Hundreds of small religious groups have been stripped of their registration in Kazakhstan as a senior religious affairs official says that their activity is "now banned" under new rules.
According to Barnabas Aid, which supports persecuted Christians, a number of churches from a range of Christian denominations, including Baptist, Presbyterian and Seventh-day Adventist, are among the 579 groups deregistered.
Barnabas Aid said Kairat Lama Sharif, chair of the Agency of Religious Affairs, described the 13 per cent fall in the number of officially-recognised religious groups as "a positive dynamic in the systematisation of the total number of religious associations."
He said that the number would probably decrease further as the new Religion Law is enforced.
According to Barnabas Aid, a religious group must now have at least 50 adult members to be registered. Leaders of small churches have received official warnings to stop their activity and return their registration certificates.
Saule Ibrayeva, chair of Akmola Region's Agency of Religious Affairs, said: "The activityof small religious groups in the territory of Kazakhstan is now banned since there is no such form of religious association of citizens."
He added, "We have a new law and as it does not allow for the existence of religious associations which have fewer than 50 members, then they should either re-register with 50 members or stop their activity as a religious association." Keep reading
The American Center for Law and Justice's sources in Iran confirmed Saturday that Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is in fact alive, and rumors that he was to be executed over the weekend were false.
Photos surfaced on the Internet Saturday, allegedly showing a blindfolded Nadarkhani facing execution by hanging. These photos are outdated and false, the ACLJ reported Saturday.
Although Nadarkhani is still alive, the ACLJ does still believe that Iranian courts have issued an execution order. In the past, Iran has not informed the public of an execution, oftentimes dropping the prisoner's executed body on the family's doorstep. Keep reading
The Welsh Evangelical Alliance has defended the role of collective worship in schools following calls for an end to the tradition by secularists.
Last September the British Humanist Association launched a petition on the Assembly’s website calling for the abolition of collective worship, arguing that it is extremely unpopular and suggesting that teachers, parents and children did not want it.
The petition has currently attracted 234 signatures.
According to law and UK government guidelines, schools in Wales are required to provide daily collective worship that is to be “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”. “Mainly” is interpreted to mean that over half of assemblies need to be Christian in nature, while “broadly” means that they are meant to be inclusive of different Christian denominations.
The law currently protects the right of Christian children, young people and teachers to manifest their faith through prayer and worship in schools. Keep reading
Here’s a Contemporary Sunday liturgy that has not been included in Common Prayer: Resources for gospel-shaped gatherings.
It is only in draft form and I am sure can be improved. I would welcome suggestions.
A Contemporary Sunday Service outline (aka An Agenda for Sunday Meetings)
Opening
1. Begin late with chatty longwinded opening. It’s best to mention current affairs, the latest cricket results or football, anything to take people’s minds away from any focus on God and particularly if anyone had been praying beforehand.
2. Various songs can now be sung here or anywhere else for that matter. Make sure that each song is introduced with a lengthy introduction explaining why it’s appropriate to sing. Songs should be chosen with tunes that are not easy to recognise and where the words preferably range over unrelated ideas and images. If theology is to be included, it must only be about the penal substitutionary atonement.
3. At the conclusion of any song: the congregation should be thanked, or comment made about how well or poorly they have sung. Keep reading
American and Afghan officials investigating the Koran-burning episode that has brought relations between the countries to a new low say that the destruction could have been headed off at several points along a chain of mishaps, poor judgments and ignored procedures, according to interviews over the past week.
Even as Americans have raced to ease Afghan outrage over the burning, releasing information on Friday that American service members could face disciplinary action, accounts from more than a dozen Americans and Afghans involved in investigating the incineration laid out a complex string of events that will do little to assuage an Afghan public that in some quarters has called for deaths to avenge the sacrilege.
The crisis over the burning, carried out by American soldiers near the detention center in Parwan on Feb. 20, brought a short-term halt to cooperation between the Americans and Afghans and has complicated almost every aspect of planning and negotiation for a military withdrawal. The burning touched off nationwide rioting and the increased targeting of American troops, leaving at least 29 Afghans and 6 American soldiers dead in the past week. Keep reading
By Robin G. Jordan
Among the three options that the Moving Forward Together Statement identifies as a possible next step for PEARUSA congregations and clergy is to remain with the Anglican Church of Rwanda while also forming a sub-jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America. The Moving Forward Together Statement does not state what it means by the term “sub-jurisdiction.” The ACNA constitution permits the banding together of dioceses, clusters, and networks for common mission or as distinct jurisdictions at the sub-provincial level (Article IV.4) as well as the formation of regional or affinity-based dioceses, clusters, or networks (Article II.2). If the ACNA is viewed as a jurisdiction, the term “sub-jurisdiction” could apply to both structures.
In its March 1, 2012 communiqué PEARUSA narrowed its options to two:
1. Affiliation with a nascent North American Missionary District of Rwanda, in full communion and collaboration with the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA).
2. Direct affiliation with existing dioceses or dioceses‐in‐formation of the ACNA.
It also provided clarification of how the term “sub-jurisdiction” was used in the Moving Forward Statement.
In this article I examine the constitution of the Anglican Church in North America and how it might affect the proposed PEARUSA sub-jurisdiction envisioned in the communiqué.
Article I of the ACNA constitution identifies “seven elements characteristic of the Anglican Way and essential for membership.” No ecclesial body may become a sub-jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America unless it unconditionally expresses adhesion to these seven elements as they are stated in the ACNA constitution. Article I.3 aligns the ACNA with the Anglo-Catholic position on an issue that historically has divided Anglicans. It is a position that Anglo-Catholics share with Roman Catholics. Article I.3 states:
We confess the godly historic Episcopate as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore as integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ.
Compare Article I.3 with the following provision from the Constitution of the Church of South India, a province that brought together into one church Christians, Anglican and non-Anglican, with different views of the historic episcopate.
The church of South India does accept and will maintain the historic episcopacy but this acceptance does not commit it to any particular view or belief concerning orders of ministry and it will not require the acceptance of any particular interpretation or view as a necessary qualification for its ministry. What ever differing interpretations there may be, however, the Church of South India agrees that, as episcopacy has been accepted from early times, it may be in this sense fitly be called historic, and that is needed for the shepherding and extension of the church in South India. Any additional interpretations, though held by individuals, are not binding on the church of South India.
