http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12411/
[Stand Firm] 12 May 2008--Episcopalian and lawyer A. S. Haley has produced a remarkable and complete set of posts on the canonical issues surrounding the San Joaquin debacle. They are quite important, and for this reason -- though all of us can visit his blog at Anglican Curmudgeon and read at our leisure -- I am posting one of his posts every morning this week for discussion and analysis.
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Anglican Communion: Whither Bound?
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8219
[VirtueOnline] 12 May 2008--David Virtue was the guest speaker at the General Meeting of the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the AAC (SEWAAC) on Saturday, March 29th, at Zion Episcopal Church in Oconomowoc, WI.
[VirtueOnline] 12 May 2008--David Virtue was the guest speaker at the General Meeting of the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the AAC (SEWAAC) on Saturday, March 29th, at Zion Episcopal Church in Oconomowoc, WI.
Going up, or going down? Which way for the Church of England?
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/05/12/going-up-or-going-down-which-way-for-the-church-of-england/
[Anglican Mainstream] 12 May 2008--Research behind an article by Ruth Gledhill in today’s Times, on the basis of which it is suggested that by 2050 there will be nearly three times the number of active Muslims in the UK as there are churchgoing Christians, has been greeted with disbelief verging on contempt by a number of commentators.
[Anglican Mainstream] 12 May 2008--Research behind an article by Ruth Gledhill in today’s Times, on the basis of which it is suggested that by 2050 there will be nearly three times the number of active Muslims in the UK as there are churchgoing Christians, has been greeted with disbelief verging on contempt by a number of commentators.
Anglicans hesitate on the path to Rome
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/holysmoke/may2008/anglicanshesitateonpathtorome.htm
[Telegraph] 12 May 2008--At least one Church of England “flying bishop” is ready to convert to Catholicism, and so are thousands of Anglicans. What is stopping them? According to a highly placed source, they simply cannot face the hostility of the current bishops of England and Wales.
[Telegraph] 12 May 2008--At least one Church of England “flying bishop” is ready to convert to Catholicism, and so are thousands of Anglicans. What is stopping them? According to a highly placed source, they simply cannot face the hostility of the current bishops of England and Wales.
1,000 Christian leaders, 280 bishops to GAFCON in Jerusalem
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/05/12/1000-christian-leaders-280-bishops-to-gafcon-in-jerusalem/
[Anglican Mainstream] 12 May 2008--Over 1000 senior leaders from seventeen provinces in the Anglican Communion, representing 35 million church-going Anglicans, have registered for the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in Jerusalem at the close of the online registration process. They include 280 bishops, almost all accompanied by their wives. Final attendance figures will depend on smooth processing of requested visas, and other factors.
[Anglican Mainstream] 12 May 2008--Over 1000 senior leaders from seventeen provinces in the Anglican Communion, representing 35 million church-going Anglicans, have registered for the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in Jerusalem at the close of the online registration process. They include 280 bishops, almost all accompanied by their wives. Final attendance figures will depend on smooth processing of requested visas, and other factors.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
'Lost' Christians Greatest Crisis in American Church, says Author
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080509/32312_%27Lost%27_Christians_Greatest_Crisis_in_American_Church%2C_says_Author.htm
[The Christian Post] 11 May 2008--The inability of the church to discuss a topic that has become taboo among many Christians is one of the root causes why millions of Americans are leaving the church and never to return, says one author.
There are "Christians who have experientially lost their faith" but have no one to turn to since church culture shuns the topic, Dave Samford said Thursday.
It's not that these Christians lost their salvation, but that they have lost their faith in the Bible, the church and Christian beliefs, said the author, who was addressing attendants at the annual convention of the Evangelical Press Association in Portland, Ore.
Over 31 million Americans are part of this exodus from the church, Samford said, citing a Barna Group study.
Any business that is losing 31 million customers is going out of business," he told a room of Christian journalists and editors. "[It] is the greatest crisis among Christians today in the U.S., Canada and some parts of Europe…We must break the silence in our publications.”
In his upcoming book, If God Disappears: 9 Faith Wreckers and What to Do About Them, Samford details nine reasons he uncovered through listening to stories of those who exited the church on why Christians abandon faith.
[The Christian Post] 11 May 2008--The inability of the church to discuss a topic that has become taboo among many Christians is one of the root causes why millions of Americans are leaving the church and never to return, says one author.
There are "Christians who have experientially lost their faith" but have no one to turn to since church culture shuns the topic, Dave Samford said Thursday.
It's not that these Christians lost their salvation, but that they have lost their faith in the Bible, the church and Christian beliefs, said the author, who was addressing attendants at the annual convention of the Evangelical Press Association in Portland, Ore.
Over 31 million Americans are part of this exodus from the church, Samford said, citing a Barna Group study.
Any business that is losing 31 million customers is going out of business," he told a room of Christian journalists and editors. "[It] is the greatest crisis among Christians today in the U.S., Canada and some parts of Europe…We must break the silence in our publications.”
In his upcoming book, If God Disappears: 9 Faith Wreckers and What to Do About Them, Samford details nine reasons he uncovered through listening to stories of those who exited the church on why Christians abandon faith.
Methodists Vote To Retain Policies on Homosexuality
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/mayweb-only/118-52.0.html
[Christianity Today] 11 May 2008--The United Methodist Church held to its traditional rules on homosexuality Wednesday (April 30), refusing to support or celebrate same-sex unions and maintaining language that calls homosexual activity "incompatible with Christian teaching."
While many Methodists gathered here acknowledged sharp disagreement within their church on sexuality and biblical interpretation, delegates voted down efforts that would reflect that division in church rules or social policies.
A measure to remove the "incompatible" phrase and replace it with a mandate to "refrain from judgment regarding homosexual persons and practices as the Spirit leads us to new insight" was defeated 517 to 416.
[Christianity Today] 11 May 2008--The United Methodist Church held to its traditional rules on homosexuality Wednesday (April 30), refusing to support or celebrate same-sex unions and maintaining language that calls homosexual activity "incompatible with Christian teaching."
While many Methodists gathered here acknowledged sharp disagreement within their church on sexuality and biblical interpretation, delegates voted down efforts that would reflect that division in church rules or social policies.
A measure to remove the "incompatible" phrase and replace it with a mandate to "refrain from judgment regarding homosexual persons and practices as the Spirit leads us to new insight" was defeated 517 to 416.
Emergent's New Christians and the Young and Restless Reformed
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/mayweb-only/118-51.0.html
[Christianity Today] 11 May 2008--Tony Jones and Collin Hansen find connections as they discuss each other's books and movements.
[Christianity Today] 11 May 2008--Tony Jones and Collin Hansen find connections as they discuss each other's books and movements.
What Was I Afraid Of?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2008/002/20.7.html
[Christianity Today] 11 May 2008--I didn't want to risk losing her friendship. So, I stayed silent.
[Christianity Today] 11 May 2008--I didn't want to risk losing her friendship. So, I stayed silent.
Anglican leader's plea to faithful claims extra wives are 'making a mockery' of the church
http://news.scotsman.com/world/Anglican-leader39s-plea-to-.4071486.jp
[Scotsman] 11 May 2008--Mirroring the renewed drive in the US to combat polygamy, Nigeria's Anglican leader has this week told the country's many Christian polygamists that the time has come to give up their extra wives.
In a letter to the faithful, Archbishop Peter Akinola warned the issue could "make a mockery" of the church. Until now, converts to Christianity have been allowed to keep their polygamous relationships.
Bishop Ali Buba Lamido said that it was difficult to convert polygamous Muslims to Christianity unless they could keep their wives, while Bishop Ali Buba of the Wusasa diocese in northern Kaduna State said 10% of some congregations in the north can be in polygamous marriages.
As with Sudan, Nigeria is deeply divided between the mostly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian and animist south.
[Scotsman] 11 May 2008--Mirroring the renewed drive in the US to combat polygamy, Nigeria's Anglican leader has this week told the country's many Christian polygamists that the time has come to give up their extra wives.
In a letter to the faithful, Archbishop Peter Akinola warned the issue could "make a mockery" of the church. Until now, converts to Christianity have been allowed to keep their polygamous relationships.
Bishop Ali Buba Lamido said that it was difficult to convert polygamous Muslims to Christianity unless they could keep their wives, while Bishop Ali Buba of the Wusasa diocese in northern Kaduna State said 10% of some congregations in the north can be in polygamous marriages.
As with Sudan, Nigeria is deeply divided between the mostly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian and animist south.
The Church of Uganda Names Two New Bishops
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805090890.html
[AllAfrica.com] 11 May 2008--The Church of Uganda House of Bishops has appointed the Rev. Can. Samuel Kaziimba bishop of Mityana Diocese, while the Rev. canon Patrick Gidudu is for Mbale.
Kaziimba has replaced Bishop Dustan Bukenya, who has reached the retirement age of 65, while Gidudu has replaced Samwiri Wabulakha.
.Kaziimba, who will be consecrated on October 26, was the Provost of St. Andrew's Church, Mukono
[AllAfrica.com] 11 May 2008--The Church of Uganda House of Bishops has appointed the Rev. Can. Samuel Kaziimba bishop of Mityana Diocese, while the Rev. canon Patrick Gidudu is for Mbale.
Kaziimba has replaced Bishop Dustan Bukenya, who has reached the retirement age of 65, while Gidudu has replaced Samwiri Wabulakha.
.Kaziimba, who will be consecrated on October 26, was the Provost of St. Andrew's Church, Mukono
Episcopal Diocese sues for control of Groton church
http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-10164835.apds.m0261.bc-ct--epismay10,0,2628177.story
[The Courant] 11 May 2008--Connecticut's Episcopal Diocese has filed a lawsuit against the leadership of the Bishop Seabury Church, demanding it turn over control of the church property after voting to leave the national church in a dispute over theology and the appointment of a gay bishop.
The Rev. Ronald Gauss was suspended by the church May 3, when it appointed another priest, the Rev. David Cannon, to take over at Bishop Seabury. Rev. Gauss and 12 former and current church leaders were served this week with the lawsuit, which was filed in Superior Court.
[The Courant] 11 May 2008--Connecticut's Episcopal Diocese has filed a lawsuit against the leadership of the Bishop Seabury Church, demanding it turn over control of the church property after voting to leave the national church in a dispute over theology and the appointment of a gay bishop.
The Rev. Ronald Gauss was suspended by the church May 3, when it appointed another priest, the Rev. David Cannon, to take over at Bishop Seabury. Rev. Gauss and 12 former and current church leaders were served this week with the lawsuit, which was filed in Superior Court.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
In the World but not of the World
http://www.anglican-nig.org/main.php?k_j=13&d=50&p_t=index.php
[Church of Nigeria News] 10 May 2008--I could not help choosing this theme for our current meeting because of my conviction that were Christ Jesus to be physically present on planet earth today, he would have been shocked and utterly disappointed by the extent to which the Church he purchased by the effusion of his blood has compromised its values and has become more and more like the world.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the Church and the world. Believers do with impunity what the unbelievers in the world do. Christ’s followers of today have ceased in many ways to
‘ …be examples to the world, in conversation, in charity in spirit, in faith and in purity’ (I Timothy 4:12).
It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the Church and the world. Believers do with impunity what the unbelievers in the world do. Christ’s followers of today have ceased in many ways to
‘ …be examples to the world, in conversation, in charity in spirit, in faith and in purity’ (I Timothy 4:12).
More Missionaries sent into Mission fields
http://www.anglican-nig.org/main.php?k_j=12&d=185&p_t=index.php?
[Church of Nigeria News] 10 May 2008--The Church of Nigeria Missionary Society (CNMS), the missions arm of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has recently commissioned 16 missionaries and sent 13 of them into different mission fields within the country now.
Speaking in Ibadan at the commissioning ceremony held at the Chapel of the Pentecost in Ibadan North Diocese, the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Segun Okubadejo, PhD who presided over the service on behalf of the Chairman of the CNMS board, Rt. Rev. ‘Ken Okeke, charged the mission partners (MPs) to go into the ripened harvest and bring souls into the kingdom of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaking further, Bishop Okubadejo reminded them that the discharge of the duties of kingdom multiplication is not one to be done with personal comfort in mind. To him, it behooves on them to do all that is required of them to reach perishing souls for Christ. He thus charged them to GO to every nook and cranny – the ends of the earth to search for and rescue souls in the power of the Lord from the hands of the devil, from the powers of darkness and consequently sin, into the waiting arms of He who died for sin, and is risen and rules for ever.
The Bishop further reminded them of the promise of the Lord to be with His servants always and encouraged them to be courageous, faithful and focused on the task at hand as the Lord will always protect and care for them.
[Church of Nigeria News] 10 May 2008--The Church of Nigeria Missionary Society (CNMS), the missions arm of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has recently commissioned 16 missionaries and sent 13 of them into different mission fields within the country now.
Speaking in Ibadan at the commissioning ceremony held at the Chapel of the Pentecost in Ibadan North Diocese, the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Segun Okubadejo, PhD who presided over the service on behalf of the Chairman of the CNMS board, Rt. Rev. ‘Ken Okeke, charged the mission partners (MPs) to go into the ripened harvest and bring souls into the kingdom of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaking further, Bishop Okubadejo reminded them that the discharge of the duties of kingdom multiplication is not one to be done with personal comfort in mind. To him, it behooves on them to do all that is required of them to reach perishing souls for Christ. He thus charged them to GO to every nook and cranny – the ends of the earth to search for and rescue souls in the power of the Lord from the hands of the devil, from the powers of darkness and consequently sin, into the waiting arms of He who died for sin, and is risen and rules for ever.
The Bishop further reminded them of the promise of the Lord to be with His servants always and encouraged them to be courageous, faithful and focused on the task at hand as the Lord will always protect and care for them.
What Lies Ahead For the Leavers At Trinity, Vero Beach
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12348/
[Stand Firm] 10 May 2008--The leadership of those leaving Trinity, Vero Beach in the Diocese of Central Florida, released a Safe Pastures Update to parishioners who have indicated a desire to be a part of the new community. I found it to be an example of grace and light and thank our brothers and sisters in sunny Florida who are doing the hard work of building Christian Community.
[Stand Firm] 10 May 2008--The leadership of those leaving Trinity, Vero Beach in the Diocese of Central Florida, released a Safe Pastures Update to parishioners who have indicated a desire to be a part of the new community. I found it to be an example of grace and light and thank our brothers and sisters in sunny Florida who are doing the hard work of building Christian Community.
'Prince Caspian': Interview with Doug Gresham
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=27907
[Catholic Online] 10 May 2008--Like millions the world over, my life was forever changed by the literary genius and the deep Christian faith of C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis.
I had the privilege of sharing a bit of my own story in an exclusive interview that Catholic Online had with Douglas Gresham, a co-producer of the upcoming spectacular second movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series entitled “Prince Caspian”.
The film debuts in theatres throughout the United States on May 16, 2008.
[Catholic Online] 10 May 2008--Like millions the world over, my life was forever changed by the literary genius and the deep Christian faith of C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis.
