119 Graduates sent out Into All The World at Moore’s Graduation 2017

Posted on March 15, 2017 
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“119 graduates were given their awards from the College at the Graduation held at City Recital Hall, Angel Place this evening. Hundreds of guests who were family and friends of the graduates, along with current students, faculty, staff and friends of the College came to celebrate this special occasion together. …”

– News from Moore College.

Coopers outrage ‘over the top’, Liberal MPs say

Posted on March 15, 2017 
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“The two Liberal MPs involved in a video which sparked outrage over Coopers Brewery’s links with The Bible Society have hit back, calling the public response ‘over the top’ and the brewer’s backdown ‘spineless’. …”

– ABC News report. Image: ABC.

‘First Anglican evensong in Catholic St Peter’s Basilica’

Posted on March 15, 2017 
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“The first ever Anglican choral evensong has been celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. … It marks closening ties between the Anglican and Catholic churches and is one of several examples of ecumenism between them in the last year.”

– Report from Premier Radio in the UK, featuring an interview David Moxon, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Vatican (and formerly Archbishop of NZ). Photo courtesy Vatican City State.

Related: Reformation Rally at Moore College, Saturday 18th March.

Diocese of South Carolina votes to join ACNA

Posted on March 14, 2017 
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The Diocese of South Carolina voted [on Saturday] to affiliate with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). The vote, which was held during their 226th Convention, was unanimous in both orders (clergy and laity).

“I cast my vote to affiliate with the ACNA with eager and expectant faith,” said the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, the 14th Bishop of South Carolina during his address to the convention. “I believe God has called us to this and I believe we will find a deeper richness in our vocation, fuller fellowship in the Spirit, a more zealous thrust in mission.”

– News from GAFCON. And from South Carolina.

Mike Ovey thanksgiving service — screening at St Thomas’ North Sydney tonight

Posted on March 14, 2017 
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Moore College Principal Mark Thompson shares:

“The memorial service is being held in London on Monday 13 March at 2:30pm GMT [i.e. early Tuesday morning, Australian time]. We are going to show it at St Thomas’ North Sydney on Tuesday 14 March at 7:30pm. …

those who would like to gather with Ana Ovey at St Thomas’ and participate in the service in this delayed fashion (sing the hymns, pray the prayers, and listen to the sermon by Peter Jensen) would be more than welcome.

There will be a light supper provided (though we have little idea of how many people will be able to come, we will try to provide enough). We would like to send a photograph to Heather Ovey of those gathered if all are willing. Parking is available at St Thomas’.”

Interview with Bishop Glenn Lyons of South Africa

Posted on March 14, 2017 
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“The history of fellowship between the Australian Church Record and REACH-SA (formerly the Church of England in South Africa) stretches a long way back.

When the ACR publicly supported the installation of Bishop Fred Morris as the first Presiding Bishop of REACH-SA, our South African brothers and sisters responded by writing: ‘We place on record sincere appreciation of the warm-hearted support that we have enjoyed from … the Australian Church Record.’ (Church News, November 1955).

In the context of that special bond of fellowship, Mark Earngey was pleased to recently interview Glenn Lyons, the current Presiding Bishop of REACH-SA.”

– Read it at The Australian Church Record.

(Photo: Bishop Glenn Lyons with Bishop Jomo Mchunu at George Whitefield College.)

‘Beer and Bibles: brewery cops same-sex marriage backlash’

Posted on March 13, 2017 
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“Coopers has been copping a bit of flack over a video produced with the Bible Society in which two MPs debate same-sex marriage. …”

– Story from ABC’s Triple J Hack.

Related: 1. Press release from Bible Society. 2. A good drop for the Good Book.

Update: Coopers Brewery distances itself from Bible Society’s marriage equality video, faces backlash – ABC News.

Religious Free Speech in Australia: CDF v Gaynor

Posted on March 12, 2017 
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“Can a reserve member of the Armed Forces make controversial, religiously motivated, political comments on a private website contrary to Defence Force policy?

Sadly, the answer provided by the recent decision in Chief of the Defence Force v Gaynor [2017] FCAFC 41 (8 March 2017) is, No, not without having their service terminated. …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster (Associate Professor in Law at Newcastle), looks at an important free speech issue in Australia.

