Vale: David Chislett
Anglican.ink relays the news of the death, in the UK, of David Chislett, sometime Rector of the Parish of All Saints’ Wickham Place, Brisbane. At the time of his death, he was Vicar of All Saints’, Benhilton, in the Diocese of Southwark.
A convinced Anglo-Catholic, David differed sharply with the theologically liberal direction of the Diocese of Brisbane and the then Archbishop Dr Phillip Aspinall – especially over the latter’s support for the ordination of women to the priesthood.
In 2005, he was consecrated in Philadelphia as a Bishop in the Traditional Anglican Communion and served for some time as a ‘flying bishop’ to support TAC and Forward in Faith parishes across Australia. (Further background here.)
His consecration led to his removal from his position in Brisbane Diocese that year. (Link to the old section of our website – apologies for the horrible formatting.)
Despite his non-trivial theological differences with the Diocese of Sydney, David spoke gratefully of the stand taken by Sydney on the authority of Scripture, and was happy to be identified with the Anglican Church League (!).
In 1998 we published this article by David (also in the old section of our website).
“The strongest and, many would say, the most spiritually vital body within Australian Anglicanism, is the Diocese of Sydney.
Overwhelmingly and uniquely Calvinist and Reformed, mainstream Sydney Anglicanism is passionately evangelical, though not, as some suppose, fundamentalist. It is inherently suspicious of those who seem less biblical in their priorities.
In past decades, Sydney Anglicans tended to see anglo-catholicism as the great enemy. Today, however, Sydney and the anglo-catholics (the Dioceses of Ballarat, Wangaratta, The Murray, and a small sprinkling of priests and lay people from other places) join forces on an increasing number of issues. It is becoming clear that despite their very real differences, the so-called extremes of Anglicanism have a lot more in common than either has with the liberals in the middle. Most importantly, they contrast their adherence to a revealed religion with the modernist idea of contemporary culture as the ultimate authority in matters of faith.”
The article is worth reading in full.
Fr. David Chislett was ordained in the Diocese of Ballarat, and served in a number of Ballarat parishes before moving to All Saints’ Wickham Terrace, the well known anglo-catholic parish in the heart of Brisbane in 1995. He was Rector there until his removal in 2005, and has, most recently, been serving in the United Kingdom.
Many will remember David Chislett with thanksgiving to God.
See also his 2007 article, “How many CHURCHGOING Anglicans does Lambeth represent?”
Photo: Bishop David Chislett’s consecration in the USA in 2005.
Dave Jensen: “Sydney Anglicans’ first family and its prodigal son”
“A few days after Peter Jensen was elected Archbishop of Sydney, a famously conservative Anglican diocese that frowns upon divorce, female ordination and sex outside heterosexual marriage, his son Dave, barely out of school, sat him down for an awkward conversation. …”
– The Sydney Morning Herald his this profile of Dave Jensen. A topic of conservation at work or over coffee this week?
See also:
Meet the late starter taking up Chappo’s flag. – SydneyAnglicans.
What is a Christian? — book by Dave Jensen.
Photo: SydneyAnglicans.net.
Moore College farewells The Rev Dr Chase Kuhn
“Moore College’s much-loved lecturer in Christian ethics and theology, The Rev Dr Chase Kuhn, has accepted the Archbishop’s invitation to become the Rector of St Matthias Centennial Park in Sydney. Dr Kuhn’s long-standing love of church-based pastoral ministry means that this move has not surprised any who know him.
While we will be very sad to see him go, we are so glad that he is able to use his very considerable gifts in the service of this community of God’s people. We share the joy of this opportunity with Chase, Amy and the family. …”
Facing Death as a Christian
From Mark Powell at AP’s Profiles in Christian Living Podcast:
“In this interview we talk with Gordon Cheng who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. Thankfully, he is currently in remission, but we speak to him about where to find comfort, strength and hope when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
– Watch here.
Many of our readers will be upholding Gordon and his family in prayer.
Gordon makes it very clear: “As a Christian, I want to testify that there’s nothing better than being the servant of the Lord. Even in the darkest valley of the shadow of death…”
Why Ayaan Hirsi Ali became a Christian
“Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim and now a former atheist, recently declared that she has converted to Christianity. This is a cause for great rejoicing.
It is also a fascinating sign of the times. Her published account of why she is a Christian is somewhat odd, given that it mentions Jesus only once. It is, however, unreasonable to expect a new convert to offer an elaborate account of the hypostatic union in the first days of faith. This is why churches catechize disciples: Conversion does not involve an infusion of comprehensive doctrinal knowledge. And whatever the lacunae in her statement, the genuineness of her profession is a matter for the pastor of whatever congregation of Christ’s church to which she attaches herself.
Here is what makes her public testimony a sign of the times …”
– Carl Trueman writes at First Things.
Related:
Why I am now a Christian – Ayyan Hirsi Ali at Unherd.
Image: Crossway. Link via Anglican.ink.
New Gafcon General Secretary asks for your prayers
Dean Paul Donison has released this video as he assumes office as Gafcon General Secretary.
Source: Gafcon.
Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi steps down as Gafcon General Secretary
Archbishop Ben Kwashi has concluded his time as General Secretary of Gafcon. He has recorded this encouraging video.
Do give thanks for this dear brother.
And pray for Paul Donison, Rector and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Plano, Texas, as he takes up the mantle.
Remembering C S Lewis 60 years on
Sixty years ago today (22nd November 1963) C S Lewis died.
Also on that day, US President John F Kennedy was assassinated.
Albert Mohler devotes his The Briefing for 22 November 2023 to remembering JFK.
Image: Christianity Today.