I had the privilege of sharing a bit of my own story in an exclusive interview that Catholic Online had with Douglas Gresham, a co-producer of the upcoming spectacular second movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series entitled “Prince Caspian”.
The film debuts in theatres throughout the United States on May 16, 2008.
Former Parishioners To Meet & Worship Together for Next Three Sundays
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12347/
[Stand Firm] 10 May 2008--Former St. Christopher's parishioners will be meeting on the next three Sundays at three different homes to discern their direction and to worship together.
The ex-Episcopalians have already decided to form a new parish. They have yet to determine the details of that new parish formation and will meet in a coffee hour prior to worship for that discernment. Several areas of discernment include those typical for a new church plant; worship, Christian formation, children and youth programs, facilities search, Anglican Communion Primatial oversight, and more will need discussion and committee formation.
In honor of Pentecost Sunday, the former parishioners will be wearing red.
[Stand Firm] 10 May 2008--Former St. Christopher's parishioners will be meeting on the next three Sundays at three different homes to discern their direction and to worship together.
The ex-Episcopalians have already decided to form a new parish. They have yet to determine the details of that new parish formation and will meet in a coffee hour prior to worship for that discernment. Several areas of discernment include those typical for a new church plant; worship, Christian formation, children and youth programs, facilities search, Anglican Communion Primatial oversight, and more will need discussion and committee formation.
In honor of Pentecost Sunday, the former parishioners will be wearing red.
Rev. Martyn Minns to lead All Saints service
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080510/LIFE07/805100325
[The Springfield News-Leader] 10 May 2008--The Rev. Martyn Minns, founding missionary Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, will lead worship at All Saints Anglican Church in Springfield Sunday.
Minns will preside at the 9:30 a.m. service at All Saints for the observance of Pentecost. The public is invited to attend.
There will be a continental breakfast at 8:30 at the church for a time of casual conversation with the bishop.
[The Springfield News-Leader] 10 May 2008--The Rev. Martyn Minns, founding missionary Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, will lead worship at All Saints Anglican Church in Springfield Sunday.
Minns will preside at the 9:30 a.m. service at All Saints for the observance of Pentecost. The public is invited to attend.
There will be a continental breakfast at 8:30 at the church for a time of casual conversation with the bishop.
Members move church services
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/366967
[The Hamilton Spectator] 10 May 2008--Members of two Anglican churches are choosing not to worship in their buildings tomorrow in the wake of a court order that they share the facilities with the diocese they have left.
A Superior Court ruling on Monday required three breakaway churches to share the property Sunday mornings until ownership is decided -- a process that could take up to 10 years in trial. The churches voted to join the Anglican Network in Canada just over two months ago, claiming the Anglican Church of Canada was growing too liberal in its interpretation of scripture.
St. George's in Lowville will meet tomorrow at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, where they expect to stay for several months. The church will be seeking a space to meet in Milton over the next few months.
St. Hilda's will meet tomorrow at Oakville Christian School and hopes to use it on following Sundays.
[The Hamilton Spectator] 10 May 2008--Members of two Anglican churches are choosing not to worship in their buildings tomorrow in the wake of a court order that they share the facilities with the diocese they have left.
A Superior Court ruling on Monday required three breakaway churches to share the property Sunday mornings until ownership is decided -- a process that could take up to 10 years in trial. The churches voted to join the Anglican Network in Canada just over two months ago, claiming the Anglican Church of Canada was growing too liberal in its interpretation of scripture.
St. George's in Lowville will meet tomorrow at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, where they expect to stay for several months. The church will be seeking a space to meet in Milton over the next few months.
St. Hilda's will meet tomorrow at Oakville Christian School and hopes to use it on following Sundays.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Take the Plunge!
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/indepth/articles/take_the_plunge/
[your.sydneyanglicans.net] 9 May 2008--It was the morning of the Episcopal visitation. We all knew we would be gently chided about something. So we had painted the church, fixed the lights - this time it was going to be something else.
Trapped between a purple shirt and the morning tea table the hapless pewsitter found out what was next on the hit-list.
The Bishop picked up a tin with a well-known multinational label on it.
“You have to fix the coffee,” came the Episcopal command.
[your.sydneyanglicans.net] 9 May 2008--It was the morning of the Episcopal visitation. We all knew we would be gently chided about something. So we had painted the church, fixed the lights - this time it was going to be something else.
Trapped between a purple shirt and the morning tea table the hapless pewsitter found out what was next on the hit-list.
The Bishop picked up a tin with a well-known multinational label on it.
“You have to fix the coffee,” came the Episcopal command.
Philippi or Corinth: Where is the Anglican Communion? A Response to Graham Kings
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12335/
[Stand Firm] 9 May 2008--As I sit here at the beginning of May, one major question is facing all those who want to uphold the truth of the gospel in the Anglican Communion: should we go to Lambeth? Of course, for most of us that's an academic question - we don't have an invitation (although that's not stopping some). Nevertheless we have an emotional investment in the issue, for the question of how much we associate with those that we disagree with is (or at least should be) a constant dilemma for those who take the Scripture seriously, especially where there is clear evidence of willful unrepentance in the matter of public sin.
[Stand Firm] 9 May 2008--As I sit here at the beginning of May, one major question is facing all those who want to uphold the truth of the gospel in the Anglican Communion: should we go to Lambeth? Of course, for most of us that's an academic question - we don't have an invitation (although that's not stopping some). Nevertheless we have an emotional investment in the issue, for the question of how much we associate with those that we disagree with is (or at least should be) a constant dilemma for those who take the Scripture seriously, especially where there is clear evidence of willful unrepentance in the matter of public sin.
Rector’s Journal: Hope For an Amicable Parting
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12316/
[Stand Firm] 9 May 2008--The meeting went very well. We arrived ready to offer half of a six hundred thousand dollar bequest in exchange for a diocesan agreement to quit any claim to parish property. Property prices in Central New York are quite low compared to those in Virginia and elsewhere so the offer was a generous one. The amount offered would, we would later (after a joint appraisal) discover, fall just under fair market value. But, we reasoned, this first meeting was just the beginning of negotiations and we were ready to offer more if necessary. It did not prove necessary. Bishop Adams expressed a great deal of interest in the arrangement. Not only did he think such a deal possible but he expressed the opinion that it was preferable to any court proceeding...
[Stand Firm] 9 May 2008--The meeting went very well. We arrived ready to offer half of a six hundred thousand dollar bequest in exchange for a diocesan agreement to quit any claim to parish property. Property prices in Central New York are quite low compared to those in Virginia and elsewhere so the offer was a generous one. The amount offered would, we would later (after a joint appraisal) discover, fall just under fair market value. But, we reasoned, this first meeting was just the beginning of negotiations and we were ready to offer more if necessary. It did not prove necessary. Bishop Adams expressed a great deal of interest in the arrangement. Not only did he think such a deal possible but he expressed the opinion that it was preferable to any court proceeding...
“Compelled by Christ’s love” – conference summary
http://www.anglicannetwork.ca/mm_050408.htm
[Anglican Network in Canada] 9 May 2008--Once again we have come through some very eventful weeks. Our recently completed conference was a highlight, I believe, for all who attended. It was a joy to welcome our Primate and express our appreciation for his bold intervention on our behalf. We were blessed by his ministry to us and his biblically-based messages as he challenged us to choose faithfulness and obedience to Christ, to not be deterred by persecution, and to “get on with it”.
[Anglican Network in Canada] 9 May 2008--Once again we have come through some very eventful weeks. Our recently completed conference was a highlight, I believe, for all who attended. It was a joy to welcome our Primate and express our appreciation for his bold intervention on our behalf. We were blessed by his ministry to us and his biblically-based messages as he challenged us to choose faithfulness and obedience to Christ, to not be deterred by persecution, and to “get on with it”.
267 bishops say they will attend Gafcon conference
http://geoconger.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/267-bishops-say-they-will-attend-gafcon-conference-cen-50908-p-1/
[Conger] 9 May 2008--Organizers of Gafcon report that as of April 25, 267 bishops have registered for the June meeting in Jerusalem.
Denounced as a rival gathering to the July Lambeth conference, a detailed agenda has yet to be released. Like Lambeth much of the conference will be devoted to worship and spiritual reflection. However, Gafcon will play host to bishops, clergy and lay leaders, and will also seek to formulate a common approach to the divisions of doctrine and discipline within the Anglican Communion.
Approximately 150 bishops and conferees from Muslim majority countries unable to travel freely to Israel along with the Gafcon leadership team will meet at a resort on the Dead Sea in Jordan from June 18-22, while a further 600 are expected to join the self-styled “pilgrimage” in Jerusalem from June 22-29.
[Conger] 9 May 2008--Organizers of Gafcon report that as of April 25, 267 bishops have registered for the June meeting in Jerusalem.
Denounced as a rival gathering to the July Lambeth conference, a detailed agenda has yet to be released. Like Lambeth much of the conference will be devoted to worship and spiritual reflection. However, Gafcon will play host to bishops, clergy and lay leaders, and will also seek to formulate a common approach to the divisions of doctrine and discipline within the Anglican Communion.
Approximately 150 bishops and conferees from Muslim majority countries unable to travel freely to Israel along with the Gafcon leadership team will meet at a resort on the Dead Sea in Jordan from June 18-22, while a further 600 are expected to join the self-styled “pilgrimage” in Jerusalem from June 22-29.
Conservative bishops head for Lambeth
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=56355
[Church Times] 9 May 2008--It is becoming clear that the conservative case is going to be well represented at the forthcoming Lambeth Conference in Canterbury. At least two conservative bishops have confirmed that they will be attending, with the express purpose of promoting their cause.
One is the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Revd Greg Venables. He told The Times that he would attend both the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in June and the Lambeth Conference in July.
Bishop Venables has been censured in recent weeks for ministering to congregations in Canada and San Joaquin, in the US, without the permission of the Anglican leadership in those provinces, and in contravention of the Windsor process.
[Church Times] 9 May 2008--It is becoming clear that the conservative case is going to be well represented at the forthcoming Lambeth Conference in Canterbury. At least two conservative bishops have confirmed that they will be attending, with the express purpose of promoting their cause.
One is the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Revd Greg Venables. He told The Times that he would attend both the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in June and the Lambeth Conference in July.
Bishop Venables has been censured in recent weeks for ministering to congregations in Canada and San Joaquin, in the US, without the permission of the Anglican leadership in those provinces, and in contravention of the Windsor process.
Rift deeper than gay unions
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/365276
[The Hamilton Spectator] 9 May 2008--Pat Decker nearly fell off her chair when she heard a representative from the Anglican Church of Canada call controversial filmmaker Michael Moore a modern-day prophet at a baptism three years ago
[The Hamilton Spectator] 9 May 2008--Pat Decker nearly fell off her chair when she heard a representative from the Anglican Church of Canada call controversial filmmaker Michael Moore a modern-day prophet at a baptism three years ago
Thursday, May 08, 2008
St. Christopher’s, Spartanburg Splits, Rector & Vestry Majority Resign
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12309/
[Stand Firm] 8 May 2008--I have been in contact with a former member of the vestry at St. Christopher's, Spartanburg, this week and other key people, as well as a number of other parishioners over the past six months, and with those conversations in mind have put together a summary timeline of the events of the past several months.
Six vestry members (among them the Senior Warden), the parish treasurer, the Rector, and a staff member resigned on Monday, May 5, [one of the six vestry members resigned on Sunday evening]. Additional vestry members may resign or depart the parish later. Monday's events were the culmination in the short term of the past six months of discernment by the vestry and the parish -- but in the long term, they are the consequences of the heretical actions of the national church's leadership [General Conventions, House of Bishops, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, and the Executive Council] over the past four years, the effects of which have been felt in every parish in the diocese.
[Stand Firm] 8 May 2008--I have been in contact with a former member of the vestry at St. Christopher's, Spartanburg, this week and other key people, as well as a number of other parishioners over the past six months, and with those conversations in mind have put together a summary timeline of the events of the past several months.
Six vestry members (among them the Senior Warden), the parish treasurer, the Rector, and a staff member resigned on Monday, May 5, [one of the six vestry members resigned on Sunday evening]. Additional vestry members may resign or depart the parish later. Monday's events were the culmination in the short term of the past six months of discernment by the vestry and the parish -- but in the long term, they are the consequences of the heretical actions of the national church's leadership [General Conventions, House of Bishops, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, and the Executive Council] over the past four years, the effects of which have been felt in every parish in the diocese.
Rethinking Suburban Evangelism
http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach/articles/rethinkingsuburbevangelism.html
[Christianity Today] 8 May 2008--In a day when privacy is prized, how can a church reach its insulated neighbors?
[Christianity Today] 8 May 2008--In a day when privacy is prized, how can a church reach its insulated neighbors?
Anglican Church concerned about food crisis
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080507/lead/lead7.html
[Jamaica Gleaner] 8 May 2008--The leadership of the Anglican Church in the Caribbean has expressed concern about the growing difficulties being experienced by people of the region because of the rising cost of food and other commodities.
Bishops and members of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies, recorded their concern at a recent meeting in Barbados.
They said the worsening global situation is creating undue hardships for people everywhere.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the church leaders expressed concern for the poor and those on the margins of society who are finding it impossible to provide the basic needs for their families and to cope with the demands of daily living.
The bishops have called for the church to pursue "strategies of intervention in practical ways".
[Jamaica Gleaner] 8 May 2008--The leadership of the Anglican Church in the Caribbean has expressed concern about the growing difficulties being experienced by people of the region because of the rising cost of food and other commodities.
Bishops and members of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies, recorded their concern at a recent meeting in Barbados.
They said the worsening global situation is creating undue hardships for people everywhere.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the church leaders expressed concern for the poor and those on the margins of society who are finding it impossible to provide the basic needs for their families and to cope with the demands of daily living.
The bishops have called for the church to pursue "strategies of intervention in practical ways".
Anglican Church Opens Its 30th Diocese in Kericho
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805060996.html
[AllAfrica.com] 8 May 2008--The Anglican Church of Kenya has opened a new diocese in Kericho, bringing its ecclesial territories to 30.
The new see will be headed by Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit, who was inaugurated at the Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral Church last Thursday.
[AllAfrica.com] 8 May 2008--The Anglican Church of Kenya has opened a new diocese in Kericho, bringing its ecclesial territories to 30.
The new see will be headed by Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit, who was inaugurated at the Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral Church last Thursday.
Episcopal Bishop Opens Old Wounds and Deposes 18 Former TEC Priests
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8206
[VirtueOnline] 8 May 2008--Seven years after 18 priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado left the diocese and were given Letters Dimissory to the Province of South East Asia by then Episcopal Bishop Jerry Winterrowd, the present Episcopal Bishop of the diocese, Rt. Rev. Rob O'Neill, has decided to reopen old wounds. He has sent letters to the priests saying they must either renounce their orders in the Episcopal Church (TEC) or he will officially depose them.
