http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/may/05053007.html
[LifeSite.com] May 30, 2005--Since earlier this spring, the various member churches of the Worldwide Anglican Communion have been attempting to avoid a schism between two implacably opposed and hostile camps by postponing the decision on the ordination of homosexual clergy to their upcoming June international meetings. Meanwhile, the latest decision of the Anglican Church of England – the Communion’s mother church – has reached what may be the nadir of self-contradiction.
Has the time come for the global south Anglican churches to declare that a state of broken communion now exists between Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the orthodox churches of the Anglican Communion?!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Gay clergy allowed to ‘marry’
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/8600
[uk.gay.com] May 31, 2005--Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has drawn up proposals along with senior Bishops in the Church of England, that will allow gay clergy to marry their partners once the Civil Partnership law comes into effect in December.
[uk.gay.com] May 31, 2005--Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has drawn up proposals along with senior Bishops in the Church of England, that will allow gay clergy to marry their partners once the Civil Partnership law comes into effect in December.
No sex please, we’re Anglican
http://www.gaynz.com/news/default.asp?dismode=article&artid=2453
[GayNZ.com] May 31, 2005--The Anglican gay pantomime in the UK continues with news that gay Anglican priests will be allowed to take advantage of the country’s new civil partnership laws – but aren’t permitted to have sex, the Church says.
[GayNZ.com] May 31, 2005--The Anglican gay pantomime in the UK continues with news that gay Anglican priests will be allowed to take advantage of the country’s new civil partnership laws – but aren’t permitted to have sex, the Church says.
Anglican Gay Priests Told They Can Register Their Partners But Can't Have Sex
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/05/052905anglicans.htm
[365gay.com] May 29, 2005--When Britain's new domestic partner law takes effect in December gay Anglican priests and their partners will be allowed to register, the Church has decided, but they cannot consummate their relationships.
The proposal has angered both gays and homophobes in the Church, but has the approval of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
[365gay.com] May 29, 2005--When Britain's new domestic partner law takes effect in December gay Anglican priests and their partners will be allowed to register, the Church has decided, but they cannot consummate their relationships.
The proposal has angered both gays and homophobes in the Church, but has the approval of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Carey urges more 'coal face' bishops
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2540
[The Telegraph] May 30, 2005--The former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has lambasted the Church of England for appointing too few bishops with real parish experience.
Lord Carey said that if the Church was to reverse the decline in churchgoing, it needed leaders with proven ability to increase their congregations when they were vicars.
Instead, he said, most of them lacked the background to understand the pressures that ordinary parish priests were under. His attack will irritate many of his former colleagues, who are involved in a huge effort to reverse the long-term haemorrhage of worshippers in the Church.
[The Telegraph] May 30, 2005--The former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has lambasted the Church of England for appointing too few bishops with real parish experience.
Lord Carey said that if the Church was to reverse the decline in churchgoing, it needed leaders with proven ability to increase their congregations when they were vicars.
Instead, he said, most of them lacked the background to understand the pressures that ordinary parish priests were under. His attack will irritate many of his former colleagues, who are involved in a huge effort to reverse the long-term haemorrhage of worshippers in the Church.
A Template from the Presiding Bishop's Office
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2534
[New Directions] May 29, 2005--Like most offices, that of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church keeps a stock of templates from which letters can when required be constructed with the minimum of fuss.
New Directions has been fortunate to secure a copy of these templates, and can therefore provide, in advance, an example of any communication which the PB is likely to send in any circumstance whatsoever. Here is the template for circular letters to members of the House of Bishops after a meeting or event:
[New Directions] May 29, 2005--Like most offices, that of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church keeps a stock of templates from which letters can when required be constructed with the minimum of fuss.
New Directions has been fortunate to secure a copy of these templates, and can therefore provide, in advance, an example of any communication which the PB is likely to send in any circumstance whatsoever. Here is the template for circular letters to members of the House of Bishops after a meeting or event:
Church of England May Allow Homosexual Clergy to Marry with Vow of Abstinence
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/church.of.england.may.allow.homosexual.clergy.to.marry.with.vow.of.abstinence./581.htm
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 30, 2005--As the Anglican Communion is dogged by the issue of homosexuality in the Church, a new proposal emerged through a meeting of senior bishops last week in England, which may fuel the fiery debate among conservatives and liberals.
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 30, 2005--As the Anglican Communion is dogged by the issue of homosexuality in the Church, a new proposal emerged through a meeting of senior bishops last week in England, which may fuel the fiery debate among conservatives and liberals.
Rowan Williams to Authorise Controversial Civil Unions for Gay Clergy
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/anglican.church.to.authorise.controversial.civil.unions.for.gay.clergy/582.htm
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 30, 2005--It has been announced that homosexual priests in the Church of England may officially be allowed to take part in civil unions under new proposals drawn up by senior bishops, which was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 30, 2005--It has been announced that homosexual priests in the Church of England may officially be allowed to take part in civil unions under new proposals drawn up by senior bishops, which was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
Examining the Unchurched
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/missions/articles/052505.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 31, 2005--Our two-year research project involved asking unchurched men and women numerous questions. One primary issue we sought to discern was the level of receptivity to the gospel of these we interviewed.
We classified their receptivity on a scale from one to five. U1, or unchurched 1, represented the most receptive group to the gospel. U5, or unchurched 5, were the least receptive. In this article we highlight our research with the U4s.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 31, 2005--Our two-year research project involved asking unchurched men and women numerous questions. One primary issue we sought to discern was the level of receptivity to the gospel of these we interviewed.
We classified their receptivity on a scale from one to five. U1, or unchurched 1, represented the most receptive group to the gospel. U5, or unchurched 5, were the least receptive. In this article we highlight our research with the U4s.
Calif. assembly to vote on 'gay marriage' bill; Mass. court rejects challenge; Judge upholds Ky. amend.
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20870
[Baptist Press News] May 27, 2005--A bill that would legalize "gay marriage" in California is heading to the floor of the state Assembly.
[Baptist Press News] May 27, 2005--A bill that would legalize "gay marriage" in California is heading to the floor of the state Assembly.
Conflicts in Connecticut Six Case Continue
http://www.christianpost.com/article/church/2100/section/conflicts.in.connecticut.six.case.continue/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 31, 2005--Relations between six dissenting Anglican parishes in Connecticut and their bishop are at a continued stalemate despite months of negotiations and talks.
[The Christian Post] May 31, 2005--Relations between six dissenting Anglican parishes in Connecticut and their bishop are at a continued stalemate despite months of negotiations and talks.
Massachusetts Supreme Court Denies Stay on Same-sex Marriage
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1615/section/massachusetts.supreme.court.denies.stay.on.same-sex.marriage/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 31, 2005--On Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Court denied a request to halt same-sex marriages in the state until a public vote could be held on the state’s proposed marriage amendment.
[The Christian Post] May 31, 2005--On Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Court denied a request to halt same-sex marriages in the state until a public vote could be held on the state’s proposed marriage amendment.
Church to let gay clergy ‘marry’ but they must stay celibate
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1632517,00.html
[The Sunday Times] May 29, 2005--Homosexual priests in the Church of England will be allowed to “marry” their boyfriends under a proposal drawn up by senior bishops, led by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
[The Sunday Times] May 29, 2005--Homosexual priests in the Church of England will be allowed to “marry” their boyfriends under a proposal drawn up by senior bishops, led by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In Defense of Certainty
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1066928,00.html
[Time] May 30, 2005--It's trendy to be suspicious of people with "deeply held views." And it's wrong
[Time] May 30, 2005--It's trendy to be suspicious of people with "deeply held views." And it's wrong
Saturday, May 28, 2005
'Emergent' Christians seek spirituality without nasty theological squabbling
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050528/NEWS06/505280346/1023/NEWS
[Tennessean.com] May 28, 2005--Call it a post-everything faith, or Starbucks spirituality, or the salvation of Protestantism, but the hottest trend in American church life pitched its tent in Nashville last week.
[Tennessean.com] May 28, 2005--Call it a post-everything faith, or Starbucks spirituality, or the salvation of Protestantism, but the hottest trend in American church life pitched its tent in Nashville last week.
Canon law and civil law increasingly dominate ECUSA news
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2525
[Virtue Online] May 28, 2005--Canon Law, civil law and the Episcopal Church are six words that one hears with increasing frequency, often spoken in the same breath. But you had better bring along your favorite brand of Listerine.
[Virtue Online] May 28, 2005--Canon Law, civil law and the Episcopal Church are six words that one hears with increasing frequency, often spoken in the same breath. But you had better bring along your favorite brand of Listerine.
Congregation of St. Nicholas' to worship together one last time
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2523
[Virtue Online] May 27, 2005--After a final worship service at St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 29 at 7:00 pm, almost the entire congregation will leave their prominent church building and start a new church called Christ Church Midland.
[Virtue Online] May 27, 2005--After a final worship service at St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 29 at 7:00 pm, almost the entire congregation will leave their prominent church building and start a new church called Christ Church Midland.
Heaviest share of the burden falls on smaller congregations
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/11759534.htm
[Kansas City Star] May 28, 2005--As she sits on a metal folding chair in her cluttered office at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church here, the Rev. Jane Rothman glows with enthusiasm.
[Kansas City Star] May 28, 2005--As she sits on a metal folding chair in her cluttered office at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church here, the Rev. Jane Rothman glows with enthusiasm.
"Presiding Bishop: ACC Presentation will Invite Dialogue"
[The Living Church] May 23, 2005--Members of the Episcopal Church’s theology delegation to the Anglican Consultative Council hearing on homosexuality next month joined Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold May 20 at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City for a strategy session.
Writing to the national Executive Council on May 18, Bishop Griswold invited the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta; the Rev. Michael Battle, associate dean for academic affairs and vice-president of Virginia Theological Seminary; the Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana; the Rt. Rev. Catherine Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York; the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity; and Jane Tully of C-FLAG to "organize our thoughts and determine how best to express them in ways that will have the greatest chance of being heard and understood as fellow members of Christ’s risen body."
The Episcopal Church’s presentation will "fall into three sections," the Presiding Bishop noted. The seven-member team will address issues "scriptural and theological; the reality of homosexuality in the life and experience of faithful persons and families; and a witness to the fact that divergent points of view on issues of sexuality need not be church dividing, and that those who stand in different places can make common cause together in the service of Christ’s mission."
While the Anglican Consultative Council will "pay for three persons to represent us" in Nottingham, Bishop Griswold wrote, he added that "I feel that we are best served by sending six, in addition to myself, and I have every confidence that these six persons will represent the Episcopal Church with faithfulness and grace."
The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada will each have an hour and a half to respond to the primates’ Feb. 24 communiqué. "This will include time for queries, clarifications and conversation with the members of ACC, as our presentation needs to be put forward in a gracious and open-ended way that invites dialogue and conversation," Bishop Griswold wrote.
The host for the opening service will be the rector of St. Peter’s, the Rev. Canon Andrew Deuchar, who served as Archbishop George Carey’s secretary for Anglican Communion affairs.
The host for the opening service will be the rector of St. Peter’s, the Rev. Canon Andrew Deuchar, who served as Archbishop George Carey’s secretary for Anglican Communion affairs.
Writing to the national Executive Council on May 18, Bishop Griswold invited the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta; the Rev. Michael Battle, associate dean for academic affairs and vice-president of Virginia Theological Seminary; the Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana; the Rt. Rev. Catherine Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York; the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity; and Jane Tully of C-FLAG to "organize our thoughts and determine how best to express them in ways that will have the greatest chance of being heard and understood as fellow members of Christ’s risen body."
The Episcopal Church’s presentation will "fall into three sections," the Presiding Bishop noted. The seven-member team will address issues "scriptural and theological; the reality of homosexuality in the life and experience of faithful persons and families; and a witness to the fact that divergent points of view on issues of sexuality need not be church dividing, and that those who stand in different places can make common cause together in the service of Christ’s mission."
While the Anglican Consultative Council will "pay for three persons to represent us" in Nottingham, Bishop Griswold wrote, he added that "I feel that we are best served by sending six, in addition to myself, and I have every confidence that these six persons will represent the Episcopal Church with faithfulness and grace."
The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada will each have an hour and a half to respond to the primates’ Feb. 24 communiqué. "This will include time for queries, clarifications and conversation with the members of ACC, as our presentation needs to be put forward in a gracious and open-ended way that invites dialogue and conversation," Bishop Griswold wrote.
The host for the opening service will be the rector of St. Peter’s, the Rev. Canon Andrew Deuchar, who served as Archbishop George Carey’s secretary for Anglican Communion affairs.
The host for the opening service will be the rector of St. Peter’s, the Rev. Canon Andrew Deuchar, who served as Archbishop George Carey’s secretary for Anglican Communion affairs.
On views of homosexuality, U.S. differs from Canada, Britain
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20871
[Baptist Press News] May 27, 2005--The United States is partners in many ways with Canada and Great Britain, but on the issue of homosexuality, America could not be more different, new data from Gallup shows.
More articles from Baptist Press News can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/.
[Baptist Press News] May 27, 2005--The United States is partners in many ways with Canada and Great Britain, but on the issue of homosexuality, America could not be more different, new data from Gallup shows.
More articles from Baptist Press News can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/.
Judge Upholds Marriage Amendment in Kentucky
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1612/section/judge.upholds.marriage.amendment.in.kentucky/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 28, 2005--On Thursday, a circuit court judge dismissed a court challenge to Kentucky’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
[The Christian Post] May 28, 2005--On Thursday, a circuit court judge dismissed a court challenge to Kentucky’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
S.C. Lutherans Oppose Gay Clergy Ordinations
http://www.christianpost.com/article/church/2096/section/sc.lutherans.oppose.gay.clergy.ordinations/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 27, 2005--Voting members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s South Carolina synod reaffirmed the denomination’s stance against ordaining non-celibate homosexuals as clergy.
[The Christian Post] May 27, 2005--Voting members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s South Carolina synod reaffirmed the denomination’s stance against ordaining non-celibate homosexuals as clergy.
Friday, May 27, 2005
"I stand with your bishop" says Canadian Primate
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2515
[Virtue Online] May 27, 2005--Canada's primate, Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, is in the forefront of this challenge, willingly shouldering his responsibilities and upholding the Diocese of New Westminster. He was at our synod last month where we welcomed his presence and outspoken support.
In his sermon, Hutchison praised the contribution the Diocese of New Westminster has made to social justice, publicly honoured Bishop Michael's leadership and commitment over the blessing of same-sex unions, and sympathized over the hostility and abuse that our bishop has endured.
Then the primate made his position clear by saying, "I stand with your bishop."
[Virtue Online] May 27, 2005--Canada's primate, Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, is in the forefront of this challenge, willingly shouldering his responsibilities and upholding the Diocese of New Westminster. He was at our synod last month where we welcomed his presence and outspoken support.
In his sermon, Hutchison praised the contribution the Diocese of New Westminster has made to social justice, publicly honoured Bishop Michael's leadership and commitment over the blessing of same-sex unions, and sympathized over the hostility and abuse that our bishop has endured.
Then the primate made his position clear by saying, "I stand with your bishop."
Nigerian Diocese holds memorial service for Bishop Sheppard
http://www.anglican-nig.org/akure_memorial.htm
[Church of Nigeria News] May 24, 2005--A memorial service in honour of the Rt. Rev. Hon. David Sheppard of Liverpool Diocese has been held at St. David’s Cathedral, Ijomu Akure situated in the South-Western part of Nigeria thousands of Kilometers away from his home.
[Church of Nigeria News] May 24, 2005--A memorial service in honour of the Rt. Rev. Hon. David Sheppard of Liverpool Diocese has been held at St. David’s Cathedral, Ijomu Akure situated in the South-Western part of Nigeria thousands of Kilometers away from his home.
"Life boats not launched in a timely manner need not be sent."
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2522
[Virtue Online] May 27, 2005--Crucial to the progress seen at the Dromantine Primates meeting are the chairing and membership of the Panel and its scope of work and rules of engagement. In today's highly charged atmosphere, there is really only one chance to get it right. To this end the American Anglican Council views with some alarm the recent interview with Archbishop Carnley by the Living Church Foundation on May 17, 2005, and if the interview is accurate in the quotes attributed to Archbishop Carnley, it is most disturbing. His remarks, if accurate, cause the Panel of Reference to fail based on the words he chooses to use as to how the Panel will function, for his words conflict with earlier written statements from the Primates.
[Virtue Online] May 27, 2005--Crucial to the progress seen at the Dromantine Primates meeting are the chairing and membership of the Panel and its scope of work and rules of engagement. In today's highly charged atmosphere, there is really only one chance to get it right. To this end the American Anglican Council views with some alarm the recent interview with Archbishop Carnley by the Living Church Foundation on May 17, 2005, and if the interview is accurate in the quotes attributed to Archbishop Carnley, it is most disturbing. His remarks, if accurate, cause the Panel of Reference to fail based on the words he chooses to use as to how the Panel will function, for his words conflict with earlier written statements from the Primates.
Turning to Christ may keep Afshin in the UK
http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/content/hamhigh/news/story.aspx?brand=NorthLondon24&category=Newshamhigh&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newshamhigh&itemid=WeED26%20May%202005%2017%3A43%3A04%3A880
[Hamstead & Highgate Express] May 27, 2005--Asylum seeker Afshin Azizian's claims to stay in the UK could be saved by divine intervention.
