Reflections on Thanksgiving

Posted on November 26, 2020 
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As Americans come to celebrate Thanksgiving, Albert Mohler looks at –

At The Briefing for 25 November 2020. Relevant even if you don’t celebrate “Thanksgiving”.

The Church of England’s guide to hearing God’s voice through the Bible, according to LLF

Posted on November 25, 2020 
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“The Church of England Evangelical Council advise their members to ‘engage’ with the LLF process.

There is, I think, a genuine belief in some quarters that the ‘Beautiful Story’ of the bible’s guide to who we are as human beings in the light of the gospel just hasn’t been communicated successfully, and here is an opportunity to win over the liberals as part of a respectful conversation.

I would want to plead with anyone thinking of taking part in next year’s conversations on that basis: don’t!”

– Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes warns against the worldviews behind the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith.

(Matthew 10:16?)

Charlie Skrine to be Rector of All Souls Langham Place

Posted on November 23, 2020 
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News from Anglican Mainstream:

“It was announced on the St Helen’s Church Bishopsgate Sunday morning service today that Rev Charlie Skrine, the Associate Rector at St Helen’s is to be the new rector of All Souls’ Langham Place in succession to the Rev Hugh Palmer.

Mr Skrine is 45, studied at Queen’s College, Oxford and Oak Hill College, and is a member of General Synod.”

(Image from The Beautiful Story, CEEC.)

And from All Souls Langham Place on Twitter:

“We are pleased to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the interview panel’s unanimous recommendation to appoint Charlie Skrine as the next Rector of All Souls. We are very much looking forward to Charlie and his family joining us in 2021.”

Update:

This announcement from William Taylor at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate also reveals that Mickey Mantle (pictured) has been appointed as Rector of St. Thomas’ North Sydney from the end of July 2021.

The Beautiful Story

Posted on November 22, 2020 
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From The Church of England Evangelical Council (PDF file):

“The Church of England has just released a suite of resources (called ‘Living in Love and Faith’) and launched a new dialogue around human experiences of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. And though we are not yet at the end of the road we have reached a big and important milestone. We are now getting close to the point where we shall finally have to make up our minds about same-sex sexual relationships in particular, and this is going to affect every parish in the land, every ministry, every incumbent, and every PCC.

One option for the future is that we simply accept that the Church has a range of views and that we must learn to live with difference. But that is a bit like saying that we don’t really need to make up our minds at all.

And provided you don’t think about it too much, it sounds attractive.

But is it possible to say and do a number of contradictory things at the same time? …

Most important of all, would it be right to lose confidence in God’s design for human flourishing at this critical moment in our nation’s history?

This brand new film ‘The Beautiful Story’ brings together a diverse range of evangelical Anglican leaders who believe the time has come to say where we stand. It is not exhaustive (e.g. there is no exploration of the experiences of transgender people) and it will not answer all the questions that people might have. However they believe it is time to speak up for what we are for rather than what we are against. They believe in another story, a better story, that has been given for our good and for human flourishing. …”

– See The Beautiful Story at the CEEC website. It’s the first of a number of planned resources.

See also these responses to the Church of England’s ‘Living in Love and Faith’:

Living in Love and Faith: Honest disagreement – Kirsten Birkett. (Church Society)

Initial thoughts on LLF – Lee Gatiss (Church Society)

“This whole Living in Love and Faith thing is huge. A 450 page book, a 5 week course, and 50 or so detailed scholarly papers online in a library, plus 30 hours of videos and podcasts. Not only that, but there is already an array of initial responses and comments from various bloggers and tweeters. So it’s hard work keeping on top of all this.

Overall, I want to say this: Ultimately, there is absolutely nothing in LLF which warrants a change in the Church’s doctrine or practice. It simply fails to present a sufficient case to justify revision, if that’s what some were hoping it would do. The clearer our feedback to the process of discernment on the back of this, the better. …”

– First impressions of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith are very disappointing – Prudence Dailey.

– LLF’s surrealist theology bodes ill for Evangelical Anglicans – Julian Mann.

Review: The Headship of Men and the Abuse of Women: Are They Related in Any Way?

Posted on November 21, 2020 
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“No one could be unconcerned about the scourge of domestic abuse in our communities, and even our churches. One victim is one too many, and the increased stress and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic has only made the matter more pressing.