[VirtueOnline] 8 May 2008--Seven years after 18 priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado left the diocese and were given Letters Dimissory to the Province of South East Asia by then Episcopal Bishop Jerry Winterrowd, the present Episcopal Bishop of the diocese, Rt. Rev. Rob O'Neill, has decided to reopen old wounds. He has sent letters to the priests saying they must either renounce their orders in the Episcopal Church (TEC) or he will officially depose them.
Anglican Church Bans Polygamy
http://thepmnews.com/2008/05/05/anglican-church-bans-polygamy?version=print
[The PM News] 8 May 2008--The Anglican Communion in Nigeria has banned polygamy among members of the church.
The ban was handed down by the Archbishop and Primate of the Church, Most Reverend Peter Akinola.
Worried by the proliferation of marriages in the church among polygamous members, Akinola wrote to all Anglican Communions in the country to desist from such practice, which he described as unscriptural.
According to him, the integrity of the Christian faith is far more important than the reputation of those who turn their backs on the word of God.
[The PM News] 8 May 2008--The Anglican Communion in Nigeria has banned polygamy among members of the church.
The ban was handed down by the Archbishop and Primate of the Church, Most Reverend Peter Akinola.
Worried by the proliferation of marriages in the church among polygamous members, Akinola wrote to all Anglican Communions in the country to desist from such practice, which he described as unscriptural.
According to him, the integrity of the Christian faith is far more important than the reputation of those who turn their backs on the word of God.
Latest research indicates that church attendance will fall dramatically by 2050
http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=864
[EV News] 8 May 2008--The Times reports that according to the latest research released yesterday by Religious Trends (a statistical analysis of religious practice in Britain), published by Christian Research, Church attendance in Britain is declining so quickly that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques by 2050.
[EV News] 8 May 2008--The Times reports that according to the latest research released yesterday by Religious Trends (a statistical analysis of religious practice in Britain), published by Christian Research, Church attendance in Britain is declining so quickly that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques by 2050.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Seven Advantages of Sermon-Based Small Groups
http://www.christianitytoday.com/smallgroups/articles/7advantagesofsermon.html
[Christianity Today] 7 May 2008--At North Coast Church, where I serve as senior pastor, we've had a long and interesting journey with small groups. We had no groups when we first started out. But after a while, I began to realize that our congregation was more of a crowd than a living, breathing community. So we launched small groups, and things began to change immediately.
For a number of years we hunted down the best curriculum available and provided it to our groups. They grew, and people's lives did change. But when I put together a sermon series called "The Company of the Committed"—in which I wanted to paint the picture of what a committed Christian lifestyle would look like on a day-to-day basis—we experimented with our first sermon-based groups. The response was off the charts. It was so positive that we never looked back.
Over the years, I've noticed that tying the study guide to the sermon has several advantages over a curriculum-based model. Here are seven of the most powerful advantages.
[Christianity Today] 7 May 2008--At North Coast Church, where I serve as senior pastor, we've had a long and interesting journey with small groups. We had no groups when we first started out. But after a while, I began to realize that our congregation was more of a crowd than a living, breathing community. So we launched small groups, and things began to change immediately.
For a number of years we hunted down the best curriculum available and provided it to our groups. They grew, and people's lives did change. But when I put together a sermon series called "The Company of the Committed"—in which I wanted to paint the picture of what a committed Christian lifestyle would look like on a day-to-day basis—we experimented with our first sermon-based groups. The response was off the charts. It was so positive that we never looked back.
Over the years, I've noticed that tying the study guide to the sermon has several advantages over a curriculum-based model. Here are seven of the most powerful advantages.
Breakaway Niagara Anglican churches consider appealing order to share with diocese
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNfGByqSlvXl7eP0DBH_3PoWQBqQ
[The Canadian Press] 7 May 2008--As three breakaway Ontario Anglican parishes decide whether to appeal an interim court ruling that requires they share their churches with the diocese, efforts are underway to figure out what to do about this Sunday's services.
Because Monday's ruling is so vastly different than that of an earlier judge, Anglican Network in Canada director Cheryl Chang said the breakaway group is seriously considering an appeal and has seven days to make a decision.
Justice Jane Milanetti's interim ruling, released Monday, is expected to remain in effect until the issue of who owns the church properties is resolved - a process that could take years.
[The Canadian Press] 7 May 2008--As three breakaway Ontario Anglican parishes decide whether to appeal an interim court ruling that requires they share their churches with the diocese, efforts are underway to figure out what to do about this Sunday's services.
Because Monday's ruling is so vastly different than that of an earlier judge, Anglican Network in Canada director Cheryl Chang said the breakaway group is seriously considering an appeal and has seven days to make a decision.
Justice Jane Milanetti's interim ruling, released Monday, is expected to remain in effect until the issue of who owns the church properties is resolved - a process that could take years.
Addendum in light of the Presiding Bishop’s April 30, 2008 Letter to the House of Bishops:
http://anglicancommunioninstitute.com/content/view/141/1/
[Anglican Communion Institute] 7 May 2008--A defense now proffered by the Presiding Bishop and her supporters is that the same procedures were followed in the recent cases of Bishops Davies and Moreno. Past violations of the canon’s clear provisions are said to justify current ones. In considering this defense, it is necessary to distinguish three senses of “precedent” in legal usage. One is the well-known sense of precedent as a formal ruling on a legal issue by a competent juridical body. This is clearly not the case here as no one has suggested that the prior cases were determined to be canonical by any body reviewing the canonical issues. These cases are not offered as reasoned legal rulings, but as a fait accompli.
[Anglican Communion Institute] 7 May 2008--A defense now proffered by the Presiding Bishop and her supporters is that the same procedures were followed in the recent cases of Bishops Davies and Moreno. Past violations of the canon’s clear provisions are said to justify current ones. In considering this defense, it is necessary to distinguish three senses of “precedent” in legal usage. One is the well-known sense of precedent as a formal ruling on a legal issue by a competent juridical body. This is clearly not the case here as no one has suggested that the prior cases were determined to be canonical by any body reviewing the canonical issues. These cases are not offered as reasoned legal rulings, but as a fait accompli.
Bishop David Anderson on getting our AC statistics right
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/?p=3494
[Anglican Mainstream] 7 May 2008--‘Under the Schori public mantra, we are about at the end of the churches leaving - most of those so disposed to leave have done so. In fact, she is terribly out of touch with the real world; churches are leaving on a weekly basis. Now it is true that as long as one or two people don’t leave with the rest of the parish, and the bishop can hold onto the name and the building (four walls and a janitor) then TEC will claim that they haven’t lost the congregation. The truth is that a viable church has been lost to the diocese, and down the street in a school cafeteria or gymnasium a new orthodox Anglican Church has been formed with most of the former Episcopalians, now under the care of an overseas Anglican province …
[Anglican Mainstream] 7 May 2008--‘Under the Schori public mantra, we are about at the end of the churches leaving - most of those so disposed to leave have done so. In fact, she is terribly out of touch with the real world; churches are leaving on a weekly basis. Now it is true that as long as one or two people don’t leave with the rest of the parish, and the bishop can hold onto the name and the building (four walls and a janitor) then TEC will claim that they haven’t lost the congregation. The truth is that a viable church has been lost to the diocese, and down the street in a school cafeteria or gymnasium a new orthodox Anglican Church has been formed with most of the former Episcopalians, now under the care of an overseas Anglican province …
Standing On Solid Ground
http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5653&srcid=469
[The Evangelical Fellowhip of Canada] 7 May 2008--.I. Packer has been described as one of the most important evangelical theologians of the late 20th century. In 2005 Time magazine dubbed him the “doctrinal Solomon” of Christian thinkers and named him one of the 25 most influential Evangelicals in North America.
Dr. Packer is the Board of Governors Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, a school he has served for 28 years. Considered a Christian classic, Packer’s Knowing God (one of his more than 40 books), was released in 1973 and has sold over a million copies.
Today, J.I. Packer, 81, is embroiled in the same-sex blessing controversy rocking The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC). Packer is honorary assistant in the largest congregation in the ACC, a church that voted to leave the ACC and realign with a more orthodox branch of the Anglican Communion based in South America.
In response, New Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham sent Packer and other clergy a “notice of presumption of abandonment of the exercise of ministry.” Packer (JP) talked to Faith Today’s Karen Stiller (KS) a little about his life so far and what is to come.
[The Evangelical Fellowhip of Canada] 7 May 2008--.I. Packer has been described as one of the most important evangelical theologians of the late 20th century. In 2005 Time magazine dubbed him the “doctrinal Solomon” of Christian thinkers and named him one of the 25 most influential Evangelicals in North America.
Dr. Packer is the Board of Governors Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, a school he has served for 28 years. Considered a Christian classic, Packer’s Knowing God (one of his more than 40 books), was released in 1973 and has sold over a million copies.
Today, J.I. Packer, 81, is embroiled in the same-sex blessing controversy rocking The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC). Packer is honorary assistant in the largest congregation in the ACC, a church that voted to leave the ACC and realign with a more orthodox branch of the Anglican Communion based in South America.
In response, New Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham sent Packer and other clergy a “notice of presumption of abandonment of the exercise of ministry.” Packer (JP) talked to Faith Today’s Karen Stiller (KS) a little about his life so far and what is to come.
Gay issues prompt church to split
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/tuesday/localandstate/orl-churchsplit0608may06,0,6902517,print.story
[Orlando Sentinel] 7 May 2008--Another Central Florida Episcopal congregation has split over the issue of the denomination's policy on homosexuality.
Most of the members and ministerial staff of Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach will leave their historic facility in July to form a new congregation separate from the Episcopal Church, USA, if an agreement is ratified later this week with the Diocese of Central Florida. The agreement would formally separate the two groups.
On Sunday, about 200 of the congregation's 700 members who wish to remain part of the diocese elected a new vestry, the congregation's governing board. That board is expected to sign a separation agreement already approved by the diocese and the departing members.
[Orlando Sentinel] 7 May 2008--Another Central Florida Episcopal congregation has split over the issue of the denomination's policy on homosexuality.
Most of the members and ministerial staff of Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach will leave their historic facility in July to form a new congregation separate from the Episcopal Church, USA, if an agreement is ratified later this week with the Diocese of Central Florida. The agreement would formally separate the two groups.
On Sunday, about 200 of the congregation's 700 members who wish to remain part of the diocese elected a new vestry, the congregation's governing board. That board is expected to sign a separation agreement already approved by the diocese and the departing members.
Archbishop Venables: He came, He saw, He conquered
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8197
[VirtueOnline] 7 May 2008--The Most Rev. Gregory Venables, Archbishop of the Southern Cone, is, at this moment of ecclesiastical history, probably the most revered orthodox Archbishop in the Anglican Communion... and the most reviled.
No Anglican Archbishop in modern history has dived into the turbulent North American ecclesiastical waters of Anglicanism and managed to "offend" not one, but two heads of the most liberal provinces of the Anglican Communion with one single aim - to rescue whole dioceses from the clutches of a decaying, poisonous and self-destructive liberalism.
When he appeared on Canadian soil recently to inaugurate what might, in time, become a rival Anglican Communion, he was greeted with derision and scorn by the ultra-liberal leader of the Anglican Church of Canada, Fred Hiltz who told him in no uncertain terms that he was not welcome in his country and to get lost.
[VirtueOnline] 7 May 2008--The Most Rev. Gregory Venables, Archbishop of the Southern Cone, is, at this moment of ecclesiastical history, probably the most revered orthodox Archbishop in the Anglican Communion... and the most reviled.
No Anglican Archbishop in modern history has dived into the turbulent North American ecclesiastical waters of Anglicanism and managed to "offend" not one, but two heads of the most liberal provinces of the Anglican Communion with one single aim - to rescue whole dioceses from the clutches of a decaying, poisonous and self-destructive liberalism.
When he appeared on Canadian soil recently to inaugurate what might, in time, become a rival Anglican Communion, he was greeted with derision and scorn by the ultra-liberal leader of the Anglican Church of Canada, Fred Hiltz who told him in no uncertain terms that he was not welcome in his country and to get lost.
Bishop Venables: Communion “Breaking Up Because Nobody is Leading”
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/5/6/bishop-venables-communion-breaking-up-because-nobody-is-leading
{The Living Church] 7 May 2008--The work of amending the Constitution and Canons of the Southern Cone in order to regularize the admission of parishes and dioceses beyond South America is about to begin, according to Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables. The Primate of the Southern Cone made a visit to the Diocese of Fort Worth for a series of meetings with clergy and lay leaders May 2-4.
“The Anglican Communion in the United States has been hijacked,” Bishop Venables said, by an Episcopal Church leadership that doesn’t “mind what happens as long as they control it.
“I am astounded that in America, the land of the free, so many people have been robbed of their freedom,” he said.
{The Living Church] 7 May 2008--The work of amending the Constitution and Canons of the Southern Cone in order to regularize the admission of parishes and dioceses beyond South America is about to begin, according to Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables. The Primate of the Southern Cone made a visit to the Diocese of Fort Worth for a series of meetings with clergy and lay leaders May 2-4.
“The Anglican Communion in the United States has been hijacked,” Bishop Venables said, by an Episcopal Church leadership that doesn’t “mind what happens as long as they control it.
“I am astounded that in America, the land of the free, so many people have been robbed of their freedom,” he said.
Anglicans must choose between Protestantism and tradition, says Vatican
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000273.shtml
[The Catholic Herald] 7 May 2008--The Vatican has said that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.
Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".
He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?
"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."
[The Catholic Herald] 7 May 2008--The Vatican has said that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.
Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".
He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?
"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."
Bishops of Pittsburgh to Attend Lambeth
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/5/6/bishops-of-pittsburgh-to-attend-lambeth
[The Living Church] 7 May 2008--In a media statement published May 6 on their diocesan website, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh and assistant Bishop Henry Scriven said they plan to attend the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops July 16-Aug. 4.
Both previously said they would be attending the Global Anglican Future Conference organized by traditionalist Global South Anglican leaders and scheduled to be held in the Holy Land in late June.
“After consulting with the people of Pittsburgh and our friends around the globe, we have come to the conclusion that it is necessary for us to be present at both gatherings,” Bishop Duncan said. “Given the expense and the stated intent of the Archbishop of Canterbury that Lambeth can no longer be considered a decision-making council of the church, choosing to be present was not easy.”
[The Living Church] 7 May 2008--In a media statement published May 6 on their diocesan website, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh and assistant Bishop Henry Scriven said they plan to attend the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops July 16-Aug. 4.
Both previously said they would be attending the Global Anglican Future Conference organized by traditionalist Global South Anglican leaders and scheduled to be held in the Holy Land in late June.
“After consulting with the people of Pittsburgh and our friends around the globe, we have come to the conclusion that it is necessary for us to be present at both gatherings,” Bishop Duncan said. “Given the expense and the stated intent of the Archbishop of Canterbury that Lambeth can no longer be considered a decision-making council of the church, choosing to be present was not easy.”
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Archbishop Venables addresses diocesan convention in Fort Worth
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8188
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--After an introduction by Bishop Jack Iker, Archbishop Venables began with Scripture, choosing Acts 2: especially verses 36 and 37: where the crowd responds, "Brothers, what shall we do?" These are my notes on his 90-minute presentation.