[Hamstead & Highgate Express] May 27, 2005--Asylum seeker Afshin Azizian's claims to stay in the UK could be saved by divine intervention.
Anglican crisis comes home to Church of England
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/news05052601.asp
[Anglican Mainstream] May 26, 2005--The Anglican Communion crisis over homosexuality will be the focus of two meetings this week. A senior South American clergyman will relate how the problems created by same sex blessings and homosexual ordinations in North America, have divided the Province of Brazil and could yet affect the Church of England, in meetings in London and Cheshire.
Related articles:
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/news05052602.asp
What is Right and Fair? - Anglican Mainstream
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/news05052001.asp
ACC "Can Withdraw Membership" - Anglican Mainstream
More articles from Anglican Mainstream can be found at http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/.
[Anglican Mainstream] May 26, 2005--The Anglican Communion crisis over homosexuality will be the focus of two meetings this week. A senior South American clergyman will relate how the problems created by same sex blessings and homosexual ordinations in North America, have divided the Province of Brazil and could yet affect the Church of England, in meetings in London and Cheshire.
Related articles:
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/news05052602.asp
What is Right and Fair? - Anglican Mainstream
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/news05052001.asp
ACC "Can Withdraw Membership" - Anglican Mainstream
More articles from Anglican Mainstream can be found at http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/.
Church Votes To Break Ties With Lutheran Sect
http://www.yankton.net/stories/052705/news_20050527043.shtml
[Yankton Press & Dakotan] May 27, 2005--A large majority of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church members have voted to end their relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Concerns have been raised in the church about the direction of the ELCA, most notably a proposal that would allow homosexuals in committed relationships to be ordained and a proposal to bless same-sex unions.
There also have been concerns about an agreement between the ELCA and the Episcopal Church that allows the churches to share clergy.
[Yankton Press & Dakotan] May 27, 2005--A large majority of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church members have voted to end their relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Concerns have been raised in the church about the direction of the ELCA, most notably a proposal that would allow homosexuals in committed relationships to be ordained and a proposal to bless same-sex unions.
There also have been concerns about an agreement between the ELCA and the Episcopal Church that allows the churches to share clergy.
Church doors closing
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2Njk5NjM0JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==
[New Jersey Media Group] May 27, 2005--"We, as Episcopalians, never learned how to be evangelists," said R. Carter Echols, a canon with the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. "We are much more comfortable telling somebody they should see a movie than telling them they should go to church on Sunday morning."
[New Jersey Media Group] May 27, 2005--"We, as Episcopalians, never learned how to be evangelists," said R. Carter Echols, a canon with the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. "We are much more comfortable telling somebody they should see a movie than telling them they should go to church on Sunday morning."
Soldiers of Christ: Inside America's most powerful megachurch
http://harpers.org/SoldiersOfChrist.html
[Harper's Magazine] May 26, 2005--They are drawn as if by magnetic forces; they speak of Colorado Springs, home to the greatest concentration of fundamentalist Christian activist groups in American history, both as a last stand and as a kind of utopia in the making.
[Harper's Magazine] May 26, 2005--They are drawn as if by magnetic forces; they speak of Colorado Springs, home to the greatest concentration of fundamentalist Christian activist groups in American history, both as a last stand and as a kind of utopia in the making.
Nottingham church looks for tolerance from ACC
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/80256FA1003E05C1/httpPublicPages/6C90E978651FEDC38025700D00402F78?opendocument
[Church Times] May 27, 2005--The degree of welcome extended to delegates from North America is uncertain. The Primates, in a statement in February, asked them to withdraw from official representation. Whether this means exclusion from the programme of events and receptions being planned is still uncertain.
They will, though, be welcome at St Peter's, says Angela Newton, the parish secretary. Speaking last week, she said she was saddened at the prospect of the hard-liners threatening the inclusive nature of the Communion.
[Church Times] May 27, 2005--The degree of welcome extended to delegates from North America is uncertain. The Primates, in a statement in February, asked them to withdraw from official representation. Whether this means exclusion from the programme of events and receptions being planned is still uncertain.
They will, though, be welcome at St Peter's, says Angela Newton, the parish secretary. Speaking last week, she said she was saddened at the prospect of the hard-liners threatening the inclusive nature of the Communion.
The Cults as Theological Judgment
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/?adate=5/27/2005#1332480
[Crosswalk.com] May 27, 2005--In the end, the church must bear considerable responsibility for the theological confusion of our age--and for the proliferation of cults and new religious movements. We are now reaping the results of theological irresponsibility.
[Crosswalk.com] May 27, 2005--In the end, the church must bear considerable responsibility for the theological confusion of our age--and for the proliferation of cults and new religious movements. We are now reaping the results of theological irresponsibility.
Dem Pollster Says Party Loses Due to Lack of 'Conviction'
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1332474.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 27, 2005--A prominent Democratic Party pollster Thursday said the reason members of his party have lost major elections in recent years is because they have not "run with conviction."
[Crosswalk.com] May 27, 2005--A prominent Democratic Party pollster Thursday said the reason members of his party have lost major elections in recent years is because they have not "run with conviction."
Conservatives Still Seething Over Judicial 'Compromise'
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1332473.html
[Agape Press] May 26 2005--Conservative anger over the Senate deal on judicial nominees continues to grow. Priscilla Owen was confirmed on Wednesday (May 25) and two others will likely be approved in the coming days. But some feel the pro-family movement has still suffered a major setback.
[Agape Press] May 26 2005--Conservative anger over the Senate deal on judicial nominees continues to grow. Priscilla Owen was confirmed on Wednesday (May 25) and two others will likely be approved in the coming days. But some feel the pro-family movement has still suffered a major setback.
Md. school board scraps pro-homosexuality curriculum following loss in federal court
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20859
[Baptist Press News] May 26, 2005--A controversial sexual-education program that promoted homosexuality in Maryland's largest public school system has been scrapped by the school board following a loss in federal court.
More articles from Baptist Press News can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/.
[Baptist Press News] May 26, 2005--A controversial sexual-education program that promoted homosexuality in Maryland's largest public school system has been scrapped by the school board following a loss in federal court.
More articles from Baptist Press News can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/.
Michigan House Passes Bill Requiring Ultrasounds Before Abortion
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1611/section/michigan.house.passes.bill.requiring.ultrasounds.before.abortion/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 27, 2005--The Michigan House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday requiring doctors to offer a view of ultrasound images to women seeking an abortion.
[The Christian Post] May 27, 2005--The Michigan House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday requiring doctors to offer a view of ultrasound images to women seeking an abortion.
Iraq Churches Grow Despite Dangers
http://www.christianpost.com/article/missions/1617/section/iraq.churches.grow.despite.dangers/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 27, 2005--Despite reports of a virtual Christian exodus from Iraq, the churches in the country are growing, according to the first missionary agency to support and promote indigenous mission groups.
[The Christian Post] May 27, 2005--Despite reports of a virtual Christian exodus from Iraq, the churches in the country are growing, according to the first missionary agency to support and promote indigenous mission groups.
N.T. Wright Lectures on Combatting Evil, Da Vinci Code, and Imagination
http://www.christianpost.com/article/education/823/section/nt.wright..lectures.on.combatting.evil.da.vinci.code.and.imagination/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 26, 2005--One of the world’s top New Testament scholars addressed "the dark forces of evil," the Da Vinci Code, and the beauty of Christian Imagination, during a two-day symposium at the Seattle Pacific University last week.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May 26, 2005--One of the world’s top New Testament scholars addressed "the dark forces of evil," the Da Vinci Code, and the beauty of Christian Imagination, during a two-day symposium at the Seattle Pacific University last week.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Anglican Church announces 'presenters' to Anglican Consultative Council
http://www.anglican.ca/news/news.php?newsItem=2005-05-25_a.ans
[Anglican Church of Canada] May 25, 2005--The Anglican Church of Canada has announced the names of four people who will respond to a request that the church make a presentation to the Anglican Consultative Council next month on actions the church has taken in the area of same-sex blessings.
[Anglican Church of Canada] May 25, 2005--The Anglican Church of Canada has announced the names of four people who will respond to a request that the church make a presentation to the Anglican Consultative Council next month on actions the church has taken in the area of same-sex blessings.
Canadian Anglicans to Explain Actions for Same-Sex Blessings to ACC
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/canadian.anglican.representatives.to.explain.actions.for.same.sex.blessings.to.acc/575.htm
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 26, 2005--The Anglican Church of Canada, ridden by the issue of homosexuality which almost separated it from the Anglican Communion worldwide, has announced today that four representatives will attend the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in June.
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 26, 2005--The Anglican Church of Canada, ridden by the issue of homosexuality which almost separated it from the Anglican Communion worldwide, has announced today that four representatives will attend the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in June.
Sydney Anglicans' Jensen wants cordiality, not unity
http://www.cathnews.com/news/505/150.php
[CathNews] May 26, 2005--Sydney's Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen has ridiculed the Anglican-Roman Catholic ecumenical document on Mary released this month, telling ABC Radio that it was a "fudge" that won't be taken seriously by Reformation Christians.
[CathNews] May 26, 2005--Sydney's Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen has ridiculed the Anglican-Roman Catholic ecumenical document on Mary released this month, telling ABC Radio that it was a "fudge" that won't be taken seriously by Reformation Christians.
Orthodox West Virginians Episcopalians respond to ECUSA innovations.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2510
[Virtue Online] May 25, 2005--During the Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia held here May 12-14, a group of concerned Episcopalians met to re-structure their organization to better respond to what they see as increasingly disturbing developments in the national and state level Episcopal Church. Last year, West Virginia Anglicans, an organization that advocates keeping the Bible as the primary source of authority within the church, formed to help the Diocese of West Virginia remain unified with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is a network of 38 interdependent self-governing churches (or provinces) that trace their historical roots to the Church of England. With over 77 million members in more than 160 countries, Anglicanism is the world's third largest Christian denomination.
[Virtue Online] May 25, 2005--During the Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia held here May 12-14, a group of concerned Episcopalians met to re-structure their organization to better respond to what they see as increasingly disturbing developments in the national and state level Episcopal Church. Last year, West Virginia Anglicans, an organization that advocates keeping the Bible as the primary source of authority within the church, formed to help the Diocese of West Virginia remain unified with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is a network of 38 interdependent self-governing churches (or provinces) that trace their historical roots to the Church of England. With over 77 million members in more than 160 countries, Anglicanism is the world's third largest Christian denomination.
Diocese of Florida Convention Swings to the Left under New Bishop
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2507
[Virtue Online] May 25, 2005--"Revisionists do not listen to reason, theology, tradition, or Scripture. We must break fellowship," says theologian
[Virtue Online] May 25, 2005--"Revisionists do not listen to reason, theology, tradition, or Scripture. We must break fellowship," says theologian
Religion today
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/weird_news/11745355.htm
[Associated Press] May 26, 2005--In 1995, Pope John Paul II defined the top issues that would have to be resolved before Christianity could be reunited, including seemingly intractable differences over beliefs about Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Now, a decade later, those obstacles suddenly don't seem so great.
[Associated Press] May 26, 2005--In 1995, Pope John Paul II defined the top issues that would have to be resolved before Christianity could be reunited, including seemingly intractable differences over beliefs about Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Now, a decade later, those obstacles suddenly don't seem so great.
Three crosses burned in Durham on one day
http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=69773&SecID=2
[News 14 Carolina] May 26, 2005--Investigators say three large crosses were burned in separate incidents across Durham Wednesday night.
Police found the first cross burning around 9:20 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church off Hillandale Road.
[News 14 Carolina] May 26, 2005--Investigators say three large crosses were burned in separate incidents across Durham Wednesday night.
Police found the first cross burning around 9:20 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church off Hillandale Road.
"An Unworkable Theology" by Philip Turner
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2505
[Virtue Online] May 24, 2005--It is increasingly difficult to escape the fact that mainline Protestantism is in a state of disintegration. As attendance declines, internal divisions increase. Take, for instance, the situation of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The Episcopal Church's problem is far more theological than it is moral - a theological poverty that is truly monumental and that stands behind the moral missteps recently taken by its governing bodies.
[Virtue Online] May 24, 2005--It is increasingly difficult to escape the fact that mainline Protestantism is in a state of disintegration. As attendance declines, internal divisions increase. Take, for instance, the situation of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The Episcopal Church's problem is far more theological than it is moral - a theological poverty that is truly monumental and that stands behind the moral missteps recently taken by its governing bodies.
At St. Francis, They Bark 'Amen'
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/25/earlyshow/living/petplanet/main697624.shtml
[CBS News] May 25, 2005--It's a relatively new phenomenon, but one that is gaining in popularity as congregations seek to attract new members.
How can you get to church when you can't leave your pet home alone? It's simple; take Fido or Fluffy along, The Early Show correspondent Debbye Turner reports.
For more articles from sydneyanglicans.net, go to http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/aroundtheweb/.
[CBS News] May 25, 2005--It's a relatively new phenomenon, but one that is gaining in popularity as congregations seek to attract new members.
How can you get to church when you can't leave your pet home alone? It's simple; take Fido or Fluffy along, The Early Show correspondent Debbye Turner reports.
For more articles from sydneyanglicans.net, go to http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/aroundtheweb/.
A Common Culture in the Age of Blogging?
http://crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/?adate=5/26/2005#1332167
[Crosswalk.com] May 26, 2005--The rise of the blogosphere continues to change the face of American culture. According to observers, the internet is now home to millions of web-logs (more commonly known as "blogs"), and something like eleven million Americans claim to have started blogs themselves. All this adds up to a major shift in our national culture and a massive threat to the dominance of what is now nostalgically called "mainstream media" (or "MSM"). Blogger, radio host, and attorney Hugh Hewitt documented the rise and influence of blogs in Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing the World. Hewitt's point was quite simple--those who would lead and influence Americans had better take advantage of the blogging phenomenon and learn how to communicate in this new medium. "Change isn't coming. It is here," he advised. "Information is being absorbed in new and startlingly different ways from new, and until recently, unknown sources."
[Crosswalk.com] May 26, 2005--The rise of the blogosphere continues to change the face of American culture. According to observers, the internet is now home to millions of web-logs (more commonly known as "blogs"), and something like eleven million Americans claim to have started blogs themselves. All this adds up to a major shift in our national culture and a massive threat to the dominance of what is now nostalgically called "mainstream media" (or "MSM"). Blogger, radio host, and attorney Hugh Hewitt documented the rise and influence of blogs in Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing the World. Hewitt's point was quite simple--those who would lead and influence Americans had better take advantage of the blogging phenomenon and learn how to communicate in this new medium. "Change isn't coming. It is here," he advised. "Information is being absorbed in new and startlingly different ways from new, and until recently, unknown sources."
Bishop defends modern services
http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5770&title=Bishop%20defends%20modern%20services
[The Church of England Newspaper] May 27, 2005--A vicar who tried to modernise his church’s services has been defended by his bishop after more than 60 worshippers quit in protest at the move.
More articles from The Church of England Newspaper can be found at http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php.
Ringing the changes in worship always has risks. Mr. Price might have done better to have launched the contemporary service as a second or third service on Sunday morning while retaining a traditional service for those members of his congregation who prefer traditional worship.
[The Church of England Newspaper] May 27, 2005--A vicar who tried to modernise his church’s services has been defended by his bishop after more than 60 worshippers quit in protest at the move.
More articles from The Church of England Newspaper can be found at http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php.
Ringing the changes in worship always has risks. Mr. Price might have done better to have launched the contemporary service as a second or third service on Sunday morning while retaining a traditional service for those members of his congregation who prefer traditional worship.
The Promise of Benedict XVI
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/006/19.49.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 26, 2005--Evangelicals can be glad that the new pope is not likely to be a mere caretaker.
For more articles from ChristianityToday.com, go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/ctmag/.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 26, 2005--Evangelicals can be glad that the new pope is not likely to be a mere caretaker.
For more articles from ChristianityToday.com, go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/ctmag/.
Florida Governor Signs Abortion Notification Law
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1610/section/florida.governor.signs.abortion.notification.law/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 26, 2005--A bill tightening abortion notification requirements in Florida was signed into law on Wednesday by Governor Jeb Bush.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May 26, 2005--A bill tightening abortion notification requirements in Florida was signed into law on Wednesday by Governor Jeb Bush.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
Young Americans know little about Bible; mainline churches no longer majority; show explores resurrection
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20855
[Baptist Press News] May 25, 2005--"Unless we read the Bible, American history is a closed book," The Weekly Standard's David Gelernter posited in a recent look at Bible literacy in America, with young Americans knowing very little about the Word of God and thus lacking the perspective necessary to understand major themes of history.
For more articles from Baptist Press News, go to http://www.bpnews.net/.
[Baptist Press News] May 25, 2005--"Unless we read the Bible, American history is a closed book," The Weekly Standard's David Gelernter posited in a recent look at Bible literacy in America, with young Americans knowing very little about the Word of God and thus lacking the perspective necessary to understand major themes of history.
