Just who is raising objections?

Posted on September 24, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Opinion Comments Off on Just who is raising objections?

“Five bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia have asked their church lawyers whether bishops can take part in consecrating another bishop of a church which is not formally part of the Anglican Communion.

Meanwhile bishops from Uganda and Sudan have been taking steps to support a movement in South Africa to maintain biblically faithful Anglican witness. The Southern Africa Mission held an ordination service of the Church of Uganda in Trinity Anglican Church Franchhoek near Cape Town on 10 September. …”

– Anglican Mainstream reprints an article written by Chris Sugden for Evangelicals Now.

Who decides membership in the Anglican Communion? Not the Secretary General of the ACC!

Posted on September 23, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion Comments Off on Who decides membership in the Anglican Communion? Not the Secretary General of the ACC!

“It is simply not true to say that ACNA is part of the Anglican Communion,” he [Idowu-Fearon] said. “To be part of the Communion, a province needs to be in communion with the See of Canterbury and to be a member of the Instruments of the Communion. ACNA is not in communion with the See of Canterbury—and has not sought membership of the Instruments.”  Idowu-Fearon added that “There is a long-standing process by which a province is adopted as a province of the Communion… ACNA has not gone through this process.”  <http://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/acna-not-province-anglican-communion-secretary-general-clarifies/> Accessed 13 Sep 2017.

The Secretary General’s statement that The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is not a province of the Anglican Communion is misleading at best.

It ignores the very process of recognition of the Anglican Church in North America by some GAFCON provinces as early as July 2009.

It ignores the public and published recognition of Archbishop Foley Beach as “a fellow Primate of the Anglican Communion” by those Primates of the Anglican Communion who installed him as the second Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America on October 9, 2014.

The Secretary General ignores the recognition of the Anglican Church in North America as a “partner province” of the Global South by the Primates of the Global South in their October 2016 Communique. …”

– Canon Phil Ashey, President of the American Anglican Council, challenges a declaration by the Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council.

Videos: Moore College School of Theology 2017: Celebrating the Reformation

Posted on September 23, 2017 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Videos: Moore College School of Theology 2017: Celebrating the Reformation

Moore College has posted the videos from their 2017 School of Theology.

The theme was “Celebrating the Reformation”.

A wonderful resource.

Coalition for Marriage calls for ‘respectful and peaceful’ national conversation

Posted on September 22, 2017 
Filed under Australia Comments Off on Coalition for Marriage calls for ‘respectful and peaceful’ national conversation

This afternoon, the Coalition for Marriage has released this statement:

“As the ABS mailout of plebiscite ballot papers nears its conclusion, more and more Australians are speaking up and participating in the debate about marriage.

Freedom of speech is a central issue in this campaign. It is absolutely crucial that people are able to speak up and participate in a national conversation about marriage in a respectful and peaceful manner.

They need to be able to do so without fear of intimidation, bullying, sackings or violence.

Equally, it is incumbent on all those seeking to participate in the debate to do so in a respectful manner.

This weekend there will be a number of events and rallies across the country. Some of these are organised by the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns. Others are not.

We call on all Australians to participate in the process peacefully and respectfully and will continue to encourage this throughout the course of the campaign.”

Tony Abbott ‘headbutted’ in Hobart

Posted on September 22, 2017 
Filed under Culture wars Comments Off on Tony Abbott ‘headbutted’ in Hobart

“Former prime minister Tony Abbott says he was shocked when a same-sex marriage campaigner assaulted him after requesting a handshake in a ‘sign of trust and peace’. …”

– Story and image from ABC News.

Law Society faces fresh row over same-sex marriage

Posted on September 22, 2017 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars Comments Off on Law Society faces fresh row over same-sex marriage

“The Law Society is facing a fresh row over its support for same-sex marriage as members agitate for an extraordinary general meeting to censure the organisation for publicly backing a change in the law.

The society, which represents the state’s 30,000 solicitors, has come under fire over a joint statement it issued on August 19 with the NSW Bar Association and the state division of the Australian Medical Association supporting a change to the Marriage Act. …”

– Story from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Related: “Barristers, solicitors and doctors unite to support marriage equality laws.” – The Law Society of NSW, August 19, 2017.

“The President of the New South Wales Bar Association Arthur Moses SC, the President of The Law Society of NSW Pauline Wright and the President of the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Professor Brad Frankum have come together to express their support for same sex marriage legislation at the federal level. …”

Evangelistic opposition: Are we up for it?

Posted on September 22, 2017 
Filed under Encouragement, Resources Comments Off on Evangelistic opposition: Are we up for it?

“I am all for avoiding unhelpful gender-sex-role stereotyping, but one fact that continues to amaze me is the almost universal incapacity of men to see stationary objects in the refrigerator. We can spot moving objects with great skill—for example, a flying football, or a fish near the surface of the water far up-stream—but faced with the challenge of locating the margarine we stare blindly before in desperation seeking the assistance of the most proximate female, who simply glances inside the fridge and hands it over.

