‘The good book’s guide to great sex’

Posted on July 28, 2010 
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“Sex is God’s gift to humanity and healthy sexual behaviour should be the church’s gift to the world. As reported in The Age this week, we are neurologically wired to desire sex, to fall in love with the person we desire sex with, and for that love to develop into a deep personal attachment. Our bodies are wired to operate best with one sexual partner for life.

The Christian church has a positive duty to help all people form healthy sexual self-identities, which lead to healthy sexual behaviour, particularly in a world where highly sexualised images are commonplace…”

–  Kamal Weerakoon (St. Marys Presbyterian Church) writes in the Sydney Morning Herald. It’s a follow up to Monday’s article by Barney Zwartz in The Age.

Thinking of leaving your church?

Posted on July 27, 2010 
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In a guest post at Kevin DeYoung’s blog, Jason Helopoulos lists seven good reasons to leave a church. He also tackles other reasons people sometimes give – reasons that aren’t all that good.

‘Dialogue’ trumps Scripture — again?

Posted on July 27, 2010 
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From the daily bulletin (for Saturday 24th, but issed 26 July 2010) of ‘the Standing Committee’ of the Anglican Communion, meeting in London –

“A proposal from Dato’ Stanley Isaacs [Province of South East Asia] that The Episcopal Church be separated from the Communion led to a discussion in which Committee members acknowledged the anxieties felt in parts of the Communion about sexuality issues. Nevertheless, the overwhelming opinion was that separation would inhibit dialogue on this and other issues among Communion Provinces, dioceses and individuals and would therefore be unhelpful. The proposal was not passed, and the group agreed to defer further discussion until progress on Continuing Indaba project had been considered.”

– from the Anglican Communion Office. Also trumpeted by the Episcopal News Service.
(Photo of Dato’ Stanley Isaacs from the Anglican Communion News Service.)

Related: Standing Committee of which Communion?

Richard Baxter’s account of the Restoration

Posted on July 26, 2010 
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“Not only was Baxter a major player, he was, like Pepys, also a meticulous and disciplined administrator and writer. He records many details from events he experienced first-hand, and his account includes a wealth of valuable documentation.”

– Lee Gatiss wrote this interesting article for Churchman in 2008. It’s just been published online by Church Society. (PDF file.)

TEC PB preaches at St. Paul’s Cathedral

Posted on July 26, 2010 
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“Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori challenged those attending Sung Eucharist at historic St. Paul’s Cathedral here July 25 to be ‘ready, willing and able’ to speak out and take action against the world’s injustices and indignities… Jefferts Schori is visiting London to attend the July 23-27 meeting of the Anglican Communion’s Standing Committee.”

– Since it’s mid-summer in the northern hemisphere, there’s not much Anglican news to report. Just more of the same. (Photo and story: Matthew Davies.)

Standing Committee of which Communion?

Posted on July 25, 2010 
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“…The listing by geography shows that none of the major African provinces of the Communion, with more than 60% of its total members, is even represented on the Committee. It follows that the current make-up of the Committee is designed to effectuate the will of a minority within the Communion…”

– A S Haley, the Anglican Curmudgeon, looks at the makeup of “the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion” and that of the Anglican Consultative Council. (Photo taken at the November 2008 JSC meeting: ACNS Rosenthal.)

Katharine Jefferts Schori visits Wales

Posted on July 24, 2010 
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TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has been visiting Wales this week.

Nothing particularly remarkable, but there’s a report at Wales Online.

Listening pastors

Posted on July 24, 2010 
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“It seems to me that pastors tend to be poor listeners for a few reasons: they are usually assertive people and have trouble slowing down, have honestly heard many of the same things multiple times (counseling situations, theological questions, etc.) thus they feel like they ‘know’ where the conversation is headed, they are multi-taskers who tend to think they can listen and think about other things at the same time, and they are used to talking/preaching with others listening to them!”

– Jason Helopoulos has a few helpful suggestions on listening as a pastor.
At Kevin DeYoung’s blog.

‘We are Anglicans’

Posted on July 23, 2010 
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“The Pope, or more properly the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome will visit England and Scotland from 17th to 19th September of this year. In recent years political figures and many in the media have fawned all over the Pope. More recently however, there has been growing attacks on Rome by secular humanists and the homosexual lobbyists, together with the media, which is dominated by both. Whilst we do not wish to be sucked into the ungodly agenda of these groups nevertheless it is important to say that this visit is also unwelcome for other reasons.

What does it mean to be Anglican? Though it is not normally where people look for an answer part of the nature of Anglicanism is set out in the Coronation Oath Act of 1688. This Act applies still in England and Wales and its well known wording was used at the Coronation of the present Queen…”

– David Phillips, Church Society General Secretary, writes in the latest issue of Cross†Way. (PDF file.)

Latest from Canberra – Stutube July 2010

Posted on July 21, 2010 
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Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Stuart Robinson, plugs Back to Church Sunday and some other great ideas in his latest Stutube.

Christ-centred Communion – Further thoughts (full series)

Posted on July 20, 2010 
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Barry Newman has been adding to his series on ‘Christ-centred Communion’ and has now completed his ‘further thoughts’.

Even if you don’t agree with it all, you’ll find it stimulating and edifying.

C.S. Lewis on Democracy

Posted on July 20, 2010 
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Food for thought from C S Lewis –

“I am a democrat because I believe in the Fall of Man. I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that every one deserved a share in the government.

The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they’re not true. … I find that they’re not true without looking further than myself. I don’t deserve a share in governing a hen-roost. Much less a nation. … The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows…”

– C.S. Lewis, “Equality”, in Present Concerns. (h/t Between Two Worlds.)

‘Land disputes still raging on’ in San Joaquin

Posted on July 19, 2010 
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“What’s happened since the San Joaquin Diocese, under the leadership of Bishop John-David Schofield, became the first diocese in the country to leave the Episcopal Church in December 2007?

Four dioceses and more than 600 individual congregations in the United States have left the church over the interpretation of Scripture, including whether Jesus is the only way to salvation and the ordination of gay clergy. …

As for the Episcopalian theology, which conservatives say has changed in recent decades, Lamb said: ‘All churches change throughout time. … I think churches are constantly shifting. In this case, it’s not that the Episcopal Church has changed; our understanding of God has changed.’…”

– from The Modesto Bee.
(Photo: San Joaquin’s TEC Bishop Jerry Lamb greets Katherine Jefferts Schori – ENS.)

An important distinction in our thinking about church

Posted on July 18, 2010 
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“It seems to me that we are not often as careful when we think and speak about church as we are in other areas of Christian doctrine. Confusions abound, sometimes through a lack of careful distinctions.

Earlier this year I was in a debate with some older brothers in the faith about the threefold order (bishops, priests, and deacons)…”

– Mark Thompson seeks to stimulate our thinking at Theological Theology.

‘The Anglican church can’t now renege on women bishops’

Posted on July 17, 2010 
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John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester, writes this opinion piece for the BBC.

“When the decision was made to ordain women as priests, solemn promises were made to them that they would continue to have an honoured place in the Church of England.

To renege on that now would seem like a betrayal.”

Related: Developments in York.

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