Canada upholding Windsor Process?
Just in case you still believe that the Anglican Church of Canada is upholding the Windsor Process that has been so fondly pointed to by some in the ACC, we have this bit from Ottawa.
Some of you will recall that a couple of years ago, Peter Coffin – then Bishop of Ottawa – granted his permission to a female priest (Linda Fisher-Privitera) to minister in the Diocese of Ottawa. Fisher-Privitera came to Ottawa with her partner, Melissa, whom she had married in a civil union in Massachusetts, prior to arriving. …
Bishop Chapman, now bishop of Ottawa, has granted a full appointment to Fisher-Privitera at St. Michael & All Angels in Ottawa. …
Story from LC.net/Canada. (Photo: St. Michael & All Angels in Ottawa.)
More Canon XIX Charges in Canada
The Rev George Sinclair, despite relinquishing his licence for ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC), has been issued a Notice of Presumption of Abandonment of the Exercise of the Ministry according to ACoC Canon XIX by the Bishop of Ottawa.
He joins good company with Dr J I Packer and the rest of the Vancouver-area ANiC clergy who received the same notice earlier from the Diocese of New Westminster. …
– from the Anglican Network in Canada newsletter. George is on the leadership team of the Anglican Network of Canada. (Images courtesy St. Alban the Martyr.)
Realignment and Gospel Unity in Canada
Over the weekend, more Canadian churches voted on their relationship with the Anglican Church of Canada –
Islanders split from national church
“Parishioners from a Vancouver Island Anglican church have become the latest Canadian congregation to separate from the national body, primarily over the issue of same-sex marriage. … St. Mary, located in the rural Victoria suburb of Metchosin, will now align with the Anglican Network in Canada…” Read more
Canada vote encouraging, says bishop
Retired Sydney bishop Ken Short says the strength of the vote to break with the Anglican Church in Canada by the Vancouver congregation led by his son, the Rev David Short, will encourage other congregations considering a similar move. …
Russell Powell reports for SydneyAnglicans.net
Gafcon Prayer Update: GFCA Trustees
Gafcon Prayer Update from a couple of days ago –
“Please give thanks to God for the faithful ministry of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GFCA) Trustees, whose governance and oversight provide the practical foundation that supports the life and work of the Global Anglican Communion. Give thanks for Bishop John Guernsey, the Trustees Chair, and Dr Laurie Scandrett, the Honorary Treasurer, as they provide wise and faithful leadership.
Pray for the Trustees serving from Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Rwanda, the United Kingdom and the United States. Pray that God will grant them wisdom, integrity and unity as they steward the resources entrusted to this global movement and exercise careful oversight of its ministry.
Please pray especially for the Trustees as preparations continue for GAFCON V in Athens in April 2028. Ask God to give them wisdom and discernment as they oversee the many financial and governance decisions already being made, provide every resource that is needed, and establish this significant gathering for the strengthening of his Church and the advance of the gospel.”
– A reminder that Gafcon Prayer updates can be found on their website – and if you use the free PrayerMate app on your phone, you can subscribe to their prayer feed.
Photo: Gafcon.
Taking Grandma To Be Put Down
“In 2016, Canada legalized what it calls Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)—physician-assisted death for those experiencing severe suffering. At the time, the policy was presented as a narrow and compassionate option reserved primarily for those nearing the end of life.
Less than a decade later, the numbers tell a very different story. Since legalization, over 70,000 Canadians have died through MAID, with more than 15,000 deaths in 2023 alone. That means roughly one out of every twenty deaths in Canada now occurs through assisted suicide.
What began as an exceptional measure has quickly become a normalized part of the healthcare system. And that should make us pause. …”
– At AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal, Tim Madden, writing in the US, looks at what is happening in Canada and calls for a Christian response. (It’s also well on the way in Australia.)