It displays sensitivity to the divisions between Anglicans as well as Christians over this particular issue. It does not align itself with the position of one school of thought on the issue. It makes room in the Church of South India for a variety of schools of thought on the historic episcopate.
Article I.5 states:
Concerning the seven Councils of the undivided Church, we affirm the teaching of the first four Councils and the Christological clarifications of the fifth, sixth and seventh Councils, in so far as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.
As the late Peter Toon points out in his assessment of the original Common Cause Theological Statement, “the historic Anglican Way has always affirmed four general councils and stopped at that – leaving to the area of discretion by local churches whether to affirm more.” Clause 3 of The Jerusalem Statement stands squarely in the historic Anglican Way.
We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
Toon points out that if one carefully reads the Thirty-Nine Articles—
…one will learn that Councils may err and so one will not accept automatically the teaching of “the Seven Ecumenical Councils.” And this is especially important with regard to the seventh, the Second Council of Nicea, whose teaching on the veneration of icons is effectively rejected by the Articles and specifically by the Book of Homilies to which Article XXXV points.
The Thirty-Nine Articles are also very clear:
Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. (Article VI)
If the ACNA fully accepted the authority of the Thirty-Nine Articles, statements like Article I.5 would be unnecessary. However, the ACNA does not fully accept their authority. This is not only evident from the wording of Article I.7 but also from the doctrinal provisions of the ACNA canons, the ACNA “theological lens,” and the ACNA ordinal.
We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted at that time, and as expressing fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.
Compare this statement with Clause 4 of The Jerusalem Declaration.
We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
The ACNA’s position on the 1662 Book of Common Prayer warrants comment. Article I. 6 states:
We receive The Book of Common Prayer as set forth by the Church of England in 1662, together with the Ordinal attached to the same, as a standard for Anglican doctrine and discipline, and, with the Books which preceded it, as the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship.
This is not the same as saying that the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the 1661 Ordinal have long been recognized as the doctrinal standard of Anglicanism, alongside the Thirty-Nine Articles. Indeed the doctrinal standards to which the ACNA “theological lens” gives the greatest weight are “Catholic tradition” and the 1549 and 1928 Prayer Books. As Doctor Toon also points out in his assessment of the original Common Cause Theological Statement, “it is the 1662 edition that is in the Constitutions of the majority of the Anglican Provinces ….” He further notes:
No official province of the Anglican Communion authorizes the 1549 or the 1552 or the 1559 or the 1604 editions. A very small continuing group here or there may authorize the 1549.
Article I.6 is so worded that the 1637 Scottish Prayer Book and the pre-Reformation medieval service books may be interpreted as a part of the ACNA worship standard. It does not specify to which books that preceded the 1662 Book of Common Prayer it is referring.
The ACNA Prayer Book and Common Liturgy Taskforce has developed and the ACNA College of Bishops approved a set of principles that are guiding the taskforce in its compilation of a Prayer Book for use in the ACNA. These principles establish the 1549 and 1928 Prayer Books as the basis of the actual working standard that will be used in the preparation of the ACNA Prayer Book. While the 1549 Prayer Book is one of the books that preceded the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the 1928 Prayer Book is by no stretch of the imagination a predecessor of the 1662 Prayer Book even thought it incorporates features of the pre-Reformation medieval service books, the 1549 Prayer Book, and the 1637 Scottish Prayer Book.
The ACNA College of Bishops’ approval of these guiding principles points to one of the major problem areas of the Anglican Church in North America—the ACNA College of Bishops’ disregard for constitutionalism and the rule of law. It suggests that the ACNA bishops see themselves above the ACNA constitution and free to ignore its provisions as they see fit. Archbishop Robert Duncan has certainly displayed this attitude toward both the ACNA constitution and the ACNA canons. It also raises questions about the orthodoxy of the ACNA College of Bishops. In approving these guidelines and authorizing the ordinal prepared in accordance to them the ACNA College of Bishops not only sanctioned doctrines and practices that the English Reformers rejected on solid biblical grounds in the sixteenth century but also took the position that human beings are by their very nature drawn to God and only sin keeps them from enjoying a full relationship with him—a doctrine that conflicts with the doctrine of the Thirty-Nine Articles (Article IX)—and that the Bible contains the Word of God, that every word of the Bible is not God-breathed—a modernist view of the Bible.
Any ecclesial body that maintains as did the English Reformers and as have evangelical Anglicans that the Bible mandates no particular church order or polity and is unwavering in its commitment to the classic Anglican formularies and the Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character of the Anglican Church will not be able to hold on to these convictions if it applies to become a sub-jurisdiction of the ACNA. Giving up these convictions is a part of the price that it must pay for admission to the ACNA.
Article II.3 states:
Member dioceses (or groups of dioceses organized into distinct jurisdictions) are free to withdraw from the Province by action of their own governing bodies at any time.
Article II.3 says nothing about groups of clusters or networks organized into distinct jurisdiction being free to withdraw from the ACNA. As we shall see the lack of precise language in this and other articles of the ACNA constitution is problematic.
Article IV.3 of the ACNA constitution states:
Each diocese, cluster or network (whether regional or affinity-based) shall be represented in the Provincial Assembly.
Article VI.3 further states:
The Provincial Assembly shall be composed of representatives of all the dioceses, clusters and networks (whether regional or affinity-based) in balance and in number from the laity, bishops and other clergy as from time-to-time determined by canon.
Article VI, however, gives no real authority to the Provincial Assembly. Its involvement in the legislative process is limited to ratifying canons made by the Provincial Council. It cannot initiate or amend legislation or, as was seen at the first Provincial Assembly in Bedford, Texas, deliberate upon the legislation brought before it for ratification. It was modeled upon the annual Winter Conference of the Anglican Mission in the Americas. The annual AMiA Winter Conference has no legislative functions. It primarily serves as a mechanism for rallying the rank and file of the AMiA in support of the latest initiative of the AMiA leadership.
Under the provisions of Article IV.5 only bishops in active episcopal ministry may be included in the ACNA College of Bishops, “as provided by canon.” This clause permits the Provincial Council determine the conditions under which a bishop may be included in the College of Bishops or to delegate such determination to the College of Bishops or the Archbishop of the province. Article X.2 reiterates what is stated in Article IV.5.
