‘GAFCON in talks with New Zealand parish’

Posted on August 24, 2014
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“The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans is in talks to offer alternative episcopal oversight to a breakaway New Zealand congregation, The Church of England Newspaper has learned…

A spokesman for the GAFCON secretariat in Sydney confirmed there had been “initial contact” with the parish leaders…”

– story from Anglican Ink. Please continue to pray for West Hamilton Community Church (as it is now called) and the Pastor, Michael Hewat. (Photo: Affirm.)

Kent Brantly’s remarks upon his release from hospital

Posted on August 22, 2014
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“I prayed that God would help me be faithful even in my illness and that in my life, even in my death, he would be glorified.”

– Samaritan’s Purse Dr.Kent Brantly spoke as he was discharged from hospital after recovering from Ebola. See the video at Denny Burk’s website (h/t Tim Challies). Photo: Samaritan’s Purse.

South Sudanese church leaders: ‘The West has forgotten us’

Posted on August 22, 2014
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“Church leaders in South Sudan said yesterday that the world has turned its back on the war-torn nation and little is being done to help the millions in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

Representatives from the Africa Inland Church, Episcopal Church of Sudan, Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the Pentecostal Church in South Sudan met in London yesterday to launch an appeal in partnership with the Barnabas Fund, urging the West to support their efforts in rebuilding peace…”

– Story from Christian Today. (h/t Anglican Mainstream.) Photo: Barnabas Fund.

Global South oversight of South Carolina

Posted on August 22, 2014
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Archbishop Mouneer Anis (Chairman), and Archbishop Ian Ernest (Hon. General Secretary) have written on behalf of the Global South Primates Steering Committee, to welcome Bishop Mark Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina to their pastoral oversight.

“The Global South of the Anglican Communion welcomes the unanimous request of The Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, XIV Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, and the Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina to ‘accept the offer of the newly created Global South Primatial Oversight Council for pastoral oversight of our ministry as a diocese during the temporary period of our discernment of our final provincial affiliation.’

The decision of the Diocese of South Carolina was made in response to the meeting of the Global South Primates Steering Committee in Cairo, Egypt from 14-15 February 2014. A recommendation from that meeting stated that, ‘we decided to establish a Primatial Oversight Council, in following-through the recommendations taken at Dar es Salam in 2007, to provide pastoral and primatial oversight to dissenting individuals, parishes, and dioceses in order to keep them within the Communion.’

Recognizing the faithfulness of Bishop Mark Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina, and in appreciation for their contending for the faith once for all delivered to the saints, the Global South welcomes them as an active and faithful member within the Global South of the Anglican Communion, until such time as a permanent primatial affiliation can be found.”

– Full text here.

Related: Local Anglicans receive new tie to the global church – Post and Courier.

Face to Face with the Message of Matthew

Posted on August 22, 2014
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“Face to Face with the Message of Matthew” is the theme of this year’s Moore College School of Theology – being run at the College on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September 2014.

Details and booking here.

Positively evangelical

Posted on August 22, 2014
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“In 1997, Mark Thompson wrote in Churchman:

‘If I am not mistaken there is a concerted attempt being made at present to redefine what it means to be an evangelical Christian. A number of prominent people around the world are trying to broaden the term, to encompass a variety of perspectives which were once quite alien to evangelical thought and practice.’

Well, he wasn’t mistaken. I was recently at an Anglican gathering encompassing representatives from all streams of the Church of England, except, perhaps, the most Catholic. As we went around the circle introducing ourselves, everyone there described him or herself as evangelical. It was usually qualified – ‘largely’ evangelical, or even ‘a little bit’ evangelical – but it was clearly a very common label…”

– Kirsty Birkett writes at Church Society’s blog and reminds us of (and links to) a paper by Mark Thompson entitled, “Being Clearly and Positively Evangelical”.

Dying with Dignity?

Posted on August 21, 2014
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“Here’s the submission I made to the relevant committee of the Senate of the Australian Parliament regarding Senator Richard Di Natale’s private member’s Exposure draft of the Medical Services (Dying with Dignity) Bill 2014…”

– Sandy Grant at St Michael’s Cathedral, Wollongong, shares what he’s written – at The Briefing.

Themelios 39.2

Posted on August 20, 2014
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The Gospel Coalition has released the latest issue of Themelios with 192 pages of articles and book reviews.

Included: What Are Gospel Issues? – D. A. Carson.
Projection Atheism: Why Reductionist Accounts of Humanity Can Lead to Reductionist Accounts of God – Michael Ovey.

Download your free copy here.

Encouragement to keep on in ministry

Posted on August 20, 2014
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Hugh Palmer, from All Souls’ Langham Place, spoke on “Growing the next generation” at last year’s Equipped Ministry Assembly run by the East Anglia Gospel Partnership.

Well worth taking the time to be encouraged and directed back to the work of the gospel.

Archbishop of Sydney calls for ‘urgent prayer and sacrificial generosity’

Posted on August 19, 2014
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Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies has called for “urgent prayer and sacrificial generosity” in response to two great humanitarian crises.

Here are the Anglican Aid links:
Iraq appeal info –Donation page
South Sudan appeal info – Donation page

Archbishop Davies writes:

“I am calling on all Sydney Anglicans and our friends across Australia representing many Christian traditions and denominations to urgent prayer and sacrificial generosity for two terrifying humanitarian crises unfolding in our world today. Read more

Lord & Life-Giver: The Holy Spirit Changes Everything

Posted on August 18, 2014
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The Annual Moore College Lectures continue this week with special guest Professor Mike Horton from Westminster Seminary California.

This year’s topic is “Lord & Life-Giver: The Holy Spirit Changes Everything”.

If you can’t be at Moore College for the lectures, you can live-stream them – or watch later. Recommended!

Dear prime minister: what is the UK government’s strategy in Iraq and Syria?

Posted on August 17, 2014
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Dear Prime Minister …

The focus by both politicians and media on the plight of the Yazidis has been notable and admirable. However, there has been increasing silence about the plight of tens of thousands of Christians who have been displaced, driven from cities and homelands, and who face a bleak future. Despite appalling persecution, they seem to have fallen from consciousness, and I wonder why…”

– Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, writes to Prime Minister Cameron.