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--After an introduction by Bishop Jack Iker, Archbishop Venables began with Scripture, choosing Acts 2: especially verses 36 and 37: where the crowd responds, "Brothers, what shall we do?" These are my notes on his 90-minute presentation.
Good try, Ruth
http://hillsofthenorth.blogspot.com/2008/05/good-try-ruth.html
[Hills of the North] 6 May 2008--Ruth Gledhill is the first journalist to put to Gene Robinson the questions he should answer about the in-your-face timing of his civil union and his need for the "legal protections" a civil union purportedly provides someone being threatened. She is the first person to press him about the exact nature of the threats against him.
She specifically asked him what "protections" it was he needed that required his nuptials so soon before Lambeth. He did not answer the question. There's a reason he did not answer the question. That's because it is simply not true that he gets any legal "protections" from a civil union that he could not otherwise have in some other fashion. And if, as he says, the threats are the reason he needs these protections, then why is he not singing "for God's sake get me to the church on time" and getting on with it--since he says he's already getting such threats? Gene Robinson is lying. He is getting civilly unionized when he is just so he can make a point. But he is too much of a coward to be honest, or is too invested in his lie, or he truly believes everyone listening to him is too stupid to realize exactly what he's doing and that he's lying. Or maybe he thinks he's being clever and cute. Most likely it is all of these.
[Hills of the North] 6 May 2008--Ruth Gledhill is the first journalist to put to Gene Robinson the questions he should answer about the in-your-face timing of his civil union and his need for the "legal protections" a civil union purportedly provides someone being threatened. She is the first person to press him about the exact nature of the threats against him.
She specifically asked him what "protections" it was he needed that required his nuptials so soon before Lambeth. He did not answer the question. There's a reason he did not answer the question. That's because it is simply not true that he gets any legal "protections" from a civil union that he could not otherwise have in some other fashion. And if, as he says, the threats are the reason he needs these protections, then why is he not singing "for God's sake get me to the church on time" and getting on with it--since he says he's already getting such threats? Gene Robinson is lying. He is getting civilly unionized when he is just so he can make a point. But he is too much of a coward to be honest, or is too invested in his lie, or he truly believes everyone listening to him is too stupid to realize exactly what he's doing and that he's lying. Or maybe he thinks he's being clever and cute. Most likely it is all of these.
The Memo on Possible Canonical Violations by the Presiding Bishop
http://www.kendallharmon.net/t19/index.php/t19/article/12273/#more
[TitusOneNine] 6 May 2008--You have asked for advice as to whether the Presiding Bishop has violated the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church and what procedures would be applicable for charging her with a presentable offense. This memorandum identifies at least eleven violations of TEC’s constitution and canons by the Presiding Bishop in her dealings with Bishops Cox, Schofield and Duncan and the Diocese of San Joaquin. Taken together, these actions demonstrate willful violation of the canons, an intention to repeat the violations and a pattern of concealment and lack of candor. In the case of DSJ, the fundamental polity of TEC as a “fellowship of duly constituted dioceses” under the ecclesiastical authority of the diocesan bishop has been subverted. The memorandum then addresses the procedural requirements for filing charges against the Presiding Bishop.
[TitusOneNine] 6 May 2008--You have asked for advice as to whether the Presiding Bishop has violated the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church and what procedures would be applicable for charging her with a presentable offense. This memorandum identifies at least eleven violations of TEC’s constitution and canons by the Presiding Bishop in her dealings with Bishops Cox, Schofield and Duncan and the Diocese of San Joaquin. Taken together, these actions demonstrate willful violation of the canons, an intention to repeat the violations and a pattern of concealment and lack of candor. In the case of DSJ, the fundamental polity of TEC as a “fellowship of duly constituted dioceses” under the ecclesiastical authority of the diocesan bishop has been subverted. The memorandum then addresses the procedural requirements for filing charges against the Presiding Bishop.
42 Orthodox Episcopal Priests Deposed Since 2004 by Liberal Bishop
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8186
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--When he first took office, Samuel Johnson Howard seemed the picture of sweet reasonableness, promising to work with everyone, his door open to all, announcing that he was orthodox as he followed in the footsteps of the late evangelical Bishop of Florida, Steve Jecko.
In January 2004, things looked promising when the Diocese of Florida decided to uninvite Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold for the much-anticipated consecration of Howard as the next Bishop Coadjutor of Florida. There was an air of euphoria, a general feeling then that the change from Bishop Jecko to Howard would be a transition that orthodox priests could live with.
They soon became disillusioned.
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--When he first took office, Samuel Johnson Howard seemed the picture of sweet reasonableness, promising to work with everyone, his door open to all, announcing that he was orthodox as he followed in the footsteps of the late evangelical Bishop of Florida, Steve Jecko.
In January 2004, things looked promising when the Diocese of Florida decided to uninvite Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold for the much-anticipated consecration of Howard as the next Bishop Coadjutor of Florida. There was an air of euphoria, a general feeling then that the change from Bishop Jecko to Howard would be a transition that orthodox priests could live with.
They soon became disillusioned.
No Pulpit Ban for Bishop Robinson
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/5/2/no-pulpit-ban-for-bishop-robinson
[The Living Church] 6 May 2008--Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire has not been banned from pulpits in the Church of England according to a spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who denied press speculation that the Archbishop Rowan Williams was attempting to silence Bishop Robinson.
A press officer confirmed on May 2 that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had not issued Bishop Robinson a license to officiate in the Province of Canterbury. However, Church of England canon law does not grant the archbishop the authority to ban preachers, the spokesman noted.
While traveling in Britain to promote his book, Bishop Robinson told the BBC “in the past [Archbishop Williams] has... declined to give me permission to preach and to celebrate the Holy Communion and I would never do so without his permission.” Episcopal News Service reported April 30 that Archbishop Williams would not permit Bishop Robinson “to preach or preside at a Eucharist while he is in England, according to reports.”
[The Living Church] 6 May 2008--Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire has not been banned from pulpits in the Church of England according to a spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who denied press speculation that the Archbishop Rowan Williams was attempting to silence Bishop Robinson.
A press officer confirmed on May 2 that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had not issued Bishop Robinson a license to officiate in the Province of Canterbury. However, Church of England canon law does not grant the archbishop the authority to ban preachers, the spokesman noted.
While traveling in Britain to promote his book, Bishop Robinson told the BBC “in the past [Archbishop Williams] has... declined to give me permission to preach and to celebrate the Holy Communion and I would never do so without his permission.” Episcopal News Service reported April 30 that Archbishop Williams would not permit Bishop Robinson “to preach or preside at a Eucharist while he is in England, according to reports.”
Parishioners disappointed by court decision
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8192
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--A judge in the Ontario Superior Court in Hamilton, Madam Justice Milanetti, has ordered three southern Ontario Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes to share their building facilities with a diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada pending the resolution of a trial over who is legally entitled to exclusive possession.
Representatives of the parishes of St George's (Lowville), St Hilda's ( Oakville ) and Church of the Good Shepherd ( St Catharines ) had argued that sharing the church building created untenable conditions for parishioners. They are now considering their options.
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--A judge in the Ontario Superior Court in Hamilton, Madam Justice Milanetti, has ordered three southern Ontario Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes to share their building facilities with a diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada pending the resolution of a trial over who is legally entitled to exclusive possession.
Representatives of the parishes of St George's (Lowville), St Hilda's ( Oakville ) and Church of the Good Shepherd ( St Catharines ) had argued that sharing the church building created untenable conditions for parishioners. They are now considering their options.
Heretical Perspectives on Scripture
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8183
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--The revisionists accept Anglican sources such as Scripture and creeds, but understand them from a heretical perspective. In a previous essay,(1) I analyzed the distorted view of the Trinity found in the St. Andrew's Draft, suggesting some articles that would both affirm orthodox Trinitarian doctrine and define and deny revisionist Trinitarian teaching. In this essay I will do the same for Scripture. Here is what the St. Andrew's Draft has to say about Scripture,(1.1.2) that, reliant on the Holy Spirit, it [each Church of the Anglican Communion] professes the faith which is uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as containing all things necessary for salvation and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith, and which is set forth in the catholic creeds, and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear significant witness, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation; ... (1.2.4) to ensure that biblical texts are handled faithfully, respectfully, comprehensively and coherently, primarily through the teaching and initiative of bishops and synods, and building on habits and disciplines of Bible study across the Church and on rigorous scholarship, believing that scriptural revelation continues to illuminate and transform individuals, cultures and societies....
[VirtueOnline] 6 May 2008--The revisionists accept Anglican sources such as Scripture and creeds, but understand them from a heretical perspective. In a previous essay,(1) I analyzed the distorted view of the Trinity found in the St. Andrew's Draft, suggesting some articles that would both affirm orthodox Trinitarian doctrine and define and deny revisionist Trinitarian teaching. In this essay I will do the same for Scripture. Here is what the St. Andrew's Draft has to say about Scripture,(1.1.2) that, reliant on the Holy Spirit, it [each Church of the Anglican Communion] professes the faith which is uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as containing all things necessary for salvation and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith, and which is set forth in the catholic creeds, and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear significant witness, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation; ... (1.2.4) to ensure that biblical texts are handled faithfully, respectfully, comprehensively and coherently, primarily through the teaching and initiative of bishops and synods, and building on habits and disciplines of Bible study across the Church and on rigorous scholarship, believing that scriptural revelation continues to illuminate and transform individuals, cultures and societies....
Bishop Iker Will Attend Lambeth Conference
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/5/2/bishop-iker-will-attend-lambeth-conference
[The Living Church] 6 May 2008--Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth confirmed May 2 on the diocesan website that he has accepted the invitation from Archbishop of Canterbury to attend the Lambeth Conference in England this summer.
“I stand in solidarity with all those bishops who have decided, as a matter of conscience, that they are unable to be at Lambeth,” he said. “However, given the situation the diocese of Fort Worth finds itself in with the unfolding realignment that is taking place in Anglicanism, I think it is important for me to be there to make our case and to face our detractors.”
The announcement noted that in addition to demonstrating a willingness to work with the Instruments of Communion for the unity of the Church, Bishop Iker believes it is important for him to be present to defend orthodox believers who are being accused of abandonment of communion by the Presiding Bishop and other leaders of The Episcopal Church (TEC).
[The Living Church] 6 May 2008--Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth confirmed May 2 on the diocesan website that he has accepted the invitation from Archbishop of Canterbury to attend the Lambeth Conference in England this summer.
“I stand in solidarity with all those bishops who have decided, as a matter of conscience, that they are unable to be at Lambeth,” he said. “However, given the situation the diocese of Fort Worth finds itself in with the unfolding realignment that is taking place in Anglicanism, I think it is important for me to be there to make our case and to face our detractors.”
The announcement noted that in addition to demonstrating a willingness to work with the Instruments of Communion for the unity of the Church, Bishop Iker believes it is important for him to be present to defend orthodox believers who are being accused of abandonment of communion by the Presiding Bishop and other leaders of The Episcopal Church (TEC).
Thursday, May 01, 2008
The Shortcomings of the "Attactional" Church
http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/mission/missionthinking/the_shortcomings_of_attractional_church/
[your.sydneyanglicans.net] 1 May 2008--In almost every book I have read on church growth over the last decade the same model of what we are trying to do underlies the practice. The model proposes that there are people in the world who have rejected or never heard the gospel and they are left all alone and without hope because those with the gospel are cloistered in churches, unable or unwilling to reach the lost. These books call us to move out of our safe cloisters and draw people from the world into our churches.
[your.sydneyanglicans.net] 1 May 2008--In almost every book I have read on church growth over the last decade the same model of what we are trying to do underlies the practice. The model proposes that there are people in the world who have rejected or never heard the gospel and they are left all alone and without hope because those with the gospel are cloistered in churches, unable or unwilling to reach the lost. These books call us to move out of our safe cloisters and draw people from the world into our churches.
“Catholics” Do Not Dither
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/12155/
[Stand Firm] 1 May 2008--When a church or province presumes to violate the plain teaching of God's Word and established doctrine and refuses to repent, there is little need for "consultation" or study. The only council that is necessary is the council that meets to issue the formal anathema and excommunication. The substance of the matter has already been decided.
[Stand Firm] 1 May 2008--When a church or province presumes to violate the plain teaching of God's Word and established doctrine and refuses to repent, there is little need for "consultation" or study. The only council that is necessary is the council that meets to issue the formal anathema and excommunication. The substance of the matter has already been decided.
Why Muslims Convert to Christianity: Charles Colson
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/04/30/why-muslims-convert-to-christianity-charles-colson/
[Anglican Mainstream] 1 May 2008--A few days ago, Fox News ran a grim special titled "Jihad USA: Confronting the Threat of Homegrown Terror." It is a warning of the continuing danger of Islamo-fascism.
The program probably deepened many Americans’ fear of and hostility toward Muslims. That is unfortunate, because most Muslims are not would-be jihadists. But we Christians especially need to guard our emotions so we can be a good witness to Muslims — a caution raised by Dr. Dudley Woodberry, professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller.
[Anglican Mainstream] 1 May 2008--A few days ago, Fox News ran a grim special titled "Jihad USA: Confronting the Threat of Homegrown Terror." It is a warning of the continuing danger of Islamo-fascism.
The program probably deepened many Americans’ fear of and hostility toward Muslims. That is unfortunate, because most Muslims are not would-be jihadists. But we Christians especially need to guard our emotions so we can be a good witness to Muslims — a caution raised by Dr. Dudley Woodberry, professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller.
Canterbury denies New Hampshire bishop permission to preach or preside
http://www.episcopal-life.org/81808_96801_ENG_HTM.htm
[Episcopal Life Online] 1 May 2008--New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson has been told by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams not to preach or preside at a eucharist while he is in England, according to reports.
Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be elected bishop in the Anglican Communion, is visiting the U.K. to promote his new book, "In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God."
In an interview with BBC Radio's Robert Piggott, Robinson criticized Williams for failing to speak out against homophobia in the Anglican Communion.
According to Piggott, Robinson said that Williams had criticized the Episcopal Church for ordaining him as a bishop in 2003, but had done little to tackle conservative Anglican leaders for their interference in the United States.
[Episcopal Life Online] 1 May 2008--New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson has been told by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams not to preach or preside at a eucharist while he is in England, according to reports.
Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be elected bishop in the Anglican Communion, is visiting the U.K. to promote his new book, "In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God."
In an interview with BBC Radio's Robert Piggott, Robinson criticized Williams for failing to speak out against homophobia in the Anglican Communion.
According to Piggott, Robinson said that Williams had criticized the Episcopal Church for ordaining him as a bishop in 2003, but had done little to tackle conservative Anglican leaders for their interference in the United States.
The oppressed GLBT - not alone!