Article IV.7 states:
This Constitution recognizes the right of each diocese, cluster or network (whether regional or affinity-based) to establish and maintain its own governance, constitution and canons not inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution and Canons of this Province.
This has in practice not been the case. While the ACNA constitution acknowledges the right of groups of churches seeking to become an ACNA judicatory to establish and maintain their governance, constitution, and canons, there is evidence of a deliberate effort on the part of the ACNA Provincial Council and the ACNA Governance Task Force to infringe upon this right and force all new judicatories into the same mold, disregarding the provisions of the ACNA constitution and canons and curtailing judicatorial autonomy. I will explore this development in more depth in an upcoming article.
At the time the ACNA Governance Task Force drafted the present constitution and canons, it also produced a document, Guidelines for Submitting an Application Form to the Provincial Council for Recognition as a New Diocese/Cluster/Network or as a
Diocese/Cluster/Network “In Formation”, which contains the this ominous statement:
Article IV recognized the right of each grouping to establish and maintain its own governance, constitution and canons not inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution and Canons of the Province. While not required at this time, future canons may require each grouping to write a constitution and canons in support of the Provincial Constitution and Canons. [Emphasis added.]
It must be emphasized that the ACNA constitution does not recognize the right of dioceses, clusters, and networks banding together for common mission or as distinct jurisdictions to establish and maintain their governance, constitution, and canons, only the right of individual dioceses, clusters, and networks. This may prove an obstacle to PEARUSA’s affiliation with the ACNA on the terms envisioned in the March 1, 2012 communiqué. It may become a bone of contention at a future date in the ACNA. As previously noted, there is an element in the ACNA leadership that is trying to take away powers from the ACNA judicatories and give them to the province. The banding together of dioceses, clusters, and networks for common mission or as a distinct jurisdiction may eventually prove to be an obstacle to their aspirations and they may seek to remove it.
Article VII does not guarantee the representation of all judicatories in the Provincial Council. Article VII.2 states that the membership in the Provincial Council shall be prescribed by canon. Article VII.3 requires each diocese to “take steps to implement a system of staggered terms.” Whether this provision is referring to all judicatories—clusters and networks as well as dioceses—is unclear. The provisions of Article VII may prove an obstacle to the organization of PEARUSA as envisioned in the March 1, 2012 communiqué. This depends upon how the ACNA leadership chooses to interpret these provisions. It must be noted that there is an element in the ACNA that wishes to enfold all the congregations and clergy forming the ACNA into geographic dioceses and do away with non-geographic judicatories.
Article VIII.1 states:
The member dioceses, clusters or networks (whether regional or affinity-based) and those dioceses banded together as jurisdictions shall each retain all authority they do not yield to the Province by their own consent. The powers not delegated to the Province by this constitution nor prohibited by this Constitution to these dioceses or jurisdictions, are reserved to these dioceses or jurisdictions respectively. [Emphasis added.]
This means that an ACNA judicatory retains all authority that it does not relinquish to the province by acceding to the provisions of the ACNA constitution or by adopting the ACNA model diocesan governing documents or certain provisions in these documents. The latter provisions exploit the clause “shall retain all authority they do not yield to the Province by their own consent” to reduce the authority of the judicatory in a number of areas, turning that authority over to the province. The areas concerned are not areas in which the constitution delegates powers to the province that the judicatory otherwise might exercise nor prohibits the judicatory from exercising such powers. The result is a significant reduction in the autonomy of the judicatory. I will examine the specific provisions of the ACNA model diocesan constitution and canons in an upcoming article.
Article VIII.2 further states:
The Province shall make no canon abridging the authority of any member dioceses, clusters or networks (whether regional or affinity-based) and those dioceses banded together as jurisdictions with respect to its practice regarding the ordination of women to the diaconate or presbyterate.
The provisions of Article VIII.2 appear to protect the practice of dioceses banded together as jurisdictions but not clusters or networks. This is one of the main defects of the ACNA constitution—the lack of precise language, which opens its provisions to multiple interpretations. While it might be argued dioceses include clusters and networks, the provisions of Article VIII.2 do not say so.
Article X.5 gives the ACNA College of Bishops control over the choice of bishops for the province. The College of Bishops exercises this control in two ways. It must consent to the election of a bishop by a diocese, cluster, or network or it may actually choose the bishop from a slate of two or more candidates nominated by the diocese, cluster, or network “in the manner set forward by canon.” Article X.5 further states that the College of Bishops, having chosen a new bishop from such a slate of nominees must consent to its own choice. This makes no sense since in choosing a bishop the College of Bishops gives its consent. The language of Article X.5 is an example of number of defects in the ACNA constitution.
I have discussed the problems associated with the second mode of choosing bishops elsewhere. Among these problems is that if the PEARUSA sub-jurisdiction is unwavering in its commitment to the classic Anglican formularies and the Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character of the Anglican Church but it turns over the final choice of its bishops to the ACNA College of Bishops, it opens itself to the strong possibility that the College of Bishops will choose nominees who are not as unwavering in this commitment as they might ought to be and in this way undermine the sub-jurisdiction’s commitment to the Anglican formularies and the Anglican Church’s Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical character.
Article XII states:
All church property, both real and personal, owned by each member congregation now and in the future is and shall be solely and exclusively owned by each member congregation and shall not be subject to any trust interest in favor of the Province or any other claim of ownership arising out of the canon law of this Province. Where property is held in a different manner by any diocese or grouping, such ownership shall be preserved. [Emphasis added]
The provisions of Article XII do not prohibit a diocese or other grouping from holding the property of a congregation in trust or from seizing the property of a congregation if it chooses to withdraw from the diocese or grouping.
Article XIII states:
Each member diocese, cluster or network (whether regional or affinity-based) or any group of dioceses organized into a distinct jurisdiction agrees to share the cost of operating the Province as provided by canon.
