‘An Anglican Covenant’ – 2nd draft released
Posted on February 7, 2008
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The Covenant Design Group, under the chairmanship of Archbishop Drexel Gomez, has released a second draft for the proposed Anglican Covenant.
“The Covenant Design Group met again at the end of January 2008, and produced a second report and draft – the St. Andrew’s Draft – taking into account many of the submissions to the group. This draft is being offered for further reflection, especially at this year’s Lambeth Conference.”
All the details are available on the Anglican Communion Office website.
Bishop Jones’ Exegesis: from here to wherever
Posted on February 6, 2008
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The great thing about the knight in the game of chess is that it can jump intervening squares and pieces to get from one location to another. This is what gives the knight its attacking power. I think it was Anthony Hoekema, however, who coined the phrase ‘knight’s jump exegesis’ to describe the way some people jump from one part of the Bible to another to ‘prove’ their point.
Hoekema argued that Jehovah’s Witnesses do this with regard to, for example, the date of Christ’s return (somewhat overdue by now, on their reckoning). Unfortunately, as was reported in today’s Guardian newspaper, something like this has now also been done by the Rt Revd James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool…
Read John Richardson’s analysis in The Ugley Vicar.
The Pastor’s Understanding of His Own Role
Posted on February 6, 2008
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Watch this challenging message for preachers, from Mark Dever at the 2006 Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Basing his message on 1 Corinthians, Mark Dever discusses the three marks of a faithful pastor. Such a pastor has a cross-centred message, a cross-centred life, and cross-centred followers.”
Video available from Ligonier Ministries. (Broadband recommended. Duration: 56 minutes.)
Other helpful audio and video archive material may be found here.
Concerns over abortion paper
Posted on February 6, 2008
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Concerns have been raised by some Melbourne Anglicans over a submission made to the Victorian Law Reform Commission on reform of the state’s abortion laws.
A think tank of eight women, by invitation from Archbishop Freier, made the submission in December. …
The Revd Tim Patrick, Associate Priest at St Jude’s Carlton, has sent a letter to parishes seeking signatories for a petition protesting against the submission. …
From this month’s The Melbourne Anglican. (The Submission is available here.)
Food for thought
Posted on February 6, 2008
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“…even assuming that there will be a remnant of Evangelicals at Lambeth … the 70% who will be there represent a MINORITY of Anglicans worldwide, while the 30% of bishops attending GAFCON represent 70% or more…”
From a Viewpoint article by Anglican journalist David Virtue.
Archbishop Peter Jensen in the Sydney Morning Herald
Posted on February 5, 2008
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“On Saturday I had the pleasure of ordaining 49 men and women who were officially starting their ministries in Anglican churches in Sydney and beyond. Amid their joy and enthusiasm, I charged them to be faithful servants of the biblical message. I did so aware that I had to announce later in the day our painful decision that we will not go to the Lambeth Conference.
I have characterised this debate not just as one of sexual ethics but of faithfulness to the very message those ordinands had promised to uphold.
There has been a long road leading to this. …”
Raed the full article in The Sydney Morning Herald.
See also “Primate laments snub by bishops” in The Australian. “Dr Aspinall, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, said yesterday he failed to understand the motivation of the dissenting bishops…”
Archbishop aims to save divided Church
Posted on February 5, 2008
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The Anglican archbishop in charge of drawing up the document intended to reunite his warring Church said he believes that schism can still be averted in spite of divisions over the issue of homosexuals.
The Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, said that a new formula had been found that would allow the disciplining of errant churches while respecting the traditional autonomy of the 38 worldwide Anglican provinces. …
But he indicated that the Episcopal Church of the United States was unlikely to face discipline or any form of exclusion from the Anglican Communion … The new draft is expected to introduce greater autonomy for individual provinces to do what they believe to be right. …
Full report by Ruth Gledhill in The Times Online.
See also the earlier Draft Covenant (April 2007)
and an analysis of it by The Church Society’s General Secretary David Phillips (PDF file).