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/05/01/the-oppressed-glbt-not-alone/
[Anglican Mainstream] 1 May 2008--Thank you Peter Ould for this highlight. It is most helpful! The overwhelming reality of pain, rejection and angst for at least some folk in the GLBT community cannot be doubted. They know they are somehow not ‘right’ and become masters of self-censorship. However, validating everyone as she/he ‘is’ cannot be the solution. I keep raising the issue of all the other sexual minorities still in their closets whose lived experience of pain etc. match those of the GLBT to the smallest detail. They too know they are somehow not ‘right’. What about them? Either let everyone out of their closets - as long as the ‘relationships’ are consensual etc. (though this social norm too could give, at some point) and pay the devil - or have the integrity to admit that some sexual minorities need to remain in the closet. What they publicly embrace and advance as a lifestyle is deemed to be transgressive, wrong, toxic for both them and for those around them. In fact, there are various sexual orientations out there - some whose ’alternative’ nature makes the GLBT constellation look almost conservative by comparison - it is just that they have remained under the radar. Given the present state of moral disintegration and the increasing inability to say certain behaviours are categorically ‘wrong’ it is only a matter of time before they too emerge.
[Anglican Mainstream] 1 May 2008--Thank you Peter Ould for this highlight. It is most helpful! The overwhelming reality of pain, rejection and angst for at least some folk in the GLBT community cannot be doubted. They know they are somehow not ‘right’ and become masters of self-censorship. However, validating everyone as she/he ‘is’ cannot be the solution. I keep raising the issue of all the other sexual minorities still in their closets whose lived experience of pain etc. match those of the GLBT to the smallest detail. They too know they are somehow not ‘right’. What about them? Either let everyone out of their closets - as long as the ‘relationships’ are consensual etc. (though this social norm too could give, at some point) and pay the devil - or have the integrity to admit that some sexual minorities need to remain in the closet. What they publicly embrace and advance as a lifestyle is deemed to be transgressive, wrong, toxic for both them and for those around them. In fact, there are various sexual orientations out there - some whose ’alternative’ nature makes the GLBT constellation look almost conservative by comparison - it is just that they have remained under the radar. Given the present state of moral disintegration and the increasing inability to say certain behaviours are categorically ‘wrong’ it is only a matter of time before they too emerge.
New Anglican Entity Inaugurated in Canada: Archbishop Venables commissions two Bishops and thirty two clergy.
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/05/01/new-anglican-entity-inaugurated-in-canada-archbishop-venables-commissions-two-bishops-and-thirty-two-clergy/
[Anglican Mianstream] 1 May 2008--Before 1000 people, Presiding Bishop Greg Venables commissioned two Bishops, and one of them, Bishop Donald Harvey, then licenced 32 priests and deacons for the Anglican Network in Canada on Saturday April 27. The Network comprises 15 churches, whose average Sunday attendance is larger than 12 of the 31 dioceses in the Anglican Church of Canada (according to the 2001 published statistics, but recent numbers are presumed to be much lower).
The Network was first offered as an ecclesial alternative in Burlington Ontario in November 2007. Since then these 15 churches have all held votes in which their congregations voted overwhelmingly to join the Network or left their buildings and planted new churches.
The Presiding Bishop commissioned Don Harvey and Malcolm Harding as Bishops with the words " I offer you pastoral oversight and fellowship. I commission you to preach the gospel and love the people."
Bishop Albert Vun from the Diocese of Sabah, representing Archbishop John Chew, retired Archbishop Yong Ping Chung ( a former chair of the Anglican Consultative Council) and 15 other Bishops from Anglican Jurisdictions in Kenya, Uganda and in the United States attended.
[Anglican Mianstream] 1 May 2008--Before 1000 people, Presiding Bishop Greg Venables commissioned two Bishops, and one of them, Bishop Donald Harvey, then licenced 32 priests and deacons for the Anglican Network in Canada on Saturday April 27. The Network comprises 15 churches, whose average Sunday attendance is larger than 12 of the 31 dioceses in the Anglican Church of Canada (according to the 2001 published statistics, but recent numbers are presumed to be much lower).
The Network was first offered as an ecclesial alternative in Burlington Ontario in November 2007. Since then these 15 churches have all held votes in which their congregations voted overwhelmingly to join the Network or left their buildings and planted new churches.
The Presiding Bishop commissioned Don Harvey and Malcolm Harding as Bishops with the words " I offer you pastoral oversight and fellowship. I commission you to preach the gospel and love the people."
Bishop Albert Vun from the Diocese of Sabah, representing Archbishop John Chew, retired Archbishop Yong Ping Chung ( a former chair of the Anglican Consultative Council) and 15 other Bishops from Anglican Jurisdictions in Kenya, Uganda and in the United States attended.
Shakespeare’s Religion
http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6202
[First Things] 1 May 2008--In 1613, at the end of his career, Shakespeare joined John Fletcher to dramatize the reign of Henry VIII—the king who broke with Rome and started the Protestant revolution in England. The play ends with Thomas Cranmer’s rhapsodic paean to the once and future queen, Elizabeth, who would consolidate the Anglican settlement:
This royal infant—heaven still move about her!— Though in her cradle, yet now promises Upon this land a thousand, thousand blessings, Which time shall bring to ripeness. She shall be— But few now living can behold that goodness— A pattern to all princes living with her, And all that shall succeed.
Elizabeth’s foes, Cranmer predicts, will shake like a field of beaten corn; and, since those foes included the Catholics whom Elizabeth relentlessly persecuted, imprisoned, and executed, readers have traditionally seen the play as Protestant propaganda.
And yet Henry VIII is also the tale of another queen: Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s discarded, staunchly Catholic wife. Katherine courageously endures the trial, stands by her “honour,” her “bond to wedlock,” and her “love and duty.” She assails Wolsey for his “arrogancy, spleen, and pride” and wishes to make appeal “unto the Pope,” to bring her case before “His Holiness.” Onstage she has a vision of angelic spirits dancing and welcoming her to heaven before she dies. Shakespeare and Fletcher portray Katherine as a wronged, heroic, and saintly queen.
Henry VIII, in other words, is hot ice and wondrous strange snow, as Theseus says in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Does the play extol the Protestant Reformation or the Protestant Deformation? How shall we find the concord of this discord?
[First Things] 1 May 2008--In 1613, at the end of his career, Shakespeare joined John Fletcher to dramatize the reign of Henry VIII—the king who broke with Rome and started the Protestant revolution in England. The play ends with Thomas Cranmer’s rhapsodic paean to the once and future queen, Elizabeth, who would consolidate the Anglican settlement:
This royal infant—heaven still move about her!— Though in her cradle, yet now promises Upon this land a thousand, thousand blessings, Which time shall bring to ripeness. She shall be— But few now living can behold that goodness— A pattern to all princes living with her, And all that shall succeed.
Elizabeth’s foes, Cranmer predicts, will shake like a field of beaten corn; and, since those foes included the Catholics whom Elizabeth relentlessly persecuted, imprisoned, and executed, readers have traditionally seen the play as Protestant propaganda.
And yet Henry VIII is also the tale of another queen: Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s discarded, staunchly Catholic wife. Katherine courageously endures the trial, stands by her “honour,” her “bond to wedlock,” and her “love and duty.” She assails Wolsey for his “arrogancy, spleen, and pride” and wishes to make appeal “unto the Pope,” to bring her case before “His Holiness.” Onstage she has a vision of angelic spirits dancing and welcoming her to heaven before she dies. Shakespeare and Fletcher portray Katherine as a wronged, heroic, and saintly queen.
Henry VIII, in other words, is hot ice and wondrous strange snow, as Theseus says in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Does the play extol the Protestant Reformation or the Protestant Deformation? How shall we find the concord of this discord?
Venables predicts end of Anglican Communion
http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/venables-predicts-end-of-anglican-communion/
[Anglican Journal] 1 May 2008--The South American primate who has welcomed dissenting Canadian Anglican parishes into his province says he sees the beginning of the end of the world-wide Anglican Communion.
“I believe we’re in the early stages of divorce,” Archbishop Gregory Venables, presiding (national) bishop of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, told a news conference during a meeting of the Anglican Network in Canada from April 25 to 26.
“I think there comes a point when a marriage is no longer a marriage and you have to recognize it,” he said. But Archbishop Venables suggested that Anglican churches could still stay together in some form. “Maybe we can have an Anglican federation,” he said.
[Anglican Journal] 1 May 2008--The South American primate who has welcomed dissenting Canadian Anglican parishes into his province says he sees the beginning of the end of the world-wide Anglican Communion.
“I believe we’re in the early stages of divorce,” Archbishop Gregory Venables, presiding (national) bishop of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, told a news conference during a meeting of the Anglican Network in Canada from April 25 to 26.
“I think there comes a point when a marriage is no longer a marriage and you have to recognize it,” he said. But Archbishop Venables suggested that Anglican churches could still stay together in some form. “Maybe we can have an Anglican federation,” he said.
Anglican Church of Canada Loses Prominent Theologian over its "Poisonous Liberalism"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08043008.html
[LifeSiteNews.com] 1 May 2008--The Anglican Church of Canada has lost another prominent member due to its "poisonous liberalism" which holds homosexuality in high esteem but increasingly marginalizes Christian morality and scriptural tradition.
James Innell Packer, a British-born Canadian theologian in the Calvinistic or Evangelical Anglican tradition, has announced that he will be aligning himself with the groups of Anglicans who have left the jurisdiction of the ultra-liberal Anglican Church of Canada and are seeking episcopal oversight from more traditional wings of the Anglican Church.
[LifeSiteNews.com] 1 May 2008--The Anglican Church of Canada has lost another prominent member due to its "poisonous liberalism" which holds homosexuality in high esteem but increasingly marginalizes Christian morality and scriptural tradition.
James Innell Packer, a British-born Canadian theologian in the Calvinistic or Evangelical Anglican tradition, has announced that he will be aligning himself with the groups of Anglicans who have left the jurisdiction of the ultra-liberal Anglican Church of Canada and are seeking episcopal oversight from more traditional wings of the Anglican Church.
Memo: Presiding Bishop Subverting Constitution and Canons
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/4/30/memorandum-concludes-presiding-bishop-is-subverting-constitution-and-canons
[The Living Church] 1 May 2008--Sufficient legal grounds exist for presenting Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for ecclesiastical trial on 11 counts of violating the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church, according to a legal memorandum that has begun circulating among members of the House of Bishops.
A copy of the April 21 document seen by a reporter representing The Living Church states Bishop Jefferts Schori demonstrated a “willful violation of the canons, an intention to repeat the violations, and a pattern of concealment and lack of candor” in her handling of the cases of bishops Robert W. Duncan, John-David Schofield and William Cox, and that she “subverted” the “fundamental polity” of The Episcopal Church in the matter of the Diocese of San Joaquin.
[The Living Church] 1 May 2008--Sufficient legal grounds exist for presenting Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for ecclesiastical trial on 11 counts of violating the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church, according to a legal memorandum that has begun circulating among members of the House of Bishops.
A copy of the April 21 document seen by a reporter representing The Living Church states Bishop Jefferts Schori demonstrated a “willful violation of the canons, an intention to repeat the violations, and a pattern of concealment and lack of candor” in her handling of the cases of bishops Robert W. Duncan, John-David Schofield and William Cox, and that she “subverted” the “fundamental polity” of The Episcopal Church in the matter of the Diocese of San Joaquin.
Presiding Bishop Explains Process Used to Depose Bishops for Abandonment
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/4/30/presiding-bishop-explains-process-used-to-depose-bishops-for-abandonment
[The Living Church] 1 May 2008--A variety of appointed experts on Episcopal Church canon law concur with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who does not believe it is necessary to obtain an inhibition prior to holding a vote to depose a bishop charged with abandonment of communion. Bishop Jefferts Schori sent a two-page letter that sets out her understanding of the abandonment canons for the House of Bishops on April 30.
Once the nine-member Title IV [disciplinary] Review Committee has certified that a bishop has abandoned communion, Bishop Jefferts Schori said “the bishop in question is given 60 days to respond. In her letter, she explained that the provision requiring the consent of the three senior active bishops of the church in order to inhibit the accused bishop does not grant the three senior bishops veto power “over consideration of the merits of the deposition by the House of Bishops,” and she notes that a significant number of persons, many of whose positions are filled by appointment of the Presiding Bishop, agree with her.
[The Living Church] 1 May 2008--A variety of appointed experts on Episcopal Church canon law concur with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who does not believe it is necessary to obtain an inhibition prior to holding a vote to depose a bishop charged with abandonment of communion. Bishop Jefferts Schori sent a two-page letter that sets out her understanding of the abandonment canons for the House of Bishops on April 30.
Once the nine-member Title IV [disciplinary] Review Committee has certified that a bishop has abandoned communion, Bishop Jefferts Schori said “the bishop in question is given 60 days to respond. In her letter, she explained that the provision requiring the consent of the three senior active bishops of the church in order to inhibit the accused bishop does not grant the three senior bishops veto power “over consideration of the merits of the deposition by the House of Bishops,” and she notes that a significant number of persons, many of whose positions are filled by appointment of the Presiding Bishop, agree with her.
"Bishop" Protests Visit of Southern Cone Primate to Anglican Diocese Venables
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8164
[VirtueOnline] 1 May 2008--The bishop who claims to be the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has written a letter to the orthodox Archbishop of the Southern Cone protesting his visit to the diocese.
In blunt language Episcopal Bishop Jerry A. Lamb asked Archbishop Gregory Venables to stay out the diocese and not preach and celebrate the Eucharist at St. James Cathedral held by the Bishop of San Joaquin, the Rt. Rev. David Schofield.
[VirtueOnline] 1 May 2008--The bishop who claims to be the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has written a letter to the orthodox Archbishop of the Southern Cone protesting his visit to the diocese.
In blunt language Episcopal Bishop Jerry A. Lamb asked Archbishop Gregory Venables to stay out the diocese and not preach and celebrate the Eucharist at St. James Cathedral held by the Bishop of San Joaquin, the Rt. Rev. David Schofield.
Iker Blasts Schori over Venables Visitation
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8165
[VirtueOnline] 1 May 2008--I am shocked and saddened by the rude letter you released yesterday to Archbishop Greg Venables, concerning his visit this weekend to the Diocese of Fort Worth. Far from being "an unwarranted interference," he is coming at my request as an honored visitor and guest speaker.
You should know that under the canons this does not require either your approval or your support. You have no say in this matter. A diocesan bishop is free to invite other bishops to visit and speak in his diocese.
There are no efforts at reconciliation proceeding within this Province, which is one reason why faithful people continue to leave TEC in droves. Your attitude and actions simply reinforce alienation and bring further discord.
Once again, you are the one meddling in the internal affairs of this diocese, and I ask you to stop your unwelcome intrusions.
[VirtueOnline] 1 May 2008--I am shocked and saddened by the rude letter you released yesterday to Archbishop Greg Venables, concerning his visit this weekend to the Diocese of Fort Worth. Far from being "an unwarranted interference," he is coming at my request as an honored visitor and guest speaker.
You should know that under the canons this does not require either your approval or your support. You have no say in this matter. A diocesan bishop is free to invite other bishops to visit and speak in his diocese.
There are no efforts at reconciliation proceeding within this Province, which is one reason why faithful people continue to leave TEC in droves. Your attitude and actions simply reinforce alienation and bring further discord.