For more articles from Baptist Press News, go to http://www.bpnews.net/.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Marian Dogma and the Anglican Conundrum
http://www.christianpost.com/article/editorial/369/section/marian.dogma.and.the.anglican.conundrum/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 24, 2005--Evangelical Anglicans are crying out against a proposed document that would give credence to the controversial Roman Catholic view on the Virgin Mary. The proposal was released last week in Seattle after six years of ecumenical talks between the two massive church bodies and seeks to backtrack on centuries of Anglican dissent over the place of Mary in Christianity.
[The Christian Post] May 24, 2005--Evangelical Anglicans are crying out against a proposed document that would give credence to the controversial Roman Catholic view on the Virgin Mary. The proposal was released last week in Seattle after six years of ecumenical talks between the two massive church bodies and seeks to backtrack on centuries of Anglican dissent over the place of Mary in Christianity.
Anglicans dump bishop for rejecting women priests
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Anglicans-dump-bishop-for-rejecting-women-priests/2005/05/25/1116950758478.html?oneclick=true
[Sydney Morning Herald] May 26, 2005--The international row over women priests has reignited with the dismissal of an Anglican minister who planned to act as a flying bishop for Australian parishes opposed to women's ordination.
[Sydney Morning Herald] May 26, 2005--The international row over women priests has reignited with the dismissal of an Anglican minister who planned to act as a flying bishop for Australian parishes opposed to women's ordination.
Stations of Modern Persecution
http://fairfieldweekly.com/gbase/News/content?oid=oid:112928
[Fairfield County Weekly] May 26, 2005--Gwyneth Leech said she did not set out to make a political statement when she painted her Stations of the Cross for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Norwalk. Yet her contemporary portrayal, which includes images of soldiers, machine guns and barbed wire, juxtaposed with traditional biblical scenes, has garnered a lot of attention--and not all of it favorable. What troubles people most when they first view her Stations of the Cross is not the guns and soldiers, but the contemporary setting--the fact that the paintings aren't idealized biblical figures, she said.
[Fairfield County Weekly] May 26, 2005--Gwyneth Leech said she did not set out to make a political statement when she painted her Stations of the Cross for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Norwalk. Yet her contemporary portrayal, which includes images of soldiers, machine guns and barbed wire, juxtaposed with traditional biblical scenes, has garnered a lot of attention--and not all of it favorable. What troubles people most when they first view her Stations of the Cross is not the guns and soldiers, but the contemporary setting--the fact that the paintings aren't idealized biblical figures, she said.
Christianity is on the rise in Africa
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/11733657.htm
[The Dallas Morning News] May 25, 2005--When the Rev. Humphrey Ani walks out on the poured concrete floor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, he sees the future of Christianity stretched before him.
[The Dallas Morning News] May 25, 2005--When the Rev. Humphrey Ani walks out on the poured concrete floor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, he sees the future of Christianity stretched before him.
David Chislett Removed from All Saints Wickham Terrace in Brisbane
http://www.acl.asn.au/
[Anglican Church League] May 24, 2005--In an Ad Clerum sent to clergy in the Diocese of Brisbane today, Archbishop Philip Aspinall reports that he has handed leading Anglo-Catholic Rector David Chislett an “Instrument of Deprivation” under the Benefices Avoidance Canon, removing him from his position as Rector of All Saints’ Wickham Terrace.
[Anglican Church League] May 24, 2005--In an Ad Clerum sent to clergy in the Diocese of Brisbane today, Archbishop Philip Aspinall reports that he has handed leading Anglo-Catholic Rector David Chislett an “Instrument of Deprivation” under the Benefices Avoidance Canon, removing him from his position as Rector of All Saints’ Wickham Terrace.
Archbishop Peter Jensen on mariology
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/aroundtheweb/archbishop_peter_jensen_on_maryology/
[The Religion Report] May 25, 2005--Archbishop Peter Jensen on ABC Radio's Religion Report.
[The Religion Report] May 25, 2005--Archbishop Peter Jensen on ABC Radio's Religion Report.
Priest set to wed in gay marriage
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/4575173.stm
[BBC News] May 24, 2005--The Rev Debbie Gaston, 46, will marry partner of 16 years Elaine Cook, 53, at one second past midnight on 21 December - the first day gay weddings are legal.
For more articles from sydneyanglicans.net, go to http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/aroundtheweb/.
[BBC News] May 24, 2005--The Rev Debbie Gaston, 46, will marry partner of 16 years Elaine Cook, 53, at one second past midnight on 21 December - the first day gay weddings are legal.
For more articles from sydneyanglicans.net, go to http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/aroundtheweb/.
House passes embryonic stem cell bill; margin not enough to override Bush veto
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20850
[Baptist Press news] May 24, 2005--The U.S. House of Representatives voted May 24 to provide federal funds for stem cell research that destroys embryos but fell well short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a promised presidential veto.
More articles from Baptist Press News can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/.
[Baptist Press news] May 24, 2005--The U.S. House of Representatives voted May 24 to provide federal funds for stem cell research that destroys embryos but fell well short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a promised presidential veto.
More articles from Baptist Press News can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/.
UK Christians Oppose Proposed Religious Hatred Bill
http://www.christianpost.com/article/europe/443/section/uk.christians.oppose.proposed.religious.hatred.bill/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 25, 2005--Christians have spoken out against a controversial religious hatred bill to be reintroduced in the newly elected UK parliament. Many say it will curtail freedom of speech.
[The Christian Post] May 25, 2005--Christians have spoken out against a controversial religious hatred bill to be reintroduced in the newly elected UK parliament. Many say it will curtail freedom of speech.
American Psychiatric Association Lends Support to Same-sex Marriage
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1607/section/american.psychiatric.association.lends.support.to.same-sex.marriage/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May25, 2005--Sunday’s decision sparked conflicts within APA. The APA Council on Psychiatry and Law opposed the statement. The Council on Children, Adolescents and Their Families also declined to support it. Those against the endorsement argued that APA should not get involved in political issues such as same-sex marriage. Peter Sprigg, Senior Director of Policy Studies at the Family Research Council, spoke up in opposition to APA’s stance.
"The theory that being denied the right to 'marry' same-sex partners damages the mental health of homosexuals and the children they raise is a convenient one--but unsupported by research," Sprigg said.
For more articles from The Christian Post, go to http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May25, 2005--Sunday’s decision sparked conflicts within APA. The APA Council on Psychiatry and Law opposed the statement. The Council on Children, Adolescents and Their Families also declined to support it. Those against the endorsement argued that APA should not get involved in political issues such as same-sex marriage. Peter Sprigg, Senior Director of Policy Studies at the Family Research Council, spoke up in opposition to APA’s stance.
"The theory that being denied the right to 'marry' same-sex partners damages the mental health of homosexuals and the children they raise is a convenient one--but unsupported by research," Sprigg said.
For more articles from The Christian Post, go to http://www.christianpost.com/.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/registration/register.jsp?fw=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/points/stories/052205dnedikurtz.ca9f1ce5.html
[Dallas Morning News] May 22, 2005--Harper's Magazine's May cover stories about "The Christian Right's War On America," frightened me, although not the way Harper's meant them to. I fear these stories could mark the beginning of a systematic campaign of hatred directed at traditional Christians.
You will need to register to read this story.
[Dallas Morning News] May 22, 2005--Harper's Magazine's May cover stories about "The Christian Right's War On America," frightened me, although not the way Harper's meant them to. I fear these stories could mark the beginning of a systematic campaign of hatred directed at traditional Christians.
You will need to register to read this story.
The Religious Left's Lies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/20/AR2005052001333.html
[Washington Post] May 21, 2005--The religious left's political operatives have mounted a shrill attack on a significant portion of the Christian community. Four out of five evangelical Christians supported President Bush in 2004 -- a third of all ballots cast for him, according to the Pew Research Center. Factor in Catholics and members of other conservative religious communities and it's clear that the religious right is the largest voting bloc in today's Republican Party.
[Washington Post] May 21, 2005--The religious left's political operatives have mounted a shrill attack on a significant portion of the Christian community. Four out of five evangelical Christians supported President Bush in 2004 -- a third of all ballots cast for him, according to the Pew Research Center. Factor in Catholics and members of other conservative religious communities and it's clear that the religious right is the largest voting bloc in today's Republican Party.
It isn't about sex, but Scripture
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0MDAmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY2OTY0OTcmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNA==
[New Jersey Media Group] May 22, 2005--Conservatives have argued from the beginning that the crucial issue for them is the authority of Scripture. Liberals have replied that the issue is not whether Scripture is authoritative but how it is read. Both positions are, of course, correct. How you read a biblical text depends on what you think of it and what you think of it is influenced by how you read it.
[New Jersey Media Group] May 22, 2005--Conservatives have argued from the beginning that the crucial issue for them is the authority of Scripture. Liberals have replied that the issue is not whether Scripture is authoritative but how it is read. Both positions are, of course, correct. How you read a biblical text depends on what you think of it and what you think of it is influenced by how you read it.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Christ Church Midlothian—Getting on with Mission
http://www.anglicanmissioninamerica.org/index.cfm?id=81522FBC-6C90-4F7D-998D3919C0BE3D3E
[Anglican Mission in America] May 20, 2005--Although ‘retired’ for a number of years, the Rev. Joe Gatto has plenty of energy and passion, especially for the work of the Gospel. “They asked me to start a mission congregation in the Episcopal Church, out of my retirement, which I did. We began with just 4 people, but grew to over 150 in three years. Then we tried to join the (Anglican Communion) Network,” reflected the pastor with more than 40 years experience. “It got crazy.”
The Rector of the sponsoring parish refused to allow such an affiliation, and Rev. Gatto resigned, both from the church and from decades of ministry as an Episcopal clergyman. “At that point we wanted to be outside the Episcopal Church USA—in a place where Scripture is accepted as the Word of God. We simply wanted to get on with the mission of the church, and not be sidetracked by all of this ‘stuff’ going on.” Rev. Gatto stated.
[Anglican Mission in America] May 20, 2005--Although ‘retired’ for a number of years, the Rev. Joe Gatto has plenty of energy and passion, especially for the work of the Gospel. “They asked me to start a mission congregation in the Episcopal Church, out of my retirement, which I did. We began with just 4 people, but grew to over 150 in three years. Then we tried to join the (Anglican Communion) Network,” reflected the pastor with more than 40 years experience. “It got crazy.”
The Rector of the sponsoring parish refused to allow such an affiliation, and Rev. Gatto resigned, both from the church and from decades of ministry as an Episcopal clergyman. “At that point we wanted to be outside the Episcopal Church USA—in a place where Scripture is accepted as the Word of God. We simply wanted to get on with the mission of the church, and not be sidetracked by all of this ‘stuff’ going on.” Rev. Gatto stated.
Network Gathers in Little Rock
http://www.anglicanmissioninamerica.org/index.cfm?id=9FC4D69C-164A-47D6-AD317A3F724F41D9
[Anglican Mission in America] May 10, 2005--A gathering of 50 clergy and lay leaders from churches under the oversight of Bishop TJ Johnston and Network Leader David Young met in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 27-29 for a time of fellowship, training and worship. In 2004, the clergy in this network gathered in Little Rock for three similar meetings, but the inclusion of lay leaders at this latest meeting was an important 'next step' in the development of the network. Additionally, lay leaders in prayer ministry from around the network came to Little Rock to intercede for the meetings and to participate in additional training.
[Anglican Mission in America] May 10, 2005--A gathering of 50 clergy and lay leaders from churches under the oversight of Bishop TJ Johnston and Network Leader David Young met in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 27-29 for a time of fellowship, training and worship. In 2004, the clergy in this network gathered in Little Rock for three similar meetings, but the inclusion of lay leaders at this latest meeting was an important 'next step' in the development of the network. Additionally, lay leaders in prayer ministry from around the network came to Little Rock to intercede for the meetings and to participate in additional training.
"Is the New Testament Reliable?" by Paul Barnett
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/24/030516.php
[BlogCritics.org] May 24, 2005--Is the New Testament an historically reliable source of information about Jesus and the early church?
According to a number of contemporary scholars, the answer to that question is no. For example, Robert Funk and the members of the Jesus Seminar argue that Jesus did not say or perform a majority of the words and actions attributed to him in the Gospels. Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrman argue that multiple versions of Christianity competed for the allegiance of the faithful in the early centuries of the church. The books of the New Testament — and the history and theology they communicate — are simply the documents of that competition's winners, who went on to forcibly suppress alternative Christianities. Even popular media debunk the New Testament. Last year, just in time for Christmas, both Time and Newsweek ran cover stories that expressed skepticism about the veracity of details of Jesus' birth.
But these voices represent only one side an ongoing debate. Paul Barnett's Is the New Testament Reliable? is a representative of the other, affirmative side. Barnett is a churchman and a scholar — the former Anglican bishop of North Sydney, Australia, and currently a teaching fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, and a visiting fellow in ancient history at Macquarie University in Australia. He is the author of Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity and Jesus and the Logic of History, among other books. The first volume of his trilogy, The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years will be published in April by Eerdmans.
[BlogCritics.org] May 24, 2005--Is the New Testament an historically reliable source of information about Jesus and the early church?
According to a number of contemporary scholars, the answer to that question is no. For example, Robert Funk and the members of the Jesus Seminar argue that Jesus did not say or perform a majority of the words and actions attributed to him in the Gospels. Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrman argue that multiple versions of Christianity competed for the allegiance of the faithful in the early centuries of the church. The books of the New Testament — and the history and theology they communicate — are simply the documents of that competition's winners, who went on to forcibly suppress alternative Christianities. Even popular media debunk the New Testament. Last year, just in time for Christmas, both Time and Newsweek ran cover stories that expressed skepticism about the veracity of details of Jesus' birth.
But these voices represent only one side an ongoing debate. Paul Barnett's Is the New Testament Reliable? is a representative of the other, affirmative side. Barnett is a churchman and a scholar — the former Anglican bishop of North Sydney, Australia, and currently a teaching fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, and a visiting fellow in ancient history at Macquarie University in Australia. He is the author of Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity and Jesus and the Logic of History, among other books. The first volume of his trilogy, The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years will be published in April by Eerdmans.
What's so Radical about Orthodoxy?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/121/22.0.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 24, 2005--Introducing Introducing Radical Orthodoxy and the project to "re-narrate" reality without the word secular.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 24, 2005--Introducing Introducing Radical Orthodoxy and the project to "re-narrate" reality without the word secular.
Methodist HQ Alcohol License Application Sparks Abstinence Debate
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/methodist.hq.alcohol.license.application.sparks.abstinence.debate/569.htm
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 23, 2005--The Methodist Church of the Great Britain, home to the Wesleyan Movement which influenced millions across the world, has decided to apply a liquor licence for the church’s headquarters building - Westminster Central Hall - in central London. The move has outraged the traditionalist in the Church and raised the sensitive question about the Methodist attitude to Christian abstinence, especially on alcohol consumption.
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 23, 2005--The Methodist Church of the Great Britain, home to the Wesleyan Movement which influenced millions across the world, has decided to apply a liquor licence for the church’s headquarters building - Westminster Central Hall - in central London. The move has outraged the traditionalist in the Church and raised the sensitive question about the Methodist attitude to Christian abstinence, especially on alcohol consumption.
Orthodox rolled over at Annual Convention: "We got taken to the cleaners," said an orthodox priest
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2499
[Virtue Online] May 23, 2005--The 162nd annual diocesan convention of the Diocese of Florida was closed to the press. This reporter was planning on attending but was told by Communications Director Paul Van Brunt that all outside media were being banned from the event. The word had come down from Bishop John Howard that only the diocesan news person would be present presumably to keep a tight rein on what was said and to spin it the diocese, ECUSA and the world. A reporter with The Times-Union did manage to get inside the Cerveny Conference Center in Live Oak, and watched it on television from an overflow sitting where the one-day conference was being held and he reported on what took place as people left the floor of convention.
[Virtue Online] May 23, 2005--The 162nd annual diocesan convention of the Diocese of Florida was closed to the press. This reporter was planning on attending but was told by Communications Director Paul Van Brunt that all outside media were being banned from the event. The word had come down from Bishop John Howard that only the diocesan news person would be present presumably to keep a tight rein on what was said and to spin it the diocese, ECUSA and the world. A reporter with The Times-Union did manage to get inside the Cerveny Conference Center in Live Oak, and watched it on television from an overflow sitting where the one-day conference was being held and he reported on what took place as people left the floor of convention.
Delegation named for June 21 ACC Meeting
http://www.americananglican.org/News/News.cfm?ID=1432&c=21
[The Living Church] May 20, 2005--Writing to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church on May 18, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold announced the composition of the delegation accompanying him to next month’s meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in Nottingham, England, to make the case for the Episcopal Church.
Bishop of Louisiana Charles Jenkins may have voted against the confirmation of Gene Robinson but he also told NPR that Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold is as "orthodox" as he is. At the recent Louisiana Diocesan Resolution a resolution to join the Anglican Communion Network was "tabled indefinitely." Jenkins has urged the parishes of his diocese to give full support to the national Church. He has all the appearances of being a "corporatist."
[The Living Church] May 20, 2005--Writing to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church on May 18, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold announced the composition of the delegation accompanying him to next month’s meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in Nottingham, England, to make the case for the Episcopal Church.