I have read the book of Acts a lot over the years, and love it—the outreach, the growth of the church, the missionary journeys. I have even done a PhD on it. But recently, perhaps because of my familiarity with it, I had stopped seeing (at least, stopped properly appreciating) something that had been staring me in the face, and which I was very much aware of in days gone by.

The truth that I have re-noticed is the fact that gospel proclamation, no matter how it is carried out, will result in opposition! …”

– At GoThereFor.com, Stephen Liggins points out the obvious. But have you missed it too?

Preparing for Primates’ Meeting 2017

Posted on September 21, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion, GAFCON Comments Off on Preparing for Primates’ Meeting 2017

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, speaks about his hopes for the Primates’ meeting next month, where there will be a focus on the issues facing the world, including human sexuality (didn’t the last Primates’ meeting speak clearly about that?), the environment and climate change, evangelism, refugees, conflict and persecution.

See also:

“I attended the Canterbury Primates Meeting held in January 2016 because I believed it might be possible to make a new start and change the pattern of repeated failure to preserve the integrity of Anglican faith and order. I was disappointed. The Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka the following April neutered the Primates’ action to distance The Episcopal Church of the United States (TEC) from Communion decision making.

TEC has not repented, and continues to take aggressive legal action against orthodox dioceses. For example…”

Legalising assisted dying would be a failure of collective human memory and imagination

Posted on September 20, 2017 
Filed under Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Legalising assisted dying would be a failure of collective human memory and imagination

“Dying and death is not a new phenomenon: we have always become ill, suffered, were going to die and someone else could have killed us.

So why now, at the beginning of the 21st century, after prohibiting euthanasia for thousands of years and when we can do so much more to relieve suffering than in the past, do we suddenly think that legalising it is a good idea? I propose a major cause is a catastrophic failure of collective human memory and collective human imagination.

Let‘s look at the approaches taken on each side of the debate. …“

– An important article by Margaret Somerville, Professor of Bioethics in the School of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame Australia, in The Guardian.

Photo courtesy University of Notre Dame Australia. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.)

Cornerstone Presbyterian Church Legal Defence Fund

Posted on September 20, 2017 
Filed under Culture wars Comments Off on Cornerstone Presbyterian Church Legal Defence Fund

“A separate Church Legal Defence Fund bank account has been established by the Board of Management of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

The account is for receiving donations towards the legal costs of defending our Church against an anti-discrimination action brought against us in July this year. …”

– Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Hobart explains why they taken this step.

Related:

“Roger Franklin checks a submission by former Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal boss Robin Banks … Worryingly, she says the religious view of morality must submit to ‘community standards’…” – Herald Sun.

Why we should vote ‘No’ in the survey on same sex ‘marriage’

Posted on September 19, 2017 
Filed under Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Why we should vote ‘No’ in the survey on same sex ‘marriage’

“Australia is in the midst of a critical decision about one of the major building blocks of community life: marriage and the family.

A great deal of money (including public money) and effort is being expended on the case for a change to allow people of the same sex to marry. To many it seems that the case for change is unassailable, in some measure because its advocates have been able to link their proposal to treasured notions of ‘love’ and ‘equality’. …”

– Moore College Principal Dr Mark Thompson shares his reasons at Theological Theology.

What is at the centre of God’s mission for the church?

Posted on September 19, 2017 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on What is at the centre of God’s mission for the church?


The latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate –

“What activities distract us from the central priority for which God sent His Son into the world? Denesh Divyanathan talks to Sam Manchester about these issues in this month’s Preaching Matters.”

– Most encouraging and timely.

Is GAFCON divisive?

Posted on September 19, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion, GAFCON Comments Off on Is GAFCON divisive?

“The suggestion that Gafcon is a divisive movement, and in particular aimed at breaking up the Anglican Communion, is one I hear from time to time.

It’s heartbreaking to hear it because it is untrue and it is an indication of the power of gossip.

I never tire of telling the story of the meeting of Primates at the end of the Jerusalem Conference 2008. …”

– GAFCON General Secretary Dr peter Jensen answers the question.

Flowchart: Christians and same sex marriage

Posted on September 19, 2017 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Flowchart: Christians and same sex marriage

“This flowchart aims to show pathways people may take on this issue. … The diagram aims to tease out points of distinction, but is unable to display the breadth and complexity of this issue. Please prayerfully consider this topic, seeking advice from godly and wise Christians.”

– The team at St. Thomas’ North Sydney have published this flowchart as a “springboard for productive conversations”. See if you find it helpful.

Martin Luther Exhibition at St. Andrew’s Cathedral

Posted on September 18, 2017 
Filed under History, Resources Comments Off on Martin Luther Exhibition at St. Andrew’s Cathedral

Don’t miss the free Martin Luther Exhibition, on at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, until Friday 29th September.

For opening times, see the Cathedral website.

← Previous Page — Next Page →