It is this sombre reality that makes Kevin Giles’ book, The Headship of Men and the Abuse of Women so disappointing. Although it is short, easy to read, and deals with an issue that should concern us all, the most commendable aspect of the book is the author and his wife’s evident concern and practical care for women victims. But as a biblical response to the problem, it falls far short. …”

– The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has published Dr Claire Smith’s review of Kevin Giles’ new book.

That Hideous Strength: A Deeper Look at How the West was Lost — expanded edition

Posted on November 21, 2020 
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An expanded edition of Melvin Tinker’s That Hideous Strength: A Deeper Look at How the West was Lost is available, and comes highly recommended by David Robertson:

“There are very few books I buy multiple copies of – this is one of them. That Hideous Strength is an essential primer for any Christian in seeking to understand what is going on in society today.

The first edition was outstanding but limited because of its size. This new expanded edition overcomes those limitations, without becoming unwieldy or too heavy. This book should be on every church bookstall, and every Christian’s bookshelf. And now I have to go and buy more of the revised edition!”

It’s available locally from Reformers Bookshop.

Refusing the ‘me first’ marriage: Ten things I’ve learned in ten years of marriage

Posted on November 21, 2020 
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“In 2007, Dana Adam Shapiro interviewed divorced couples to discover why couples break up.

He concluded that self-centeredness was the heart of what led to marital disintegration. Each spouse’s self-centeredness asserted itself and in response the other spouse got more impatient, resentful, harsh and cold. …”

– Mike Taylor shares some really helpful gospel insights into marriage.

At GoThereFor.com. This is part 2. Part 1 was published in October.

General Synod to consider legal opinions on same-sex blessings

Posted on November 20, 2020 
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Archbishop Glenn Davies:

“In my opinion the effect of the majority opinion’s legal interpretation undermines the clear teaching of Scripture and thereby dishonours God.”

From SydneyAnglicans.net:

“Next year’s General Synod will consider a ruling from an Anglican tribunal saying services of blessing for same-sex marriage are constitutional, under a narrow opinion of what constitutes ‘doctrine’ of the Anglican Church.

The Appellate Tribunal expressed their opinion, by a 5 to 1 majority that the blessing of same-sex marriages was not inconsistent with the doctrine of the church, as expressed in the Fundamental Declarations of the Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia.

Archbishop Glenn Davies has written to clergy, saying he finds the opinion ‘hard to fathom, as it is contrary to the teaching of the Bible’.

Dr Davies says, the effect of the Appellate Tribunal’s opinion is that “it has declared that a service purporting to bless a same-sex marriage, as the Diocese of Wangaratta had developed, is consistent with the doctrine of our Church, because they narrowly define doctrine as that teaching which is necessary for salvation. Since marriage is not necessary to salvation, the majority of the Tribunal opined, then blessing a lawful marriage under the Marriage Act 1961, would not be a breach of doctrine – that is, with respect to what is necessary for salvation. …’”

– Read the full article at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Documents mentioned:

Archbishop Glenn Davies’ letter to incumbents, 20 November 2020.

Bishop Michael Stead’s explanation of the legal opinion.

(Both are PDF files. Depending on your equipment, they may download to your device instead of opening in a browser.)

 

Archbishop Davies’ full letter of 20 November 2020 is available at the link above. Below is the relevant section of his letter:

The Appellate Tribunal’s Opinion

While the above matters are good news, I am afraid I have more sober news regarding the Opinion of the Appellate Tribunal with respect to same-sex blessings that was published last week. There were two Opinions which may be found here. They are lengthy reading, but Bishop Michael Stead has provided a helpful summary of the Tribunal’s findings which I have attached.

The Appellate Tribunal expressed their Opinion, by a 5 to 1 majority that the blessing of same- sex marriages was not inconsistent with the doctrine of our Church, as expressed in the Fundamental Declarations of the Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia.

Under the Constitution, the members of the Appellate Tribunal are in certain circumstances required to consult the House of Bishops and the Board of Assessors (seven clergy elected by the General Synod for this purpose). In answer to questions addressed to these bodies by the Tribunal, unanimous reports from both the Diocesan Bishops and the Board of Assessors made it abundantly clear that the teaching of the Bible, and therefore of the Anglican Church, was that the sexual union of two persons of the same sex was sin. That is why clergy are forbidden to solemnise same-sex marriages, for to bless such a union would amount to the blessing of sin.