Bishop of Louisiana Charles Jenkins may have voted against the confirmation of Gene Robinson but he also told NPR that Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold is as "orthodox" as he is. At the recent Louisiana Diocesan Resolution a resolution to join the Anglican Communion Network was "tabled indefinitely." Jenkins has urged the parishes of his diocese to give full support to the national Church. He has all the appearances of being a "corporatist."
Thank God for Harry Potter
http://www.christianstandard.com/articledisplay.asp?id=11
[Christian Standard] May 15, 2005--It’s easy to see why Christians would oppose the books—their world is a world of magic, of witches, of divination and potions and all the trappings of what many people consider occult and Satanic. But why the endorsements? What could Christians possibly find to like about these books? The praise, after all, is not insignificant. It comes from such respected sources as Christianity Today magazine, Christian literary scholar Alan Jacobs, and well-known culture and media critic Charles Colson.
[Christian Standard] May 15, 2005--It’s easy to see why Christians would oppose the books—their world is a world of magic, of witches, of divination and potions and all the trappings of what many people consider occult and Satanic. But why the endorsements? What could Christians possibly find to like about these books? The praise, after all, is not insignificant. It comes from such respected sources as Christianity Today magazine, Christian literary scholar Alan Jacobs, and well-known culture and media critic Charles Colson.
Americans look to Jesus for diet
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4541849.stm
[BBC News] May 23, 2005--Five loaves, two fish and a goblet of red wine could be on the menu for Americans if a new diet takes off.
[BBC News] May 23, 2005--Five loaves, two fish and a goblet of red wine could be on the menu for Americans if a new diet takes off.
Conservative Fury Greets 'Centrist Deal' on Filibusters
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331922.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 24, 2005--An eleventh-hour Senate deal to avoid the nuclear option -- thus preserving the judicial filibuster -- has many conservative Republicans crying betrayal.
[Crosswalk.com] May 24, 2005--An eleventh-hour Senate deal to avoid the nuclear option -- thus preserving the judicial filibuster -- has many conservative Republicans crying betrayal.
Democrats Flub History Lesson on Filibusters
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331806.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 24, 2005--In their current effort to thwart President Bush's judicial nominations, Democrats often refer to a 1968 case to try to show that Republicans previously used the filibuster as a partisan tool to block a president's wishes.
But while the Democrats' filibuster against the Bush nominees is unmistakably partisan, as evidenced by cloture votes, records obtained by Cybercast News Service show that the effort waged against President Lyndon Johnson's 1968 nomination was anything but partisan.
[Crosswalk.com] May 24, 2005--In their current effort to thwart President Bush's judicial nominations, Democrats often refer to a 1968 case to try to show that Republicans previously used the filibuster as a partisan tool to block a president's wishes.
But while the Democrats' filibuster against the Bush nominees is unmistakably partisan, as evidenced by cloture votes, records obtained by Cybercast News Service show that the effort waged against President Lyndon Johnson's 1968 nomination was anything but partisan.
Saudis Do Destroy Bibles, Think Tank Affirms
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331609.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 24, 2005--A U.S.-based think tank critical of the Saudi government has added its voice to allegations that authorities in the kingdom routinely destroy Bibles.
[Crosswalk.com] May 24, 2005--A U.S.-based think tank critical of the Saudi government has added its voice to allegations that authorities in the kingdom routinely destroy Bibles.
Turkey’s Protestants face attacks, anti-missionary threats
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20830
[Baptist Press News] May 23, 2005--A Protestant pastor in the Turkish industrial city of Izmit woke up May 18 to find a huge red swastika painted on his apartment door, with a handwritten hate letter shoved underneath, according to a report by Compass Direct news service.
For more articles from Baptist Press News, go to http://www.bpnews.net/.
[Baptist Press News] May 23, 2005--A Protestant pastor in the Turkish industrial city of Izmit woke up May 18 to find a huge red swastika painted on his apartment door, with a handwritten hate letter shoved underneath, according to a report by Compass Direct news service.
For more articles from Baptist Press News, go to http://www.bpnews.net/.
Abortion Notification Debate Heads to Nation's High Court
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1605/section/abortion.notification.debate.heads.to.nations.high.court/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 24, 2005--The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal for New Hampshire’s abortion notification law. This will be the first case on abortion law that the Supreme Court has heard since 2000.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May 24, 2005--The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal for New Hampshire’s abortion notification law. This will be the first case on abortion law that the Supreme Court has heard since 2000.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Why I am a Reformation Christian, and Anglican in the classic sense of the 39 Articles - by John Rodgers
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2495
[Virtue Online] May 21, 2005--With the transfer of some of my friends to the Roman Catholic Church and others to the Eastern Orthodox tradition and still others to the CEC and PCA and perhaps to come, some to the Methodist and Lutheran Churches, where they are free standing, I thought it good to indicate some reasons why I do not think it wise to make moves that place oneself outside the Christian Faith as it is expressed in the classic Anglican Formularies, or to put it another way, to be at odds with the Scripture rightly interpreted and applied. (How's that for a claim. Why not!) None of this is meant to deny the positive things that could be said.
[Virtue Online] May 21, 2005--With the transfer of some of my friends to the Roman Catholic Church and others to the Eastern Orthodox tradition and still others to the CEC and PCA and perhaps to come, some to the Methodist and Lutheran Churches, where they are free standing, I thought it good to indicate some reasons why I do not think it wise to make moves that place oneself outside the Christian Faith as it is expressed in the classic Anglican Formularies, or to put it another way, to be at odds with the Scripture rightly interpreted and applied. (How's that for a claim. Why not!) None of this is meant to deny the positive things that could be said.
Anglicans woo conservative Episcopalians
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2497
[Wilmongton News Journal] May 22, 2005--Because of controversies over gay ordination and other progressive policies in the Episcopal Church, Anglican churches in Rwanda and Southeast Asia have launched a church-planting movement in the United States.
[Wilmongton News Journal] May 22, 2005--Because of controversies over gay ordination and other progressive policies in the Episcopal Church, Anglican churches in Rwanda and Southeast Asia have launched a church-planting movement in the United States.
Episcopal bishop done with gay feud
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2496
[Florida Times-Union] May 22, 2005--Northeast Florida Episcopalians rejected on Saturday moves by conservatives to distance their diocese from the Episcopal Church USA after Bishop John Howard declared his flock will no longer be distracted by the homosexuality controversy that has consumed its energies for nearly two years.
[Florida Times-Union] May 22, 2005--Northeast Florida Episcopalians rejected on Saturday moves by conservatives to distance their diocese from the Episcopal Church USA after Bishop John Howard declared his flock will no longer be distracted by the homosexuality controversy that has consumed its energies for nearly two years.
Awesome speech case in Newark
http://www.getreligion.org/
[GetReligion] May 22, 2005--A public school prohibited a second grader from singing a religious song at a talent show, prompting a lawsuit Friday alleging violation of the girl’s constitutional rights.
[GetReligion] May 22, 2005--A public school prohibited a second grader from singing a religious song at a talent show, prompting a lawsuit Friday alleging violation of the girl’s constitutional rights.
Taking The Pledge
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/20/60minutes/main696975.shtml
[CBS] May 23, 2005--For about two decades, the top public health agencies in America urged young people to use condoms to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
But the U.S. government has dramatically reversed course. Over the past five years, it has spent nearly $1 billion to persuade young people that the only safe form of sex is within marriage -- and that condoms are not as effective as people think.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to bring the Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage message to the nation’s classrooms. Millions more are going to religious organizations that urge kids to take a virginity pledge promising to remain abstinent-until-marriage.
As Correspondent Ed Bradley reports, it's a message many young Americans are eager to hear.
[CBS] May 23, 2005--For about two decades, the top public health agencies in America urged young people to use condoms to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
But the U.S. government has dramatically reversed course. Over the past five years, it has spent nearly $1 billion to persuade young people that the only safe form of sex is within marriage -- and that condoms are not as effective as people think.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to bring the Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage message to the nation’s classrooms. Millions more are going to religious organizations that urge kids to take a virginity pledge promising to remain abstinent-until-marriage.
As Correspondent Ed Bradley reports, it's a message many young Americans are eager to hear.
Clone me, says British patient
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15371492%255E2703,00.html
[The Australian] May 23, 2005--A British self-employed businessman could soon be replicated in an experiment being conducted in South Korea.
Bryan O'Regan, who suffers from motor neurone disease, has put himself forward for therapeutic cloning research, even though he knows he may not live long enough to benefit from the technology.
[The Australian] May 23, 2005--A British self-employed businessman could soon be replicated in an experiment being conducted in South Korea.
Bryan O'Regan, who suffers from motor neurone disease, has put himself forward for therapeutic cloning research, even though he knows he may not live long enough to benefit from the technology.
Democrats 'Going After Red States,' Dean Says
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331704.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 23, 2005--Message to the Republican base: Howard Dean, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, says he's coming after you.
[Crosswalk.com] May 23, 2005--Message to the Republican base: Howard Dean, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, says he's coming after you.
In Washington, Darned If They Do, Darned If They Don't
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331699.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 23, 2005--Republicans have "pulled the trigger" to launch the nuclear option, prompting a liberal advocacy group to circulate an emergency petition to "preserve our independent courts."
[Crosswalk.com] May 23, 2005--Republicans have "pulled the trigger" to launch the nuclear option, prompting a liberal advocacy group to circulate an emergency petition to "preserve our independent courts."
Islamic Groups Planning Worldwide Anti-US Protests
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331608.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 23, 2005--Radical Islamic groups are pressing ahead with plans for worldwide anti-U.S. protests later this week. A demonstration in Indonesia Sunday indicated the level of anger directed towards America over Koran abuse allegations.
[Crosswalk.com] May 23, 2005--Radical Islamic groups are pressing ahead with plans for worldwide anti-U.S. protests later this week. A demonstration in Indonesia Sunday indicated the level of anger directed towards America over Koran abuse allegations.
Texas Marriage Amendment Moves to Voters
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1603/section/texas.marriage.amendment.moves.to.voters/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 23, 2005--The Texas Senate approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on Saturday, moving the measure to be decided upon by state voters later this year.
[The Christian Post] May 23, 2005--The Texas Senate approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on Saturday, moving the measure to be decided upon by state voters later this year.
Attack Kills 5 Indonesian Police Sparking Fears of Sectarian Violence
http://www.christianpost.com/article/asia/700/section/attack.kills.5.indonesian.police.sparking.fears.of.sectarian.violence/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 23, 2005--An attack that killed five paramilitary policemen last week in eastern Indonesia is raising fears that Muslim-Christian violence may begin once again in the Moluccas Islands, where 1999-2002 battles killed up to 5,000 people.
[The Christian Post] May 23, 2005--An attack that killed five paramilitary policemen last week in eastern Indonesia is raising fears that Muslim-Christian violence may begin once again in the Moluccas Islands, where 1999-2002 battles killed up to 5,000 people.
Dallas Seminary Theologians Decode 'The Da Vinci Code'
http://www.christianpost.com/article/education/814/section/dallas.seminary.theologians.decode.the.da.vinci.code/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 22, 2005--Dan Brown's “The Da Vinci Code” has stirred among its critics a number of controversies on the claims the novel has made.
For more articles from The Christian Post, go to http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May 22, 2005--Dan Brown's “The Da Vinci Code” has stirred among its critics a number of controversies on the claims the novel has made.
For more articles from The Christian Post, go to http://www.christianpost.com/.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Church of Nigeria to boost social welfare services
http://www.anglican-nig.org/socialwelfare.htm
[Church of Nigeria News] May 18, 2005--Poised to meet the social needs of the society, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is to establish social welfare departments in the 91-dioceses of the Province of Nigeria.
[Church of Nigeria News] May 18, 2005--Poised to meet the social needs of the society, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is to establish social welfare departments in the 91-dioceses of the Province of Nigeria.
Communion Will Split: "We're in trouble" says Irish Archbishop
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2487
[VirtueOnline] May 20, 2005--When the Primates met at Dromantine, Ireland earlier this year the following encounter took place that can now be reported on, but which escaped the media net at that time.
When a discussion on same-sex blessings started to heat up and finally overheat the Canadian Archbishop Andrew Hutchison rose to his feet and said that as the Canadian government was about to pass legislation making gay marriage legal it behooved the Anglican Church of Canada not to get behind on the issue and to see same sex blessings and gay marriages as a justice issue and get on board as quickly as possible.
There was a pause and he sat down. At that point the Primate from Pakistan the Rt. Rev. Dr. Alexander John Malik got to his feet and said, "Archbishop Hutchison I hope you don't mind that when we have the next Primate's meeting that I bring along my four wives. You see in my country the government has passed a law saying it is legal to have four wives. I take it you would have no objection. Clearly it is a justice issue."
According to one archbishop, that particular discussion on gay bishops collapsed. "Hutchison made a fool of himself," said a second archbishop.
Now we may never know the extent of all the conversations that took place at the Irish Catholic retreat center, but clearly it was a make or break time for the Anglican Communion particularly as the Global South Archbishops saw it.
[VirtueOnline] May 20, 2005--When the Primates met at Dromantine, Ireland earlier this year the following encounter took place that can now be reported on, but which escaped the media net at that time.
When a discussion on same-sex blessings started to heat up and finally overheat the Canadian Archbishop Andrew Hutchison rose to his feet and said that as the Canadian government was about to pass legislation making gay marriage legal it behooved the Anglican Church of Canada not to get behind on the issue and to see same sex blessings and gay marriages as a justice issue and get on board as quickly as possible.
There was a pause and he sat down. At that point the Primate from Pakistan the Rt. Rev. Dr. Alexander John Malik got to his feet and said, "Archbishop Hutchison I hope you don't mind that when we have the next Primate's meeting that I bring along my four wives. You see in my country the government has passed a law saying it is legal to have four wives. I take it you would have no objection. Clearly it is a justice issue."
According to one archbishop, that particular discussion on gay bishops collapsed. "Hutchison made a fool of himself," said a second archbishop.
Now we may never know the extent of all the conversations that took place at the Irish Catholic retreat center, but clearly it was a make or break time for the Anglican Communion particularly as the Global South Archbishops saw it.
Diocese facing a pivotal session
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2491
[The Times-Union] May 20, 2005--Episcopalians to vote for delegates to 2006 convention, take up controversial resolutions.
[The Times-Union] May 20, 2005--Episcopalians to vote for delegates to 2006 convention, take up controversial resolutions.
Sudanese govt still supporting Ugandan rebels
http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=9687
[Sudan Tribune] May 21, 2005--Potentially damaging accusations have emerged that the Sudanese government still supports the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. The new claims emerged at meeting of civil society groups in Juba by the head of the Anglican Church in Lomega, Rev. Paul Jugusuku.
[Sudan Tribune] May 21, 2005--Potentially damaging accusations have emerged that the Sudanese government still supports the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. The new claims emerged at meeting of civil society groups in Juba by the head of the Anglican Church in Lomega, Rev. Paul Jugusuku.
Place of Mary, mother of Jesus, in the Anglican Church
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1619191,00.html
[Times Online] May 21, 2005--Sir, How far will the Anglican Church dissociate itself from the Reformation in its desire to gain recognition from Rome? Although I admit that the evangelicals do not often give the right place to the Virgin Mary (report, May 17), it is another matter to give her divine attributes that are not warranted by Scripture.
For those who may be interested Martin Luther, while he may have held Mary in high esteem, rejected the practice of venerating Mary and the other saints and of invoking them. The second letter published in The Times is very misleading in this regard.
[Times Online] May 21, 2005--Sir, How far will the Anglican Church dissociate itself from the Reformation in its desire to gain recognition from Rome? Although I admit that the evangelicals do not often give the right place to the Virgin Mary (report, May 17), it is another matter to give her divine attributes that are not warranted by Scripture.
For those who may be interested Martin Luther, while he may have held Mary in high esteem, rejected the practice of venerating Mary and the other saints and of invoking them. The second letter published in The Times is very misleading in this regard.
Evangelical Anglicans May Reject ARCIC’s Document on Mary
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/evangelical.anglicans.may.reject.arcic.document.on.mary./565.htm
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 20, 2005--The major theological document "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" published by the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) which addresses the role of Virgin Mary in both the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Church, was officially launched in the UK yesterday at Westminster Abbey.
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 20, 2005--The major theological document "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" published by the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) which addresses the role of Virgin Mary in both the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Church, was officially launched in the UK yesterday at Westminster Abbey.
Same-Sex Marriage: Not in Kids' Interest
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=71299
[Zenit] May 21, 2005--Spain and Canada are steadily moving toward the legalization of same-sex "marriage." In past months the bishops' conferences in both countries have issued numerous declarations assailing the attempts to put heterosexual marriage and same-sex unions on the same level.
[Zenit] May 21, 2005--Spain and Canada are steadily moving toward the legalization of same-sex "marriage." In past months the bishops' conferences in both countries have issued numerous declarations assailing the attempts to put heterosexual marriage and same-sex unions on the same level.
Panel of Reference Leader Remarks on How Panel Will Work
Source: The Living Church
Date: May 17, 2005
Author: Robert R. Chapman, Jr.
On the web: http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=989
Archbishop Carnley: Panel will aid Mediation Process
With its composition still in the planning stage, the Panel of Reference envisioned by the primates will help people deal"eye-to-eye,” rather than through the media, according to its chairman, the Most Rev. Peter F. Carnley."
