Archbishop welcomes Papal Visit

Posted on March 17, 2010 
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The Archbishop of Canterbury today welcomed the official announcement that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is to visit the UK in September at the invitation of Her Majesty The Queen:

“The Pope’s visit will be an opportunity to cement ties not only between the Holy See and the United Kingdom but also the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches in Scotland, England and Wales. I look forward particularly to welcoming Pope Benedict to Lambeth Palace on behalf of the Church of England.”

– Source.

Easter Theobabble

Posted on March 17, 2010 
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“Along with the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Presiding Bishop (in her role as Chief Pastor of the Episcopal Church [USA]) issues an annual “Easter message.” They have been remarkable, to say the least, by way of contrast with those which issue from Rome and Canterbury.

This latest product has to be one of the most alien messages ever imparted at Eastertide — since the very first Easter marked the commencement of the Christian church…”

– Read Alex Haley’s commentary on the TEC Presiding Bishop’s ‘Easter Message’.
Then read 1 Corinthians 15: 1–18.

No faith in their hatred

Posted on March 17, 2010 
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“The Global Atheists Convention in Melbourne last weekend worked a miracle on me. I’ve never felt more like believing in God. Especially the Christian one.

My near conversion occurred because the convention’s speakers managed to confirm my worst fear.

No, it’s not that God may actually exist, and be cross that I doubted. It’s that if the Christian God really is dead, then there’s not much to stop people here from being barbarians. …”

– Andrew Bolt, columnist with the Herald-Sun in Melbourne.

Importantly, see also the preview of Peter Hitchens, “The Rage Against God” – at Between Two Worlds. (Peter Hitchens is Christopher Hitchens’ brother.)

‘Pope will beatify Cardinal Newman in England’

Posted on March 17, 2010 
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“Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the beatification ceremony of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Coventry, England, during a four-day visit to the United Kingdom in September, British Catholic leaders have said…

His beatification was announced in July after the Vatican declared that the inexplicable healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan of Marshfield, Mass., from a crippling spinal condition was the result of Cardinal Newman’s intercession.” – Report from NZ Catholic.

Related: The saint(s) go marching in – by Bishop Glenn Davies.
(Photo: University College Dublin.)

David Cook on ‘Persuasive preaching’

Posted on March 15, 2010 
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Last month, David Cook, Principal of Sydney Missionary Bible College, was at Oak Hill College in London for their School of Preaching.

His talks focussed “on the evangelism we can do in our preaching, on the theology we need to have in place and the practical areas we need to work on”. Very helpful and encouraging.

Oak Hill has kindly made the audio recordings available.

San Joaquin ‘diocese’ sues for return of ‘church’ property

Posted on March 13, 2010 
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The Episcopal News Service provides the TEC version of the latest lawsuit  –

“The parish litigation is in addition to pending litigation brought by the diocese and by the Episcopal Church against the former bishop, John-David Schofield, which is now before the Fifth District Court of Appeal for review of the trial court’s determination that: (a) Bishop Lamb is the Bishop of the Diocese and incumbent of the Corporation Sole and other Diocesan entities; and (b) the attempts to modify the diocesan constitution and canons and articles of incorporation of the Corporation Sole to disaffiliate the Episcopal Diocese from the Episcopal Church were null and void.”

– Full story here.

(Photo: Bishop Jerry Lamb of the TEC remnant diocese of San Joaquin greets TEC Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori – Episcopal Life Online.)

Far-flung flock

Posted on March 13, 2010 
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Bishop David Mulready is featured in the February–March 2010 edition of R.M. Williams’ Outback magazine. It’s a refreshingly positive article.

“David Mulready pulls on his purple polo shirt, adjusts his Akubra and sets off to tend to his flock in the heat and red dirt. He’s mustering, but not the Santa Gertudis and the Brahman and Black Angus cattle that abound on the vast stations of Australia’s north and west, which is his beat. It’s the people who live in this remote area that he’s off to care for.

David is an Anglican clergyman and he is the bishop of North West Australia, responsible for the world’s largest landed diocese.…”

You can download it as a 1.1MB PDF file, courtesy of Editor-in-Chief Mark Muller.