Here again we find a reference to dioceses “organized into a distinct jurisdiction” but not to clusters or networks. The Common Cause Governance Task Force, when it drafted this and similar provisions in the ACNA constitution, appears to have the Reformed Episcopal Church in mind. It is organized into dioceses. As previously noted in relation to the provisions of Article VIII.2, the lack of precise language opens the provisions of Article XIII to multiple interpretations. It might be used along with other provisions in the ACNA constitution to pressure PEARUSA to organize into dioceses or even a single diocese rather than as envisioned in the March Communiqué.
Article XIV states:
As may be provided by canon, a member diocese, cluster or network (whether regional or affinity-based) or any group of dioceses organized into a distinct jurisdiction may be removed from membership in the Province, after due warning from the Executive Committee, if agreed to by two-thirds of the members present and voting and at least a majority in two of the three orders of bishops, clergy and laity within the Provincial Council.
Article XIV suffers from the same problem as Article VIII.2 and Article XIII—the lack of precise language. Article XIV as it presently worded permits the expulsion of a judicatory from the ACNA for what may in the final analysis be a frivolous reason. The process is relatively easy—warning by the Executive Committee, followed by the requisite vote of the Provincial Council. There is no provision for a cooling-off period, followed by a second vote of the Provincial Council.
The ACNA Governance Task Force has proposed and the Provincial Council has approved a number of changes in the ACNA constitution. These changes will be submitted for ratification at the next Provincial Assembly in Ridgecrest, North Carolina this coming June. They include the following additions to Article XI:
2. There shall be a Court for the Trial of a Bishop to function as provided by canon.
3. The Provincial Council may, by canon, create additional courts, inferior to the Provincial Tribunal, as may be necessary or appropriate to determine matters of church discipline.
4. Each Diocese shall, by canon, establish its own ecclesiastical Trial Court for the trial of a deacon or presbyter.
These amendments to Article XI were proposed and approved despite the provisions of Article V.5 recognizing that the Provincial Council has power to make canons ordering the common life of the ACNA in respect to “clergy support and discipline,” making these provisions both unnecessary and arguably cosmetic. What concerns us is that Section 4 says nothing about clusters and networks establishing their own ecclesiastical court for trial of deacons and presbyters, only dioceses. This points to the influence of the element in the ACNA seeking to enfold all the congregations and clergy forming the ACNA into geographic dioceses and do away with non-geographic judicatories.
The March 1, 2012 communiqué compares the relationship of PEARUSA with the ACNA as analogous to a marriage. Marriages that endure the test of time are those in which the couple takes time to get to know each other. They do not let the pressures of the moment to cause them act with undue haste. Long engagements enable a couple to discover whether they are the right marriage partners for each other, whether they can really live together as husband and wife.
In my next article in this series I will examine the canons of the Anglican Church in North America and how they might affect the proposed PEARUSA sub-jurisdiction envisioned in the March 1, 2012 communiqué.
I was coaching a church planter recently who asked this question:
“How do we grow without selling out?”
This is a great question! The answer will give you greater clarity to your mission.
When I heard his question, I immediately thought of three questions that would help him to discover how to answer this question in his context. Keep reading
A beloved bishop and his wife are murderedThe Anglican world was rocked a couple of weeks ago with the brutal murder of one of its more outspoken and faithful bishops. On Sunday February 26th Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti of Recife, Brazil and his wife Miriam were murdered by their 29 year-old adopted son following a quarrel in their home.
Where is Recife? It is in the northeastern part of Brazil, where land protrudes as far into the Atlantic as possible. Recife is a lovely holiday city with tall resort hotels and beautiful beaches. Nearby is the historic city of Olinda perched on a hilltop overlooking the ocean. Olinda has the reputation of being one of the most attractively preserved colonial towns in all of Brazil.
I know, because in the fall of 2005 my wife, Sandra, and I visited Recife and Olinda at the invitation of Bishop Cavalcanti. I had gotten to know him at several large Anglican conferences over the years, and was drawn to him and admired his stand for the Gospel and for his commitment to a biblical lifestyle. He and I often communicated via e-mail.
On our trip there, we toured his diocese, and I spoke to his clergy at a lunch. I also spent time at the seminary he had started, and talked to his students at least one of whom was later -- with his wife -- to attend Trinity Seminary in Ambridge. We also visited one of the largest Anglican churches in Brazil led by Miguel Uchoa. Uchoa, a former surfer, was one of the Bishop's protégés. His church, the Church of the Holy Spirit, has a dynamic caring outreach to some of the poorer residents of Recife who live just a few blocks from its glitzy hotels.
Bishop and Mrs. Cavalcanti's son, Edward, had been living in Florida where he had been arrested for possession of drugs and other crimes. A deportation process was in the works. However, this February he was visiting his parents in Olinda.
After an argument, Edward pulled a knife on his father and mortally wounded him. When his mother intervened and tried to protect her husband, Edward turned on her and knifed her. Both parents died either in the hospital, or on the way there.
Words of shock and consolation have flowed in from all over the Anglican world from the Archbishop of Canterbury on down. I feel personally very deeply sorry for the loss of this very special man.
But there are several twists to this story that make it unusually noteworthy. Keep reading
Last Sunday evening we took time to consider eternity. We thought of the great verse of Ecclesiastes “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end (3:11)”.
Taking time out to consider how little you are in the presence of something great is one of the comforts of religion advocated by the atheist Alain de Botton. Unlike Richard Dawkins, he wishes to gain the benefits of religion without compromising his disbelief in its claims. He argues that religion has some strong undeniable utilitarian benefits and should be accessed by all people including atheists. Like Augustus Comte, the 19th century father of sociology, de Botton wants to have a religious temple and ceremonies without the theistic beliefs. Here are some of his beliefs.... Keep reading
Pastor Rick Warren made a brief appearance during the Groundswell online conference on Thursday, but he wasn't the keynote speaker. In fact, many of the speakers who were featured aren't even out of high school yet.
Teenagers from across America poured out their hearts in front of an international Internet audience during the event, titled "Groundswell: The Church of Tomorrow Speaks Today." The three-hour long conference was made up primarily of video clips in which teenage Christians shared their thoughts on the future of the church and on how churches can better reach their generation for Christ.
Hope Rangle, a teenager from Alabama, said churches aren't capturing the attention of most teens, and she believes they should encourage more young people to serve others in the church.
"Teenagers are often pushed aside as if they're not there, but I think the teenagers should be taken advantage of," said Rangle. "[Serving] takes you from going to a church to actually being a part of a church."