That’s been one of the problems of our Communion over the last decade or so,” Archbishop Carnley said. "We’ve been communicating to each other by talking about one another through the media rather than speaking with one another. I see mediation in those terms: encouraging conversation.”
The Most Rev. Peter Carnley was consecrated the AnglicanArchbishop of Perth on 1981. He is the Metropolitan of Western Australia and was elected the Primate of Australia on Feb. 3, 2000. On May 26, the 25th anniversary of his episcopacy, Archbishop Carnley will retire.
Archbishop Carnley recently told the Archbishop of Canterbury he would be happy to be of help to the Communion. With this offer,the Most Rev. Rowan Williams asked Archbishop Carnley to chair the panel.
The Panel of Reference will be an independent body, Archbishop Carnley said. It will offer pastoral advice and mediation. It is not an adversarial processes leading to a judgment. It will work with some of the differences experienced by parishes, dioceses,and provinces. Services will be offered to a national church at the request of its Primate. Participation will be voluntary.
In cases when an alternative bishop has been requested, Archbishop Carnley prefers to think of it as "alternative episcopal ministry” rather than "alternative episcopal oversight.” The diocesan bishop still has jurisdiction, but another bishop will provide ministry to the parish, diocese, or province in question.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will refer requests to the panel. It has not been decided whether to request services through their bishop or directly to Canterbury, Archbishop Carnley stated.
Archbishop Williams will send letters of invitation soon to a short list of candidates for the other panel members. It is intended to have membership representing the geography of the entire Anglican Communion. Consideration will be given to gender and the different orders of ministry. Lay members are likely to be canon lawyers. Theological experts may be consulted, according to Archbishop Carnley, who explained that the Anglican Communion Office will probably provide a secretary and legal advisor.
The first meeting of the Panel of Reference may be held in July, although Archbishop Carnley said most work will be done electronically to save costs. Work will probably be divided among subgroups, instead of the entire panel dealing with every case. The entire panel will probably only meet together once a year or so.
The Anglican Communion Office is funding the Panel of Reference. Archbishop Carnley said members will not be reimbursed, with the possible exception being travel expenses reimbursed once a year.
Looks like Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight to me. With Carnley - a liberal - at the helm I don't expect much relief for beseiged orthodox Anglican congregations in the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada from William's Panel of Reference. Sorry to say it looks like Williams has let orthodox Anglicans down again. May be its his way of thumbing his nose at the global South Primates.
Date: May 17, 2005
Author: Robert R. Chapman, Jr.
On the web: http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=989
Archbishop Carnley: Panel will aid Mediation Process
With its composition still in the planning stage, the Panel of Reference envisioned by the primates will help people deal"eye-to-eye,” rather than through the media, according to its chairman, the Most Rev. Peter F. Carnley."
That’s been one of the problems of our Communion over the last decade or so,” Archbishop Carnley said. "We’ve been communicating to each other by talking about one another through the media rather than speaking with one another. I see mediation in those terms: encouraging conversation.”
The Most Rev. Peter Carnley was consecrated the AnglicanArchbishop of Perth on 1981. He is the Metropolitan of Western Australia and was elected the Primate of Australia on Feb. 3, 2000. On May 26, the 25th anniversary of his episcopacy, Archbishop Carnley will retire.
Archbishop Carnley recently told the Archbishop of Canterbury he would be happy to be of help to the Communion. With this offer,the Most Rev. Rowan Williams asked Archbishop Carnley to chair the panel.
The Panel of Reference will be an independent body, Archbishop Carnley said. It will offer pastoral advice and mediation. It is not an adversarial processes leading to a judgment. It will work with some of the differences experienced by parishes, dioceses,and provinces. Services will be offered to a national church at the request of its Primate. Participation will be voluntary.
In cases when an alternative bishop has been requested, Archbishop Carnley prefers to think of it as "alternative episcopal ministry” rather than "alternative episcopal oversight.” The diocesan bishop still has jurisdiction, but another bishop will provide ministry to the parish, diocese, or province in question.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will refer requests to the panel. It has not been decided whether to request services through their bishop or directly to Canterbury, Archbishop Carnley stated.
Archbishop Williams will send letters of invitation soon to a short list of candidates for the other panel members. It is intended to have membership representing the geography of the entire Anglican Communion. Consideration will be given to gender and the different orders of ministry. Lay members are likely to be canon lawyers. Theological experts may be consulted, according to Archbishop Carnley, who explained that the Anglican Communion Office will probably provide a secretary and legal advisor.
The first meeting of the Panel of Reference may be held in July, although Archbishop Carnley said most work will be done electronically to save costs. Work will probably be divided among subgroups, instead of the entire panel dealing with every case. The entire panel will probably only meet together once a year or so.
The Anglican Communion Office is funding the Panel of Reference. Archbishop Carnley said members will not be reimbursed, with the possible exception being travel expenses reimbursed once a year.
Looks like Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight to me. With Carnley - a liberal - at the helm I don't expect much relief for beseiged orthodox Anglican congregations in the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada from William's Panel of Reference. Sorry to say it looks like Williams has let orthodox Anglicans down again. May be its his way of thumbing his nose at the global South Primates.
25-year Episcopal priest quits Johnstown parish to join Catholic Church
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05141/508401.stm
[Pittsburgh Post Gazette] May 21, 2005--Calling the Episcopal Church's "ideology of radical inclusivity" heretical, an influential Johnstown rector has renounced his vows as an Episcopal priest in order to convert to Catholicism and apply for priesthood.
[Pittsburgh Post Gazette] May 21, 2005--Calling the Episcopal Church's "ideology of radical inclusivity" heretical, an influential Johnstown rector has renounced his vows as an Episcopal priest in order to convert to Catholicism and apply for priesthood.
Robert Hargrove, longtime Episcopal bishop, dead at 67
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-16/111660478811530.xml&storylist=louisiana
[Times Picayune] May 20, 2005--Longtime Episcopal Bishop Robert Hargrove died Thursday at his Pineville residence. He was 67.
Related article:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050521/NEWS01/505210349/1002/NEWS
Bishop for area's Episcopal Diocese dies at his home - ShreveportTimes.com
[Times Picayune] May 20, 2005--Longtime Episcopal Bishop Robert Hargrove died Thursday at his Pineville residence. He was 67.
Related article:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050521/NEWS01/505210349/1002/NEWS
Bishop for area's Episcopal Diocese dies at his home - ShreveportTimes.com
Weblog: ABC's 20/20 Says Jesus' Tomb Was Empty
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/120/51.0.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 20, 2005--Plus: Embryonic cloning breakthroughs, ACLU wants praying teachers jailed and religious advisers hired, and other stories from online sources around the world.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 20, 2005--Plus: Embryonic cloning breakthroughs, ACLU wants praying teachers jailed and religious advisers hired, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Victorian Skeptics on the Road to Damascus
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/120/52.0.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 20, 2005--Former atheist Antony Flew's admission of the existence of God shocked believers and skeptics alike, but such a turnaround is far from unique. In the 19th century, many leading intellectuals who had once lost their faith ended up reconverting.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 20, 2005--Former atheist Antony Flew's admission of the existence of God shocked believers and skeptics alike, but such a turnaround is far from unique. In the 19th century, many leading intellectuals who had once lost their faith ended up reconverting.
Death Sentence Cut for Killer of Australian Missionary
http://www.christianpost.com/article/asia/699/section/death.sentence.cut.for.killer.of.australian.missionary/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 20, 2005--An eastern Indian court reduced the death sentence of a Hindu extremist who killed Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons six years ago. The man, Dara Singh, will now spend life in prison.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May 20, 2005--An eastern Indian court reduced the death sentence of a Hindu extremist who killed Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons six years ago. The man, Dara Singh, will now spend life in prison.
More articles from The Christian Post can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/.
Appeals Court Lets Indiana Ten Commandments Decision Stand
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331479.html
[Agape Press] May 21, 2005--The entire Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided not to rehear a decision upholding the Ten Commandments as part of a historical display in one Indiana courthouse.
[Agape Press] May 21, 2005--The entire Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided not to rehear a decision upholding the Ten Commandments as part of a historical display in one Indiana courthouse.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Connecticut - Question of authority unresolved
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_62230_ENG_HTM.htm
[Episcopal News Service] May 19, 2005--The controversy in Connecticut is widely seen as part of a strategy by the American Anglican Council (AAC), and its affiliate the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, to realign the Anglican Communion by replacing the Episcopal Church USA with a network of conservative dioceses and parishes. At one point, it appeared that the six rectors and their congregations wanted to create a "mini-diocese" within Connecticut.
Widely seen by whom? The ENS is now promoting 815's pet conspiracy theory and offering its own spin of what is happening in the Diocese of Connecticut.
[Episcopal News Service] May 19, 2005--The controversy in Connecticut is widely seen as part of a strategy by the American Anglican Council (AAC), and its affiliate the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, to realign the Anglican Communion by replacing the Episcopal Church USA with a network of conservative dioceses and parishes. At one point, it appeared that the six rectors and their congregations wanted to create a "mini-diocese" within Connecticut.
Widely seen by whom? The ENS is now promoting 815's pet conspiracy theory and offering its own spin of what is happening in the Diocese of Connecticut.
Gay bishops trouble even the divine optimist
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2484
[Reuters] May 20, 2005--Anglican troubleshooter Robin Eames issued a warning on Friday to churchmen squabbling over the issue of gay bishops -- the ingredients are there for schism.
Cultural differences may exist between Africa and North America but these cultural differences do not justify the ordination of non-celibate homosexual clergy and the blessing of homosexual unions. Homosexual practice - as the bishops of the Anglican Communion rightly pointed out at the 1998 Lambeth Bishops Conference - is inconsistant with the teaching of the Bible.
[Reuters] May 20, 2005--Anglican troubleshooter Robin Eames issued a warning on Friday to churchmen squabbling over the issue of gay bishops -- the ingredients are there for schism.
Cultural differences may exist between Africa and North America but these cultural differences do not justify the ordination of non-celibate homosexual clergy and the blessing of homosexual unions. Homosexual practice - as the bishops of the Anglican Communion rightly pointed out at the 1998 Lambeth Bishops Conference - is inconsistant with the teaching of the Bible.
Teaching homosexuality in our schools
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20827
[Baptist Press News] May 19, 2005--It seems weekly a new situation arises where schools are the centers of controversy over what to teach regarding sexuality and homosexuality.
[Baptist Press News] May 19, 2005--It seems weekly a new situation arises where schools are the centers of controversy over what to teach regarding sexuality and homosexuality.
California Voter Initiative to Protect Marriage Filed
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1598/section/california.voter.initiative.to.protect.marriage.filed/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 20, 2005--A voter initiative for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was filed at the California Attorney General’s office on Thursday.
[The Christian Post] May 20, 2005--A voter initiative for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was filed at the California Attorney General’s office on Thursday.
Egyptian Christians Express Concern over Abuses
http://www.christianpost.com/article/missions/1607/section/egyptian.christians.express.concern.over.abuses/1.htm
{The Christian Post] May 19, 2005--An association representing over 700,000 Egyptian Christians in the United States urged the President to raise issues of Egyptian Christian human rights during his meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif yesterday.
{The Christian Post] May 19, 2005--An association representing over 700,000 Egyptian Christians in the United States urged the President to raise issues of Egyptian Christian human rights during his meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif yesterday.
A Disgrace for Newsweek, and for Islam
http://crosswalk.com/news/1331162.html
[Beyond the News Commentary] May 20, 2005--Disgraceful reporting by Newsweek on the retracted story about Koran desecration at Guantanamo shouldn't detract attention from the horrifying reaction in the Islamic world.
Related article:
http://crosswalk.com/news/1331096.html
Saudis Shred Bibles, Rights Campaigners Claim - Crosswalk.com
[Beyond the News Commentary] May 20, 2005--Disgraceful reporting by Newsweek on the retracted story about Koran desecration at Guantanamo shouldn't detract attention from the horrifying reaction in the Islamic world.
Related article:
http://crosswalk.com/news/1331096.html
Saudis Shred Bibles, Rights Campaigners Claim - Crosswalk.com
Two Competing Religions--The Legacy of the 1960s
http://crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/?adate=5/20/2005#1331180
[Crosswalk.com] May 20, 2005--Today's culture wars can be directly traced to the cultural transformations of the 1960's. As a matter of fact, that critical decade represented nothing less than a cultural revolution of sorts--a revolution Stanley Kurtz describes as "both a fulfillment and a repudiation of the vision of America's founders."
[Crosswalk.com] May 20, 2005--Today's culture wars can be directly traced to the cultural transformations of the 1960's. As a matter of fact, that critical decade represented nothing less than a cultural revolution of sorts--a revolution Stanley Kurtz describes as "both a fulfillment and a repudiation of the vision of America's founders."
Dobson: Leahy Rhetoric a 'Smokescreen' -- End the Filibuster
http://crosswalk.com/news/1331161.html
[Agape Press] May 20 2005--The furor over Senate Democrats' continued filibustering of judicial nominees is turning into a war of words between a liberal Democratic senator and a respected pro-family leader.
[Agape Press] May 20 2005--The furor over Senate Democrats' continued filibustering of judicial nominees is turning into a war of words between a liberal Democratic senator and a respected pro-family leader.
Muslims dispute Zarqawi over killing innocents
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8545279
[Reuters] May 19, 2005--Many Arab Muslims on Thursday dismissed the religious justification for killing innocents given by al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, saying it was not the Islam they knew and any resistance had rules to protect civilians.
[Reuters] May 19, 2005--Many Arab Muslims on Thursday dismissed the religious justification for killing innocents given by al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, saying it was not the Islam they knew and any resistance had rules to protect civilians.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
“Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ” - Another Assault on Biblical Anglicanism
Instead of banishing and driving away “strange and erroneous doctrines contrary to God’s Word,” a number of Anglican leaders seem to be rushing to embrace them. They are not only espousing doctrinal innovations of their own but also those of the Roman Catholic Church. This past week a group of Anglican leaders signed a highly controversial ARCIC document, “Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ.” This documents asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was sinless and that the Roman Catholic doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary are consistent with Anglican interpretation of the Bible. It goes on to declare that Roman Catholics and Anglican agree upon the appropriateness of the practice of invoking Mary to intercede on their behalf with her son. The document would close the door upon the option of Anglicans agreeing to differ with Roman Catholics on Mary if the two churches were to reunite.
Anglicans have historically believed that Christ alone is without sin as taught in the Bible. Article XV of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, a foundational document of Anglicanism, states:
“Christ in the truth of our nature was made like unto us in all things, sin only except, from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh, and in his spirit. He came to be a Lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world, and sin, as Saint John saith, was not in him. But all we the rest, although baptized, and born again in Christ, yet offend in many things; and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
With the exception of some Anglo-Catholics, Anglicans reject the Roman Catholic doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary as having no basis in Scripture. To assert that these doctrines are consistent with Anglican interpretation of the Bible is untrue.
While some Anglo-Catholics invoke Mary in their prayers, most Anglicans subscribe to Article XXII of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. This article states that “the Romish doctrine concerning…invocation of saints, is a fond thing vainly invented and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12 tells us that anyone who seeks to communicate with the dead is an abomination to the Lord. The Old Testament made this practice punishable by death (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:27). The New Testament adds that “those who do these things will not receive the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). They will not enter God’s “city” (Revelation 22:14-15). Instead, “the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulphur” (Revelation 21:8).
Nowhere do the Scriptures give permission for us to invoke Mary or any of the faithful who have departed this life. Nowhere do the Scriptures tell us that the dead can intercede on the behalf of the living or the living can intercede on the behalf of the dead. As Article XX of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion reminds us “…it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God’s Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another.” Although the church is a witness and guardian to holy Scripture, it must not decree anything contrary to Scripture, nor is it to enforce belief in anything additional to Scripture as essential to salvation.
The cult of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church is marked by many superstitions and unscriptural beliefs. For many Roman Catholics their devotion to Mary - a daughter of Eve, spotted by original sin and sharing our fallen estate - eclipses their devotion to her son - the Word made flesh, the unspotted Lamb of God. To the sensibilities of Bible-believing Anglicans the Roman Catholic veneration of Mary as the Queen of Heaven has all the appearances of idolatry – a violation of the First and Second Commandments. Hymns and anthems are sung to Mary as well as prayers offered to her. Images of Mary are placed in Roman Catholic churches and candles burned and prayers and incense offered before them. The image of Mary or her various apparitions is carried about in processions.
“Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ” represents a serious departure from the teaching of the Bible upon the part of its Anglican signatories. One must question the motives of those Anglican leaders who signed this document. One must wonder why they endorsed a document that is clearly at odds with the beliefs of the vast majority of Anglicans of history and of today’s world and their interpretation of the Bible, a document that is bound to cause division in the Anglican Church. They appear only too willing to compromise biblical teaching for rapprochement with an unreformed Roman Catholic Church. Do they believe that through a strategy of accommodation they can win papal recognition of the Anglican Church and Anglican orders? With revisionists like Peter Carnley and Frank Griswold numbered among the members of the ARCIC committee that produced this document, one is tempted to suspect that their endorsement of the document is intended to ingratiate them with the new pope, to drive a wedge between Anglican evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics, and to divert the attention of Anglican evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics from the doctrinal innovations of the revisionists.
