CEEC responds to General Synod decision

Posted on November 16, 2023 
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Revd Canon John Dunnett, National Director, Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), said:

“CEEC is grieved and saddened that the General Synod passed a motion earlier this afternoon to continue with the implementation of the bishops’ proposals. These proposals depart from a biblical understanding of sex and marriage, in particular by enabling blessings for same sex couples in parish churches. This decision follows a process that has been widely observed as unduly hasty, incomplete and haphazard.

“This is, however, more than just a departure from the biblical understanding of sex and marriage. Sadly, today marks a ‘watershed’ moment, in that it appears that the Church of England no longer sees Scripture as our supreme authority. 

“If the bishops continue with the implementation of their proposals, we believe this will have a devastating impact on churches across the country and beyond. It will tear local parish congregations apart, damage the relationship between large numbers of clergy and their bishops and cause churches across the dioceses to feel as though their shepherds have abandoned them. It may also serve a final blow to the unity of the Anglican Communion. 

“CEEC longs for a resurgence of faithfulness to biblical teaching, which would deepen the unity for which Jesus prayed in John 17. 

“CEEC is committed to supporting the ministry of orthodox evangelical lay people and ministers across the dioceses. In the next few days CEEC will announce a series of provisions for orthodox evangelicals and work to do all it can to ensure evangelical life and witness in the Church of England continues for years to come.”

– Source: CEEC.

Anglican Futures account of the long debate in the C of E General Synod

Posted on November 16, 2023 
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Including this statement in the Synod from Church Society’s Dr Ros Clarke –

“… makes it clear just how divided the bishops are – not just on the subject of same-sex relationships but also on the legal advice and the motion before us. Synod, it is not progress to be presented with legal advice which most of us have not been allowed to see and which has divided those who have seen it.”

– Read the record of some key speeches and votes at Anglican Futures’ How many amendments?

C of E General Synod backs trial of special services asking for God’s blessing for same-sex couples

Posted on November 16, 2023 
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From The Church of England’s General Synod meeting (early this morning, Australian time):

“The motion passed, as amended, was:

The Bishop of London to move:

‘That this Synod, conscious that the Church is not of one mind on the issues raised by Living in Love and Faith, that we are in a period of uncertainty, and that many in the Church on all sides are being deeply hurt at this time, recognise the progress made by the House of Bishops towards implementing the motion on Living in Love and Faith passed by this Synod in February 2023, as reported in GS 2328, encourage the House to continue its work of implementation, and ask the House to consider whether some standalone services for same-sex couples could be made available for use, possibly on a trial basis, on the timescale envisaged by the motion passed by the Synod in February 2023.’

The voting on the final motion was: 

Press release from the Church of England here. Emphasis added.

Reaction to follow.

Image: The Bishop of London moves the motion in General Synod.

Keep contending!

Posted on November 15, 2023 
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“I’ve recently had my 5-year health check, and am waiting for a letter from the NHS promising all sorts of details: blood pressure, pulse rate, cholesterol level and so on. Who knows what it might say!

But as someone who loves eggs, chocolate and cheese, the temptation when it arrives will be to either not read, or totally ignore, the cholesterol part because I don’t want to be told to cut down on foods I like. In actual fact, of course, I shall not only read the whole thing but do that in company with Katie my wife, because I believe doctors know what they’re talking about, and I would need accountability and help with any parts of the letter requiring challenging changes.

Many of us know this same temptation with Scripture. …

This is why I found Lee Gatiss’s ‘Fight Valiantly’ so helpful. He examines all of God’s commands relating to contending, and thereby protects me from simply pursuing what is instinctive …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Andrew Towner commends the new expanded edition of Fight Valiantly.

The post includes a link to a free PDF of Chapter 8.

