Auckland Synod says no to ‘gay marriage’
Posted on September 7, 2013
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“Auckland Anglicans have said no to gay marriage – despite church heads being in favour of it. A motion to press the issue has failed at this weekend’s conference, despite both Auckland bishops and a majority of clergy being in favour.”
– Report from FarmingShow (yes, that’s right). Image: Diocese of Auckland.
Ten ways Gay activists shifted culture
Posted on September 7, 2013
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“Whether you are a proponent of same-sex marriage, homosexuality or not, you have to respect the way gay activists have fundamentally transformed American society in one generation.
The plans and strategies of gay activism and how they went from being an oppressed minority to an elite protected status in mainstream culture is written in a book called After the Ball [published in 1990]…”
– from Charisma News.
What a Muslim teaches us
Posted on September 7, 2013
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“Back in 1981, Christian hearts thrilled to see a mainstream popular film treat Christian conscience positively. The film was Chariots of Fire and the Christian conscience was that of Eric Liddell, the man who refused to run in the Olympics on a Sunday. It was just so different to see a man of genuine faith presented in a film as a hero instead of a moral failure or a narrow-minded hypocrite. …”
– Phillip Jensen writes in his weekly column “From the Dean”.
Religious freedom in America today — Bp David Anderson
Posted on September 7, 2013
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“Sometimes, the battle you or I or some other Christian might face touches directly on our freedom of religion, and attempts to infringe or deny that to us because the exercise of our religion somehow offends someone else. At other times our freedom of speech is infringed or denied when what we say from a Biblical perspective is prohibited, punished or marginalized with the label of ‘hate speech.’ …”
– Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, takes a quick survey of recent challenges to religious freedom in the USA.
Diocese of Fort Worth: Living with litigation
Posted on September 6, 2013
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Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth reflects on the lengthy legal battle imposed on his diocese.
“Living with litigation has become a way of life for us as members of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. For the past 4 ½ years, we have been under the cloud of a lawsuit brought against us by The Episcopal Church and its local supporters, seeking to deprive us of our buildings and assets. Read more
New Bishop of Waikato
Posted on September 5, 2013
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The Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley has been elected as the 7th Bishop of Waikato in New Zealand. She will become the third woman bishop in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
Photo: Stephen Barker / Anglican Taonga.
‘Kevin — Good Heavens!’
Posted on September 5, 2013
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Sydney Anglicans has a roundup of responses to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s statements this week on the Bible.
Related:
- The Prime Minister on Q&A, Monday 2nd September.
- The Prime Minister amplifies his comments, Tuesday 3rd September.
- And Sandy Grant looks at some of the responses he received to his post yesterday – at The Briefing, Thursday 5th September.
(Photo: SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Getting to know Archbishop Glenn Davies — Anglican TV interview
Posted on September 5, 2013
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Kevin Kallsen at Anglican TV introduces the new Archbishop of Sydney to the wider Anglican world in this 14 minute interview.
Shellfish, slavery and same-sex marriage — How not to read the Bible
Posted on September 5, 2013
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“This confused way of handling the Bible springs from an ignorance of the Bible’s own narrative.”
Archbishop Glenn Davies writes for the ABC’s Religion and Ethics –
“In recent days a number of strange claims have been made about slavery and shellfish in the Bible. The line normally goes something like this: although the Bible prohibits God’s people from eating shellfish and also endorses slavery, we can disregard these ethical instructions because we have come of age and can see things differently. …”
Here it is formatted as a 2 A4 page handout (330kb PDF file) suitable for copying.
Free e-Book — The Universal Compass: Why Study the Bible?
Posted on September 4, 2013
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People from all walks of life would benefit from getting to know and understand the Bible.
George Whitefield College in Capetown has made available, as a free e-Book, “The Universal Compass: Why Study the Bible?” by Dr David Seccombe (Principal, 1993-2012). From the first chapter:
“From the death of the last apostle, the Bible has been the determiner of true Christianity. Almost all churches have accepted it in their statements of belief as the written Word of God, and as the final authority in matters of faith. …
However, although most modern denominations still subscribe in their statements of faith to the Bible as the final authority, some have abandoned it in practical terms. This collapse of confidence stems from the philosophical mood of the past two centuries. Man has placed himself at the centre and rejected all forms of authority not based on his own discovery of truth. …
[This book] is written in the hope that you will begin to read the Bible for yourself, or be encouraged to study it more deeply, if you already are a Bible reader. My prayer is that you may also consider the possibility of full-time study in a Bible-believing theological or Bible college.”