Three more AMiA bishops consecrated
Posted on February 4, 2008
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Three more bishops have been consecrated into the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), the ‘alternative province’ set up in North America for disaffected traditonalists who reject the leadership of the American Episcopal Church, particularly their liberal stance on homosexuality.
American priests Terrel Glynn, John Miller and Philip Jones were consecrated bishops into the Church of Rwanda in a ceremony at AMiA’s winter conference in Dallas, Texas, which was attended by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and Justice Akrofi, the Archbishop of West Africa. …
Report from Religious Intelligence.
(See also these details from the AMiA website. Photo: Dick Kim.)
Helpful music on special
Posted on February 3, 2008
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Many of our readers have been blessed through the work of Australian groups Emu Music, Garage Hymnal and others who produce gospel-focussed music.
In the US, Sovereign Grace Ministries produces similarly helpful music (some of which will be familiar to attendees of CMS NSW Summer School). Read more
Sydney will not attend Lambeth – official
Posted on February 2, 2008
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This Statement was made by Archbishop Peter Jensen – speaking after the service of ordination of 48 deacons at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney today –
“With regret, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney have decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference in July.
They remain fully committed to the Anglican Communion, to which they continue to belong, but sense that attending the Conference at this time will not help heal its divisions.
They continue to pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference.”
From the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin
Posted on February 2, 2008
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This letter has been sent to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin –
“Friday, February 01, 2008
We have received your letter dated January 25 in which you state that you do not recognize us individually as members of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of San Joaquin. We find your statements, published by ENS on the internet and read in Hanford prior to most of us receiving the actual letter, to be unhelpful. While you may hold any personal opinion you wish as an individual, the office of Presiding Bishop does not have the legal, canonical or moral authority to proclaim for the Episcopal Church non-recognition of duly elected members of a diocesan Standing Committee. …”
Read the full letter sent from the San Joaquin Standing Committee to Katharine Jefferts Schori.
48 New Deacons in Sydney
Posted on February 2, 2008
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This morning 48 men and women were ordained as deacons by Archbishop Peter Jensen at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
Please give thanks to the Lord for each and pray for them as they begin new ministries.
(Thanks to David Ould for the photo. More photos here courtesy of Ramon Williams. And a report here from SydneyAnglicans.net)
Anglicans keep Lourdes anniversary
Posted on February 2, 2008
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Eight Church of England bishops are together planning to make an unprecedented group pilgrimage to the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes on the 150th anniversary of the reported appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Bernadette.
… the Society of Mary, one of the Church of England’s Catholic Societies, has organised a pilgrimage for a large group of Anglican bishops, along with about 400 lay worshippers. …
Full story from The Church Times.
(For a very helpful resource on the difference between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs, see Ray Galea’s Nothing in My Hand I Bring published by Matthias Media.)
Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen on church music
Posted on February 1, 2008
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In response to this ABC Radio PM item (“Archbishop of Sydney ‘vandalising’ Anglican culture”, Wednesday, 30 January 2008) and an article in The Spectator, Archbishop Peter Jensen has released this statement:
“I am disturbed by an attack on the musical tradition of St. Andrew’s Cathedral featured in the Spectator and aired on ABC Radio recently.
No opportunity was given to respond to these remarks before they aired.
There are inaccuracies in the reports about which I will say nothing, but I am compelled to speak to correct the record and to protect the real victims of such an attack, the musicians who do a splendid job, week in and week out, in congregations across Sydney, and not least at our Cathedral, St. Andrew’s.
Christ Church Plano – The Anglican Initiative for Mission
Posted on February 1, 2008
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David Roseberry, Rector of Christ Church Plano, reports from the first meeting of The Anglican Initiative for Mission: an annual workshop to inspire, train and support the planting of new churches in America.
The workshop was held as a prelude to the AMiA Winter Conference last week in Dallas.
Watch David’s report via Youtube. See also the The Anglican Initiative for Mission website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…