The danger of ARCIC documents like is that they have a tendency to be viewed as doctrinal statements of the Anglican Communion although they have no official standing and simply represent the opinions of those who participated in the ARCIC committee. Most of these documents have been unscriptural in their assertions and have drawn heavy criticism from Anglican evangelicals and others. While the Roman Catholic Church adopted a number of reforms in worship in the 20th century, it has made little or no progress in the area of doctrine. For Roman Catholics, the infallible Bishop of Rome is the foundation of authority in the Church and not the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church continues to demand belief in as an article of faith that which cannot be read in Scripture nor can be proved from Scripture and to teach it as necessary or required for salvation. Anglicans who believe in the authority of Scripture and subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion need to with one voice and in no uncertain terms reject and disown. They need to call upon the Anglican signatories to “Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ” to repudiate the document, repent of their doctrinal error, and reaffirm the teaching of the Bible. Any move to ratify this document by their respective provinces should be strongly opposed.
What is the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue really accomplishing? It has not led to any substantive doctrinal changes in the Roman Catholic Church. Rather the Anglican Church has steadily retreated from reformed Anglican doctrinal positions. If six years of talks produced a document in which Anglicans essentially abandon the teaching of the Bible and acquiesce to the doctrinal innovations of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church needs to re-evaluate and re-think its dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.
Anglicans have historically believed that Christ alone is without sin as taught in the Bible. Article XV of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, a foundational document of Anglicanism, states:
“Christ in the truth of our nature was made like unto us in all things, sin only except, from which he was clearly void, both in his flesh, and in his spirit. He came to be a Lamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the sins of the world, and sin, as Saint John saith, was not in him. But all we the rest, although baptized, and born again in Christ, yet offend in many things; and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
With the exception of some Anglo-Catholics, Anglicans reject the Roman Catholic doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary as having no basis in Scripture. To assert that these doctrines are consistent with Anglican interpretation of the Bible is untrue.
While some Anglo-Catholics invoke Mary in their prayers, most Anglicans subscribe to Article XXII of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. This article states that “the Romish doctrine concerning…invocation of saints, is a fond thing vainly invented and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12 tells us that anyone who seeks to communicate with the dead is an abomination to the Lord. The Old Testament made this practice punishable by death (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:27). The New Testament adds that “those who do these things will not receive the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). They will not enter God’s “city” (Revelation 22:14-15). Instead, “the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulphur” (Revelation 21:8).
Nowhere do the Scriptures give permission for us to invoke Mary or any of the faithful who have departed this life. Nowhere do the Scriptures tell us that the dead can intercede on the behalf of the living or the living can intercede on the behalf of the dead. As Article XX of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion reminds us “…it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God’s Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another.” Although the church is a witness and guardian to holy Scripture, it must not decree anything contrary to Scripture, nor is it to enforce belief in anything additional to Scripture as essential to salvation.
The cult of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church is marked by many superstitions and unscriptural beliefs. For many Roman Catholics their devotion to Mary - a daughter of Eve, spotted by original sin and sharing our fallen estate - eclipses their devotion to her son - the Word made flesh, the unspotted Lamb of God. To the sensibilities of Bible-believing Anglicans the Roman Catholic veneration of Mary as the Queen of Heaven has all the appearances of idolatry – a violation of the First and Second Commandments. Hymns and anthems are sung to Mary as well as prayers offered to her. Images of Mary are placed in Roman Catholic churches and candles burned and prayers and incense offered before them. The image of Mary or her various apparitions is carried about in processions.
“Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ” represents a serious departure from the teaching of the Bible upon the part of its Anglican signatories. One must question the motives of those Anglican leaders who signed this document. One must wonder why they endorsed a document that is clearly at odds with the beliefs of the vast majority of Anglicans of history and of today’s world and their interpretation of the Bible, a document that is bound to cause division in the Anglican Church. They appear only too willing to compromise biblical teaching for rapprochement with an unreformed Roman Catholic Church. Do they believe that through a strategy of accommodation they can win papal recognition of the Anglican Church and Anglican orders? With revisionists like Peter Carnley and Frank Griswold numbered among the members of the ARCIC committee that produced this document, one is tempted to suspect that their endorsement of the document is intended to ingratiate them with the new pope, to drive a wedge between Anglican evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics, and to divert the attention of Anglican evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics from the doctrinal innovations of the revisionists.
The danger of ARCIC documents like is that they have a tendency to be viewed as doctrinal statements of the Anglican Communion although they have no official standing and simply represent the opinions of those who participated in the ARCIC committee. Most of these documents have been unscriptural in their assertions and have drawn heavy criticism from Anglican evangelicals and others. While the Roman Catholic Church adopted a number of reforms in worship in the 20th century, it has made little or no progress in the area of doctrine. For Roman Catholics, the infallible Bishop of Rome is the foundation of authority in the Church and not the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church continues to demand belief in as an article of faith that which cannot be read in Scripture nor can be proved from Scripture and to teach it as necessary or required for salvation. Anglicans who believe in the authority of Scripture and subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion need to with one voice and in no uncertain terms reject and disown. They need to call upon the Anglican signatories to “Mary: Hope and Grace in Christ” to repudiate the document, repent of their doctrinal error, and reaffirm the teaching of the Bible. Any move to ratify this document by their respective provinces should be strongly opposed.
What is the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue really accomplishing? It has not led to any substantive doctrinal changes in the Roman Catholic Church. Rather the Anglican Church has steadily retreated from reformed Anglican doctrinal positions. If six years of talks produced a document in which Anglicans essentially abandon the teaching of the Bible and acquiesce to the doctrinal innovations of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church needs to re-evaluate and re-think its dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.
For this pope, no room for dissenting views
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzOTcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY2OTUxODYmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNA==
[NewJersey.com] May 18, 2005--Thomas Reese was forced out as editor of the Jesuit magazine America because he was an even-handed journalist. The Vatican, under Pope Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI, wants no truck with inclusiveness and impartiality. It wants every Catholic publication to present official dogma as the only correct path.
[NewJersey.com] May 18, 2005--Thomas Reese was forced out as editor of the Jesuit magazine America because he was an even-handed journalist. The Vatican, under Pope Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI, wants no truck with inclusiveness and impartiality. It wants every Catholic publication to present official dogma as the only correct path.
Self, sex and Christ
http://www.dcexaminer.com/articles/2005/05/19/features/faith/90faith19gays.txt
[The Washington Examiner] May 19, 2005--Susan Payne, 46, was a committed lesbian who had her first same-sex relationship at age 13. The hardship of being an adolescent "who didn't want to go the prom" led Payne into alcohol and drug abuse, she said. But at age 23, she discovered a lunchtime Bible study at her workplace. Not previously religious, she said, "I heard a lot of truth there."
[The Washington Examiner] May 19, 2005--Susan Payne, 46, was a committed lesbian who had her first same-sex relationship at age 13. The hardship of being an adolescent "who didn't want to go the prom" led Payne into alcohol and drug abuse, she said. But at age 23, she discovered a lunchtime Bible study at her workplace. Not previously religious, she said, "I heard a lot of truth there."
Why Are Conservative Churches Growing?
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/?adate=5/19/2005#1331027
[Crosswalk.com] May 19, 2005--Judith Shulevitz wants to know why conservative churches are strong and growing. Writing in the May 12, 2005 edition of Slate, Shulevitz shares the confusion of many on the secular left in wondering why strict religious movements appear to be growing while more liberal movements decline.
[Crosswalk.com] May 19, 2005--Judith Shulevitz wants to know why conservative churches are strong and growing. Writing in the May 12, 2005 edition of Slate, Shulevitz shares the confusion of many on the secular left in wondering why strict religious movements appear to be growing while more liberal movements decline.
Family Advocates Outraged by Porno Handouts at GLSEN Event
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1331021.html
[Agape Press] May 18, 2005--A pro-family group in Massachusetts is blowing the lid off an obscene homosexual education conference put on by the Boston chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
[Agape Press] May 18, 2005--A pro-family group in Massachusetts is blowing the lid off an obscene homosexual education conference put on by the Boston chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
Anglicans endorse, restrict the spread of same-sex blessings
http://www.canadianchristianity.com/cgi-bin/na.cgi?nationalupdates/050519anglicans
[CanadianChristianity.com] May 19, 2005--The number of Anglican parishes authorized to bless same-sex unions in the Vancouver area rose to eight last Saturday, but no more churches will be allowed to perform such blessings for at least the next two years, following a vote by the Diocese of New Westminster's annual synod to wait and see how the Anglican Church of Canada will deal with the issue when it meets for its next General Synod in 2007.
[CanadianChristianity.com] May 19, 2005--The number of Anglican parishes authorized to bless same-sex unions in the Vancouver area rose to eight last Saturday, but no more churches will be allowed to perform such blessings for at least the next two years, following a vote by the Diocese of New Westminster's annual synod to wait and see how the Anglican Church of Canada will deal with the issue when it meets for its next General Synod in 2007.
Priests' files reveal decades of abuse
http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2005/05/18/1116361613214.html?oneclick=true
[Theage.com] May 19, 2005--Catholic officials in Orange County, California, knew for years of sexual misconduct allegations against priests and lay workers but did little to warn parishioners or to prevent future abuse, personnel files show.
[Theage.com] May 19, 2005--Catholic officials in Orange County, California, knew for years of sexual misconduct allegations against priests and lay workers but did little to warn parishioners or to prevent future abuse, personnel files show.
Divided: Can We Stand?
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2477
[Virtue Online] May 18, 2005--A recent article in the Seattle Times magazine on the havoc caused by the Robinson consecration on the life and ministry of the Rev. Ted Berktold at St. Mary's Church, highlights the ambiguity liberal priests across the country face when confronted by absolute anger and despair from growing numbers of fleeing parishioners.
[Virtue Online] May 18, 2005--A recent article in the Seattle Times magazine on the havoc caused by the Robinson consecration on the life and ministry of the Rev. Ted Berktold at St. Mary's Church, highlights the ambiguity liberal priests across the country face when confronted by absolute anger and despair from growing numbers of fleeing parishioners.
End in sight to divisions over Virgin Mary?
http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5769&title=End%20in%20sight%20to%20divisions%20over%20Virgin%20Mary?
[The Church of England Newspaper] May 20, 2005--The former Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Rev Colin Buchanan, warned that many evangelicals would be very slow to be convinced about the assertions of the report. “Is the commission drawing people together or putting itself out on a limb?” he asked. “Anglicans have been hijacked by the Roman Catholics and it seems as though the captives have become sympathetic with the captors.”
For more articles from The Church of Engalnd Newspaper, go to http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php.
[The Church of England Newspaper] May 20, 2005--The former Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Rev Colin Buchanan, warned that many evangelicals would be very slow to be convinced about the assertions of the report. “Is the commission drawing people together or putting itself out on a limb?” he asked. “Anglicans have been hijacked by the Roman Catholics and it seems as though the captives have become sympathetic with the captors.”
For more articles from The Church of Engalnd Newspaper, go to http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Pro-Gay Marriage Belinda Stronach Betrays Conservatives and Joins Liberal Party
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/may/05051702.html
[LifeSite.com] May 17, 2005--Belinda Stronach, the pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, Conservative MP, who was placed in high ranks in the Conservative Party by insiders who mistakenly assumed she would attract new blood to the Party, has left the Conservatives for the Liberal Party. Stonach, who was a thorn in the side of social conservatives leaves at a crucial time just prior to Thursday's confidence vote on the budget which could bring down the government.
[LifeSite.com] May 17, 2005--Belinda Stronach, the pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, Conservative MP, who was placed in high ranks in the Conservative Party by insiders who mistakenly assumed she would attract new blood to the Party, has left the Conservatives for the Liberal Party. Stonach, who was a thorn in the side of social conservatives leaves at a crucial time just prior to Thursday's confidence vote on the budget which could bring down the government.
Same-sex union foes find allies in Arizona
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=40238&ntpid=2
[Wisconsin State Journal] May 18, 2005--The battle over same-sex unions in Wisconsin is attracting new soldiers.
[Wisconsin State Journal] May 18, 2005--The battle over same-sex unions in Wisconsin is attracting new soldiers.
Local Lutheran synod supports gay civil unions
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=40163&ntpid=1
[The Capital Times] May 16, 2005--The regional branch of the nation's largest Lutheran domination is opposing an amendment to the state Constitution that would prohibit marriage or civil unions among gays and lesbians.
Related article:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/05/051605wiscBan.htm
Wisconsin Lutherans Oppose Gay Marriage Amendment - 365gay.com
[The Capital Times] May 16, 2005--The regional branch of the nation's largest Lutheran domination is opposing an amendment to the state Constitution that would prohibit marriage or civil unions among gays and lesbians.
Related article:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/05/051605wiscBan.htm
Wisconsin Lutherans Oppose Gay Marriage Amendment - 365gay.com
Missed opportunity or history-shaping impact? Our choice
http://www.christianpost.com/article/editorial/358/section/missed.opportunity.or.history-shaping.impact.our.choice/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 16, 2005--David Watson, an Anglican priest, wrote two sentences that have haunted me for 21 years: “It is widely held that the battle of the century will be between Marxism, Islam, and Third-world Christianity. Western Christianity is considered too weak and ineffective to contribute anything significant to this universal struggle.” That’s a sobering accusation I’ve been unable to discredit. I fear that the church in America has wandered down one path when we should have taken the other. The path opposite our current direction is the path of a disciple.
[The Christian Post] May 16, 2005--David Watson, an Anglican priest, wrote two sentences that have haunted me for 21 years: “It is widely held that the battle of the century will be between Marxism, Islam, and Third-world Christianity. Western Christianity is considered too weak and ineffective to contribute anything significant to this universal struggle.” That’s a sobering accusation I’ve been unable to discredit. I fear that the church in America has wandered down one path when we should have taken the other. The path opposite our current direction is the path of a disciple.
South Africa Rejects Same-Sex Marriage as Against the Bible
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/africa/south.africa.constitutional.court.rejects.samesex.marriage.for.it.is.against.bible/211.htm
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 18, 2005--A hearing for an application to reverse a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that legalises same-sex marriage was held at the Constitutional Court of South Africa on Tuesday. Under the pressure of the churches, especially Anglicans who strongly defend marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman, the Constitutional Court yesterday said that homosexuality is against the Bible and so same-sex unions should not be allowed.
[Christianity Today (UK)] May 18, 2005--A hearing for an application to reverse a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that legalises same-sex marriage was held at the Constitutional Court of South Africa on Tuesday. Under the pressure of the churches, especially Anglicans who strongly defend marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman, the Constitutional Court yesterday said that homosexuality is against the Bible and so same-sex unions should not be allowed.
Census: Anglican Church Expresses Worry
http://allafrica.com/stories/200505170790.html
[allAfrica.com] May 17, 2005--Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has urged Federal Government to come up with clear guidelines and principles that will lead to publishing the results of the 2005 National Census for effective use in planning and governance.
[allAfrica.com] May 17, 2005--Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has urged Federal Government to come up with clear guidelines and principles that will lead to publishing the results of the 2005 National Census for effective use in planning and governance.
Archbishop Carnely's Sermon at Cathedral Church of St. James
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm?years=2005&months=5&article=375&pos=
[Anglican Communion News Service] May 18, 2005--A sermon preached by The Most Revd Dr. Peter Carnley AO. Anglican Archbishop of Perth and Primate of Australia at the Cathedral Church of St. James in the Archdiocese of Seattle at vespers on Monday 16th May to celebrate the publication of the 'Seattle Statement' of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Commission: 'Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ'.
[Anglican Communion News Service] May 18, 2005--A sermon preached by The Most Revd Dr. Peter Carnley AO. Anglican Archbishop of Perth and Primate of Australia at the Cathedral Church of St. James in the Archdiocese of Seattle at vespers on Monday 16th May to celebrate the publication of the 'Seattle Statement' of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Commission: 'Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ'.
Walking The Talk Facing church revolt over gay clergy, a faithful follower leads by staying in the pews
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2474
[The Seattle Times Magazine] May 17, 2005--The pain is palpable at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Ted Berktold doesn't need a tearful 75-year-old woman in his cluttered, book-filled office to tell him that. "This is not personal," she says, "but the Episcopal Church is no longer my church."
[The Seattle Times Magazine] May 17, 2005--The pain is palpable at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Ted Berktold doesn't need a tearful 75-year-old woman in his cluttered, book-filled office to tell him that. "This is not personal," she says, "but the Episcopal Church is no longer my church."
California Parental Abortion Notification Bill Goes to Voters
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1595/section/california.parental.abortion.notification.bill.goes.to.voters/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 18, 2005--A voter initiative was approved on Monday, giving California voters the opportunity to decide whether or not parents should be notified before a minor receives an abortion.
[The Christian Post] May 18, 2005--A voter initiative was approved on Monday, giving California voters the opportunity to decide whether or not parents should be notified before a minor receives an abortion.
The Resurrection of Jesus Discussed on 20/20
http://www.christianpost.com/article/education/808/section/the.resurrection.of.jesus.discussed.on.2020/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 18, 2005--The “resurrection of Jesus” debate featuring a number of notable scholars, theologians and archeologists around the world is scheduled to air on a special “20/20” hour on May 20.