The Appellate Tribunal chose not to heed this clear advice.

Personally, I find this hard to fathom, as it is contrary to the teaching of the Bible, which clearly identifies marriage between a man and a woman as the only place where a sexual union is sanctioned by God (Hebrews 13:4). Sexual intercourse outside of marriage, whether it be adultery or fornication is widely condemned as immorality and attracts the harshest of condemnations in Scripture (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Jude 7; Revelation 22:15). While the world may deride our commitment to the standard of morality that God has established for his people, we have been called to holy and righteous living. In the 6th century BC Daniel warned his readers:

Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. (Daniel 12:10; cf Revelation 22:11)

In my opinion the effect of the majority opinion’s legal interpretation undermines the clear teaching of Scripture and thereby dishonours God.

The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Sydney welcomes all people, regardless of their ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, or even their past behaviour and beliefs, since the message of the gospel is that those who belong to Christ are equal members of the Body of Christ. However, Christ has set us free to serve him in holiness and righteousness of life, which entails changed behaviour. Consider Paul’s exhortation concerning unchristian behaviour and every kind of impurity.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24

For those who struggle with sexual temptations, our Church must be a safe haven, offering both the strength to resist temptation and the joy of Christian fellowship, because the grace of God covers a multitude of sins, just as the Spirit of God empowers us to repent of our sins and walk in newness of life.

The Canon Concerning Services

The Canon Concerning Services 1992 has served our Diocese well for nearly thirty years. It provides flexibility for clergy, who have made solemn promises to conduct only authorised services of the Church in this Diocese (namely, BCP and AAPB), by allowing the minister to ‘make or use variations which are not of substantial importance in any form of [authorised] service.’ The Canon also allows the minister to conduct a service, for which no provision is made in the Diocese, considered suitable by the minister for those occasions.’

This Canon was adopted in our Diocese because it clearly stated that variations to authorised services must be ‘reverent and edifying and must not be contrary to or a departure from the doctrine of this Church.’ However, the effect of the Appellate Tribunal’s Opinion is that it has declared that a service purporting to bless a same-sex marriage, as the Diocese of Wangaratta had developed, is consistent with the doctrine of our Church, because they narrowly define doctrine as that teaching which is necessary for salvation. Since marriage is not necessary to salvation, the majority of the Tribunal opined, then blessing a lawful marriage under the Marriage Act 1961, would not be a breach of doctrine – that is, with respect to what is necessary for salvation.

This interpretation is contrary to the reports of the House of Bishops and the Board of Assessors who considered there is no such constraint upon the use of the word ’doctrine’ either in the Thirty– nine Articles or the Bible. Moreover, both reports were explicit and emphatic as to whether sexual immorality precluded a person from salvation in Christ Jesus, supporting this contention with references to Scripture (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:3-5; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Revelation 21:27; 22:11) .

Under the Canon Concerning Services 1992, it is the Diocesan Bishop who determines whether or not a proposed service fits the conditions of the Canon, so that already one Bishop has confidently declared that same-sex blessings are now legal in his diocese. Yet that is not the case in the Diocese of Sydney, as I do not consider such services to be either edifying or reverent, let alone in accordance with the doctrine of our Church.

I was pleased to see the Provincial Standing Committee of the Synod of NSW passed the following resolution this week and it asked each Diocesan Bishop to inform his clergy accordingly.

The Standing Committee of the Synod of the Province of NSW noted the two Opinions of the Appellate Tribunal concerning the matters of:
a. the Wangaratta Blessing Service; and
b. the Clergy Discipline Ordinance 2019 Amending Ordinance 2019 (Diocese of Newcastle).
In order to prioritise good fellowship, this Standing Committee requested the ministers of the Province to wait and not to act upon these matters until they are debated at the next General Synod.

These are difficult days for our Church. Next year the General Synod will have opportunity to reflect upon both the Majority and the Minority Reports of the Tribunal’s Opinion as to whether which one truly reflects the Constitution’s declaration that ‘the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary to salvation.’

This is a crisis for our National Church and should lead us to prayer as we reflect upon both the teaching of Scripture and the demands of discipleship. I recognise that some will find this confronting and for differing reasons. When your congregations hear of this, they may be disturbed as to how a judicial panel could arrive at such conclusions, yet the teaching of Scripture has not changed. So, we should continue to pray, to trust God and to love our neighbour as ourselves as we navigate this territory over the next eight months until the meeting of General Synod.