As the pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., Warren said he realized several years ago that young people often stopped attending services once they outgrew the church's student ministries. Young people stopped coming because "they had no connection to the bigger body," but he is now taking steps to better integrate them into the life of the church as a whole.
"The bottom line is teenagers are not the church of tomorrow ... they are the church now," said Warren. Keep reading
Relax! What a refreshing word in this mad world! But it is an important word, too – especially in raising a daughter (or a son). Savor these years. Don't just endure them. Release your stress. Have fun with your daughter. Your role is certainly serious, but don't take it so seriously that you destroy your enjoyment of this time – or perhaps hurt her. She is your child. Take great pleasure in this!
While it can be unnerving to watch your little girl grow up in America's sexual culture, take heart and remember that when it comes to influencing children, you have the advantage. Teachers, youth workers, media, peers, church – none of these can rival the influence that is given to parents who are with their children year after year. In one sense, this long-term relationship earns parents the right to communicate values to their children. Further, parents can take into account their adolescent's particular personality and sensitivities, as well as maturity-socially, emotionally, physically, and morally.
The better your relationship with her, the more confident she will be in her foundation when the inevitable storms of life come. Consider these ideas for building your relationship with your daughter by protecting her and setting her trajectory toward a bright future.
Communicate: It is important to talk to our girls about anything and everything. As they get older, our conversations can and should cover big decisions, including sex. Multiple studies show that good communication correlates with less risk of a girl initiating sex at a young age. One study finds that children who communicate with their parents about sexual issues more than once feel closer to their parents and more able to communicate with them in general and about sex specifically.
Build Her Self-Esteem: Healthy self-esteem in a girl probably reflects her understanding that she, including her body, is valuable and, as with anything of value, worth protecting. This includes using her body the way she wants to use it, not the way someone else might want to use it. Good self-esteem can give your daughter the self-confidence to make good decisions and to stay in control. It can help her smoothly transition through the years when she has acne, when other girls develop sooner or are considered more "popular." Positive self-esteem can give her the strength to withstand the constant sexualization of teen girls and other unhealthy social pressures. Keep reading
MORNING PRAYER
The minister may read aloud one or more of these or other suitable sentences of Scripture.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4: 11
The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. John 4: 23
The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2: 20
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Psalm 96: 9
Advent
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God Isaiah 40: 3
Christmas
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2: 10-11
Epiphany
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60: 1
Lent
Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit. Isaiah 57: 15
Passiontide and Holy Week
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5: 8
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Matthew 21: 9
Easter
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1: 3
Ascension
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Hebrews 4: 14, 16
Pentecost (Whitsunday) and Ember Seasons
God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5: 5
Trinity Sunday
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6: 3
All Saints and Saints' Days
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.Hebrews 12: 1-2
The minister then reads one or more of these sentences of Scripture.
When a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord; so turn and live. Ezekiel 18: 27,32
I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Psalm 51: 3
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Psalm 51: 9
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51: 17
Rend your hearts, and not your garments. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and relents over disaster. Joel 2: 13
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us. Daniel 9: 9-10
Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.
Jeremiah 10: 24
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3: 2
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Luke 15: 18-19
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
Psalm 143: 2
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1: 8-9
The minister says this Exhortation. He may omit the second paragraph.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Scriptures encourages us repeatedly to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not try to hide them from Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient hearts, so that we may receive forgiveness through God’s infinite goodness and mercy.
[We ought at all times humbly to admit our sins before God, but chiefly when we meet together to give thanks for the great benefits we have received at his hands, to offer the praise that is due him, to hear his holy word, and to ask what is necessary for our bodies and souls.]
Therefore let us approach the throne of our gracious God and say together:
Or he may omit the Exhortation, saying instead
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
Keep reading
EVENING PRAYER
The minister may read aloud one or more of these or other suitable sentences of Scripture.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4: 11
The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. John 4: 23
The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2: 20
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Psalm 96: 9
Advent
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God Isaiah 40: 3
Christmas
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2: 10-11
Epiphany
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60: 1
Lent
Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit. Isaiah 57: 15
Passiontide and Holy Week
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5: 8
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Matthew 21: 9
Easter
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1: 3
Ascension
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Hebrews 4: 14, 16
Pentecost (Whitsunday) and Ember Seasons
God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5: 5
Trinity Sunday
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6: 3
All Saints and Saints' Days
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.Hebrews 12: 1-2
The minister then reads one or more of these sentences of Scripture.
When a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord; so turn and live. Ezekiel 18: 27,32
I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Psalm 51: 3
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Psalm 51: 9
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51: 17
Rend your hearts, and not your garments. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and relents over disaster. Joel 2: 13
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us. Daniel 9: 9-10
Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.
Jeremiah 10: 24
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3: 2
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Luke 15: 18-19
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
Psalm 143: 2
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1: 8-9
The minister says this Exhortation. He may omit the second paragraph.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Scriptures encourages us repeatedly to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not try to hide them from Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient hearts, so that we may receive forgiveness through God’s infinite goodness and mercy.
[We ought at all times humbly to admit our sins before God, but chiefly when we meet together to give thanks for the great benefits we have received at his hands, to offer the praise that is due him, to hear his holy word, and to ask what is necessary for our bodies and souls.]
Therefore let us approach the throne of our gracious God and say together:
Or he may omit the Exhortation, saying instead
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.
Keep reading
Repentance is the ultimate goal of worship, which makes it the number one priority of our worship planning system (see Isaiah 6 for additional study on how repentance follows true worship). Everything we do is designed to call people to repentance.
That said, I rarely use the word repentance in a message. Metanoia is the Greek word commonly translated as “repentance,” but it literally means “changed thinking.” So I talk about truth that leads to change; I talk about selecting a different option; I talk about taking a divergent path—all with the goal of leading people to repentance, which is a change of thinking and/or a turning from sin.
