Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi responds to alleged attacks
Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi of the Diocese of Jos in Nigeria, has replied to allegations, published last week, of attacks on leaders of Changing Attitude in Nigeria and the UK. See the Changing Attitude website for the allegations and an open letter to GAFCON leaders who were supposedly behind the attacks(!). Read more
New ultimatum to Lambeth bishops
“Bishops attending the Lambeth Conference will be asked to affirm their willingness to abide by the recommendations of the Windsor Report and work towards the creation of an Anglican Communion Covenant. …”
– report by George Conger in The Church of England Newspaper.
Interview with Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti
The Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti, Bishop of Recife, might justly feel rejected. …
The crisis for the bishop and his diocese began at the end of 2004… “I was opening two congregations every six months because the gospel was being preached and many were coming to Christ. Suddenly, when myself and 32 priests were deposed because we would not accept the direction the church was going theologically and over sexuality issues … the province immediately cut off all financial support…”
David Virtue interviews the Bishop of Recife, Robinson Cavalcanti, for VirtueOnline.
(Photo: Diocese of Recife.)
Connect09 website launched
As part of the Connect09 initiative, Sydney Diocese has launched a website dedicated to equipping and encouraging Christians to connect with their friends and neighbours.
Just launched, the website has a video interview between Archbishop Peter Jensen and Russell Powell. Worth passing on to your Christian friends.
The website address (not surprisingly) is connect09.com.
Peter Jensen interviewed on ABC Radio
Archbishop Peter Jensen was interviewed by Richard Glover on ABC Radio in Sydney yesterday. The topic was sexuality and the controversy over the Anglican Church of England Grammar School in Brisbane.
The interview runs for 12 minutes and may be heard at the ABC Sydney website. SydneyAnglicans.net also has a roundup on the latest.
No pre-Lambeth meeting for TEC House of Bishops
Members of the House of Bishops have voted not to meet before the Lambeth Conference in July, the canon to the Presiding Bishop announced April 16.
Earlier this month, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori moved forward with preparations for a vote to depose Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh at a special House of Bishops’ meeting before the Lambeth Conference. … Bishop Jefferts Schori was not “seeking approval to proceed; rather, she seeks the mind of the House as to when to proceed” with a vote to remove Bishop Duncan.
Report from The Living Church.
Sydney Archbishop backs gay ban
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen has backed a Brisbane school’s decision to turn down a request by gay students to bring male partners to a school dance.
A number of Anglican Church Grammar School’s 215 Year 12 students want to take their gay partners to their end-of-year dance on June 19. …
Report from The Australian.
St. Mary’s Metchosin aligned with majority of Anglicans
“As the minister at St. Mary of the Incarnation Church in Metchosin, I write in response to the editorial ‘When churches lose their way’ of April 8.
I too am saddened that the apparent “fighting” appears to have distracted us from our mission as a Christian church. However, the picture is a much bigger one, and the stand we have taken was a matter of being faithful. …”
Sharon Hayton is the Rector of St. Mary of the Incarnation Church in Metchosin on Vancouver Island. She writes in the Victoria B.C. Times Colonist.
See our earlier stories here. (Photo: Diocese of British Columbia.)
Bishop of North Dakota upholds Scriptures
David Ould reports on Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota and the lesbian priest.
Bishop Smith has written a letter “to the people of God in the Diocese of North Dakota” explaining why he will not be cowed –
For the second time in three weeks a priest of the church has gone to the secular news media with a protest about my policy and expectations for the sexual behavior of clergy in this diocese: “Faithfulness for those called to marriage and abstinence from sexual relationships for those not called to marriage.”
Read about it at Stand Firm. (Photo: Diocese of North Dakota.)
Changes at Willow Creek?
“Willow Creek Repents” was one headline last year when the results of a comprehensive survey prompted discussion of major changes to the ‘Seeker sensitive’ focus of Willow Creek. Managing editor of Leadership magazine, Skye Jethani, reports on some of the changes taking place at one of North America’s largest churches –
“Anonymity is not the driving value for seeker services anymore,” says [executive pastor Greg] Hawkins. “We’ve taken anonymity and shot it in the head. It’s dead. Gone.” In the past Willow believed that seekers didn’t want large doses of the Bible or deep worship music. They didn’t want to be challenged. Now their seeker-sensitive services are loaded with worship music, prayer, Scripture readings, and more challenging teaching from the Bible. …
Read the Out of Ur blog from Christianity Today. (Bill Hybels photo: Willow Creek.)
Statement from Archbishop of Sydney on the protocols regarding women bishops in Australia
As reported previously, protocols regarding women bishops in Australia were discussed at this week’s Bishops’ Conference in Newcastle. The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, has responded in these words –
“I’m pleased that there has been considerable goodwill during the formation of these protocols. Action was needed to protect the consciences of those who believe, as we do, that the consecration of women bishops is against biblical teaching. There are strongly-held convictions which separate us but we have endeavoured to find a way forward with courtesy and respect.”
Anglican leaders agree to protocol on women bishops
Australia’s Anglican leaders have taken another step towards women bishops, agreeing on a protocol to deal with the contentious issue.
The move, which came out of this week’s Anglican bishops’ conference in the NSW city of Newcastle, followed last year’s ruling by the church’s peak law body that there were no legal hurdles to women becoming bishops. …
It is expected parishes that disagree with oversight from a female bishop would be able to receive some form of alternative oversight from a male bishop, either in the same region or a neighbouring diocese.
– from The West Australian. (Photo of Archbishop Phillip Aspinall: Diocese of Brisbane.)
‘Admit your sins to the Lord, priest tells gay judge’
“A senior minister of a Sydney Anglican parish has made an extraordinary attack on the High Court judge Michael Kirby, warning he would face the wrath of God if he remained unrepentant as a gay man. Read more
Rio Grande church leaves
The Trustees and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande were informed on Friday, April 4, 2008 that clergy and congregants of the mission Church of Ascension, Cloudcroft, New Mexico had been received into the Anglican Province of Uganda. … The current congregation will vacate the premises and re-locate within the week.…
Conversations were respectful, cordial and acknowledged respective positions.
– from the Diocese of Rio Grande. (Photo: Dio. Rio Grande.)
‘I am beside myself with grief’
Bishop Keith L Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy in western Illinois, responds to the inhibition, by Katherine Jefferts Schori, of his 80 year old retired predecessor, Bishop Edward MacBurney.
“I am beside myself with grief over this unnecessary action taken against my predecessor especially at a time when he is mourning the death of his son this past Friday. Read more
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…