Canadian primate seeks faceoff with ‘rival leader’
Posted on September 12, 2008
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“The head of the Anglican Church of Canada wants a face-to-face meeting with his South American counterpart, who earlier this year claimed jurisdiction over 10 Canadian congregations in a growing split over same-sex marriage blessings. …
Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, however, says he would find it ‘difficult’ to attend such a meeting.”
– Report from The Toronto Star. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney.)
Fort Worth Standing Committee recommends joining Southern Cone
Posted on September 12, 2008
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“On Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, the Executive Council of the diocese adopted and endorsed – with only one dissenting vote – the following report and recommendation of the Bishop and Standing Committee. …
…that this Diocese affiliate with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone as a member diocese, on a temporary, pastoral basis, until such time as an orthodox Province of the Anglican Communion can be established in North America.”
– Read the full report from the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
RC Sproul on Christless Christianity
Posted on September 12, 2008
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Last weekend, at The White Horse Inn, Michael Horton interviewed R C Sproul.
Sproul: “conservatism here in America has not been evangelical for a long, long time.” He also argues that Deism is alive and well in even the most rigorous of American ‘evangelical’ churches.
Watch the video 54 minute here at YouTube or download the full 120MB mp4 file (direct link).
Letter from the Trustees of 4 Vancouver churches
Posted on September 11, 2008
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“As Trustees and members of ANiC, we have repeatedly invited the diocese and its representatives to sit down and negotiate a resolution with us on the matters in dispute. We have sought alternative resolution methods through the House of Bishops in Canada and again with all the dioceses involved. Every attempt has been refused…”
– The trustees of St. John’s Shaughnessy, Good Shepherd Vancouver, St. Matthew’s Abbotsford, and St. Matthias & St. Luke’s Vancouver write to their Congregations. Read it all at the St. John’s Shaughnessy website.
Canadian Primate aims to stop Venables
Posted on September 11, 2008
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Canadian Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has asked Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to facilitate a meeting between him, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil Archbishop Mauricio de Andrade and Anglican Province of the Southern Cone Archbishop Gregory Venables to discuss cross-border interventions. …
Hiltz, Andrade and Jefferts Schori have repeatedly asked Venables to stop intervening in the internal affairs of their provinces.…
– Report from Episcopal Life Online.
Related: This 35 minute video: Conversation with Archbishop Venables, from August 2nd, is worth watching.
Vancouver parishes ask for clarification
Posted on September 11, 2008
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Four Vancouver-area Anglican Network in Canada parishes are asking the courts to clarify their trustees’ responsibilities in response to hostile action taken by a diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada.…
– Press release from the Anglican Network in Canada – via VirtueOnline.
Irondequoit church, Episcopal diocese clash in state court over property
Posted on September 10, 2008
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“Lawyers for an Anglican church in Irondequoit and for the Episcopal diocese of Rochester differed before the state’s highest court Tuesday on whether an agreement made between the two parties carries the force of law in New York.…”
– More court action over who owns property – this story from the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, New York.
Canberra & Goulburn prepares to elect new bishop
Posted on September 10, 2008
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After the retirement of Bishop George Browning last month, the Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn is preparing to elect a new bishop. The Election Synod begins on October 31st.
The diocesan website has details on what’s involved – and at least one parish (Gungahlin) has issued an invitation (PDF file) to join them in prayer.
Bad news overshadows good news for Chinese Christians
Posted on September 10, 2008
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A popular house church leader and his wife were released from government custody in China recently, but that good news was overshadowed by the fact that countless other Chinese Christians still are imprisoned, including bookstore owner Shi Weihan who has been described as ‘unrecognizable’ following his poor treatment in detention.
Zhang ‘Bike’ Mingxuan, chairman of the Federation House Church, and his wife Xie Fenglan were released from Public Security Bureau custody Aug. 29 but were told they could not return to Beijing until the end of the Paralympics Sept. 16, according to the human rights group China Aid Association.
– A report from Baptist Press.
Mark 13 in perspective and preaching Christ today
Posted on September 9, 2008
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Recently at the Lowestoft Living Word convention, I chose to speak on Mark 13, sometimes called the ‘Little Apocalypse’ because it appears to anticipate the themes of the book of Revelation (The Apocalypse of John).