Many church leaders have the impression that weepy people falling on their faces at the altar is the only real evidence of repentance. While repentance does often take the form of a strong emotional response, it can also be seen in much smaller moments of realization. Keep reading
At the conclusion of the January, 2012 Sacred Assembly in Raleigh, NC, Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje established a temporary Steering Team on behalf of the Anglican Church of Rwanda to serve in directing its ongoing missionary efforts in North America. The Steering Team was commissioned to both respond to immediate needs and also to prepare the way for future long term mission and structure. The immediate task of the team was to provide pastoral care and oversight for clergy canonically resident in Rwanda, as well as those congregations desirous of continuing affiliation with Rwanda, all under the auspices of an interim organization known as
PEARUSA (Province de L’Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda en USA). In preparing for the future, the team was charged to explore and develop plans for long‐term ecclesiastical structures. Toward this end, a working group of laity, clergy and bishops met in a retreat center outside of Washington, DC, on Feb 26‐28, 2012, to consider future possibilities. This communiqué reports the outcomes of this working group retreat.
Two Ecclesiastical Options
After many hours of prayer and fruitful dialogue, the working group agreed to recommend two long‐term ecclesiastical options to clergy and congregations:
1. Affiliation with a nascent North American Missionary District of Rwanda, in full communion and collaboration with the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA).
2. Direct affiliation with existing dioceses or dioceses‐in‐formation of the ACNA.
Each of these options will be explained in further detail below.
1. A North American Missionary District
God willing, the Missionary District is a means for both continuity and stability. It provides continuity as an ongoing missionary endeavor of the Anglican Church of Rwanda to North America, and it offers stability as an Anglican jurisdiction affiliated with both the Province of Rwanda and the ACNA. Reflecting shared convictions and practices of these two member jurisdictions of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), the Missionary District is intended to be:
Centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Missional – a church planting movement of indigenous missionaries in North America.
Anglican in beliefs, practices, and structures.
Vitally connected to the living biblical orthodoxy and missionary passion of the Anglican churches of the Global South by subscription to the Jerusalem Declaration issued by GAFCON in 2008.
Collegial and collaborative, through structures that always include a plurality of senior leaders and always encourage both voice and vote of laity and clergy.
Intentionally relational, with a passion for transparency and reconciliation in the spirit of the East African Revival and the Church of Rwanda after the genocide.
Flexible, allowing for subdivision into multiple missionary districts with varied administrative structures according to what best serves the needs of its constituents.
United with biblical, mission‐driven North American Anglicans as a sub‐jurisdiction of the ACNA.
The spiritual leadership and friendship of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and ACNA’s God‐given calling to unite biblical, mission‐driven Anglicans in North America are potent sources of sustained mission and ministry in this generation and beyond. By way of analogy, this is like a marriage. In the mystery of marriage, two people who share much in common, but who are different, and remain differentiated throughout life, at the same time become one. They are one at the point when the marriage is established; and they become one over time.
The Rwandan House of Bishops has already confirmed that the Missionary District concept is anticipated in the existing Rwandan canons and is in keeping with their sustained vision to serve the work of the Gospel on this continent. With this in mind, the PEARUSA Steering Team unanimously agreed to petition the House of Bishops to formalize the existence of a Missionary District in North America. The House will consider this petition during their next meeting on March 29, 2012, and hopefully it will be affirmed. Once this Missionary District is established, a task force will develop protocols to govern the Missionary District’s relationship with ACNA, similar to documents established between the ACNA and its other sub‐jurisdictions. In the meantime, a working group is currently developing a Charter for the Missionary District, as well as assisting the Church of Rwanda as it pursues revision of its own canons in recognition of the need to accurately reflect its own (PEAR’s) faith and practices and to provide proper long‐term conciliar episcopal oversight for the Missionary District.
Here is a proposed timeline for implementation of the Missionary District concept (subject to the guidance and blessing of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and the ACNA):
March 2012. Submission of the Petition and Charter to the Rwandan House of Bishops
March 29, 2012. Consideration and Response of the Rwandan House of Bishops.
March 30, 2012. Declaration and naming of the formal existence of the Missionary District.
March‐June 2012. Development and completion of protocols for sub‐jurisdictional relationship with ACNA.
April 2012. Initiation of formal affiliation processes for clergy and congregations.
Late April 2012. Assembly to introduce the Missionary District plan, and for prayer, worship, vision, information, and broader collaboration.
May 2012. Informational teleconferences to introduce the Missionary District plan to those unable to attend the April Assembly.
May‐August 2012. Collaborative preparation for Inaugural Synod, via proposals and nominations for administrative structures, possible subdivisions, leaders, etc.
Late August 2012. Inaugural Synod.
2. Direct Affiliation with ACNA
Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje has blessed clergy and churches canonically resident in Rwanda who are finding their way directly into the ACNA. Clergy and congregations may affiliate with ACNA, either through existing or nascent geographical dioceses, or through other subjurisdictions such as CANA, Forward in Faith, and the Reformed Episcopal Church. While each ACNA diocese or sub‐jurisdiction will provide guidelines for such transitions on a case‐by‐case basis, the PEARUSA Steering Team remains eager to assist affiliated clergy and congregations who choose this alternative. In addition, the Steering Team is working with the House of Bishops of PEAR to provide formal and liturgical resources to facilitate, support, and celebrate those who choose direct affiliation with ACNA.
We anticipate the possibility of a liturgical celebration at the ACNA Provincial Assembly in June 2012 to thank God for the collaboration between PEAR and ACNA on behalf of these clergy and churches.
The Mission and Ministry of PEARUSA
The PEARUSA Steering Team will continue to provide pastoral care and support for clergy and congregations through the summer of 2012. Assuming the establishment of the North American Missionary District by March 30, 2012, clergy and congregations will be encouraged to make their affiliation decisions by Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012. With the Inaugural Synod of the Missionary District in August, 2012, the mission and ministry of PEARUSA will be completed, and the temporary Steering Team will be disbanded.
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS
PROVINCE DE L’EGLISE ANGLICANE AU RWANDA
Greetings in the Name of the Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Savior: Praise the Lord!
We are grateful to God for his grace in the leadership of the Province de L’Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda in its indigenous missionary effort in North America. We are committed to participating in this effort and have a renewed sense of call to that end. It has become necessary to clarify the identity of this effort. Therefore, we petition the House of Bishops to formally recognize this missionary effort as a Missionary District of the Province de L’Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda in North America.
Attached to this request is a proposed charter that clarifies the anticipated identity, structure and function of this Missionary District.
