‘Dublin and the Art of Dishonest Conversation’

Posted on February 2, 2011 
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Charles Raven at SPREAD looks at the just-concluded Primates’ meeting, and what he sees isn’t good.

“What about a passion for reaching the lost, for faithful teaching and preaching, for the glory and honour of Jesus Christ?”

“We might well ask ourselves what sort of Communion we are in when the chief passion of the Archbishop of Canterbury and those still willing to work with him is for ‘conversation’.  Why this preoccupation with interminable and inward looking dialogue? What about a passion for reaching the lost, for faithful teaching and preaching, for the glory and honour of Jesus Christ?

However sincere or even passionate the Primates may feel themselves to be, this is actually ‘dishonest conversation’ which displaces the gospel and is spiritually dangerous. Fundamentally, this is because ‘conversing’ has come to replace ‘confessing’…”

– Worth reading it all – including Charles’ comments on the state of the Church of England.

Adopted for Life — free audiobook

Posted on February 2, 2011 
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This month’s free audiobook from ChristianAudio is Adopted for Life, by Russell Moore at the Southern Baptist Seminary.

Free during February 2011.

A Descent into Irrelevance

Posted on February 1, 2011 
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“The documents posted at the close of the recent Primates’ Meeting in Dublin tell the story. The takeover of the Instruments of Communion by ECUSA, aided and abetted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is now complete. …

Look at how the remaining primates now view themselves and their function. Their statement of purpose could as well have been written by the Presiding Bishop’s staff at 815 Second Avenue:

We endeavour to accomplish our work through:
* prayer
* fellowship
* study and reflection
* caring for one another as Primates and offering mutual support
* taking counsel with one another and with the Archbishop of Canterbury
* relationship building at regular meetings
* being spiritually aware
* being collegial
* being consultative
* acknowledging diversity and giving space for difference
* being open to the prophetic Spirit
* exercising authority in a way that emerges from consensus?building and mutual discernment leading to persuasive wisdom…”

– A S Haley, “the Anglican Curmudgeon”, responds to the Dublin Primates’ meeting.

‘All not well in Rowanland’

Posted on January 29, 2011 
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“Of the 38 primates who could and should be in attendance at a legitimate Primates’ Meeting, we understand some 15 are absent. The GAFCON primates AND Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis and Archbishop John Chew are among those with more important things to do than attend a meeting and be manipulated by procedural rules that Dr. Williams will dominate.

More important, because Rowan Williams structures the meeting to control the primates and disempower them from taking any action that he doesn’t wish, and when their photographs are taken together, the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) uses that photo to announce that all is well in Rowanland.”

– The American Anglican Council’s Bishop David Anderson gives his perspective on the Dublin Primates’ meeting. Full text below —   Read more

Mary Kassian on Girls Gone Wise

Posted on January 28, 2011 
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We’ve mentioned Mary Kassian’s book Girls Gone Wise before (1, 2). Earlier this month she was interviewed on a Canadian Christian TV programme about the cultural pressures facing young women today. Watch it here.

Tribute for Bp John Wilson

Posted on January 27, 2011 
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Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower gives thanks for Bishop John Wilson, who has died in Melbourne.

The Dublin ‘Meeting’ — commentary

Posted on January 27, 2011 
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“It has been reported that on two occasions Primates of the Global South advised the Archbishop of Canterbury that they would not attend the current Primates’ Meeting if the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church were present.

Of the fourteen Primates who made this representation, it appears that only one will be attending any part of the meeting.

In this light, the defensive explanations of why Primates are not attending offered by the Secretary General and the Communion Office (e.g. visa problems, diary conflicts, etc.) must raise eyebrows. Why should we think that those who publicly stated two months ago why they were not planning to attend now really wanted to come, but forgot they had another appointment?…”

– The Anglican Communion Institute asks the obvious, but uncomfortable, questions.
(h/t Stand Firm.)

‘An act of love, an act of justice, an act of triumphant redemptive power’

Posted on January 27, 2011 
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“Last year the Sydney Doctrine Commission produced its report on penal substitutionary atonement in response to a request of the Sydney Synod in October 2007.

I think the report is worth wide reading (and not just because I am the chairman of the Doctrine Commission). As the report itself remarks, ‘Because the death of Jesus has a central place in Christian thought and Christian living, it is our ongoing responsibility to carefully consider its significance’ (§2).