Once again, you are the one meddling in the internal affairs of this diocese, and I ask you to stop your unwelcome intrusions.
The Anglican Formularies Are Not Enough
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8113
[VirtueOnline] 1 May 2008--The Anglican Formularies are not enough to meet the crisis that now afflicts the Anglican Communion.
Let me explain. What is the nature of the problem that faces us? The problem is theological, a powerful false teaching that undermines the church. There is nothing new about this. The church has always been assaulted by heresy. When false doctrine became powerful, as it is at the present moment, the response of the church has been to counter heresy with orthodox truth. That truth was a double-edged sword, both sides equally important -- to affirm true doctrine and to deny the false doctrines of the heretics. This is the tradition, starting in the New Testament and continuing throughout the history of the church. Let me give a few examples, chosen from a multitude.
[VirtueOnline] 1 May 2008--The Anglican Formularies are not enough to meet the crisis that now afflicts the Anglican Communion.
Let me explain. What is the nature of the problem that faces us? The problem is theological, a powerful false teaching that undermines the church. There is nothing new about this. The church has always been assaulted by heresy. When false doctrine became powerful, as it is at the present moment, the response of the church has been to counter heresy with orthodox truth. That truth was a double-edged sword, both sides equally important -- to affirm true doctrine and to deny the false doctrines of the heretics. This is the tradition, starting in the New Testament and continuing throughout the history of the church. Let me give a few examples, chosen from a multitude.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Top evangelical theologian leaves Anglican Church of Canada
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/04/26/top-evangelical-theologian-leaves-anglican-church-of-canada.aspx
[The Vancouver Sun] 30 Apr 2008--One of the world's most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada this week because he believes many of its bishops are "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."
James (J.I.) Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet's 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth.
Vancouver-based Packer, who has sold more than four million copies of his many books, said he and 10 other B.C. Anglican clergy left the national denomination this week to operate under the authority of a South American Anglican archbishop because they felt they were being "starved out and worn down."
[The Vancouver Sun] 30 Apr 2008--One of the world's most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada this week because he believes many of its bishops are "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."
James (J.I.) Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet's 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth.
Vancouver-based Packer, who has sold more than four million copies of his many books, said he and 10 other B.C. Anglican clergy left the national denomination this week to operate under the authority of a South American Anglican archbishop because they felt they were being "starved out and worn down."
Presiding Bishop in Dallas: “Have You Been Watching San Joaquin?”
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/4/29/presiding-bishop-in-dallas-have-you-been-watching-san-joaquin
[The Living Church] 30 Apr 2008--Using a traditional Rogation service, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori blessed a new community garden at St. Thomas’ Church, Dallas, during a visit to that diocese April 28. About 140 persons from the dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth attended the blessing. The group met in the parish hall for an informal question-and-answer session after the ceremony, which followed a two-hour session with diocesan clergy in the morning.
Clergy and laity from the Diocese of Fort Worth comprised a little less than half of those attending the reception. Their questions dominated, with some pleading with the Presiding Bishop for “help to get us out of the wilderness we now find ourselves in.” Fort Worth is one of several dioceses that are likely to consider leaving The Episcopal Church when their conventions are held this fall.
Bishop Jefferts Schori assured her questioners that a plan similar to the one employed in San Joaquin has already been prepared. When the Fort Worth delegation declared that they have been forgotten in this battle, the Presiding Bishop replied, “Have you been watching San Joaquin? They were not forgotten and now show dynamic signs of new life. You will not be forgotten, either.”
[The Living Church] 30 Apr 2008--Using a traditional Rogation service, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori blessed a new community garden at St. Thomas’ Church, Dallas, during a visit to that diocese April 28. About 140 persons from the dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth attended the blessing. The group met in the parish hall for an informal question-and-answer session after the ceremony, which followed a two-hour session with diocesan clergy in the morning.
Clergy and laity from the Diocese of Fort Worth comprised a little less than half of those attending the reception. Their questions dominated, with some pleading with the Presiding Bishop for “help to get us out of the wilderness we now find ourselves in.” Fort Worth is one of several dioceses that are likely to consider leaving The Episcopal Church when their conventions are held this fall.
Bishop Jefferts Schori assured her questioners that a plan similar to the one employed in San Joaquin has already been prepared. When the Fort Worth delegation declared that they have been forgotten in this battle, the Presiding Bishop replied, “Have you been watching San Joaquin? They were not forgotten and now show dynamic signs of new life. You will not be forgotten, either.”
Gene Robinson’s ‘Incredible Orthodoxy’
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/04/30/gene-robinsons-incredible-orthodoxy/
[Anglican Mainstream] 30 Apr 2008--The BBC’s Roger Bolton interviewed Gene Robinson for the BBC Radio’s Sunday programme. As his new book is published in the run up to Lambeth, Bishop Robinson says his ‘passion is about the gospel’. He asserts, ‘I am incredibly orthodox in my beliefs – in my holding to the historic creeds’.
[Anglican Mainstream] 30 Apr 2008--The BBC’s Roger Bolton interviewed Gene Robinson for the BBC Radio’s Sunday programme. As his new book is published in the run up to Lambeth, Bishop Robinson says his ‘passion is about the gospel’. He asserts, ‘I am incredibly orthodox in my beliefs – in my holding to the historic creeds’.
Williams criticized by gay bishop
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/04/30/williams-criticized-by-gay-bishop/#more-3418
[Anglican Mainstream] 30 Apr 2008--The first openly gay Anglican bishop has accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of failing to confront critics of hisappointment.
US bishop Gene Robinson, who has received death threats, said Rowan Williams’s handling of rhetoric against gay Anglicans could endanger them.
He said God was "very disappointed" in the way Dr Williams had failed to confront Nigeria’s Archbishop Akinola.
He also said Dr Williams had criticised the US church but not others.
[Anglican Mainstream] 30 Apr 2008--The first openly gay Anglican bishop has accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of failing to confront critics of hisappointment.
US bishop Gene Robinson, who has received death threats, said Rowan Williams’s handling of rhetoric against gay Anglicans could endanger them.
He said God was "very disappointed" in the way Dr Williams had failed to confront Nigeria’s Archbishop Akinola.
He also said Dr Williams had criticised the US church but not others.
“The cracked plate” Archbishop Venables’ Sermon to Commissioning service of ANiC
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/04/26/the-broken-plate-archbishop-venables-sermon-to-commissioning-service-of-anic/
[Anglican Mainstream] 30 Apr 2008--We are glad and sad. Your decision and timing are correct. God will work with us as we walk through the next days and weeks and months and years. The Lord never tells us what is going to happen. He promises to be with us as we walk with him. That is how you will know who your true brothers and sisters are.
Now to the future and what needs to be done.
[Anglican Mainstream] 30 Apr 2008--We are glad and sad. Your decision and timing are correct. God will work with us as we walk through the next days and weeks and months and years. The Lord never tells us what is going to happen. He promises to be with us as we walk with him. That is how you will know who your true brothers and sisters are.
Now to the future and what needs to be done.
Evangelism in Western Post-Modern Secular Culture
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8137
[VirtueOnline] 30 Apr 2008--To begin: Have you ever been driven to think, when you are waiting for a call centre, which assures you endlessly that your call is very important to them but keeps you waiting ten minutes, and when finally you express pathetic gratitude at being connected to one of their consultants, that consultant turns out to know less about the issue you have rung about than you do, have you ever been driven to think that this world is run by machines and idiots? Or to put it more kindly, it is run by machines and people who are not allowed to exercise any judgement. This is no accident: it is a function of modern western secularity.
In talking about evangelism today we are not shifting the focus away from our concerns in meeting this weekend. We do not have two separate activities - one an internal church activity to secure our organisation, our borders and our future so that we may continue to reach out to win others for Christ.
We are engaged in something far more integrated: the very process we are engaged in of affirming our commitment to the truth of the scriptures and the reality of the God who transforms human life itself is the most powerful declaration of the good news of the Gospel in the post-modern secular culture in which we are called to bear witness. Contending for the faith once given to the saints now is part of our witness to our societies.
[VirtueOnline] 30 Apr 2008--To begin: Have you ever been driven to think, when you are waiting for a call centre, which assures you endlessly that your call is very important to them but keeps you waiting ten minutes, and when finally you express pathetic gratitude at being connected to one of their consultants, that consultant turns out to know less about the issue you have rung about than you do, have you ever been driven to think that this world is run by machines and idiots? Or to put it more kindly, it is run by machines and people who are not allowed to exercise any judgement. This is no accident: it is a function of modern western secularity.
In talking about evangelism today we are not shifting the focus away from our concerns in meeting this weekend. We do not have two separate activities - one an internal church activity to secure our organisation, our borders and our future so that we may continue to reach out to win others for Christ.
We are engaged in something far more integrated: the very process we are engaged in of affirming our commitment to the truth of the scriptures and the reality of the God who transforms human life itself is the most powerful declaration of the good news of the Gospel in the post-modern secular culture in which we are called to bear witness. Contending for the faith once given to the saints now is part of our witness to our societies.
Fort Worth visit an 'unwarranted invasion,' Presiding Bishop tells Southern Cone primate
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8157
[Virtue Online] 30 Apr 2008--Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has advised Southern Cone Presiding Bishop Gregory J. Venables in an April 29 letter that his planned May 2-4 visit to address a special convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth "with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province."
"I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori told Venables, who was, according to reports, scheduled to be in Central California on April 29 to meet with church leaders who last year voted to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church and align with his Argentina-based province. "The actions contemplated by some leaders in Forth Worth are profoundly uncanonical," Jefferts Schori wrote. "They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province."
The full text of Jefferts Schori's letter, copied to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, follows.
[Virtue Online] 30 Apr 2008--Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has advised Southern Cone Presiding Bishop Gregory J. Venables in an April 29 letter that his planned May 2-4 visit to address a special convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth "with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province."
"I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori told Venables, who was, according to reports, scheduled to be in Central California on April 29 to meet with church leaders who last year voted to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church and align with his Argentina-based province. "The actions contemplated by some leaders in Forth Worth are profoundly uncanonical," Jefferts Schori wrote. "They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province."
The full text of Jefferts Schori's letter, copied to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, follows.
‘Gender havens’ to avert split in Church
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3835710.ece?print=yes&randnum=1209444816111
[Times Online] 30 Apr 2008--The Church of England is proposing to tear up hundreds of years of tradition by establishing spiritual havens for opponents of women priests and bishops.
In a desperate attempt to stave off a schism over female ordination, church leaders have suggested the creation of new dioceses based on gender rather than geography.
The proposal – allowing some parishes to flee from the prospect of women bishops to male bishops hundreds of miles away – is one idea intended to preserve the unity of the Anglican Communion amid intense anger among millions of conservative church members.
But it risks antagonising liberals who believe that Anglicanism should not offer a compromise.
[Times Online] 30 Apr 2008--The Church of England is proposing to tear up hundreds of years of tradition by establishing spiritual havens for opponents of women priests and bishops.
In a desperate attempt to stave off a schism over female ordination, church leaders have suggested the creation of new dioceses based on gender rather than geography.
The proposal – allowing some parishes to flee from the prospect of women bishops to male bishops hundreds of miles away – is one idea intended to preserve the unity of the Anglican Communion amid intense anger among millions of conservative church members.
But it risks antagonising liberals who believe that Anglicanism should not offer a compromise.
Report sets out roadmap for women bishops
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3833950.ece
[Times Online] 30 Apr 2008--A "church within a church" is proposed in a new report as a way of finding a home for the opponents of women priests and bishops in the Church of England.
A series of new dioceses that would transcend geographical boundaries and be havens for men and women opposed to female ordination is the radical proposal set out in the long-awaited report on how to proceed with the Church's desire to consecrate women bishops.
The report sets out a number of possible options and says that the General Synod must decide. But if the Church decides to opt for a structural solution, it makes clear that this would be the best way forward.
Critics claim the solution to how to consecrate women bishops without disenfranchising a substantial minority of opponents would leave the established Church resembling a "Gruyere cheese", with dioceses being left with large "holes" in them as parishes fled wholesale from the prospect of women bishops.
[Times Online] 30 Apr 2008--A "church within a church" is proposed in a new report as a way of finding a home for the opponents of women priests and bishops in the Church of England.
A series of new dioceses that would transcend geographical boundaries and be havens for men and women opposed to female ordination is the radical proposal set out in the long-awaited report on how to proceed with the Church's desire to consecrate women bishops.
The report sets out a number of possible options and says that the General Synod must decide. But if the Church decides to opt for a structural solution, it makes clear that this would be the best way forward.
Critics claim the solution to how to consecrate women bishops without disenfranchising a substantial minority of opponents would leave the established Church resembling a "Gruyere cheese", with dioceses being left with large "holes" in them as parishes fled wholesale from the prospect of women bishops.
Packer Packs One Two Punch at Liberal Anglican Denomination
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8153
[VirtueOnline] 30 Apr 2008--He made it official on the weekend. The most famous orthodox Anglican theologian in Canada, and one of the world's most renowned, relinquished his orders in the Anglican Church of Canada, one of 11 priests to surrender their licenses. The Rev. Dr. J. I. Packer was then officially relicensed by the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone into his province.
It was an historic moment for the modest, humble 81-year old theological warrior, author, and one of the most compelling voices for evangelical Anglican Christianity of the late 20th Century. Time magazine hailed him as one of the planet's most influential evangelicals. He deserves it.
It all took place in Vancouver at the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) conference, where some 400 Anglicans in the Anglican Church of Canada made it official, renouncing an apostate denomination for the fresh spiritual pastures that affirmed the ancient faith and the gospel that goes with it.
Packer did not mince his words. In surprisingly harsh words, but acknowledging the realism of the occasion, he called many of the Anglican Church's bishops "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."
[VirtueOnline] 30 Apr 2008--He made it official on the weekend. The most famous orthodox Anglican theologian in Canada, and one of the world's most renowned, relinquished his orders in the Anglican Church of Canada, one of 11 priests to surrender their licenses. The Rev. Dr. J. I. Packer was then officially relicensed by the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone into his province.
It was an historic moment for the modest, humble 81-year old theological warrior, author, and one of the most compelling voices for evangelical Anglican Christianity of the late 20th Century. Time magazine hailed him as one of the planet's most influential evangelicals. He deserves it.
It all took place in Vancouver at the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) conference, where some 400 Anglicans in the Anglican Church of Canada made it official, renouncing an apostate denomination for the fresh spiritual pastures that affirmed the ancient faith and the gospel that goes with it.
Packer did not mince his words. In surprisingly harsh words, but acknowledging the realism of the occasion, he called many of the Anglican Church's bishops "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."
Monday, April 28, 2008
Influential evangelical theologian latest to split with Anglican Church
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=84eb611e-eb8f-491b-94f9-ca96613514bc
[The Vancouver Sun] 28 Apr 2008--One of the world's most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada this week because he believes many of its bishops are "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."
James Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet's 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth.
Vancouver-based Packer, who has sold more than four million copies of his many books, said he and 10 other B.C. Anglican clergy left the national denomination this week to operate under the authority of a South American Anglican archbishop because they felt they were being "starved out and worn down."