The Steering Team and Working Group
Bishop Thad Barnum
Rev Dr Steven Breedlove
Rev Paul Briggs
Rev David Bryan
Rev Aaron Burt
Rev Dan Claire
Rev Chuck Colson
Rev Chip Edgar
Bishop Terrell Glenn
Rev Greg Goebel
Rev Arthur Going
Dr Todd Granger
Rev Alan Hawkins
Rev Clark Lowenfield
Bishop Laurent Mbanda
Rev Thomas McKenzie
Dr Bill Roper
Rev Ken Ross
Mr Dhrubo Sircar
Why hurry into a "marriage" with the Anglican Church in North America? Wouldn't a long engagement be in order to determine if the PEARUSA and the ACNA are the right "marriage" partners for each other?
The pastor of the church with which I am sojourning just finished a sermon series on dating, sex, and marriage. He identified as a major reason people choose the wrong marriage partner is that they let their hearts over-rule their heads, their emotions color their judgment. They either overlook their would-be marriage partner's faults or convince themselves that his or her shortcomings are not that bad. If they do recognize the would-be marriage partners' faults, they believe that they can change their spouse-to-be once they marry him or her. He also pointed out that believers in choosing a marriage partner need to pick someone who shares their beliefs. They should take care not to be unequally yoked--a believer with a non-believer. In some cases while the would-be marriage partner may be a "Christian," his or her beliefs may significantly different. Differences in beliefs can lead to problems in the marital relationship.
What he said about young adults looking for "Mr. or Ms. Right" also applies to ecclesial bodies considering the ecclesiastical equivalent of matrimony.
Months ago, we watched in amazement as Islamic believers killed Christians after "Pastor" Jones in Florida had his own burning of the Qur'an. More recently, explosive-filled trucks, suicide bombers, gun-firing civilians and Afghani soldiers have led murderous charges based on reports that soldiers burned Qur'ans. We are incredulous. Why this intense rage?
It is within our interest to understand both what fuels and insults Islamic faith – for the well-being of Christians who live in the hinterlands of encroaching Islamic governments and regimes, and for those in countries where Muslims populations are growing and their public presence is becoming more insistent.
The Qur'an is at the very heart of Islamic faith and life. While the Islamic world is not monolithic – it harbours deep and often violent internal disputes and wars – Muslims are united when any disparaging word or act is directed to their holy book or Prophet Muhammad.
Why do some Muslims resort to incendiary violence when their holy book is burned? Do Christians do the same when their Bible is desecrated or burned? No. We do not because our view of the Bible is different to how Muslims view the Qur'an. (We should not however underestimate the degree to which religious leaders in some Mid-East countries use this issue as a way of manipulating emotions, triggering mob violence and murder.)
Muslims believe the Qur'an was dictated directly to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah over 20 years, somewhere between 570 and 632 AD. This is different to our Bible, in that while we believe it is inspired, we acknowledge the Bible is a series of books written over time by various authors, in testimony to Jesus of Nazareth, God's Son. We believe Jesus is divine, much like Muslims believe the Qur'an is divine. However when we make the Bible and the Qur'an equivalent, we misunderstand how Muslims regard their holy book. The Qur'an and Bible operate very differently for Muslims and Christians.
A more helpful comparison is to equate the Hadith with the Bible. The Hadith is the written record of what Muhammad said and did (written during the 8th and 9th centuries) and used by Muslims to interpret the Qur'an, quite like Christians use the Bible to interpret Jesus. Some Islamic specialists suggest that burning the Qur'an is for Muslims like desecrating Jesus or the Eucharist – the elements of the Lord's Supper – would be for Christians. Keep reading
Many churches today have become too obsessed with youth culture, idolizing whatever is new, fresh, and cutting edge, particularly in the area of worship.
Concerned that a kind of "celebrity culture" was permeating into worship, detracting from Christ and his vision for the church, three experienced worship leaders came together on The Gospel Coalition to talk about the implications of the growing phenomenon and address ways that the church could challenge those idolatries.
"I see congregations where there is such an attachment to all of the entrapments of youth in America and this fundamental belief that we're not going to get old or that we can be both old and young at the same time," Isaac Wardell, the worship director of Trinity Presbyterian Church, shared.
Churches are stuck in a mentality that worship had to constantly be newer, fresher, and the next best thing, oftentimes losing focus on the message of the Gospel as a result.
The idolatries with youth culture, which has led to the selection of young, hip and extremely talented worship leaders, inevitably cause many congregants to feel inadequate as well, discouraging them from using their gifts because they do not feel they "looked, dressed, or sounded the part."
"It has nothing to do with a local congregation," Mike Cosper, the pastor of worship and arts at Sojourn Community Church, noted. "It has everything to do with this machine that's being driven in there." Keep reading
Watch the latest 28 minute episode of The Chat Room, with Kel Richards and Phillip Jensen.
Originally posted on the Anglican Church League website.
New York churches gained a victory in the courts yesterday (Feb. 29) as the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge's injunction against the city's enforcement of a ban to keep churches from meeting for worship in public schools.
The Second Circuit, though, instructed U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska to act quickly on the case, encouraging her to issue a final decision by mid-June so the matter can be resolved before the next school year.
While churches can continue to meet in New York City schools at least through the end of this school year, some already have moved on to more reliable space. Keep reading
The end came swiftly for Archbishop John Hepworth in Johannesburg when the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) College of Bishops accepted the resignation of their leader after a long battle with the wounded, self-inflicted Australian Primate who had sought entry for himself and his church into the Roman Catholic Church.
A majority of the TAC College of Bishops met at St. George Conference Center outside Johannesburg, February 28 - March 1, 2012 to discern a new direction for the embattled Communion. They elected Indian Archbishop Samuel Prakash as Acting Primate.
Twenty active bishops with 12 voting in session voted that the TAC would remain fully Anglican. A news release said that while it receives, with thanks, the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus from the Holy See, the TAC College of Bishops has voted as a Communion to decline the invitation.
Before he left the US for South Africa Presiding Bishop Brian Marsh wrote VOL to say that he fully anticipated a course would be charted that is unambiguously Anglican and under leadership that will uphold and teach, by word and example, the faith of Christ crucified. "You may be certain that I will do my best to ensure that any decisions provide for the spiritual safety of God's faithful people."
