enjoy this YouTube video. A bit of light relief. (h/t Michael Kellahan.)
Standing with those who stand in Scotland
The Fellowship of Confessing Churches in Scotland seeks your prayers and invites your support –
“The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland meeting in May 2009 will hear an appeal against the decision of the Presbytery of Aberdeen to induct into a charge a minister who has openly declared himself to be living in a homosexual relationship.
If the Assembly votes to support the Presbytery of Aberdeen, it will publicly declare such behaviour as acceptable and honourable for a leader in Christ’s church. This would mark a historic departure for our church from the teaching of the catholic Christian faith, and a radical deviation from the clear Scriptural pattern that recognises the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman as the only proper place for sexual intimacy—a pattern which our church has hitherto always publicly affirmed.
To now declare explicitly an active homosexual lifestyle as holy, something the Bible unambiguously calls sin … would be immensely damaging for the cause of Christ in Scotland and disastrous for the national church. …”
Dr William Philip (St George’s-Tron in Glasgow) and other members of The Fellowship of Confessing Churches invite Christians worldwide to stand with them in prayer – and to indicate support of their call to the Church of Scotland General Assembly 2009 to uphold biblical orthodoxy on the issue of human sexuality. See the website to signify your support.
The Financial Breakdown: A Spiritual Diagnosis
How to make sense of the Global Financial Crisis? How should Christians think about debt-based financial systems?
Dr Paul Mills is an economist and a Christian. He spoke last week at Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s Henry Forum. What message might this have for Sydney Anglicans?
More importantly how might we turn conversations about the financial meltdown to the Lord Jesus Christ? Hear the talk and question time from the CHBC website.
Carson on David Peterson on Acts
Don Carson writes the Editor’s Preface to David Peterson’s newly-released Pillar Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles –
“His commentary focusses on what the text actually says, and his judgments are invariably sane, even-handed, judicious. While unpacking exegetical details, Peterson is careful to keep scanning the horizon so as to establish the larger vision. Moreover, his own commitments as a churchman, lecturer in New Testament, and long-time Principal of Oak Hill Theological College mean that he knows what kinds of information pastors and students want and need.”
– The book is available now at Moore Books. h/t Andy Naselli.
New Archbishop of Kenya elected
“The Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud W. Wabukala was elected the 5th Primate and Archbishop of Kenya in a very peaceful, joyous and orderly election process by a 158 member Electoral College of the Anglican Church of Kenya that was gathered at the All Saints Cathedral on 24th April, 2009. Among him were other three contesting bishops namely:- Rt. Rev. Stephen Kewasis, Rt. Rev. Samson Mwaluda and Rt. Rev. Joseph Wasonga.
Bishop Eliud, 58, is married to Karen and blessed with five adult children between thirty and twenty one years old.
Archbishop-Elect Eliud Wabukala will succeed the Most Rev. Dr. Benjamin Nzimbi who retires on 30th June, 2009. Bishop Wabukala was consecrated and enthroned the first Bishop of Bungoma Diocese on 13th October, 1996 where he has served for the last thirteen years.
Bishop Wabukala will be enthroned the Fifth Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya on Sunday 5th July, 2009 at the All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi at 10.00 a.m.”
– Source: Press release from The Anglican Church of Kenya.
(More from Religious Intelligence.)
Harvard Law Professor declines prestigious award
“The speech by pro-choice President Obama at the Catholic Notre Dame has caused all sorts of trouble.
It now turns out that Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, will NOT speak at the Notre Dame Graduation because of the controversy. The pro-life, Harvard professor was set to receive the Laetare Medal which is the annual award given in recognition of outstanding service to the Roman Catholic church and society. …”
– Story from CBN News. (h/t Stand Firm. Photo: Harvard Law School.)
Related: ‘Secretary of state Clinton admits Obama will work to dismantle abortion laws around the world’ – from Lifesite News. (h/t Anglican Mainstream.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…