The Rejection of Atheism is turning Boys into Men — Wes Huff and Dan Paterson
From John Anderson:
“John Anderson speaks with Wes Huff and Dan Paterson about the striking cultural shift among younger generations towards a renewed search for meaning, transcendence, and moral grounding. They reflect on disillusionment with secular narratives and the renewed interest in Christianity as a source of lifelong direction and purpose.
Huff and Paterson explore the impact of numerous online role models for young men, including Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate. This is a conversation that questions whether modern society can sustain itself without a deeper moral and spiritual foundation.
Wes Huff is the Vice President for Apologetics Canada and has participated in public dialogues, debates, and interfaith events on issues of belief and religion around the world. He holds a BA in sociology from York University, a Masters of Theological Studies from Tyndale University, and is currently doing a PhD in New Testament at the University of Toronto’s Wycliffe College.
Dan Paterson is the founder Questioning Christianity. He has experience as a pastor, lecturer, and public speaker, having studied Theology and Apologetics in Australia and at Oxford. Paterson speaks regularly to audiences across the belief spectrum on how the gospel connects to life’s biggest questions, and on the popular objections to the Christian faith.”
– Watch at JohnAnderson.net.au.
Why Euthanasia Feels Intuitive
“Canada has gained a lot of attention in recent years due to its commitment to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), its preferred idiom for euthanasia. Some honor Canada as groundbreaking in its commitment to bringing dignity to death, while others abhor it as taking advantage of the weak, the elderly, and the vulnerable. Already euthanasia is responsible for more than 5% of deaths in Canada and the rates are rising fast.
Behind every death by euthanasia is a story, and the stories are tragic. Elderly people who live in care homes will have breakfast with a friend in the morning, then learn at lunchtime that they were euthanized shortly thereafter. Grown children are being asked to attend a celebration of life service for parents who are still alive but intend to die shortly thereafter. People who want to live but cannot get access to sufficient medical care are taking their own lives rather than continue suffering. …”
– Tim Challies writes about the tragedy of medically assisted suicide. And it’s not just his homeland of Canada.
The patience of Gafcon
Historical perspective is always important.
The background to the Gafcon Communique of October 16 2025 is more than 17 years of patience on the part of the Gafcon Primates and biblically faithful Anglicans around the world.
And that first Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem in 2008 came after many years of calling Anglican leaders in England, Scotland, Wales, Canada and the United States back to the Scriptures.
In late 2007, Archbishop Peter Jensen outlined, for Sydney readers, the reason for a Global Anglican Future Conference.
A few months later, in March 2008, St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney hosted a meeting explaining why Sydney Bishops would not be attending Lambeth that year.
In June 2008, the GAFCON Final Statement and The Jerusalem Declaration were released at the end of that first GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem.
Ten years ago, in March 2015, Archbishop Peter Jensen gave the Richard B. Gaffin Lecture at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His topic was “Beginning in Jerusalem: The Theological Significance of the 2008 Global Anglican Future Conference”. His address is essential viewing to understand the eternal issues involved. He explains the reasons for GAFCON, giving a glimpse into the pain involved, and the hope for the future.
Other relevant documents can be accessed from our Reference Documents and Press Releases page and in the “Anglican Communion” section of our Resources page.
All this historical background should lead us to do three things –
- Thank God for our leaders who value faithfulness to Christ and his Word over the lure of this world.
- Pray for godly wisdom for the road ahead, so that many will be saved and built up in Christ for the honour and praise of his Name.
- Be committed to the Scriptures and the work of the gospel.
Physical Bibles are homemade Apple Pie
From The Gospel Coalition Canada:
“Having your own physical Bible with you in church is like eating homemade apple pie. A personal Bible is a physical reminder of God’s faithfulness in your life, through all your highlighting times of meditation and hard times with coffee mug stains. …
Enjoy your personal Bible each Sunday just as you enjoy homemade apple pie. In doing this, you remind yourself not only of God’s Word, but that God’s Word is for you.”
– What kind of Bible are you taking with you to church today? Andrew Noble has some encouragement to think through the options.