Every Bishop and Vicar General in the Traditional Anglican Communion was invited to attend this meeting. Of the twenty active bishops, twelve voted in session. Nine of the twelve churches were represented.
This meeting of the College of Bishops was long overdue," said the bishops. "Over the past two years, several members of the College of Bishops had requested of the Primate an urgent meeting of the College. Anglicanorum Coetibus or the Apostolic Constitution had never been discussed or debated within the College of Bishops. Meetings of the College of Bishops had, in fact, been scheduled at least twice over the past two years. Most recently, a meeting was called by the TAC Primate for mid 2011. This meeting was canceled abruptly by the Primate. Accordingly, the meeting in Johannesburg was voted to be the overdue meeting of the College of Bishops."
The College of Bishops voted unanimously to accept the resignation of John Hepworth as TAC Primate by resolution that states: "it is resolved that he cease to hold the office of Primate immediately. Archbishop John Hepworth vacates the Office he has held since 2003, along with the individual appointments which are the prerogatives of that Office. Such offices and positions are now vacant and subject to reappointment."
Archbishop Samuel Prakash, as the senior active Metropolitan, was elected Acting Primate by acclamation. In so doing, the entire assembly expressed complete confidence in Archbishop Prakash, who was consecrated Bishop in 1984 and currently serves as Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of India. Archbishop Prakash was one of the original founding Bishops of the TAC. Keep reading
A review of Miracle in the Mine, José Henriquez.
On Thursday, August 5, 2010, a mine collapsed in Chile, trapping 33 miners 700 metres underground. For 17 days no one knew if there were any survivors.
Then on August 22, a drilling probe broke through and the miners were able to signal that they were alive. From the moment that they were found, it took another 7 ½ weeks until they were rescued, and the whole world was looking on.
The rescue was widely described a as miracle, however, the extent of that miracle, and how closely many of the miners were walking with God, has not been known until the publication of this book.
José Henriquez was one of those miners, and he became a pastor to the miners following the collapse of the mine. He describes Jesus as the 34th miner, present with them throughout their ordeal. Keep reading
There is no need to convince you that as our world demands ever more of us we are becoming time poor. Time poor is not just a word people use of themselves in our churches, but one that whole churches use to describe the entire congregation.
We see this time poverty as we seek volunteers for our rosters, as we invite people to study the Bible one to one, and as we gather people to join small groups; and we even see it as the reason given for irregular attendance at church. Keep reading
Struggle for acceptance
From early times Revelation has been accepted as written by John the apostles and as part of the canon of the Bible. But it has struggled for practical acceptance in mainstream churches because
(a) its unusual symbolism and sometimes extreme language; and
(b) has been the focus of marginal sects and source of weird interpretations.
In the Reformation period it was barely tolerated:
•Luther regarded as ‘dumb prophecy’ and did not regard it as inspired.
•Calvin, though prolific commentator, wrote no commentary on Revelation.
Neglect in mainstream churches:
•Many in mainstream churches wary of the book; a reaction against extreme views that often surface in times of catastrophe.
•Does not feature in church lectionaries.
•Is often not taught in mainstream seminaries.
Yet Revelation is ‘trinitarian’ in theology and ‘catholic’ in application
Keep reading
Unity, consistency are main theological emphasesThe Anglican Church in North America will probably not have a completed Prayer Book for several more years, but the Rt. Rev. Bill Thompson, Bishop of the Diocese of Western Anglicans and chairman of the Prayer Book and Common Liturgy Taskforce, is pleased with the progress that is being made on the project. The taskforce completed three days of meetings in Columbia, South Carolina on Wednesday.
“During these three days, we accomplished a great deal,” Bishop Thompson said.
Among the tasks nearing completion is the Eucharistic rite which will be used at the upcoming ACNA Assembly in June. “It may not be the final form,” Bishop Thompson said, “but it will give the people there an opportunity to see what we are doing.” Keep reading
Time-tested practices to ensure complete and utter failure.1 - Don't plan ahead
Don't fall into the trap of writing down your goals and objectives, or even worse, handcuffing yourself to specific times when you're supposed to feel obligated to do them. Instead, respond to things as they come up. Put off big projects until you have large chunks of uninterrupted time to accomplish them, or when you feel inspired. Then try to complete the task with one herculean effort.
2 - Go it alone
If you need to have someone checking up on you, it's a sure sign of your incompetence and lack of self-control. Independent-minded people make the most progress when they bypass the team and do their own thing. Accountability is overrated. Keep reading
Over 200 church leaders from a range of Welsh churches met recently in Newtown to collaborate on evangelising the nation.
The gathering was hosted by Waleswide, a network of evangelical churches which works with leaders to see churches established especially where there is no evangelical church presence, and where churches need to be strengthened in their effectiveness.
During the day, the results of a survey commissioned by Waleswide in 2011 were released. The poll of over 260 Welsh church leaders found that during the first decade of this millennium 5,728 people became Christians in their churches. However in 2010 alone, 1,642 became Christians. Keep reading
A leading proponent of the belief that Christians should always be on mission, or "missional," in their daily lives says it's time for believers to stay and live longer in the areas of the world that they feel God has called them to.
Church planter Jeff Vanderstelt, who leads Soma Communities, a body of church planting churches in South Puget Sound, Wash., was one of several speakers discussing what it means to be missional on Wednesday during the first day of the two-day Verge 2012 Conference at Austin Music Hall in Texas.
During the conference, that is also being live streamed on the Web, Vanderstelt discussed what it means for Christians to move from not only being missional (living a life that brings people into a relationship with Jesus), but to be incarnational (adding a discipleship factor to daily living), as well.
"I like to call mission trips, 'mission visits' and longer term ones, 'mission vacations,' because we are going to vacate when we leave. We are not staying," Vanderstelt said. "And that's a problem. I'm watching a lot of people getting excited about the hipness of going.
"Missional is [to] go and incarnational is [to] stay," he explained. "I've seen a lot of people that want to go, but I don't see a lot of people that want to go and stay."
The Verge Conferences were launched in 2010 by the Verge Network of Christian leaders who say the group is an advocate and champion for movements of Gospel-centered missional communities. Keep reading