Finnish Politician who faced potential gaol time for sharing biblical views cleared of all charges

Posted on November 15, 2023 
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“Finnish politician who faced a years-long legal battle for sharing her biblical views on sexuality has been found not guilty of hate speech for sharing a Bible verse, among other expressions. …”

– Report from CBN.

GAFCON Australasia Conference 2024

Posted on November 15, 2023 
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The GAFCON Australasia Conference is coming up 1-4 July 2024 in Brisbane.

Details and booking here.

What do bishops actually have to believe?

Posted on November 14, 2023 
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“Mr Benjamin John, a lay member of General Synod is on a mission to find out what bishops in the Church of England are required to believe. And the answer is frightening.

Some readers of this blog may remember how Mr John bore the brunt of the Archbishop of York’s derision in February 2023 – when his perfectly reasonable question was met with a lecture about the development of doctrine and the suggestion that he might like to read the New Testament. …

This time, Mr John has addressed his question to the Chair of the House of Bishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury – he has been very careful in his explanation of how current controversies seem to contradict a previous answer given by the Archbishop, and he ends by asking his question, ‘..what do Bishops actually have to believe?’…”

– Anglican Futures reports the reply given by the Archbishop of Canterbury. (It’s not very deep.)

Image: Ben John at the Church of England’s General Synod in February 2023.

Rethinking retirement to avoid the sin of the sluggard — with Mike Raiter

Posted on November 14, 2023 
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From The Pastor’s Heart:

“The concept we now know as retirement is a 19th century invention and not a Christian concept.

Former Missionary, Bible College lecturer and principal Mike Raiter says the idea that we should stop work at 65 and enjoy 20 or 30 years of rest is not biblical.

How should we think about the stage of life that starts at 65.  What are the ministry opportunities available? What are the sins and temptations that the over 65’s are prone to? And how can younger pastors speak to those who are older?”

– Watch or listen here.

Gospel-Led Regeneration: Questions

Posted on November 13, 2023 
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“In his post, ‘Unherd’, on September 24, 2023, Peter Franklin comments on a new book, The Great Dechurching, by Jim Davis and Michael Graham (August, 2023). They observe that in recent years some 40 million Americans have stopped attending church.

Now it’s easy to say this is not surprising – perhaps because of the shocking abuses perpetrated in various churches, and also the trickle-down impact of the secular liberalism of influential universities, denying the existence of the divine.

However, it seems the reasons are not that simple. …”

– At The Anglican Connection, John Mason has some suggestions you might use to help family and friends consider what’s really important – with the promise of more next week.

Two Archdeacons announced for Bathurst Diocese

Posted on November 13, 2023 
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News from the Diocese of Bathurst:

“Bishop Calder has announced the Rev’d Andrew Thornhill as Archdeacon of the north-west and the Rev’d Tim St Quintin as Archdeacon of the east. They will be collated at their commissioning services on 03 February (11am, Dubbo) and 13 April (11am, Mudgee) respectively. Please pray for Andrew and Tim as they prepare to take up these appointments.”

Via the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.

Photo: Andrew Thornhill with Bishop Mark Calder, and Tim & Sarah St Quintin.

What is an ‘inclusive evangelical’?

Posted on November 12, 2023 
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“There was a small social media storm last week when the newish group ‘Inclusive Evangelicals’ issued a letter, with 600 signatories, supporting progress in authorising prayers of blessing for same-sex couples, rooted in the conviction that ‘prayerful reading of scripture has led us to an inclusive position on same-sex relationships.’ …”

– At Psephizo, Ian Paul asks, “What is an ‘inclusive evangelical’?”

Statement from the Gafcon Primates Council 6-9 November 2023

Posted on November 11, 2023 
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In a statement issued at the end of their meeting in London, the GAFCON Primates reaffirm they are not leaving the Anglican Communion.

The Council received the resignation of Archbishop Ben Kwashi, former Bishop of Jos, as the General Secretary and announced that Paul Donison, Rector and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Plano, Texas, will be the new General Secretary.

