http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28761
[Baptist Press] 23 Aug 2008--After trailing in fundraising by $3 million, supporters of a proposed California marriage amendment have taken the lead over opponents, thanks in part to a series of gifts totaling nearly $2 million.
The news is somewhat surprising, considering that on the national level, homosexual activist organizations historically have out-fundraised opponents on similar ballot initiatives by wide margins of upwards of two-to-one to three-to-one.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Buffy the Vampire Slayer slaying church attendance among women, study claims
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/2603343/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-slaying-church-attendance-among-women-study-claims.html
[Telegraph] 23 Aug 2008--The report claims more than 50,000 women a year have deserted their congregations over the past two decades because they feel the church is not relevant to their lives.
It says that instead young women are becoming attracted to the pagan religion Wicca, where females play a central role, which has grown in popularity after being featured positively in films, TV shows and books.
[Telegraph] 23 Aug 2008--The report claims more than 50,000 women a year have deserted their congregations over the past two decades because they feel the church is not relevant to their lives.
It says that instead young women are becoming attracted to the pagan religion Wicca, where females play a central role, which has grown in popularity after being featured positively in films, TV shows and books.
But I Was Born That Way
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/08/23/but-i-was-born-that-way/
[Anglican Mainstream] 23 Aug 2008--The most common homosexual myth of all – and there are many – is that homosexuals are born that way, and cannot help being the way they are. We don’t judge a person born left-handed, or red-haired, they argue, so we should not judge a homosexual either.
There are plenty of problems with this argument. The main one is the fact that tens of thousands of homosexuals have left the homosexual lifestyle, and many have gone on to heterosexual marriage and family. It may be difficult – all sexual addictions are hard to kick - but it can be done.
But let’s just suppose for a moment that the homosexual activists are correct in arguing that this is all just a matter of genetics, with no choice involved. What follows if we accept such a proposition? If we really are the result of genetic determinism, and we have to simply accept the hand that nature has dealt us, then this must have implications for all of us.
[Anglican Mainstream] 23 Aug 2008--The most common homosexual myth of all – and there are many – is that homosexuals are born that way, and cannot help being the way they are. We don’t judge a person born left-handed, or red-haired, they argue, so we should not judge a homosexual either.
There are plenty of problems with this argument. The main one is the fact that tens of thousands of homosexuals have left the homosexual lifestyle, and many have gone on to heterosexual marriage and family. It may be difficult – all sexual addictions are hard to kick - but it can be done.
But let’s just suppose for a moment that the homosexual activists are correct in arguing that this is all just a matter of genetics, with no choice involved. What follows if we accept such a proposition? If we really are the result of genetic determinism, and we have to simply accept the hand that nature has dealt us, then this must have implications for all of us.
Windsor Group Won’t Meet Before Diocesan Withdrawal Votes
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/22/windsor-group-wont-meet-before-diocesan-withdrawal-votes
[The Living Church] 23 Aug 2008--The task force established to implement recommendations of the Windsor Report is unlikely to complete its work in time to have any affect on plans by the dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy to hold second and decisive votes to withdraw from The Episcopal Church this fall.
Despite the Windsor Continuation Group’s call for swift implementation of its proposed moratoria, Archbishop Clive Handford, retired primate of The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and chairman of the Windsor Continuation Group, said he did not anticipate the group’s work having any sort of official status within the Communion until after the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in May 2009—six months after the last of the three dioceses, Fort Worth, has held its annual convention.
The six-member Windsor Continuation Group was established by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in February 2008. He had proposed formation of the group in his Advent letter to the primates last year.
[The Living Church] 23 Aug 2008--The task force established to implement recommendations of the Windsor Report is unlikely to complete its work in time to have any affect on plans by the dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy to hold second and decisive votes to withdraw from The Episcopal Church this fall.
Despite the Windsor Continuation Group’s call for swift implementation of its proposed moratoria, Archbishop Clive Handford, retired primate of The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and chairman of the Windsor Continuation Group, said he did not anticipate the group’s work having any sort of official status within the Communion until after the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in May 2009—six months after the last of the three dioceses, Fort Worth, has held its annual convention.
The six-member Windsor Continuation Group was established by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in February 2008. He had proposed formation of the group in his Advent letter to the primates last year.
Archbishop fears for his humiliated compatriots
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=62186
[Church Times] 23 Aug 2008--A leading Georgian churchman this week described the situation in his country as “appalling”, despite some signs of a Russian withdrawal.
Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, of the Georgian Evangelical Baptist Church (News, 15 August), returned to Georgia on Sunday to reports of looting and rape by Russian troops.
He said that the Georgian people feel “humiliated and devastated” by the situation, and he believed many displaced people could die if they did not receive food and shelter before winter.