Unblocking the pipeline: Identifying and addressing obstacles to ministry recruitment
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“In the past month, two of the most respected evangelical training institutions in the world have closed or announced closure of their campuses.
In July, Spurgeon’s College in London—a pillar of Baptist theological education for nearly 170 years—closed, citing financial strain and a dramatic decline in student numbers.
A few weeks earlier, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Chicago —long regarded as a flagship seminary of North American evangelicalism— said they would shut down its Illinois campus and relocate to Canada, merging with Trinity Western University in British Columbia.
TEDS student numbers have dropped from 750 to 400 fulltime equivalents.
These are not isolated incidents. Across the UK, Australia, and globally, churches are asking:
Where will the next generation of gospel workers come from?
Orlando Saer—lead pastor of Christ Church Southampton, Chair of the Reach UK South church planting network, and Chair of 9:38, a UK ministry seeking to raise up gospel workers, has helped lead the Yarnton Consultation, the most comprehensive look yet at the state of ministry recruitment in the UK.”
Certainty4Eternity Podcast Episode 1 – Mark’s Testimony & Rayne’s Experience
Here’s a new podcast from Certainty4Eternity:
“Welcome to the first episode of Certainty4Eternity: The Podcast for Youth– a new series where Rayne Orange and Mark Gilbert dive into real, respectful conversations about Catholicism, Protestantism, and everything in between.
In this episode, we explore:
• Mark’s journey from Catholic schoolboy to Protestant minister.
• What it was like growing up Catholic in Australia
• Rayne’s experience in Catholic schools in rural Canada
• How Protestants and Catholics can have better, gospel-focused conversations
• Why understanding worldview is key to meaningful dialogue.
Whether you’re Catholic, Protestant, or just curious — this show offers a space for thoughtful, gracious discussion rooted in faith and Scripture.”
– Watch here.
Ascension — Church Society podcast
“Ed Moll talks to Ros Clarke about the ‘Cinderella doctrine’ of the ascension and why we should pay more attention to it.”
– The latest Church Society podcast.
Related:
Daniel 7 and the Ascension of the Son of Man – Wyatt Graham at The Gospel Coalition Canada.
A hymn for Easter Day 1775
Two hundred and fifty years ago, John Newton wrote this hymn for Easter Day 1775 –
Glorious things of thee are spoken – See the details at JohnNewton.org.
For more, see this article by Marylynn Rouse, CEO of The John Newton Project:
“The River Ouse meanders peacefully behind the church of St Peter and St Paul in Olney, Buckinghamshire. It bids a pleasant walk along its river banks as swans glide gracefully by while a watchful heron keeps an eye on a troop of Canada geese on the opposite side of the bank. This tranquil scene was the refuge of the local minister, newly ordained, who fled there in a state of panic.
Before coming to Olney the Reverend John Newton had published six sermons. He had just preached from the last one! A friend explained many years later, ‘he thought he had told them his whole stock, and was considerably depressed.’
Newton himself recalled: ‘I was walking one afternoon by the side of the River Ouse. I asked myself, How long has this river run? Many hundred years before I was born, and will certainly run many years after I am gone. Who supplies the fountain from whence this river comes? God. Is not the fund for my sermons equally inexhaustible?—the word of God. Yes, surely. I have never been afraid of running out since that time.’…”
– Published at Evangelicals Now (requires a free subscription).
Images with thanks to Marylynn Rouse.
Midwife to a Movement: The Legacy of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
“This week, TEDS [Trinity Evangelical Divinity School] announced a merger with sister school Trinity Western University in British Columbia. And the TEDS campus, 2,147 miles away in the Chicago suburbs, will close after the 2025–26 school year.
Select faculty and staff may follow to Canada. But a long and illustrious chapter in one of the most prestigious seminaries in the United States has come to a close.…”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Collin Hansen reacts to the news.
Image: TEDS announcement webpage.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…