[The Vancouver Sun] 28 Apr 2008--One of the world's most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada this week because he believes many of its bishops are "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."
James Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet's 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth.
Vancouver-based Packer, who has sold more than four million copies of his many books, said he and 10 other B.C. Anglican clergy left the national denomination this week to operate under the authority of a South American Anglican archbishop because they felt they were being "starved out and worn down."
Methodists defend Episcopal Church in land battle
http://www.examiner.com/a-1361055~Methodists_defend_Episcopal_Church_in_land_battle.html?cid=rss-Washington_DC
[Louisville Examiner] 28 Apr 2008--The United Methodist Church and a handful of other religious bodies have rallied to the side of Virginia's Episcopal Diocese as it seeks to reclaim millions of dollars worth of property from breakaway congregations in court.
The U.S.-based Methodists, as well as two African branches and the Worldwide Church of God, joined the Episcopal Church this week in challenging the constitutionality of a Civil War-era Virginia law on which the case likely hinges.
[Louisville Examiner] 28 Apr 2008--The United Methodist Church and a handful of other religious bodies have rallied to the side of Virginia's Episcopal Diocese as it seeks to reclaim millions of dollars worth of property from breakaway congregations in court.
The U.S.-based Methodists, as well as two African branches and the Worldwide Church of God, joined the Episcopal Church this week in challenging the constitutionality of a Civil War-era Virginia law on which the case likely hinges.
New Canadian Anglican Bishops Poised To Lead Church & Country Back to Christ
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8148
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--After a 6-year struggle, two newly licensed Canadian Anglican bishops, along with 30 licensed priests and four deacons, are poised to win souls for Christ in a country that is fast becoming secularized and post Christian. They would also like to see their old denomination, the Anglican Church of Canada, won back to the gospel even as theological liberalism falters and fails and their churches close.
The Rt. Rev. Donald Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), and the Rt. Rev. Malcolm Harding, Suffragan bishop for the Network, both made solemn promises to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the church and to defend the faith of the church to Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone, in an emotionally and spiritually charged ceremony before some 400 former members of the Anglican Church of Canada.
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--After a 6-year struggle, two newly licensed Canadian Anglican bishops, along with 30 licensed priests and four deacons, are poised to win souls for Christ in a country that is fast becoming secularized and post Christian. They would also like to see their old denomination, the Anglican Church of Canada, won back to the gospel even as theological liberalism falters and fails and their churches close.
The Rt. Rev. Donald Harvey, Moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), and the Rt. Rev. Malcolm Harding, Suffragan bishop for the Network, both made solemn promises to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the church and to defend the faith of the church to Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone, in an emotionally and spiritually charged ceremony before some 400 former members of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Women Bishops in Australia
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/11997/
[Stand Firm] 28 Apr 2008--The innovation of women in the priesthood, and now women in the episcopate, means we are a church divided, without a common ministry and more significantly, without a common understanding of the word of God.
[Stand Firm] 28 Apr 2008--The innovation of women in the priesthood, and now women in the episcopate, means we are a church divided, without a common ministry and more significantly, without a common understanding of the word of God.
Apostolic Gospel Must be at Core of our Beliefs, says Priest Theologian
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8147
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--The priest of the largest Anglican parish in Canada, who is under ecclesiastical siege from revisionist New Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham, says his denomination has lost faith in the gospel. This is evidently revealed in the diocesan newspaper, which gives the impression that the gospel is about being nice, being compassionate, recycling "and we will even bless your pets."
"The eternal gospel of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus' death and the power of his resurrection has been replaced with a gospel which is about approval, affirmation and acceptance. The apostolic gospel of sins forgiven, of rescue from eternal punishment has been smoothed and soothed to be more acceptable and relevant," said the Rev. Dr. David Short, pastor of St. John's, Shaughnessy in Vancouver.
Addressing some 400 members of the Anglican Network in Canada, Anglicans who have broken away from the mother church, Short blasted the denomination's Anglican seminaries saying that the gods of our culture have taken up residence in the seminaries of Canada. "They have spokesmen and spokeswomen in the House of Bishops who have managed to rewrite the gospel and to promote their worship."
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--The priest of the largest Anglican parish in Canada, who is under ecclesiastical siege from revisionist New Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham, says his denomination has lost faith in the gospel. This is evidently revealed in the diocesan newspaper, which gives the impression that the gospel is about being nice, being compassionate, recycling "and we will even bless your pets."
"The eternal gospel of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus' death and the power of his resurrection has been replaced with a gospel which is about approval, affirmation and acceptance. The apostolic gospel of sins forgiven, of rescue from eternal punishment has been smoothed and soothed to be more acceptable and relevant," said the Rev. Dr. David Short, pastor of St. John's, Shaughnessy in Vancouver.
Addressing some 400 members of the Anglican Network in Canada, Anglicans who have broken away from the mother church, Short blasted the denomination's Anglican seminaries saying that the gods of our culture have taken up residence in the seminaries of Canada. "They have spokesmen and spokeswomen in the House of Bishops who have managed to rewrite the gospel and to promote their worship."
Why Churches Die
http://www.chron.com/channel/houstonbelief/commons/persona.html?newspaperUserId=kengurley&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3akengurleyPost%3a88403189-00ec-42d9-b725-98add0b818de&plckCommentSortOrder=TimeStampAscending
[Believe Out Loud] 28 Apr 2008--A few years ago, a pastoral friend and I were shopping for used religious books in London. We noticed that a high percentage of religious bookstores were housed in former churches. Churches that once held human letters read of all men now contained dusty tomes stacked to the rafters.
Churches close often in America - an estimated 3,500 each year. The number of churches per capita in the United States has fallen steadily. One estimate says that no county in this country has more churches today than it did a decade ago. Astounding if accurate!
[Believe Out Loud] 28 Apr 2008--A few years ago, a pastoral friend and I were shopping for used religious books in London. We noticed that a high percentage of religious bookstores were housed in former churches. Churches that once held human letters read of all men now contained dusty tomes stacked to the rafters.
Churches close often in America - an estimated 3,500 each year. The number of churches per capita in the United States has fallen steadily. One estimate says that no county in this country has more churches today than it did a decade ago. Astounding if accurate!
Anne Coletta interviews Bishop Kelshaw
http://www.anglicantv.org/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/27/Anne-Coletta-interviews-Bishop-Kelshaw
[Anglican TV] 28 Apr 2008--Interview with Bishop Terence Kelshaw, Province of Uganda.
[Anglican TV] 28 Apr 2008--Interview with Bishop Terence Kelshaw, Province of Uganda.
Argentine Archbishop Says Anglican Communion Now Has Two Gospels
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8146
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--Despite his lofty title and a name that wreaks history, the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, is amazingly humble as he sits and contemplates the future of the Anglican Communion and his role in it. No Archbishop has been more outspoken, tilted at windmills, or been vilified by a fellow Anglican Primate. Yet he still reaches out with love and compassion with firmness of resolve that the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be compromised and that its life-changing message, valid in the First Century, is just as valid in the 21st Century regardless of time, place, culture, gender, age or education.
In Vancouver to attend an historic moment in the life of Canadian Anglicanism, a group of orthodox Anglicans, meeting under the banner of the Anglican Network in Canada's (ANiC), inaugurated and commissioned 30 priests committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in a church (the Anglican church of Canada) that has lost its way and its message. "In this age of academic, clever people there are truths that mark our path forward. God has given us clear directions that are not secrets for the clever, but God's clear direction for all of us.
"Starboard is on the right; port is on the left," he says to 400 Anglicans looking for hope, direction and leadership as they see their old church rolling over to moral relativity, walking away from the revealed word of God and departing from the faith once received. "Once you move away from there, you have nowhere else to go," Venables says.
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--Despite his lofty title and a name that wreaks history, the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, is amazingly humble as he sits and contemplates the future of the Anglican Communion and his role in it. No Archbishop has been more outspoken, tilted at windmills, or been vilified by a fellow Anglican Primate. Yet he still reaches out with love and compassion with firmness of resolve that the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be compromised and that its life-changing message, valid in the First Century, is just as valid in the 21st Century regardless of time, place, culture, gender, age or education.
In Vancouver to attend an historic moment in the life of Canadian Anglicanism, a group of orthodox Anglicans, meeting under the banner of the Anglican Network in Canada's (ANiC), inaugurated and commissioned 30 priests committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in a church (the Anglican church of Canada) that has lost its way and its message. "In this age of academic, clever people there are truths that mark our path forward. God has given us clear directions that are not secrets for the clever, but God's clear direction for all of us.
"Starboard is on the right; port is on the left," he says to 400 Anglicans looking for hope, direction and leadership as they see their old church rolling over to moral relativity, walking away from the revealed word of God and departing from the faith once received. "Once you move away from there, you have nowhere else to go," Venables says.
Episcopal Church sues Binghamton parish
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/episcopal_church_sues_binghamt.html
[syracuse.com] 28 Apr 2008--The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York has filed a lawsuit seeking the property of a Binghamton congregation that opposes the denomination's policy on homosexuality.
It's the second such lawsuit filed by the diocese and among dozens of similar cases across the country as the Episcopal Church faces ongoing opposition from congregations that disapprove of the 2003 consecration of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson. Robinson has publicly acknowledged being in a committed gay relationship.
In August, a settlement between the diocese and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Syracuse stipulated that the diocese would retain the building at 5013 S. Salina St. while the breakaway parish would be allowed to remain there up to a year.
[syracuse.com] 28 Apr 2008--The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York has filed a lawsuit seeking the property of a Binghamton congregation that opposes the denomination's policy on homosexuality.
It's the second such lawsuit filed by the diocese and among dozens of similar cases across the country as the Episcopal Church faces ongoing opposition from congregations that disapprove of the 2003 consecration of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson. Robinson has publicly acknowledged being in a committed gay relationship.
In August, a settlement between the diocese and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Syracuse stipulated that the diocese would retain the building at 5013 S. Salina St. while the breakaway parish would be allowed to remain there up to a year.
Anglican Communion Is In First Stages of Divorce, Says Archbishop
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8134
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--The Archbishop of the Southern Cone says the Anglican Communion is in the first stages of divorce.
"I believe that the time comes when a marriage is no longer a marriage and you have to recognize it. With reference to the two positions in Anglicanism at present we are incompatible doctrinally and ethically and quite different in our presuppositions. Once we recognize that maybe we can have an amicable divide. This is separation from an apostate situation. Perhaps we can have an Anglican federation but even that seems unlikely at present," said Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone. "But as in the case of a divorce we are in a conflict that does not bring us any joy."
Speaking at a press conference of the Anglican Network in Canada, a conference of 400 orthodox Anglicans meeting near Vancouver, BC, Venables said liberal Christianity does not have a doctrine of salvation or believe that Jesus is uniquely the Son of God. Liberal Christianity is not true Christianity., There is no eternal hope or salvation.
[Virtue Online] 28 Apr 2008--The Archbishop of the Southern Cone says the Anglican Communion is in the first stages of divorce.
"I believe that the time comes when a marriage is no longer a marriage and you have to recognize it. With reference to the two positions in Anglicanism at present we are incompatible doctrinally and ethically and quite different in our presuppositions. Once we recognize that maybe we can have an amicable divide. This is separation from an apostate situation. Perhaps we can have an Anglican federation but even that seems unlikely at present," said Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone. "But as in the case of a divorce we are in a conflict that does not bring us any joy."
Speaking at a press conference of the Anglican Network in Canada, a conference of 400 orthodox Anglicans meeting near Vancouver, BC, Venables said liberal Christianity does not have a doctrine of salvation or believe that Jesus is uniquely the Son of God. Liberal Christianity is not true Christianity., There is no eternal hope or salvation.
Reflections on the April 25th-26th ANiC Conference (Vancouver)
http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/reflections_on_the_april_25th_26th_anic_conference_vancouver1/
[Global South Anglican] 28 Apr 2008--An encouraging report and some photos can be viewed here and here.
[Global South Anglican] 28 Apr 2008--An encouraging report and some photos can be viewed here and here.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
What I know about the lack of singing
http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/insight/what_i_know_about_the_lack_of_singing/
[your.sydneyanglicans.net] 26 Apr 2008--The following was taken from an article in February, 2007, called The day the music died. The author is addressing the factors that cause Christian musicians to struggle, in particular their congregations:
Musicians and singers who minister at Katoomba Men’s Convention invariably say how they are blown away with encouragement when they look out at 3000 men singing their hearts out. But take them back into their home congregations and if they are looking out onto a group of people who look like they are at a funeral, it is very discouraging. Some singers have felt like shaking members in the congregation to see if they are still alive.
So why don’t people sing? In my opinion, one major reason would be because they don’t know the songs! So why don’t people sing? In my opinion, one major reason would be because they don’t know the songs!
[your.sydneyanglicans.net] 26 Apr 2008--The following was taken from an article in February, 2007, called The day the music died. The author is addressing the factors that cause Christian musicians to struggle, in particular their congregations:
Musicians and singers who minister at Katoomba Men’s Convention invariably say how they are blown away with encouragement when they look out at 3000 men singing their hearts out. But take them back into their home congregations and if they are looking out onto a group of people who look like they are at a funeral, it is very discouraging. Some singers have felt like shaking members in the congregation to see if they are still alive.
So why don’t people sing? In my opinion, one major reason would be because they don’t know the songs! So why don’t people sing? In my opinion, one major reason would be because they don’t know the songs!
Anglican church warns against visit by controversial South American bishop
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5cwWfHrZVpkb9pDE0AGXEygYXsw
[The Canadian Press] 26 Apr 2008-- controversial Anglican leader from South America arrived in this country on Wednesday, drawing a strong rebuke from Canadian church officials who fear his presence will further divide their flock.
Several congregations have split with the Canadian church to join Archbishop Greg Venables' more conservative Buenos Aires-based diocese. Eleven more clergy members of the Anglican diocese of New Westminster handed in their resignations this week, saying they will continue under Venables' jurisdiction.
When did supporting orthodox Biblical Christianity become controversial?
[The Canadian Press] 26 Apr 2008-- controversial Anglican leader from South America arrived in this country on Wednesday, drawing a strong rebuke from Canadian church officials who fear his presence will further divide their flock.
Several congregations have split with the Canadian church to join Archbishop Greg Venables' more conservative Buenos Aires-based diocese. Eleven more clergy members of the Anglican diocese of New Westminster handed in their resignations this week, saying they will continue under Venables' jurisdiction.
When did supporting orthodox Biblical Christianity become controversial?
LifeWay Research finds unchurched prefer cathedrals to contemporary church designs
http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D167438%252526M%25253D200906%2C00.html
[LifeWay] 26 Apr 2008--People who don’t go to church may be turned off by a recent trend toward more utilitarian church buildings. By a nearly 2-to-1 ratio over any other option, unchurched Americans prefer churches that look more like a medieval cathedral than what most think of as a more contemporary church building.
The findings come from a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research for the Cornerstone Knowledge Network (CKN), a group of church-focused facilities development firms. The online survey included 1,684 unchurched adults – defined as those who had not attended a church, mosque or synagogue in the past six months except for religious holidays or special events.