I think it is fair to say that most Christian interpretation assumes this passage is about the end of the world…
– Moore College graduate John Richardson blogs at the Ugley Vicar.
G W Bromiley on Nicholas Ridley
Posted on September 9, 2008
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Church Society has published online a four-part series on Bishop Nicholas Ridley by Geoffrey Bromiley –
“Nicholas Ridley was one of those three confessor-bishops whose names are linked indissolubly with the English Reformation.
Of the three, Cranmer had the widest sphere of opportunity, and if he lacked the most conspicuous gifts of leadership, he had nevertheless his own capacities which allowed him to exploit many of the advantages of his position. Latimer was an older man. As a contemporary writer put it, “He came earlier in the morning, and was the more ancient workman in the Lord’s vineyard.” Latimer was no great scholar, but he was a moral preacher of singular power, able to catch the ear both of those in high places and also of the common people.
Ridley himself was the youngest of the three, but in many ways he was also the most talented. He excelled not only as a scholar, but also as a diligent and forceful ecclesiastic, and by his activity and learning he came to be recognized in his own day as perhaps the foremost champion of the Reformation movement. …”
– From Church Society.
Tearfund and Archbishop Tutu
Posted on September 8, 2008
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“Some of us may be wondering what exactly is happening here. According to Tearfund’s site, AB Desmond Tutu (with Tearfund Director, Matthew Frost, left) gave a stirring speech which encouraged radical Christian commitment and care for the poor, the suffering, the dispossessed, those close to God’s heart. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?
That is not all the good bishop said, however. According to BBC’s account, Desmond Tutu reiterated what has become one of his classic lectures on the evils of homophobia in the church and how issues of human sexuality are not that important in the Big Picture…”
– Dr Lisa Severine Nolland writes at Anglican Mainstream.
See the BBC’s report: Church obsessed with gays – Tutu. (Photo: Tearfund.)
‘Good Saint Sarah’
Posted on September 7, 2008
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“A week ago the media could not break away from Barack Obama. Today Sarah Palin is dominating the discussion. …
Interestingly, while feminists have been asking whether Palin can care for her nation and her family, Christians have been wondering the same. Is it right for a woman to take on a position of such responsibility?…”
– Canadian Andrew Challies comments on (and provides links to) varied reactions to Sarah Palin’s nomination as John McCain’s running mate for the US Presidency.
(Photo: johnmccain.com)
GAFCON leaders say Communion can never be the same again
Posted on September 7, 2008
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The Anglican Communion has been broken and it is an “illusion” to believe things can ever be the same again, the archbishops of the Gafcon movement said last week following their first organizational meeting in London. …
George Conger writes at Religious Intelligence about the recent GAFCON Primates meeting.
Photo: Archbishops Peter Akinola, Emmanuel Kolini and Valentino Mokiwa at a press briefing after the closing session of GAFCON 2008 – by Joy Gwaltney. (hat tip Anglican Mainstream)
Anglican Network in Canada: Open letter to Primates
Posted on September 6, 2008
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5 September 2008
Open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion
After consulting with my Primate, Archbishop Gregory Venables, I report with great sadness that two Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) churches under my jurisdiction – St Matthews (Abbotsford, BC) and St Matthias and St Luke’s (Vancouver, BC) – received letters on 26 August 2008, informing them that the Bishop of New Westminster had taken action on 10 July 2008 to seize control of those parish properties. The letters also notified the wardens, trustees and parish councils that Bishop Michael Ingham had dismissed and replaced them and ordered the clergy to vacate the church buildings by mid-September. It is clear that our other two ANiC parishes in Vancouver, St. John’s Shaughnessy and Church of the Good Shepherd, will receive the same action in the near future.
This is the fourth Canadian diocese to act in this way against ANiC churches which have come under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. …
– Read the full letter from Bishop Don Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada as a 48kb PDF file (direct link).
See also our earlier stories –
New Westminster takes steps against Southern Cone clergy.
New Westminster moves to seize control of ANiC parishes.
St. John’s Shaughnessy responds to New Westminster.
New Westminister letters to parishioners.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…