– The book is available as a 4.4MB PDF file from this page on the College website.
Get a copy and pass on the link to others who would benefit.
Archbishop Glenn Davies: Statement on PM’s Q and A comment
Posted on September 3, 2013
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Anglican Diocese of Sydney – Media Release 3/9/13
“To sanction same-sex ‘marriage’ is not the teaching of the Anglican Church of Australia nor is it the teaching of the Bible.”
Full statement below:
Statement by the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, about comments by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on ABCTV Q and A, Monday Sept 2nd.
“Kevin Rudd was profoundly wrong in his understanding of the Bible. He misquoted the Bible and attributed to the Bible something that Aristotle said (that slavery is a natural condition). The Bible never says that. The Bible sees slavery as the result of fallen and broken relationships in society and it is crystal clear in its condemnation of the slave trade.
I was disappointed by Mr Rudd’s comments last night in the same way that I was disappointed by the position he announced in May despite, as he said, after much reflection. Unfortunately in my view he has not been reflecting on the teaching of Scripture. To sanction same-sex ‘marriage’ is not the teaching of the Anglican Church of Australia nor is it the teaching of the Bible. The Bible views marriage as an institution that God has created. Jesus brings clarity to the nature of marriage by saying that it is an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman, for life. Although there are many kinds of relationships in our society, to describe the relationship between two persons of the same sex as marriage is contrary to the Bible’s teaching.
As a bishop in the Church, I do not tell our people how to vote. They have a responsibility to vote wisely and as Christians they should vote in accordance with their conscience and their understanding of Scripture. Christians realise that no political party will reflect their views in every policy. So they have to make a judgment as to which party best represents their views. I encourage all Christians to think prayerfully and wisely about how to vote on polling day.”
– ends –
(Source – SydneyAnglicans.net. The Prime Minister’s comments may be seen here.)
Related: Shellfish, slavery and same-sex marriage — How not to read the Bible.
‘PM misrepresents the Bible’
Posted on September 3, 2013
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“Last night, on a serious Australian current affairs program, Q&A, our current serving Prime Minister, a self-professed Christian, grossly caricatured the Bible. ….”
– Sandy Grant responds to the Prime Minister’s statements on Q&A last night.
And Eternity Newspaper’s John Sandeman spoke today with the Prime Minister’s questioner, Pastor Matt Prater –
“I did get attacked a lot on social media last night. And got called a lot of nasty names. I just want to make it clear to anyone reading this that I am not a homophobe. I don’t hate homosexuals. I love everyone with the love of Jesus.”
(Images: ABC TV.)
Update:
The Prime Minister further explained his response (YouTube) in Launceston on Tuesday 3rd September.
Question lands pastor ‘in lion’s den’ – The Australian.
“The first time Pastor Matt Prater interviewed Kevin Rudd, the year was 2006 and the then opposition foreign affairs spokesman was deeply obliging. …”
And Sandy Grant reflects on the whole thing at The Briefing.
Kevin Rudd defends his view on ‘gay marriage’
Posted on September 3, 2013
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On ABC Television’s Q&A last night, in answering a question from a Christian pastor, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd defended his new view on ‘gay marriage’ and explained his view of the Bible.
“Well, mate, if I was going to have that view, the Bible also says slavery is a natural condition – Saint Paul said in the New Testament, ‘slaves be obedient to your masters’.”
– Watch on Youtube. ABC News report. (Image: ABC TV.)
Related:
‘PM says he may have disappointed churches’ – NineMSN (03 September 2013)
Backlash in Western Sydney (14 August 2013)
Equality not the issue says Archbishop (22 May 2013)
Bishopscourt on the market
Posted on September 2, 2013
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Bishopscourt, the home of the last seven Archbishops of Sydney, is on the market.
(Photo: Domain.)
The answer to dull and boring preaching
Posted on September 2, 2013
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What’s the place of illustrations in preaching? Or emotion? How can we make our preaching better?
Dr Peter Bolt is interviewed for the latest instalment of Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London.
See it here. Invest 10 minutes of your time.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…