[LifeWay] 26 Apr 2008--People who don’t go to church may be turned off by a recent trend toward more utilitarian church buildings. By a nearly 2-to-1 ratio over any other option, unchurched Americans prefer churches that look more like a medieval cathedral than what most think of as a more contemporary church building.
The findings come from a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research for the Cornerstone Knowledge Network (CKN), a group of church-focused facilities development firms. The online survey included 1,684 unchurched adults – defined as those who had not attended a church, mosque or synagogue in the past six months except for religious holidays or special events.
Anglican Churches Respond to Ruling on Discovery
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8132
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--The 11 Anglican churches being sued by The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia responded to the Fairfax County Circuit Court decision to open discovery around the Contracts Clause, congregational votes and related questions.
"Today's Court ruling is part of the process which will prove that the 11 churches own their property and that they followed proper procedures when an overwhelming majority in each church voted to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church and Diocese of Virginia," said Jim Oakes, vice-chairman of the Anglican District of Virginia. The 11 churches being sued by The Episcopal Church are a part of ADV.
"Judge Randy Bellows has indicated that he would like to see the entire case resolved soon after the October hearing. We welcome that news as we have consistently stated our belief that this litigation is a regrettable distraction from our core mission as a church. He also invited the parties to submit lists of issues that can be decided as a matter of law without any further discovery. On the remaining issues, Judge Bellows indicated that he would be receptive to motions for protective orders should discovery become too burdensome, which we appreciate.
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--The 11 Anglican churches being sued by The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia responded to the Fairfax County Circuit Court decision to open discovery around the Contracts Clause, congregational votes and related questions.
"Today's Court ruling is part of the process which will prove that the 11 churches own their property and that they followed proper procedures when an overwhelming majority in each church voted to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church and Diocese of Virginia," said Jim Oakes, vice-chairman of the Anglican District of Virginia. The 11 churches being sued by The Episcopal Church are a part of ADV.
"Judge Randy Bellows has indicated that he would like to see the entire case resolved soon after the October hearing. We welcome that news as we have consistently stated our belief that this litigation is a regrettable distraction from our core mission as a church. He also invited the parties to submit lists of issues that can be decided as a matter of law without any further discovery. On the remaining issues, Judge Bellows indicated that he would be receptive to motions for protective orders should discovery become too burdensome, which we appreciate.
Dr JI Packer speaks at launch of Anglican Network in Canada: geographical exclusiveness cannot be restored.
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/04/25/dr-ji-packer-speaks-at-launch-of-anglican-network-in-canada-geographical-exclusiveness-cannot-be-restored/
[Anglican Mainstream] 26 Apr 2008--May I begin by saying where I come from. If a certain dignitary kept his word and threat, I am here under false pretences. Two days ago I will have been deprived of the ministry to which I was ordained in 1952 and I ought not to be wearing a clerical collar. It is utterly tragic. This led me to resonate deeply with the way AB Venables presented in his talk. I have a joyful heart. One cannot be seeking to live under the leading and power of the Holy Spirit without joy in one’s heart. Joy has been added to my state of mind. Despite the fact that in Acts 27 the ship was wrecked, everyone was saved and got safe to land, and we have got safe to land in the same way through the generous offer of jurisdiction from AB Venables which we have settled for most gratefully. I want to celebrate the goodness and graciousness of AB Venables. This is not two Brits together but two Christians together. AB Venables has lightened my gloom considerably. As he illuminated what has gone wrong, I was saying Amen sir you are right, but oh dear.
[Anglican Mainstream] 26 Apr 2008--May I begin by saying where I come from. If a certain dignitary kept his word and threat, I am here under false pretences. Two days ago I will have been deprived of the ministry to which I was ordained in 1952 and I ought not to be wearing a clerical collar. It is utterly tragic. This led me to resonate deeply with the way AB Venables presented in his talk. I have a joyful heart. One cannot be seeking to live under the leading and power of the Holy Spirit without joy in one’s heart. Joy has been added to my state of mind. Despite the fact that in Acts 27 the ship was wrecked, everyone was saved and got safe to land, and we have got safe to land in the same way through the generous offer of jurisdiction from AB Venables which we have settled for most gratefully. I want to celebrate the goodness and graciousness of AB Venables. This is not two Brits together but two Christians together. AB Venables has lightened my gloom considerably. As he illuminated what has gone wrong, I was saying Amen sir you are right, but oh dear.
Eleven clergy resign in New Westminster
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8121
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--Eleven members of the clergy in the Vancouver-based diocese of New Westminster on April 21 resigned due to theological conflicts with the diocese and Bishop Michael Ingham, but said they intend to continue their parish ministry under the jurisdiction of an Anglican province in South America.
The nine priests and two deacons, in a letter to Bishop Ingham, said "it is our intention to remain members of the Anglican church" but "we cannot continue the Anglican ministry to which we were ordained under your jurisdiction."
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--Eleven members of the clergy in the Vancouver-based diocese of New Westminster on April 21 resigned due to theological conflicts with the diocese and Bishop Michael Ingham, but said they intend to continue their parish ministry under the jurisdiction of an Anglican province in South America.
The nine priests and two deacons, in a letter to Bishop Ingham, said "it is our intention to remain members of the Anglican church" but "we cannot continue the Anglican ministry to which we were ordained under your jurisdiction."
Archbishop’s Letter to Lambeth Bishops Still Not Sent
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/4/25/archbishops-letter-to-lambeth-bishops-still-not-sent
[The Living Church] 26 Apr 2008--
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams discussed his hopes and called on all Anglicans to pray for the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops in a seven-and-a-half minute video published on the internet on April 23.
“Yes this is a conference for bishops, not for bishops with their clergy and laity as so often happens, but primarily for bishops,” Archbishop Williams said. “We don’t want at the Lambeth Conference to be creating a lot of new rules, but we do obviously need to strengthen our relationships and we need to put those relationships on another footing, slightly firmer footing, where we have promised to one another that this is how we will conduct our life together. And it is in that light that at this year we are discussing together the proposal for what we are calling a covenant between the Anglican Churches of the world.”
A spokesman for Archbishop Williams told The Living Church the internet video presentation was “not related” to his forthcoming letter to the bishops of the Communion. In that letter, the archbishop is reported to ask that they predicate their attendance at the Lambeth Conference upon their willingness to accept the Windsor Report and Anglican Covenant processes.
[The Living Church] 26 Apr 2008--
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams discussed his hopes and called on all Anglicans to pray for the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops in a seven-and-a-half minute video published on the internet on April 23.
“Yes this is a conference for bishops, not for bishops with their clergy and laity as so often happens, but primarily for bishops,” Archbishop Williams said. “We don’t want at the Lambeth Conference to be creating a lot of new rules, but we do obviously need to strengthen our relationships and we need to put those relationships on another footing, slightly firmer footing, where we have promised to one another that this is how we will conduct our life together. And it is in that light that at this year we are discussing together the proposal for what we are calling a covenant between the Anglican Churches of the world.”
A spokesman for Archbishop Williams told The Living Church the internet video presentation was “not related” to his forthcoming letter to the bishops of the Communion. In that letter, the archbishop is reported to ask that they predicate their attendance at the Lambeth Conference upon their willingness to accept the Windsor Report and Anglican Covenant processes.
Anglican primate blasts South American rival
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080421.wanglican22/BNStory/National/home
[Globe and Mail] 26 Apr 2008--Leaders of the Anglican Church in Canada and South America drew beads on each other yesterday with Canadian primate Fred Hiltz posting a letter on the Internet telling South America's Gregory Venables to stay out of the country and Archbishop Venables icily criticizing Archbishop Hiltz's manners in reply.
“My number is there on the Anglican Communion network,” Archbishop Venables said in a telephone interview from Buenos Aires. “I mean, this is only my humble opinion, but if somebody really wants to talk to me, they can pick up the phone and talk to me.
“Do you write a personal letter, between primates, on the Internet if you seriously want a personal dialogue?”
[Globe and Mail] 26 Apr 2008--Leaders of the Anglican Church in Canada and South America drew beads on each other yesterday with Canadian primate Fred Hiltz posting a letter on the Internet telling South America's Gregory Venables to stay out of the country and Archbishop Venables icily criticizing Archbishop Hiltz's manners in reply.
“My number is there on the Anglican Communion network,” Archbishop Venables said in a telephone interview from Buenos Aires. “I mean, this is only my humble opinion, but if somebody really wants to talk to me, they can pick up the phone and talk to me.
“Do you write a personal letter, between primates, on the Internet if you seriously want a personal dialogue?”
Canadian Anglican Clergy deny charges
http://acl.asn.au/canadian-anglican-clergy-deny-charges/
[Anglican Church League] 26 Apr 2008--Clergy in six Lower Mainland Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) churches today denied charges they have abandoned their ministry.
In February, Bishop Michael Ingham of the Anglican Church of Canada Diocese of New Westminster issued a “Notice of Presumption of Abandonment of the Exercise of the Ministry” to nine Anglican priests and two ordained deacons. These priests and deacons – including world renowned theologian, the Rev Dr J I Packer – all serve in churches where parishioners had voted to join the Anglican Network in Canada.
[Anglican Church League] 26 Apr 2008--Clergy in six Lower Mainland Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) churches today denied charges they have abandoned their ministry.
In February, Bishop Michael Ingham of the Anglican Church of Canada Diocese of New Westminster issued a “Notice of Presumption of Abandonment of the Exercise of the Ministry” to nine Anglican priests and two ordained deacons. These priests and deacons – including world renowned theologian, the Rev Dr J I Packer – all serve in churches where parishioners had voted to join the Anglican Network in Canada.
Orthodox Canadian Anglicans Set to Make Ecclesiastical History
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8119
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--Fourteen bishops, including several archbishops, many from the Global Anglican Communion, led by the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, will make an historic visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, this weekend to officially launch an ecclesial organization that will stand in permanent opposition to the theologically liberal Anglican Church of Canada.
More than 500 people are expected to fill the South Delta Baptist Church near Vancouver to worship, celebrate and hear Archbishop Venables speak. He will commission a new generation of evangelical clergy at odds with a morally and theologically compromised Anglican Church that many believe has moved beyond the boundaries of historic Christianity and is at odds with the vast majority of the Anglican Communion.
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--Fourteen bishops, including several archbishops, many from the Global Anglican Communion, led by the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, will make an historic visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, this weekend to officially launch an ecclesial organization that will stand in permanent opposition to the theologically liberal Anglican Church of Canada.
More than 500 people are expected to fill the South Delta Baptist Church near Vancouver to worship, celebrate and hear Archbishop Venables speak. He will commission a new generation of evangelical clergy at odds with a morally and theologically compromised Anglican Church that many believe has moved beyond the boundaries of historic Christianity and is at odds with the vast majority of the Anglican Communion.
Anglican splinter group to welcome South American primate
http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/anglican_splinter_group_to_welcome_south_american_primate/
[Global South Anglican] 26 Apr 2008--As a global battle pits senior Anglicans against each other, more than 300 conservative Christians who have broken from the Anglican Church of Canada will gather at an evangelical church in Delta on Friday to welcome their new leader, South American Anglican Archbishop Gregory Venables.
The meeting takes place the same week 11 Anglican Church of Canada clergy in Greater Vancouver resigned from the denomination to serve under the authority of the South American primate, who was asked this week by Canadian Primate Fred Hiltz not to intervene in his jurisdiction.
The gathering of the Anglican Network in Canada Friday and Saturday at South Delta Baptist Church includes 15 congregations, eight from B.C., that have severed ties with the 700,000-member Anglican Church of Canada.
[Global South Anglican] 26 Apr 2008--As a global battle pits senior Anglicans against each other, more than 300 conservative Christians who have broken from the Anglican Church of Canada will gather at an evangelical church in Delta on Friday to welcome their new leader, South American Anglican Archbishop Gregory Venables.
The meeting takes place the same week 11 Anglican Church of Canada clergy in Greater Vancouver resigned from the denomination to serve under the authority of the South American primate, who was asked this week by Canadian Primate Fred Hiltz not to intervene in his jurisdiction.
The gathering of the Anglican Network in Canada Friday and Saturday at South Delta Baptist Church includes 15 congregations, eight from B.C., that have severed ties with the 700,000-member Anglican Church of Canada.
Bishop Says GAFCON not LAMBETH is Anglican Province's Choice
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8118
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--When the Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud Wabukala, from Bungoma in Western Kenya, was asked why he was going to GAFCON,but not to the Lambeth Conference in July, he told a congregation of Kenyans in his diocese that you don't go to a place where men marry men.
"For us it is not just a theological issue, it is a practical issue. We don't go to a meeting where men marry each other. That is not the way of God. It is not the way of the Lord or Scripture. This is the Sensus Fidelium. It is what the people of God believe, accept, and reject."
The bishop said it was a "hard agonizing decision to make choosing not to go to Lambeth. The question then was what do we do? It became clear to us that we had to go to GAFCON.
[Virtue Online] 26 Apr 2008--When the Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud Wabukala, from Bungoma in Western Kenya, was asked why he was going to GAFCON,but not to the Lambeth Conference in July, he told a congregation of Kenyans in his diocese that you don't go to a place where men marry men.
"For us it is not just a theological issue, it is a practical issue. We don't go to a meeting where men marry each other. That is not the way of God. It is not the way of the Lord or Scripture. This is the Sensus Fidelium. It is what the people of God believe, accept, and reject."
The bishop said it was a "hard agonizing decision to make choosing not to go to Lambeth. The question then was what do we do? It became clear to us that we had to go to GAFCON.
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Y Factor
http://www.buildingchurchleaders.com/articles/2003/le-2003-001-10.74.html
[Building Church Leaders] 21 Apr 2008--In tough times, you need to radically increase your ministry's volunteer quotient.
[Building Church Leaders] 21 Apr 2008--In tough times, you need to radically increase your ministry's volunteer quotient.
Sexual Abuses Issues in the Church; Raising the Bar
http://www.christianitytoday.com/childrensministry/articles/sexualabuseinthechurch.html
[Christianity Today] 21 Apr 2008--In recent years, our society has begun to better understand the widespread problem of child sexual abuse. Conservative studies indicate that one out of three girls and one out of seven boys will be sexually abused before reaching 18 years of age, regardless of religious or socio-economic demographic.
Law enforcement sources estimate nearly 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse are living in America today.
Sexual abuse is not limited to any racial, ethnic, or socio-economic class. It is no respecter of any religious denomination or creed. Sexual abuse can happen anywhere.
[Christianity Today] 21 Apr 2008--In recent years, our society has begun to better understand the widespread problem of child sexual abuse. Conservative studies indicate that one out of three girls and one out of seven boys will be sexually abused before reaching 18 years of age, regardless of religious or socio-economic demographic.
Law enforcement sources estimate nearly 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse are living in America today.
Sexual abuse is not limited to any racial, ethnic, or socio-economic class. It is no respecter of any religious denomination or creed. Sexual abuse can happen anywhere.
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