Video of the GAFCON service at Ophel Gardens
See Anglican Media Sydney’s video clip here.
‘Why I will not be attending Lambeth’ – Wallace Benn
The Rt. Rev Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes, says he will not be attending the upcoming Lambeth Conference because he can’t have fellowship with those who have “broken fellowship”, and because revisionist American and Canadian bishops are persecuting his friends, including one of the world’s foremost Anglican theologians, Dr. J. I. Packer. …
– Story from VirtueOnline. (Photo: Peter Frank.)
The Australian team at GAFCON
The Australian contingent – at the Ophel Gardens service.
At left: The Western Australian contingent – including the small team from the largest (by area) Anglican diocese in the world, North West Australla.
Martin Foord, Bishop David and Maureen Mulready (NWA), Lachlan and Bec Edwards, Kanishka Raffel
Photos: Russell Powell.
Short on the Word of God
David Short, Rector of St John’s Shaughnessy, gave the GAFCON Bible exposition from the book of Exodus on Wednesday. He reaffirmed the centrality of the Word of God for the people of God – from the time of Exodus to now.
Listen to an excerpt (90 sec / 750kb mp3 direct link) courtesy GAFCON. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Update: Cheryl M. Wetzel, Editor of The Anglican Voice, has posted her notes from David’s talk.
Pittsburgh creates new legal corporation
Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh has successfully filed for incorporation with the state of Pennsylvania to create a new corporation titled the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. A long-time critic of Bishop Robert Duncan claims the action is intended to make legal challenges to diocesan ownership of property more difficult in the event that delegates to the annual convention vote to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church in October. …
– Report from The Living Church.
Chancellor Peter Grogan resigns
Statement from the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen
June 16, 2008.
“The Chancellor of the Diocese of Sydney, His Honour Acting Judge Peter Grogan has presented his resignation to me due to health problems, and on the advice of his doctor, I have accepted his resignation with regret.
Judge Grogan was appointed Chancellor at a difficult time, following the death of the former Chancellor. He has filled the office with distinction, and has worked tirelessly. He has always provided advice which is wise, considered and godly. I know you will join with me in assuring Judge Grogan and his wife Val of our sincere appreciation and our prayers.
With my imminent departure overseas for GAFCON, I considered it important to ensure that the office of Chancellor was filled. I have therefore asked Mr Robert Tong to take on the role of Acting Chancellor. Mr Tong has long and extensive experience of the Diocese and of church law. I am grateful that he has agreed to act in this way, while I give consideration to the future.”
– Media release from Sydney Diocese. (Photo: Judge Grogan. Sorry for the late posting.)
GAFCON Slideshow Day 3
Here’s a slideshow of photos taken at GAFCON on Day 3 – Tuesday.
See also yesterday’s photos from the Mount of Olives.
Tentative steps to a new future
Bishop Bill Atwood, a US-based Kenyan bishop, told a press conference that agreed upon principles will lead to a new awareness of voluntary association which will, in turn, lead to a shared purpose and vision, and ultimately to shared structural mechanisms.
He stopped short of declaring a new Anglican entity or that GAFCON would be a rival or alternative Anglican Communion. “Structural life proceeds out of the realities of relationships. There is no constitution in the wings that people can line up…it has to grow out of relationships,” he said.
“Our authority is to the Holy Scriptures and the historic way in which the church has received and interpreted scripture.” …
– Report from David Virtue. (Photo: Russell Powell)
The Big Question: an inevitable split?
In recent decades the Anglican Communion has been sharply divided over a number of issues, particularly whether homosexuality should be accepted and tolerated in the Church. But things are really coming to a head. …
– from The Independent.
Bp Michael Nazir-Ali: Recover your nerve
The most senior English Bishop to appear at the GAFCON conference in Jerusalem has spoken of the need for Christian churches in the west to “recover their nerve”.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, of the diocese of Rochester in the United Kingdom, announced this week that he would not attend the Lambeth Conference. …
– Story from SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Sola Panel on GAFCON
“Back at the Renaissance Hotel Ballroom, Henry Orombi (Archbishop of Uganda) preached a powerful sermon on ‘Jesus is Lord’, the high point of which was his emphasis on the powerful, transforming word of God. Expounding the story of the paralysed man healed by Jesus in John 5, Archbishop Orombi pointed out that Jesus exercised his Lordship by speaking a creative, healing word of power, and that he continues to do so today. …”
– Tony Payne is blogging from GAFCON. Catch his posts here.
Bible exposition central
“We turn to the Bible every day at GAFCON because we wish to hear the word of God saying what God wishes to speak to us,” said the Rev. David Short as he introduced GAFCON’s series of daily scriptural expositions. David spoke to introduce Archbishop Justus Akrofi, primate of the Anglican Church of West Africa as he began the expositions on Tuesday.
– Outline of this week’s Bible expositions from the GAFCON website. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Henry Chadwick dies at 87
The Very Rev. Henry Chadwick, an Anglican priest, professor, editor, translator and author whose historical voyages into early Christianity won praise for depth, insight and evenhandedness and helped shed light on modern religious problems, died Tuesday in Oxford, England. He was 87. …
– Obituary from The New York Times. (Graphic: Chadwick’s best known work, The Early Church.)
GAFCON Slideshow – Mount of Olives
We’ve added a slideshow of photos taken on the Mount of Olives – with a focus on people our Australian readers will recognise. Photos thanks to Russell Powell.
Dr. Mark Thompson: Just what is the Bible?
GAFCON participants have been organized into about 6 different workshops. I’ve fortunately been placed in the workshop that has to do with scripture. The first session was led this morning by Dr. Mark Thompson from Sydney. He discusses the nature of scripture, its clarity, its truthfulness, and its place in the church. These are my notes from his talk. It was brilliant and incredibly encouraging. …
– Matt Kennedy of Stand Firm blogs from GAFCON.
See also Mark’s Authority in the Church – on the GAFCON website.
(Photo from the pre-GAFCON leaders consultation – by Russell Powell.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…