[The Christian Post] May 18, 2005--The “resurrection of Jesus” debate featuring a number of notable scholars, theologians and archeologists around the world is scheduled to air on a special “20/20” hour on May 20.
Weblog: Anglicans 'Fudge' on Mary
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/120/21.0.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 17, 2005--Plus: ACLU sues gov't over Silver Ring Thing grants, Israeli police thwart Temple Mount attack, and other stories from online sources around the world.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 17, 2005--Plus: ACLU sues gov't over Silver Ring Thing grants, Israeli police thwart Temple Mount attack, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Christianity Today News Briefs
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/006/12.24.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 18, 2005--Christians murdered in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Oregon's supreme court overturns same-sex marriages.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 18, 2005--Christians murdered in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Oregon's supreme court overturns same-sex marriages.
Appeals court rules ‘In God We Trust’ constitutional
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20803
[Baptist Press News] May 17, 2005--A federal appeals court has ruled that the phrase “In God We Trust” on a government building does not violate the separation of church and state.
[Baptist Press News] May 17, 2005--A federal appeals court has ruled that the phrase “In God We Trust” on a government building does not violate the separation of church and state.
Showdown Over Judicial Nominees Moving to Full Senate
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330916.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 18, 2005--Conservatives see it as "destiny," while Democrats blast it as despicable: Either way, the nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen is expected to come to the floor of the full Senate on Wednesday.
Related article:
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20802
Senate to debate judicial filibusters Wed.; White House says judges deserve vote - Baptist Press News
[Crosswalk.com] May 18, 2005--Conservatives see it as "destiny," while Democrats blast it as despicable: Either way, the nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen is expected to come to the floor of the full Senate on Wednesday.
Related article:
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20802
Senate to debate judicial filibusters Wed.; White House says judges deserve vote - Baptist Press News
Deadly Riots Show Value of Religious Liberty, Experts Say
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330778.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 18, 2005--The violent reaction to an erroneous report alleging that U.S. military interrogators had desecrated the Koran underscores the importance of a multi-religious society like America, according to experts on the Christian and Muslim faiths.
[Crosswalk.com] May 18, 2005--The violent reaction to an erroneous report alleging that U.S. military interrogators had desecrated the Koran underscores the importance of a multi-religious society like America, according to experts on the Christian and Muslim faiths.
Dad Becomes Icon in Battle Over Homosexual Agenda in Schools
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330766.html
[Agape Press] May 18, 2005--A Massachusetts father who was arrested for protesting a homosexual curriculum being used in his son's kindergarten class is considering legal action against the school district.
[Agape Press] May 18, 2005--A Massachusetts father who was arrested for protesting a homosexual curriculum being used in his son's kindergarten class is considering legal action against the school district.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Anglicans invited to take a Catholic view of Mary
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1615252,00.html
[Times Online] May 16, 2005--Members of the Anglican church are being asked to accept that controversial Roman Catholic teachings regarding the Virgin Mary are "authentic expressions of Christian belief".
The proposals, which came under immediate attack from senior evangelicals, come in a document agreed by leading theologians and prelates of both churches and published in America tonight.
related article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1615534,00.html
Cracks in Anglican dissent over Mary - Times Online
[Times Online] May 16, 2005--Members of the Anglican church are being asked to accept that controversial Roman Catholic teachings regarding the Virgin Mary are "authentic expressions of Christian belief".
The proposals, which came under immediate attack from senior evangelicals, come in a document agreed by leading theologians and prelates of both churches and published in America tonight.
related article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1615534,00.html
Cracks in Anglican dissent over Mary - Times Online
Roman Catholics committee reaches agreement in talks on the role of Mary
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050517/NEWS0103/105170023
[Foster's Online] May 17, 2005--A group of Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders studying the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, said Monday that after years of talks they have agreed that Catholic teachings on the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary into heaven are consistent with Anglican interpretations of the Bible.
Related article:
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/arcic.to.agree.on.role.of.mary.between.anglican.catholic.church.in.london/558.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4553951.stm
ARCIC To Agree on Role of Mary between Anglican & Catholic Church in London - Christianity Today (UK)
Church scholars offer Mary accord - BBC News
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Official-Mary-not-a-saviour/2005/05/16/1116095908672.html?oneclick=true
Official: Mary not a saviour - Sydney Morning Herald
Really! Anglo-Catholic interpretations of the Bible perhaps but not Anglican evangelical interpretations. Nowehere in the New Testament does it say that Mary is sinless. Rather the New Testament tells us that except for Jesus all have sinned! Nowhere in the New Testament does it say that Mary was assumed into heaven. Jesus' response, when a woman cried out that his mother was blessed for having given birth to him and having nourished him at her breast, was that those who hear God's word and obey it are blessed. Those Anglicans leaders upon the committee may have agreed to accept Roman dogma but I have a strong suspicion that Anglican evangelicals will reject this agreement. They have rejected previous ARCIC agreements.
[Foster's Online] May 17, 2005--A group of Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders studying the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, said Monday that after years of talks they have agreed that Catholic teachings on the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary into heaven are consistent with Anglican interpretations of the Bible.
Related article:
http://www.christiantoday.com/news/church/arcic.to.agree.on.role.of.mary.between.anglican.catholic.church.in.london/558.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4553951.stm
ARCIC To Agree on Role of Mary between Anglican & Catholic Church in London - Christianity Today (UK)
Church scholars offer Mary accord - BBC News
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Official-Mary-not-a-saviour/2005/05/16/1116095908672.html?oneclick=true
Official: Mary not a saviour - Sydney Morning Herald
Really! Anglo-Catholic interpretations of the Bible perhaps but not Anglican evangelical interpretations. Nowehere in the New Testament does it say that Mary is sinless. Rather the New Testament tells us that except for Jesus all have sinned! Nowhere in the New Testament does it say that Mary was assumed into heaven. Jesus' response, when a woman cried out that his mother was blessed for having given birth to him and having nourished him at her breast, was that those who hear God's word and obey it are blessed. Those Anglicans leaders upon the committee may have agreed to accept Roman dogma but I have a strong suspicion that Anglican evangelicals will reject this agreement. They have rejected previous ARCIC agreements.
Panel to Examine Gay Ordination in Episcopal Church USA
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036555.cfm
[Family News in Focus] May 16, 2005--Leadership hopes to mediate differences between U.S. parishes concerning ordination of openly-homosexual bishop.
[Family News in Focus] May 16, 2005--Leadership hopes to mediate differences between U.S. parishes concerning ordination of openly-homosexual bishop.
Stunned Durangoan received into priesthood
http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=rel&article_path=/religion/rel050514.htm
[Durango Herald] May 14, 2005--If doctors go through internships and residencies, Anglican priests go through regularization to enter the deaconate and the presbyter. Most of the time.
[Durango Herald] May 14, 2005--If doctors go through internships and residencies, Anglican priests go through regularization to enter the deaconate and the presbyter. Most of the time.
Choice of Canley shows contempt for Communion
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2471
[Virtue Online] May 16, 2005--The choice of retiring Australian Archbishop Peter Carnley to head the "Panel of Reference" created by Archbishop Rowan Williams response to the request of the Primates Meeting last February in Dromantine, Ireland shows nothing but contempt for the Anglican Communion.
[Virtue Online] May 16, 2005--The choice of retiring Australian Archbishop Peter Carnley to head the "Panel of Reference" created by Archbishop Rowan Williams response to the request of the Primates Meeting last February in Dromantine, Ireland shows nothing but contempt for the Anglican Communion.
Former Muslim Trains Christians to Witness in Local Mosques
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330327.html
[Agape Press] May 16, 2005--W.L. Cati, a former Muslim and founder of an evangelical Christian ministry, wants to train fellow followers of Christ how to go boldly into mosques and witness to Muslims.
[Agape Press] May 16, 2005--W.L. Cati, a former Muslim and founder of an evangelical Christian ministry, wants to train fellow followers of Christ how to go boldly into mosques and witness to Muslims.
UMC Conservative Condemns Lesbian Pastor's Reinstatement
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330326.html
[Agape Press] May 16, 2005--Pastor Tom Lambrecht, a Wisconsin minister and chairman of the board of the Methodist renewal ministry "Good News," suspects certain parts of the church of subtly trying to circumvent the denomination's decision on the issue of homosexuality. "I think the hierarchy is wanting to push forward an agenda that is not in agreement with where the grassroots of the church is at," he says.
[Agape Press] May 16, 2005--Pastor Tom Lambrecht, a Wisconsin minister and chairman of the board of the Methodist renewal ministry "Good News," suspects certain parts of the church of subtly trying to circumvent the denomination's decision on the issue of homosexuality. "I think the hierarchy is wanting to push forward an agenda that is not in agreement with where the grassroots of the church is at," he says.
Family Advocates: Judicial Activism Runs Amok in Nebraska
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330325.html
[Agape Press] May 15, 2005--With an almost unanimous voice, family advocacy groups across the U.S. are decrying Thursday's decision by a federal judge in Nebraska that negates the marriage protection amendment that was approved by voters in the Cornhusker State almost five years ago. The ruling has reinvigorated those groups' calls for the necessity for a marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- and given immediacy to their push for an end to the months-long Senate filibuster against conservative judicial nominees.
[Agape Press] May 15, 2005--With an almost unanimous voice, family advocacy groups across the U.S. are decrying Thursday's decision by a federal judge in Nebraska that negates the marriage protection amendment that was approved by voters in the Cornhusker State almost five years ago. The ruling has reinvigorated those groups' calls for the necessity for a marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- and given immediacy to their push for an end to the months-long Senate filibuster against conservative judicial nominees.
Media Watchdog Compares Newsweek Controversy to Rathergate
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330532.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 17, 2005--A media watchdog group blasted Newsweek Monday for refusing to issue a retraction of its report that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a Koran down a toilet despite the fact that the claim came from an anonymous source who could not substantiate it.
Related story:
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330576.html
Newsweek Retraction Won't Stop Planned Protests, Radical Groups Say - Crosswalk.com
[Crosswalk.com] May 17, 2005--A media watchdog group blasted Newsweek Monday for refusing to issue a retraction of its report that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a Koran down a toilet despite the fact that the claim came from an anonymous source who could not substantiate it.
Related story:
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1330576.html
Newsweek Retraction Won't Stop Planned Protests, Radical Groups Say - Crosswalk.com
Evangelical Strategy Statement Gains Approval
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/1330535.html
[Crosswalk.com] May 17, 2005--Almost 90 evangelical leaders have given their approval to a document that calls conservative Christians to go beyond their usual issues, like abortion and homosexual rights, and involve themselves in such matters as poverty, justice and human rights.
[Crosswalk.com] May 17, 2005--Almost 90 evangelical leaders have given their approval to a document that calls conservative Christians to go beyond their usual issues, like abortion and homosexual rights, and involve themselves in such matters as poverty, justice and human rights.
Massachusetts: One Year After the First Knot
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1594/section/massachusetts.one.year.after.the.first.knot/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 17, 2005--One year after becoming the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, Massachusetts continues to debate the issue as lawmakers consider a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
[The Christian Post] May 17, 2005--One year after becoming the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, Massachusetts continues to debate the issue as lawmakers consider a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Experts Weary of ''Homosexual Agenda'' in Public Schools
http://www.christianpost.com/article/education/806/section/experts.weary.of.homosexual.agenda.in.public.schools/1.htm
[The Christian Post] May 17, 2005--Some experts are saying there is a trend in public education toward pro-homosexual programs and curricula that may pose a serious danger to children.
For more articles from The Christian Post, go to http://www.christianpost.com/.
[The Christian Post] May 17, 2005--Some experts are saying there is a trend in public education toward pro-homosexual programs and curricula that may pose a serious danger to children.
For more articles from The Christian Post, go to http://www.christianpost.com/.
Weblog: Newsweek Says Quran-in-Toilet Story Inaccurate
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/120/11.0.html
[ChristianityToday.com] May 16, 2005--Plus: 'In God We Trust' okayed for govt. buildings, abortion's risk for "next" babies, Richard John Neuhaus on the America debate, and other stories from online sources around the world.
[ChristianityToday.com] May 16, 2005--Plus: 'In God We Trust' okayed for govt. buildings, abortion's risk for "next" babies, Richard John Neuhaus on the America debate, and other stories from online sources around the world.
A group of mainly Arab evangelicals in Israel held their first convention and established the Evangelical Church Council in Israel on April 16. The co
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Official-Mary-not-a-saviour/2005/05/16/1116095908672.html?oneclick=true
[Sydney Morning Herald] May 17, 2005--After decades of bickering, an international ecumenical body devoted to bridging the gulf between the Anglican and Catholic churches has reached a historic agreement about the role of Mary, Mother of Jesus: she is the Lord's handmaiden and sinless, but not the source of eternal salvation.
Where in the Bible does it say that Mary is sinless? The Bible tells us that except for Jesus all have sinned. Nowehere in the Bible does Jesus instruct his disciples to pray to his mother. When a woman cried that his mother was blessed for having born and nurtured him, his response was that those who are blessed are those who hear God's word and obey it. The Bible tells us that God has forbidden the living to seek to communicate with the dead. Praying to Mary is to do just that. This agreement may be acceptable to Anglo-Catholics but it is appalling to Anglican evangelicals who take seriously the Word of God.
[Sydney Morning Herald] May 17, 2005--After decades of bickering, an international ecumenical body devoted to bridging the gulf between the Anglican and Catholic churches has reached a historic agreement about the role of Mary, Mother of Jesus: she is the Lord's handmaiden and sinless, but not the source of eternal salvation.
Where in the Bible does it say that Mary is sinless? The Bible tells us that except for Jesus all have sinned. Nowehere in the Bible does Jesus instruct his disciples to pray to his mother. When a woman cried that his mother was blessed for having born and nurtured him, his response was that those who are blessed are those who hear God's word and obey it. The Bible tells us that God has forbidden the living to seek to communicate with the dead. Praying to Mary is to do just that. This agreement may be acceptable to Anglo-Catholics but it is appalling to Anglican evangelicals who take seriously the Word of God.
Evangelical Collective: New association seeks more rights in Israel
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/006/9.24.html
[ChristianityToday.com] April 16, 2005--A group of mainly Arab evangelicals in Israel held their first convention and established the Evangelical Church Council in Israel on April 16. The convention, bringing together some 500 participants from 51 churches and evangelical organizations, including Campus Crusade and the Bible Society, took place near Shefa-Amr in Galilee.
[ChristianityToday.com] April 16, 2005--A group of mainly Arab evangelicals in Israel held their first convention and established the Evangelical Church Council in Israel on April 16. The convention, bringing together some 500 participants from 51 churches and evangelical organizations, including Campus Crusade and the Bible Society, took place near Shefa-Amr in Galilee.
Monday, May 16, 2005
AnglicansAblaze responds to Diane Reynolds
Monday, May 16, 2005
Dear Ms. Reynolds:
I am writing this open letter in response to your article,”Fight for the faith: Two Anglican parishes form opposing camps,” published in the Laurel Leader on May 12, 2005. The article offers an inaccurate and unbalanced picture of orthodox Anglicanism in the United States. Based upon the space given in the article to the opinions and views of the proponents of the Episcopal Church’s liberal political and social agenda, one is given the distinct impression that you sympathize with these opinions and views and wrote the article in order to provide a platform from which they could be presented.
Orthodox Anglicans in the United States are a diverse group, including evangelicals, charismatic, and Anglo-Catholics both in and outside the Episcopal Church. The Anglican Catholic Church organized by a group of Anglo-Catholic traditionalists who left the Episcopal Church back in the 1970s over prayer book revision and women’s ordination is hardly representative of Anglican orthodoxy in this country. Some orthodox Anglicans have not embraced prayer book revision and women’s ordination; others have. As an Anglican entity the Anglican Catholic Church is more representative of the alphabet soup of Continuing Churches that were organized in the 1970s largely by Anglo-Catholic traditionalists.
Unlike the Church of England the Episcopal Church made no provision for those who for reasons of conscience were unable to accept the changes in the prayer book or the ordination of women. This led to the exodus of a number of Anglo-Catholic groups from the Episcopal Church. The Church of England, on the other hand, gave parishes and churches the option of continuing to use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer when it introduced the Alternative Service Book of 1980. They retained this option with the introduction of the Church of England’s new service book Common Worship in 2000. They were also given the option of requesting alternative episcopal oversight from a bishop who shared their theological views if they disagreed with their bishop over women’s ordination. The Episcopal Church, however, chose not to take such an enlightened approach. Rather it adopted the Dennis Canon that enables a diocese to seize the church property of any group that for reasons of conscience believe that it can no longer remain in the Episcopal Church.