Philip North crisis: ‘Good Disagreement’ has become ‘bad bullying’

Posted on March 11, 2017 
Filed under Church of England, Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Philip North crisis: ‘Good Disagreement’ has become ‘bad bullying’

“When the house that has been painstakingly constructed on the sand falls flat, there is nothing to rejoice over. Discernment works better when unclouded by the sin of taking and giving offence.

Bishop Philip North’s election to the Diocese of Sheffield was a litmus test. … a serious test for the much vaunted ‘Good Disagreement’ that Archbishop Justin Welby has staked his archiepiscopal strategy on.

It has all gone badly wrong.”

– Dr Gavin Ashenden guest posts at Archbishop Cranmer.

Those who attacked Philip North have made same-sex blessing compromise impossible

Posted on March 10, 2017 
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“Remember that ‘radical new Christian inclusion’ Justin Welby spoke of in the wake of Synod’s decision not to ‘take note’ of the Bishops’ report on marriage and same-sex relations? Well, you can forget it. …”

– ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ argues the hounding of Philip North demonstrates that ‘radical inclusion’ is not possible in today’s Church of England.

(Photo of Bp North courtesy Diocese of Blackburn.)

“Beauty and the Beast fans in Sydney welcome ‘queer’ twist in remake of classic tale”

Posted on March 10, 2017 
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“Hundreds of fans have lined the streets outside Sydney’s iconic State Theatre to welcome US actor Josh Gad, one of the stars in the remake of Disney’s classic Beauty and the Beast. …”

– ABC report.

Related: The Facts about Beauty and the Beast Disney Movie – Amy Bevin (h/t Tim Challies.) Image: ABC TV.

Exacerbating the credibility crisis

Posted on March 10, 2017 
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“It is with regret that we have today heard that Philip North, suffragan Bishop of Burnley, has chosen not to accept his nomination as diocesan Bishop of Sheffield.

The circumstances surrounding his withdrawal exacerbate the already acute credibility crisis for the Church of England, especially in its treatment of those with traditional Christian views. What now does ‘flourishing’ mean?…”

– Church Society Director Lee Gatiss responds to the news that Philip North has been forced to withdraw his nomination as Bishop of Sheffield.

Statement on the Rt Rev’d Philip North’s withdrawal from nomination as the next Bishop of Sheffield

Posted on March 10, 2017 
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Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas, has released this statement on the withdrawal of Bishop Philip North for consideration as the next Bishop of Sheffield.

“I am deeply saddened that Philip North has felt forced to withdraw from his nomination as the next Bishop of Sheffield. It will be a huge loss to Sheffield and is a body blow to the concept of ‘mutual flourishing’ which lay at the heart of the agreement to introduce women bishops in the Church of England.

Philip has huge gifts to offer the Church, and his leadership in Sheffield would have given a great boost to mission.

However, the damage to the principles on which the House of Bishops Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests is based, is profound. If all orders of ministry and all appointments are equally open to men and women, then the same has to apply to those who hold that the ministries of men and women are distinctively different. If it does not, if there is, in effect, a glass ceiling that prevents those of traditional churchmanships ministering at all levels of the Church, then the Declaration and the provisions that came with it lose all credibility.

I know that both Archbishops were personally wholly committed to the concept of mutual flourishing and it was warmly supported by the General Synod. If it is to survive as our governing motif, then urgent action will be needed to demonstrate its effectiveness. In the absence of such action, we will simply have given in to those who hounded Philip North out of office.”

– So much for ‘radical inclusion’ in the Church of England. Emphasis added.

And from Bishop North’s statement:

“There is clearly much to be done on what it means to disagree well and to live with theological difference in the Church of England. The highly individualised nature of the attacks upon me have been extremely hard to bear. If, as Christians, we cannot relate to each other within the bounds of love, how can we possibly presume to transform a nation in the name of Christ?”

Moore College Graduation 2017

Posted on March 9, 2017 
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This year’s Moore College Graduation is this coming Monday, 13th March.

Details at the College website.

If you can’t be there, this is a good reminder to pray for the College.

GAFCON Chairman’s March 2017 letter

Posted on March 8, 2017 
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“As I remarked in my last letter, because of our shared history events in the Church of England have a special significance for the whole Anglican Communion. So this month I must comment on the vote by General Synod on 15th February not to ‘take note’ of the House of Bishops report on marriage and sexuality.

A refusal to ‘take note’ is very unusual. Such a motion is usually just a formality preceding further debate. In this case, people on both sides of the argument about sexuality perceived that the report tried to face two ways. …”

– GAFCON Chairman, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, shares his March pastoral letter.

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