Much more in their full statement below:

 

Statement from the Gafcon Primates Council

The Gafcon Primates Council met in Uxbridge, UK from 6-9 November 2023 under the chairmanship of the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop of Rwanda.

We commenced each day with prayer, praise and reflection on Holy Scripture, encouraged by the teaching of Paul, reminding Timothy of the importance of discipleship, the faithfulness of God and that the servant of God should not be ashamed as a workman who correctly handles the word of truth, and to his letter to the Corinthians regarding the importance of preaching Christ Crucified and nothing less.

Conscious of the forthcoming meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England, the Primates reaffirmed their commitment to the Jerusalem Statement of 2008, which describes Gafcon as ‘a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it.’ The Jerusalem Statement rejects the proposition that authentic Anglicans are only those recognised by the Archbishop of Canterbury. On the contrary, the criteria of Anglican identity are outlined in the fourteen points of the Jerusalem Declaration which continue to define authentic Anglicanism, despite the abandonment of many of these features by those who purport to be Anglicans. We have witnessed over the past twenty-five years the slow, but relentless, moral decay in parts of the Anglican Communion where the world’s values have been endorsed and embraced, replacing the clear teaching of God’s word written.

We continue to affirm that we are not leaving the Anglican Communion. We are delighted to work with the Global South (GSFA) in the task of resetting the Communion, which was foreshadowed in the 2008 Jerusalem Statement, and explicitly declared in the Kigali Commitment of 2023. Given the failure of the so-called Instruments of Communion, we shall not be attending the 2024 Primates Meeting in Rome, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and encourage all orthodox Primates to join us in this stand against those who support a revisionist agenda.

Furthermore, we encourage Gafcon Provinces to consider withdrawing all links with any English diocese whose bishop supports the proposals, currently before the General Synod, to sanction the blessing of same-sex couples. We also extend the right hand of fellowship to and support all bishops, clergy and laity who oppose these revisionist doctrines and courageously uphold the teaching of Christ on the sanctity of marriage as God has ordained it (Matthew 19:4-6). We especially commend those English bishops who have distanced themselves from the egregious recommendations of the House of Bishops.

We likewise commend the ministry and witness of the Anglican Network in Europe as the appropriate and necessary provision of Gafcon for those who cannot in good conscience remain in a Church which flagrantly abandons the teaching of Scripture.

We rejoiced in hearing reports of gospel growth in various extra-provincial dioceses authenticated by the Gafcon Primates. Both the Anglican Mission in England and the Anglican Convocation in Europe, which comprise the Anglican Network in Europe, have been blessed with a growth in number of congregations and members. Likewise, the Church of Confessing Anglicans in Aotearoa New Zealand and the recently formed Diocese of the Southern Cross in Australia have also seen gospel growth as Christ is faithfully proclaimed.

We welcomed Presiding Bishop Glenn Lyons to take his seat on the Primates Council, having endorsed the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of Southern Africa (REACH-SA) as an authentic Anglican Province, after a 150-year history of successive Archbishops of Canterbury, who refused to endorse, let alone acknowledge, what Archbishop Cranmer would have clearly seen as an authentic Anglican Church (Article XIX, On the Church).

As our movement grows, we agreed to refocus our attention on strengthening the nine Networks established in 2018. These networks covered a range of Christian ministries, for the health of the Church.

We have reactivated the Bishops Training Institute (BTI) under the guidance of Bishop Henry Orombi. While the BTI has been in abeyance since the onset of COVID-19, we pledged to work with the GSFA in the education and formation of those elected as bishops in the church of God.

We received the resignation of the Most Reverend Ben Kwashi, former Bishop of Jos, as the General Secretary, a position he has held for five and a half years. We acknowledged the extraordinary gifts of this servant of Christ, his global promotion of Gafcon and his passion for evangelism and equipping the saints. Archbishop Kwashi will continue to be involved in various programs of the Gafcon Movement. We appointed the Very Reverend Paul Donison, Rector and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Plano, Texas, as the next General Secretary and pray that God will bless him as he takes up this significant and strategic role in the Gafcon Movement.