(Photo: Maureen and David Mulready and friends at Wyndham.)

Honouring Christ

Posted on March 13, 2010 
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“We are beset by problems.

Outside the Church is the collapsing nature of society as it abandons its Christian heritage; this impacts families, the workplace, school, and the Church. At its worst is the growing antagonism to Biblical Christianity.

Inside the Church we see the fruit of theological liberalism in false teaching, decline and immorality. Ritualism is now accepted as the norm and much so-called evangelicalism now believes what liberals believed a generation ago.

In the midst of all this how can we honour Christ? …”

– David Phillips, General Secretary of Church Society, writes in the Winter 2010 edition of Cross†Way. (PDF file.)

The Trellis and the Vine discussion guide

Posted on March 12, 2010 
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At The Sola Panel, Ian Carmichael reports:

“We at Matthias Media have recently made available a free and downloadable discussion guide for Col Marshall and Tony Payne’s The Trellis and the Vine. Download it from our Australian or North American store.”

– Read more and get the links here. (Plug from Mark Dever here.)

Are we still responsible for sins for which we may be genetically predisposed?

Posted on March 12, 2010 
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Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds quotes these helpful words from Tom Schreiner at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky–

“Even if some sins could be traced to our genetics, it would not exempt us from responsibility for such sins. The Scriptures teach that all human beings are born into this world as sons and daughters of Adam, and hence they are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).   Read more

Glasspool receives required number of consents

Posted on March 11, 2010 
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“Diocese of Los Angeles Bishop Suffragan-elect Mary Douglas Glasspool has received the required number of consents from diocesan standing committees to her ordination and consecration, pending verification by the presiding bishop’s office…”

– No surprises in this story from Episcopal Life.

From a December 5 2009 Diocese of Los Angeles press release:
“The second woman to be elected a bishop in the diocese’s 114-year history, Glasspool is also the first openly partnered lesbian to be elected a bishop in the Episcopal Church…”

South Carolina Resolutions to respond to Schori

Posted on March 11, 2010 
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The Diocese of South Carolina’s annual convention will consider five resolutions on March 26, three of which stress diocesan authority amid conflicts with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

In proposing one resolution, the diocese’s standing committee calls it a “Response to Ecclesiastical Intrusions by the Presiding Bishop.” That resolution refers to the diocese’s “legal and ecclesiastical authority as a sovereign diocese within the Episcopal Church,” adds that “the Presiding Bishop has no authority to retain attorneys in this Diocese that present themselves as the legal counsel for the Episcopal Church in South Carolina,” and demands that she “drop the retainer of all such legal counsel in South Carolina as has been obtained contrary to the express will of this Diocese.” …

– Full report from The Living Church.
(Photo of Bishop Mark Lawrence: Diocese of South Carolina.)

What would you want on your tombstone?

Posted on March 11, 2010 
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What is the resurrection to you? What part does it hold in your thinking?

NSW Moderator of The Presbyterian Church, Chris Balzer, wrote this for the Presbyterian magazine, Pulse:

–––––

“A few months ago a friend and I ‘discovered’ the graveyard at Sofala NSW.

From my perspective, the most interesting inscription on a tombstone was this:

The dust of Vestry Walker, who slept in Jesus 28th August 1875, waits here (until) the morning of the first resurrection.

If you call yourself a Christian, would you be pleased at the thought that your relatives might use similar words on your tombstone? I would.

What theological insight those relatives of Vestry Walker had! Can you see the theology?   Read more

God’s power in our weakness

Posted on March 11, 2010 
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“I wonder whether the provision of MP3s of sermons of great preachers now available everywhere is in danger of creating another Corinthian problem for our churches…”

– Over at SydneyAnglicans.net, Bishop Robert Forsyth has a good point – see what he has to say here. (Download the mp3 file.)
Photo: Russell Powell.

Of Earthquakes and End Times

Posted on March 10, 2010 
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“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” (Mark 13:7-8 TNIV)

Not long after the 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia and neighboring countries, a document was circulating on the internet, purportedly showing a dramatic rise in earthquakes in recent years and using that to fuel fervor that Christ’s return was imminent. …

– New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg puts earthquakes in their Biblical context. (Photo: Denver Seminary.)

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