Thanksgiving for Alistair and Susan Begg’s 40 years of gospel service at Parkside Church
On the weekend, members of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, gave thanks for 40 years of gospel service by Alistair and Susan Begg.
A special service was held, memories were shared, thanks were given to the Lord, and messages were received from friends around the world (including John Woodhouse and Dick Lucas).
– Watch here.
A unique memorial: The John Francis Cash Memorial Chapel at Moore College
This Remembrance Day, learn a little about the John Francis Cash Memorial Chapel at Moore Theological College –
“John Francis Cash was the first Sydney civilian to volunteer for the RAAF after the outbreak of World War 2, and the chapel built in his memory may be considered to honour the memory of all the young Australian men killed in that conflict but have no grave or other memorial. …”
– in 2020, Erin Mollenhauer, Senior Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Moore College’s Donald Robinson Library, penned this introduction.
(Click the image for a larger version, courtesy of Moore College.)
John Newton’s 1767 Diary
“Some authors wait a long time to see their work reach publication. In Newton’s case, the wait for this one has been 256 years!
Rhys Bezzant, Dean of the Anglican Institute at Ridley College, comments: ‘1767 was a remarkable year in the life of John Newton, not least because he travelled extensively and subsequently moved into a new rectory. In his Diary of this year we learn about his aching soul, his busy schedule, his pastoral heart, and his prodigious correspondence. Here we meet no detached preacher elevated above his congregation, but someone who wrestled with the meaning of a text and engaged honestly with his parishioners concerning his own future in Olney…’
In 1767 John Newton kept a small pocket diary of the sort we might buy today, with one page for recording the week’s events and the opposite page for keeping a record of accounts. You would be excused for thinking that the transcript would be brief, but somehow this has morphed into an illustrated 72-page A4 edition, augmented with illustrations and illuminating footnotes, published by The John Newton Project. …”
– Marylynn Rouse at the John Newton Project in the UK has been working to open windows into the life and thinking of someone who has had a huge influence worldwide.
Read about it at AP, the national journal of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
The Diary for 1767 is available from johnnewton.org/shop.
See also:
Lord hast thou not a time for these poor benighted souls? – John Newton’s prayer for ‘poor benighted souls’ on the other side of the world.
Howard Guinness and the beginnings of evangelical university ministry in Australia
At an event at Moore College on 1st November, Dr Ruth Lukabyo spoke on the legacy of Dr Howard Guinness –
“Dr Howard Guinness, of the well-known Irish brewing family, was sent to Australia in 1930 by Inter-Varsity Fellowship to develop Christian student groups on university campuses. His visit was the catalyst for the establishment of Sydney University and Melbourne University Evangelical Unions on the basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
During his later parish ministry in Broadway and Vaucluse, his ongoing involvement in EU missions has left a lasting legacy in university campus ministry.”
– The video is now available to watch. (At time of posting, the event begins 37 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, though the video might later be edited.)
At the end of Dr Lukabyo’s presentation, Mary Jones, Howard’s daughter, shares recollections of her father.
Related:
Howard and Dorothy Mowll – Global Anglican Pioneers
Published recently by Latimer Publications in the UK, “Howard and Dorothy Mowll – Global Anglican Pioneers” is sure to be of interest to many.
From the Latimer Trust website:
“God’s blessing upon the Diocese of Sydney in the election of Howard Mowll as its sixth Diocesan Bishop in 1933 is clearly evident in these pages.
Despite the inadvertent loss of his personal papers, the authors of this fine anthology provide an insightful and informative account of the ministry of Archbishop Mowll across four continents. These scholarly chapters provide a rich tapestry of the outstanding leadership of Mowll not only in the Diocese of Sydney but throughout Australia and beyond. His zeal for a robust theological education, energetic evangelism and a vision for youth ministry made a formidable impact on Evangelical Anglicanism in Sydney.
This book is long overdue in celebrating the legacy of Howard Mowll, arguably the most significant and effective Archbishop of Sydney of the twentieth century.
Glenn N Davies, Archbishop of Sydney 2013-2021.”
The book has its origin in the 2021 Moore College Library Day and is edited by Erin Mollenhauer, Senior Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Moore College’s Donald Robinson Library.
It’s available direct from Latimer Trust – and also via these booksellers.
Tribute to Roger Beckwith
“Latimer House’s warden from 1962 was an up-and-coming evangelical theologian, James I. Packer. His deputy from 1963 as Latimer House librarian was Roger Beckwith, a young church historian and liturgist.
An Oxford graduate, Beckwith had served his first curacy at St Peter’s, Harold Wood, in east London, a parish with a long evangelical history, followed by four years as tutor at Tyndale Hall, Bristol…”
– For the Latimer Trust, Andrew Atherstone has written this tribute to Roger Beckwith, who was called home last Saturday.
David Short shares his Journey of Faith; Leadership and Surviving a Split in the Anglican Church of Canada
“The tectonic plates of global Anglicanism have shifted and are realigning around the theology of Scripture and the gospel.
The shifting surfaced first in our diocese which was strongly theologically liberal. When the bishop announced he would proceed with the blessing of same sex unions, we walked out of Synod and appealed for alternative episcopal oversight from the Canadian house of bishops. The bishop brought charges against us and we then entered years of processes from the national and international church – all under the hostility and threats of the diocese.
It was our view that we had not left anything, but it was in fact the diocese which had abandoned biblical historical orthodoxy. …”
– David Virtue speaks with David Short, Moore College graduate who continues to serve Christ in Vancouver.
Related:
The Good Fight of Faith – Links to a 2022 interview with David and Bronwyn Short by Simon Manchester for Southern Cross magazine – and other relevant pages.
Many other posts on this website.
Image: David during a GAFCON online tribute to J I Packer in 2020.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…