Faithfulness to Christ is costly. We grieved over a report from the Province of Myanmar, whose church and people face significant challenges. We also received news from the Most Rev. Ezekiel Kondo, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, that on All Saints’ Day, one of his churches in Omdurman had been destroyed by warring factions in the area. We commended both of our episcopal brothers and their provinces to the gracious care of our Sovereign God. We also prayed for those suffering in South Sudan, in Gaza and Israel and in Ukraine.

Without the gospel, we are lost. Without the fellowship of like-minded Anglicans, we are impoverished. Without prayer, we are powerless. We therefore commend the following Gafcon Prayer to all members of our Gafcon family for regular petition before our gracious God.

GAFCON COLLECT

Eternal God and gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ died for our redemption; commissioned His disciples to preach the good news;
and sent the indwelling Holy Spirit in every generation to embrace and proclaim salvation in Christ alone:
Arise and defend your Church, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
Shine the light of your Holy Word upon hearts darkened by error and strengthen the work of Gafcon so that the Anglican Communion throughout the world proclaims Christ faithfully to the nations, that captives may be set free, the straying rescued, and the confused restored.
Bind your children together in truth, love, unity and courage, that we, with all your saints, may inherit your eternal kingdom, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
Amen.

The Gafcon Primates Council
The Most Reverend Laurent Mbanda – Rwanda
The Most Reverend Miguel Uchoa – Brazil
The Most Reverend Foley Beach – North America
The Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba – Church of All Nigeria
The Most Reverend Stepehen Kaziimba – Uganda
Presiding Bishop Glenn Lyons – The Provence of REACH Southern Africa
The Most Reverend Tito Zavala – Chile
The Most Reverend Stephen Than Myint Oo – Myanmar
The Most Reverend Ezekiel Kondo – Sudan
The Most Reverend Samy Shehata – Alexandria
The Most Reverend James Wong – Indian Ocean
The Rt Reverend Malcolm Richards – representing the Archbishop of Sydney

9 November 2023

Source: GAFCON.

A unique memorial: The John Francis Cash Memorial Chapel at Moore College

Posted on November 11, 2023 
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This Remembrance Day, learn a little about the John Francis Cash Memorial Chapel at Moore Theological College –

“John Francis Cash was the first Sydney civilian to volunteer for the RAAF after the outbreak of World War 2, and the chapel built in his memory may be considered to honour the memory of all the young Australian men killed in that conflict but have no grave or other memorial. …”

– in 2020, Erin Mollenhauer, Senior Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Moore College’s Donald Robinson Library, penned this introduction.

(Click the image for a larger version, courtesy of Moore College.)

Part-time study at Moore College?

Posted on November 11, 2023 
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Might part-time study at Moore College be an option for you?

Watch this short video just released by the College then see more details here.

Do you want me to resign over same-sex blessings, Archbishop Welby asks conservatives

Posted on November 10, 2023 
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“Accounts have emerged this week of two fractious meetings between the Archbishop of Canterbury and representatives  groups engaged with Living in Love and Faith (LLF).

The meetings, held last Friday, were billed in the invitation as a ‘further engagement opportunity ahead of the meeting of General Synod in November, so that we are able to share with you the intentions of the bishops and so you are able to share your thoughts and concerns with us’. …”

– Anglican Mainstream, has this link to an article in Church Times.

As you may have read earlier, when the evangelical and Anglo-Catholic leaders were asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if he should resign, Church Society’s Dr Lee Gatiss answered for many around the world – Yes.

Related, from February 20, 2023 –

“The GSFA is no longer able to recognise the present Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Hon & Most Revd Justin Welby, as the ‘first among equals’ Leader of the global Communion.  …”

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