[Church Times] 23 Aug 2008--A leading Georgian churchman this week described the situation in his country as “appalling”, despite some signs of a Russian withdrawal.
Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, of the Georgian Evangelical Baptist Church (News, 15 August), returned to Georgia on Sunday to reports of looting and rape by Russian troops.
He said that the Georgian people feel “humiliated and devastated” by the situation, and he believed many displaced people could die if they did not receive food and shelter before winter.
Lambeth is Focus of September Bishops’ Meeting
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/22/lambeth-is-focus-of-september-bishops-meeting
[The Living Church] 23 Aug 2008--The House of Bishops will meet in special session Sept. 17-19 in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the Lambeth Conference being the primary topic on the agenda.
Normally during a Lambeth Conference year there is no fall meeting of the House of Bishops, said Neva Rae Fox, program officer for public affairs at the Episcopal Church Center. But at their March meeting, the bishops felt it was important to meet to debrief after the conference.
[The Living Church] 23 Aug 2008--The House of Bishops will meet in special session Sept. 17-19 in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the Lambeth Conference being the primary topic on the agenda.
Normally during a Lambeth Conference year there is no fall meeting of the House of Bishops, said Neva Rae Fox, program officer for public affairs at the Episcopal Church Center. But at their March meeting, the bishops felt it was important to meet to debrief after the conference.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Survey: Christian Women Report Sexual Misconduct at Church
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080821/survey-christian-women-report-sexual-misconduct-at-church.htm
[The Christian Post] 22 Aug 2008--More than a quarter of Christian women have experienced sexual harassment and of those, one fourth said it happened in a church or ministry setting, a new study shows.
Self-described "active Christian women" who were surveyed last fall reported personally encountering sexually inappropriate behavior mainly in a non-ministry setting, but up to 25 percent of the employed women said they experienced such behavior in a ministry setting.
[The Christian Post] 22 Aug 2008--More than a quarter of Christian women have experienced sexual harassment and of those, one fourth said it happened in a church or ministry setting, a new study shows.
Self-described "active Christian women" who were surveyed last fall reported personally encountering sexually inappropriate behavior mainly in a non-ministry setting, but up to 25 percent of the employed women said they experienced such behavior in a ministry setting.
Attack Forces Indonesian Christians Off Campus
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080822/attack-forces-indonesian-christians-off-campus.htm
[The Christian Post] 22 Aug 2008--Hundreds of Christian theology students have been living in tents since a mob of angry Muslim neighbors stormed their campus last month wielding bamboo spears and hurling Molotov cocktails.
The incident comes amid growing concern that Indonesia's tradition of religious tolerance is under threat from Islamic hard-liners.
[The Christian Post] 22 Aug 2008--Hundreds of Christian theology students have been living in tents since a mob of angry Muslim neighbors stormed their campus last month wielding bamboo spears and hurling Molotov cocktails.
The incident comes amid growing concern that Indonesia's tradition of religious tolerance is under threat from Islamic hard-liners.
Young Evangelical Backs Out of Convention Prayer
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080822/young-evangelical-backs-out-of-convention-prayer.htm
[The Christian Post] 22 Aug 2008--It was a coup for Democrats: An emerging young evangelical voice, a registered Republican no less, accepted their invitation to deliver a prayer at next week's Democratic National Convention.
But Cameron Strang, the 32-year-old editor of edgy and hip Relevant Magazine, had second thoughts and pulled out of delivering the benediction on the convention's first night, Monday. Citing fears that his bridge-building gesture would be wrongly construed as an endorsement, Strang said he instead hopes to take a lower-profile role, participating in a convention caucus meeting on religion later in the week.
[The Christian Post] 22 Aug 2008--It was a coup for Democrats: An emerging young evangelical voice, a registered Republican no less, accepted their invitation to deliver a prayer at next week's Democratic National Convention.
But Cameron Strang, the 32-year-old editor of edgy and hip Relevant Magazine, had second thoughts and pulled out of delivering the benediction on the convention's first night, Monday. Citing fears that his bridge-building gesture would be wrongly construed as an endorsement, Strang said he instead hopes to take a lower-profile role, participating in a convention caucus meeting on religion later in the week.
Hungarian village in search for stolen bells
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2545
[Religious Intelligence] 22 Aug 2008--A small village in northeast Hungary is trying to find three stolen church bells before scrap metal dealers destroy them.
A church bell, weighing more than 535 pounds, nearly 200 years old was stolen from a church steeple in Pinetown. They were removed from the church belfry apparently for their copper content.A church bell, weighing more than 535 pounds, nearly 200 years old was stolen from a church steeple in Pinetown. They were removed from the church belfry apparently for their copper content.