A more accurate and balanced picture of orthodox Anglicanism in America would have included interviews with the leaders of the three leading orthodox Anglican organizations in the Episcopal Church – the American Anglican Council, the Anglican Communion Network, and Forward in Faith North America - and profiles of a number of Episcopal parishes and churches affiliated with these organizations. You would have found churches and parishes that use contemporary language rites and free-flowing forms of worship, drama and skits, multimedia projectors, and praise and worship and contemporary Christian songs as well as those which are more traditional in their approach to worship, churches and parishes that have woman priests on staff and those which do not. A more accurate and balanced picture would have also included interviews with the leaders of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) and the newly organized Convocation of Nigerian Anglican Churches in America (CNACiA), leading orthodox Anglican organizations outside of the Episcopal Church. The AMIA was organized in 2005 in response to the continuing drift of the Episcopal Church away from orthodox Christianity. It is a missionary outreach to North America and is connected to the Anglican Communion through its sponsors - the Anglican Province of Rwanda and the Anglican Archbishop of South East Asia. It enjoys the support of a number of leading orthodox Anglican bishops around the world. The Archbishop of Nigeria Peter Akinola announced the formation of the CNACiA in April of this year (See "A Word to Nigerian Anglicans in North America" at http://www.anglican-nig.org/prlttr_northamerica.htm). It is to provide a safe haven for Nigerian Anglicans in the United States who cannot for reasons of conscience worship in Episcopal Church due to its departure from the spiritual and doctrinal direction of orthodox Anglicanism.. A more accurate and balanced picture of orthodox Anglicanism in America would have also included profiles of the churches affiliated with the AMiA and the CNACiA, profiles of the Episcopal churches that have sought the oversight of orthodox bishops or archbishops in other Anglican provinces, and interviews with their leaders and members.
At the heart of Anglicanism is the belief that the Bible is the written Word of God. While the Bible may have had human writers, its author is the Holy Spirit. God’s will for humankind is revealed in its pages. It is this belief that spurred Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the other English Reformers to reform the English Church in the 16th century. They sought to restore “the faith of Christ as professed by the Primitive Church.” To that end they disowned and rejected all the innovations in doctrine and worship by which the “Primitive Faith” had over the centuries been defaced or overlaid. What is going on today in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is not a dispute over human sexuality or different interpretations of Scripture although it is often presented as one or the other or both. It is a dispute over the inspiration and authority of the Bible. Since the 19th century skepticism, rationalism, Liberalism, Bible criticism, humanism, and more recently relativism and post-modernism have chipped away at this basic tenet of Anglicanism in the Episcopal Church. In many parts of the United States Episcopalians no longer believe that the Bible is the written Word of God. They have not only abandoned this basic tenet of Anglicanism but argue for a redefinition of Anglicanism which includes a wide latitude of belief on the place of the Bible in the Christian faith. They have placed themselves at odds with the mainstream of Anglican thought. One could say that they have adopted a decidedly un-Anglican view of the Bible although they would argue otherwise. It is also a dispute about the Episcopal Church’s abandonment of 2000 years of Christian teaching. As well as abandoning belief in the inspiration and authority of the Bible and promoting a new definition of Anglicanism, American Episcopalians have also discarded a number of fundamental Christian beliefs. Many Episcopalians no longer belief in the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ and have embraced pluralism, which is mistakenly referred to as “inclusivism.” They reject the Biblical concept of sin and therefore our need for a Savior. Thom Rainer, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has observed that inclusivism has all the earmarks of being the major heresy of the 21st century and already infects a number of mainline denominations.
The 1998 Lambeth Bishops Conference affirmed that the Bible teaches that sexual activity belongs solely in marriage between a man and a woman. Homosexual practice is not consistent with the teaching of the Bible. This is the official position of the Anglican Communion. It is also the view of the overwhelming majority of Christians in history and in the world today. It was the stated position of the Episcopal Church until the 2003 General Convention. However, in the years preceding that General Convention a number of Episcopal bishops had begun to ordain non-celibate gay and lesbian clergy in contradiction to the Episcopal Church’s stated position, emboldened by the failure of the Episcopal Church to discipline Bishop Richter for ordaining a practicing homosexual . Among these bishops was Frank Griswold who eventually became the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. The 1998 Lambeth Bishops Conference called upon these bishops to desist from this un-Scriptural innovation and repent of their apostasy. After the Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire elected a non-celibate gay man as bishop of the diocese, the Primates of the Anglican Communion warned the Episcopal Church that his confirmation and consecration could harm ecumenical and interfaith relations as well as relations between the Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion. Despite repeated warnings the Episcopal Church confirmed and consecrated Gene Robinson. The Episcopal Church also sanctioned the blessing of same sex unions and experimentation with rites for the blessing of such unions at the diocesan and local level. A number of bishops had already been allowing these blessings in their dioceses. In doing so, the Episcopal Church violated its own constitution which committed the church to upholding and preserving the historical Christian faith. This led to almost two-thirds of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion declaring a state of broken or impaired communion exists between the Episcopal Church and themselves. It led to the appointment of the Lambeth Commission on Communion and the issuance of the Windsor Report with its recommendations of moratoriums on the blessing of same sex unions and the consecration of bishops involved in sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman. More recently, it has led to the Primates of the Anglican Communion requesting that the Episcopal Church withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council for a period of three years, the closest thing that a voluntary organization like the Anglican Communion can come to suspending the Episcopal Church from that body. The Episcopal Church has not properly complied with their request. It has announced that it will withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council but will nonetheless send its representatives to the next meeting of the Council in Nottingham, England in June. It has also refused to adopt a binding moratorium on the blessing of same sex unions as it was asked to do. This does not portend well for relations between the Episcopal Church and the more orthodox global South Anglican provinces. The Episcopal Church may at some date in the not too distant future be asked to withdraw from the Anglican Communion altogether.
I noticed that your article did not address how a number of Episcopal bishops have been persecuting orthodox clergy and congregations in their dioceses, how the Episcopal Church was asked to make provision for adequate alternative episcopal oversight for these clergy and congregations, and how the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishop responded to this request with “Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight,” and how this scheme has failed to meet the need for adequate alternative episcopal oversight. Congregations have been told to leave the Episcopal Church; clergy have been inhibited and disposed or stripped of their licenses. In a letter to Presiding Bishop Griswold, the Most Reverend Gregory J. Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone of the Americas, recently wrote:
“You tell us that ‘Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight’ is moving toward solving the problem in your province. It is not so. First of all it leaves the decisions in the hands of the offending bishops and does not give any substantive protection to parishes that maintain Anglican teaching and practice. In addition, we are aware of ECUSA clergy and parishes who have been ordered by their revisionist bishops not to ask for alternative oversight, threatened if they do, or who live in areas where bishops have publicly stated that they will not allow it. The fact that ‘some’ bishops will arrange for Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight does not mean at all that it can be put in place where it is really needed.”
I also noticed that you did not ask if Bishop Chane had sent any postulants for the priesthood from his diocese to Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and if not, why. In the Episcopal Church the diocesan bishop has a lot to say as to what seminary a postulant attends. If no one from Chane’s diocese is attending TESM, he has something to do with it. You seem only too willing to let Chane call Dean Zahl a liar and to characterize orthodox Anglicans in the Episcopal Church as liars.
It is remarkable that Bishop Chane can claim that schism is worse than heresy. The Episcopal Church is involved in a serious division – schism – with the Anglican Communion over the inspiration and authority of the Bible and Chane is one of the leaders of those who have caused this division – a schismatic. Obviously he willing to point out the tiny fleck of sawdust in the eye of his brother while ignoring the great wooden beam in his own eye. Like Presiding Bishop Griswold he is only too eager to minimize the seriousness of this division and to claim that the preoccupation of mainstream Anglicans with the un-Scriptural innovations of the Episcopal Church is distracting Anglicans from the common task of mission. How he and Griswold would like the Anglican Communion to overlook these innovations. However, the Anglican Primates cannot do so and remain faithful to their vow “with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God’s Word; and both privately and openly call upon and encourage others to the same.”
Sincerely,
Robin G. Jordan
Dear Ms. Reynolds:
I am writing this open letter in response to your article,”Fight for the faith: Two Anglican parishes form opposing camps,” published in the Laurel Leader on May 12, 2005. The article offers an inaccurate and unbalanced picture of orthodox Anglicanism in the United States. Based upon the space given in the article to the opinions and views of the proponents of the Episcopal Church’s liberal political and social agenda, one is given the distinct impression that you sympathize with these opinions and views and wrote the article in order to provide a platform from which they could be presented.
Orthodox Anglicans in the United States are a diverse group, including evangelicals, charismatic, and Anglo-Catholics both in and outside the Episcopal Church. The Anglican Catholic Church organized by a group of Anglo-Catholic traditionalists who left the Episcopal Church back in the 1970s over prayer book revision and women’s ordination is hardly representative of Anglican orthodoxy in this country. Some orthodox Anglicans have not embraced prayer book revision and women’s ordination; others have. As an Anglican entity the Anglican Catholic Church is more representative of the alphabet soup of Continuing Churches that were organized in the 1970s largely by Anglo-Catholic traditionalists.
Unlike the Church of England the Episcopal Church made no provision for those who for reasons of conscience were unable to accept the changes in the prayer book or the ordination of women. This led to the exodus of a number of Anglo-Catholic groups from the Episcopal Church. The Church of England, on the other hand, gave parishes and churches the option of continuing to use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer when it introduced the Alternative Service Book of 1980. They retained this option with the introduction of the Church of England’s new service book Common Worship in 2000. They were also given the option of requesting alternative episcopal oversight from a bishop who shared their theological views if they disagreed with their bishop over women’s ordination. The Episcopal Church, however, chose not to take such an enlightened approach. Rather it adopted the Dennis Canon that enables a diocese to seize the church property of any group that for reasons of conscience believe that it can no longer remain in the Episcopal Church.
A more accurate and balanced picture of orthodox Anglicanism in America would have included interviews with the leaders of the three leading orthodox Anglican organizations in the Episcopal Church – the American Anglican Council, the Anglican Communion Network, and Forward in Faith North America - and profiles of a number of Episcopal parishes and churches affiliated with these organizations. You would have found churches and parishes that use contemporary language rites and free-flowing forms of worship, drama and skits, multimedia projectors, and praise and worship and contemporary Christian songs as well as those which are more traditional in their approach to worship, churches and parishes that have woman priests on staff and those which do not. A more accurate and balanced picture would have also included interviews with the leaders of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) and the newly organized Convocation of Nigerian Anglican Churches in America (CNACiA), leading orthodox Anglican organizations outside of the Episcopal Church. The AMIA was organized in 2005 in response to the continuing drift of the Episcopal Church away from orthodox Christianity. It is a missionary outreach to North America and is connected to the Anglican Communion through its sponsors - the Anglican Province of Rwanda and the Anglican Archbishop of South East Asia. It enjoys the support of a number of leading orthodox Anglican bishops around the world. The Archbishop of Nigeria Peter Akinola announced the formation of the CNACiA in April of this year (See "A Word to Nigerian Anglicans in North America" at http://www.anglican-nig.org/prlttr_northamerica.htm). It is to provide a safe haven for Nigerian Anglicans in the United States who cannot for reasons of conscience worship in Episcopal Church due to its departure from the spiritual and doctrinal direction of orthodox Anglicanism.. A more accurate and balanced picture of orthodox Anglicanism in America would have also included profiles of the churches affiliated with the AMiA and the CNACiA, profiles of the Episcopal churches that have sought the oversight of orthodox bishops or archbishops in other Anglican provinces, and interviews with their leaders and members.
At the heart of Anglicanism is the belief that the Bible is the written Word of God. While the Bible may have had human writers, its author is the Holy Spirit. God’s will for humankind is revealed in its pages. It is this belief that spurred Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the other English Reformers to reform the English Church in the 16th century. They sought to restore “the faith of Christ as professed by the Primitive Church.” To that end they disowned and rejected all the innovations in doctrine and worship by which the “Primitive Faith” had over the centuries been defaced or overlaid. What is going on today in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is not a dispute over human sexuality or different interpretations of Scripture although it is often presented as one or the other or both. It is a dispute over the inspiration and authority of the Bible. Since the 19th century skepticism, rationalism, Liberalism, Bible criticism, humanism, and more recently relativism and post-modernism have chipped away at this basic tenet of Anglicanism in the Episcopal Church. In many parts of the United States Episcopalians no longer believe that the Bible is the written Word of God. They have not only abandoned this basic tenet of Anglicanism but argue for a redefinition of Anglicanism which includes a wide latitude of belief on the place of the Bible in the Christian faith. They have placed themselves at odds with the mainstream of Anglican thought. One could say that they have adopted a decidedly un-Anglican view of the Bible although they would argue otherwise. It is also a dispute about the Episcopal Church’s abandonment of 2000 years of Christian teaching. As well as abandoning belief in the inspiration and authority of the Bible and promoting a new definition of Anglicanism, American Episcopalians have also discarded a number of fundamental Christian beliefs. Many Episcopalians no longer belief in the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ and have embraced pluralism, which is mistakenly referred to as “inclusivism.” They reject the Biblical concept of sin and therefore our need for a Savior. Thom Rainer, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has observed that inclusivism has all the earmarks of being the major heresy of the 21st century and already infects a number of mainline denominations.
The 1998 Lambeth Bishops Conference affirmed that the Bible teaches that sexual activity belongs solely in marriage between a man and a woman. Homosexual practice is not consistent with the teaching of the Bible. This is the official position of the Anglican Communion. It is also the view of the overwhelming majority of Christians in history and in the world today. It was the stated position of the Episcopal Church until the 2003 General Convention. However, in the years preceding that General Convention a number of Episcopal bishops had begun to ordain non-celibate gay and lesbian clergy in contradiction to the Episcopal Church’s stated position, emboldened by the failure of the Episcopal Church to discipline Bishop Richter for ordaining a practicing homosexual . Among these bishops was Frank Griswold who eventually became the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. The 1998 Lambeth Bishops Conference called upon these bishops to desist from this un-Scriptural innovation and repent of their apostasy. After the Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire elected a non-celibate gay man as bishop of the diocese, the Primates of the Anglican Communion warned the Episcopal Church that his confirmation and consecration could harm ecumenical and interfaith relations as well as relations between the Episcopal Church and the larger Anglican Communion. Despite repeated warnings the Episcopal Church confirmed and consecrated Gene Robinson. The Episcopal Church also sanctioned the blessing of same sex unions and experimentation with rites for the blessing of such unions at the diocesan and local level. A number of bishops had already been allowing these blessings in their dioceses. In doing so, the Episcopal Church violated its own constitution which committed the church to upholding and preserving the historical Christian faith. This led to almost two-thirds of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion declaring a state of broken or impaired communion exists between the Episcopal Church and themselves. It led to the appointment of the Lambeth Commission on Communion and the issuance of the Windsor Report with its recommendations of moratoriums on the blessing of same sex unions and the consecration of bishops involved in sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman. More recently, it has led to the Primates of the Anglican Communion requesting that the Episcopal Church withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council for a period of three years, the closest thing that a voluntary organization like the Anglican Communion can come to suspending the Episcopal Church from that body. The Episcopal Church has not properly complied with their request. It has announced that it will withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council but will nonetheless send its representatives to the next meeting of the Council in Nottingham, England in June. It has also refused to adopt a binding moratorium on the blessing of same sex unions as it was asked to do. This does not portend well for relations between the Episcopal Church and the more orthodox global South Anglican provinces. The Episcopal Church may at some date in the not too distant future be asked to withdraw from the Anglican Communion altogether.
I noticed that your article did not address how a number of Episcopal bishops have been persecuting orthodox clergy and congregations in their dioceses, how the Episcopal Church was asked to make provision for adequate alternative episcopal oversight for these clergy and congregations, and how the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishop responded to this request with “Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight,” and how this scheme has failed to meet the need for adequate alternative episcopal oversight. Congregations have been told to leave the Episcopal Church; clergy have been inhibited and disposed or stripped of their licenses. In a letter to Presiding Bishop Griswold, the Most Reverend Gregory J. Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone of the Americas, recently wrote:
“You tell us that ‘Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight’ is moving toward solving the problem in your province. It is not so. First of all it leaves the decisions in the hands of the offending bishops and does not give any substantive protection to parishes that maintain Anglican teaching and practice. In addition, we are aware of ECUSA clergy and parishes who have been ordered by their revisionist bishops not to ask for alternative oversight, threatened if they do, or who live in areas where bishops have publicly stated that they will not allow it. The fact that ‘some’ bishops will arrange for Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight does not mean at all that it can be put in place where it is really needed.”
I also noticed that you did not ask if Bishop Chane had sent any postulants for the priesthood from his diocese to Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and if not, why. In the Episcopal Church the diocesan bishop has a lot to say as to what seminary a postulant attends. If no one from Chane’s diocese is attending TESM, he has something to do with it. You seem only too willing to let Chane call Dean Zahl a liar and to characterize orthodox Anglicans in the Episcopal Church as liars.
It is remarkable that Bishop Chane can claim that schism is worse than heresy. The Episcopal Church is involved in a serious division – schism – with the Anglican Communion over the inspiration and authority of the Bible and Chane is one of the leaders of those who have caused this division – a schismatic. Obviously he willing to point out the tiny fleck of sawdust in the eye of his brother while ignoring the great wooden beam in his own eye. Like Presiding Bishop Griswold he is only too eager to minimize the seriousness of this division and to claim that the preoccupation of mainstream Anglicans with the un-Scriptural innovations of the Episcopal Church is distracting Anglicans from the common task of mission. How he and Griswold would like the Anglican Communion to overlook these innovations. However, the Anglican Primates cannot do so and remain faithful to their vow “with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God’s Word; and both privately and openly call upon and encourage others to the same.”
Sincerely,
Robin G. Jordan
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