Here is part of the conclusion:

Penal substitution is an indispensable element in the Christian proclamation of the cross. It does not say everything about the atonement but it says a crucial thing, one which also helps to illumine every other facet of the Bible’s teaching on the subject. It has been treasured all through Christian history because it enables us to see how the atonement which reconciles us to God can be at one time an act of love, an act of justice and an act of triumphant redemptive power. What has been done for us was truly, morally done. What was done for us was complete and entire, addressing every dimension of the predicament we have created for ourselves. What was done for us secures our freedom and gives us a solid ground for assurance and hope. Precisely because in this penal substitution the consequences of human sin have been dealt with for those who belong to Christ, the words of Jesus from the cross are cherished above all others: ‘it is finished’ (John 19:30) (§45).

The full report can be found here.” From Mark Thompson at Theological Theology.

(There’s a version of the PDF file with smaller margins here.)

Remember from where you have fallen

Posted on January 26, 2011 
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Archbishop Mouneer Anis spoke on Recovering the Power of the Word for the Anglican Communion at the Mere Anglicanism Conference in South Carolina, this last weekend.

He gives a historical overview of how the Anglican Communion has fallen from where it once was – with hope for the future. Worth watching / reading.

Kevin Kallsen at Anglican TV has posted the 50 minute video of his address, and Kendall Harmon has posted the transcript. (h/t Stand Firm.)

Griffith Thomas on The Lord’s Supper in the Prayer Book

Posted on January 25, 2011 
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Church Society is continuing to republish online excellent resources from days gone by.

They have just made available this chapter on “The Lord’s Supper in the Prayer Book”.

It’s from “A Sacrament of our Redemption — An Enquiry into the Meaning of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament and the Church of England” by W. H. Griffith Thomas, 1861-1924.

Some other chapters from the book are already on Church Society’s website, and you can download the entire book (in PDF, Kindle and other formats) from Archive.org.

Obama and the ‘constitutional right’ of abortion

Posted on January 25, 2011 
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“When Barack Obama was running for President, he was described by some observers as one of the most radical candidates in the nation’s history in terms of support for abortion. Once in office, President Obama has done little to dispel that judgment. Even as the President is tracking to the middle on many issues, this is not the case when it comes to abortion…”

– Al Mohler comments on President Obama’s speech marking the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Lats week in “What about the Twins?”, he wrote:

“The national abortion rate is over twenty percent. Just last week it was reported that the abortion rate in New York City is over forty percent, and among African-Americans in that city, nearly sixty percent. Across the United States, an abortion industrial complex now claims over a million unborn lives each year.”

Ask Phillip

Posted on January 25, 2011 
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“Ask Phillip includes short and pithy answers from Phillip Jensen to all your questions about Christianity.” – a terrific resource from reasonforhope.tv.

Several of these videos are featured at phillipjensen.com, including “Is A Minister A Priest?”

Since the videos are hosted at Vimeo, they could be embedded on church websites or downloaded for use as discussion-starters in small groups.

Excited all over again by the Reformation

Posted on January 23, 2011 
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Mark Thompson:

“This is a book to share with the family as you encourage them to look at the Christian family album and rejoice in those who have proclaimed and defended the gospel before us, often at great cost. In an age when the Reformation is sidelined by some in the interests of Christian reunification, this is a must read. …

I cannot recommend the book highly enough. Every Christian home should have a copy.”

– high praise indeed for Andrew Atherstone’s just-published book, The Reformation: Faith and Flames. Read why here.

(From Moore Books, locally, or further afield.)

For a recent article by Andrew Atherstone, see here.

On the Dublin Meeting: GSA Editorial

Posted on January 22, 2011 
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This editorial from the Global South Anglican website, based in Singapore, expresses some of the reasons a significant proportion of the Primates won’t be going to Dublin next week.

“What is most disturbing and difficult is that given the intractable miry situation the Communion is already in and being further driven into, there was hardly any timely and intentional prior consultation and collegial engagement of all concerned (or at least as many as reasonably possible) in preparing for the Meeting to ensure certain degree of significant and principally legitimate outcome to hold and move the Communion together.

In light of the critical importance of the Meeting, the preparations are gravely inadequate.

… it is with great sadness that some Primates have arrived at the decision that it is neither right nor proper for them to be present at the Dublin Meeting.”

Bruce Ware on the exclusivity of Christ and the gospel

Posted on January 22, 2011 
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Colin Adams at Unashamed Workman provides links to the audio files from last week’s visit to Scotland by Dr Bruce Ware from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dr Ware’s topics included “Exclusivity of Christ and the Gospel”.

He also spoke on the latest assaults on biblical Christianity  – with a focus on the teaching of Brian McLaren (who was invited to speak at the last Lambeth Conference). Well worth hearing.

See Unashamed Workman for the links. (Related: Earlier stories on Brian McLaren.)

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