As Advent approaches, the Collect from the Second Sunday in Advent is a wise guide for our prayers.

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

With every good wish

Grace and peace

Glenn N Davies
Archbishop

Review of Graham Cole’s Faithful Theology

Posted on November 20, 2020 
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“In the spirit of teaching someone how to fish, rather than simply handing over his own catch, Graham Cole, dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, has blessed us with an excellent short book on theological method. …”

– Andrew Bellis at Church Society briefly reviews Graham Cole’s Faithful Theology: An Introduction.

(Photo: Graham Cole.)

A Direct Threat to Christian Education in the US

Posted on November 19, 2020 
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“The accreditation of Christian colleges and schools has just been directly targeted by the nation’s most influential LGBTQ organisation.

The Human Rights Campaign has recently issued a document directed at the incoming administration entitled Blueprint for Positive Change 2020. The Blueprint demands that President-elect Biden adopt a legislative agenda and enact specific executive orders that are in line with the LGBTQ movement—a movement that Biden pledged to champion.

Contained within its pages are perhaps some of the most alarming demands that threaten religious liberty, and the mainstream media has given little to no attention to this dimension of the report. …”

– Albert Mohler writes about a ramping up of the culture wars in the USA.

Review: ‘The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self’ by Carl Trueman

Posted on November 18, 2020 
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“With each passing year, it can seem that cultural developments are only getting worse.

The unending creativity and output of Western debauchery is one of its hallmark industries. ‘Live Your Truth’ and ‘You Do You’ asininities ensure that critical investigation about the goals of human nature are subjugated beneath the hierarchies of nerve endings and atomized ‘rights.’ A rejection of God’s authority over creation explains one reason for our cultural plight. But cultural realities are forged by a complex milieu of ideas, personalities, and artifacts that build on one another in genealogical sequence to get us to where we are today.

Enter iconoclast Carl Trueman, who has written one of the most anticipated books of 2020. ;”

– At The Gospel Coalition, Andrew T. Walker highly recommends ‘The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self’ by Carl Trueman.

Update:

Tim Challies has also published a review:

“As I see it, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is not only the most important book I’ve read in 2020, but also the best. I can’t recommend it too highly.”

and Justin Taylor has this – with several videos from Carl Trueman.

(Availability.)

New contemporary service planned for Bathurst Cathedal

Posted on November 18, 2020 
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Phil Howes, minister at Narromine Anglican Church, has been asked to move to Bathurst to help start a contemporary service to complement the work already being done there.

In his online service for Sunday 15th November, Bishop Mark Calder asked Phil about the planned move, and how people could pray for him, and for the team at the Cathedral.

The interview begins 12 minutes 30 seconds into the video.

Fuel for your prayers.

The best Advent devotional I have read

Posted on November 17, 2020 
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“Last year I used the best advent devotional book I have ever read. To be fair, my reading in this category to date hasn’t been extensive. Nevertheless, I thoroughly recommend to you Christopher Ash’s Repeat the Sounding Joy.

This book is a daily advent devotional on Luke 1-2. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Kirsten McKinlay shares something good she has found.

Appellate Tribunal Matters November 2020 — Statement from the Board of Gafcon Australia

Posted on November 17, 2020 
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“Gafcon Australia exists to promote the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Anglican Church of Australia. We are convinced that the fullness of life that only Jesus gives is experienced through hearing, trusting and obeying his word of grace and life, in the power of his Spirit and the fellowship of his people.

For this reason, the Board of Gafcon Australia expresses its deep regret that the recent majority opinion of the Appellate Tribunal of the Anglican Church of Australia relies upon a disputed definition of the meaning of ‘doctrine’ rather than on a whole-hearted and glad embrace of the life-giving Word of God. In doing so, they have seriously undermined the basis of national unity in our church.

We regard their conclusions as erroneous and unconvincing. …”

– Read the full statement released today by the Board of GAFCON Australia.

Sydney Diocese: Please pray for ordinands

Posted on November 16, 2020 
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“Please pray for these candidates as they prepare for ordination on November 28, 2020 and taking up positions at the following parishes. …”

– Media release from the Diocese of Sydney, and fuel for prayer.

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