[Religious Intelligence] 22 Aug 2008--A small village in northeast Hungary is trying to find three stolen church bells before scrap metal dealers destroy them.
A church bell, weighing more than 535 pounds, nearly 200 years old was stolen from a church steeple in Pinetown. They were removed from the church belfry apparently for their copper content.A church bell, weighing more than 535 pounds, nearly 200 years old was stolen from a church steeple in Pinetown. They were removed from the church belfry apparently for their copper content.
Benedict-Appointed Bishop in Germany Censures Priest for Same-Sex Blessing
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082101.html
[LifeSite News] 22 Aug 2008--The Catholic bishop of Limburg, Franz Peter Tebartz van Elst, has removed a priest from office after reports that the latter had "blessed" or "consecrated" the partnership of a pair of homosexual men. Fr. Peter Kollas, a dean of priests in the city of Wetzlar, participated in the "blessing" of the two men who had undertaken a civil "marriage" ceremony.
The event, Friday August 15, was also witnessed by a Protestant minister and about 150 guests, local news reports.
[LifeSite News] 22 Aug 2008--The Catholic bishop of Limburg, Franz Peter Tebartz van Elst, has removed a priest from office after reports that the latter had "blessed" or "consecrated" the partnership of a pair of homosexual men. Fr. Peter Kollas, a dean of priests in the city of Wetzlar, participated in the "blessing" of the two men who had undertaken a civil "marriage" ceremony.
The event, Friday August 15, was also witnessed by a Protestant minister and about 150 guests, local news reports.
EU Agency Calls for a Re-definition of Marriage, Criminalization of "Homophobia"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082107.html
[LifeSite News] 22 Aug 2008--A recent report from the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the European Union (EU) has called for binding EU regulations that would equalize the legal status of married heterosexual couples with that of same-sex and opposite-sex couples across Europe. It also recommends policies aimed at "promoting visibility of homosexuality and other gender identities" and criminalizing homophobia through "hate crime" legislation.
FRA contracted writing of the report to a group called FRALEX. FRALEX is roughly the same group as the now defunct EU "network of independent fundamental rights experts," a group that was widely criticized for trying to get the government of Slovakia to abrogate a treaty with the Vatican that provided conscience protection for doctors unwilling to carry out abortions.
[LifeSite News] 22 Aug 2008--A recent report from the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the European Union (EU) has called for binding EU regulations that would equalize the legal status of married heterosexual couples with that of same-sex and opposite-sex couples across Europe. It also recommends policies aimed at "promoting visibility of homosexuality and other gender identities" and criminalizing homophobia through "hate crime" legislation.
FRA contracted writing of the report to a group called FRALEX. FRALEX is roughly the same group as the now defunct EU "network of independent fundamental rights experts," a group that was widely criticized for trying to get the government of Slovakia to abrogate a treaty with the Vatican that provided conscience protection for doctors unwilling to carry out abortions.
Levant Target of Latest Human Rights Complaint By Homosexual Activist
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082102.html
[LifeSite News] 22 Aug 2008--Homosexual activist Rob Wells has filed a human rights complaint against Calgary lawyer and publisher Ezra Levant.
This is not the first time Wells, a member of the Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Pride Center of Edmonton, has used Canada's human rights commissions to try and silence criticism. Wells has previously initiated human rights complaints against Alberta Christian activist Craig Chandler, the Christian Heritage Party and its leader Ron Gray, and Catholic Insight publisher Fr. Alphonse de Valk.
However, the complaint against Levant is different in that Levant told LifeSiteNews.com he takes no position on same-sex marriage itself, but was merely criticizing the process whereby a government agency was persecuting a Christian pastor for his faith.
[LifeSite News] 22 Aug 2008--Homosexual activist Rob Wells has filed a human rights complaint against Calgary lawyer and publisher Ezra Levant.
This is not the first time Wells, a member of the Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Pride Center of Edmonton, has used Canada's human rights commissions to try and silence criticism. Wells has previously initiated human rights complaints against Alberta Christian activist Craig Chandler, the Christian Heritage Party and its leader Ron Gray, and Catholic Insight publisher Fr. Alphonse de Valk.
However, the complaint against Levant is different in that Levant told LifeSiteNews.com he takes no position on same-sex marriage itself, but was merely criticizing the process whereby a government agency was persecuting a Christian pastor for his faith.
Archbishop of Canterbury says ‘The Book of Common Prayer remains one of the standards of belief for Anglicans.’
http://www.anglicanplanet.net/TAPIntern0807c.html
[The Anglican Planet] 22 Aug 2008--For the first time during the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, addressed the press and entertained questions from them. During this 25-minute press conference the Archbishop fielded questions on various topics, including the contentious issue of the ordination of women to the episcopate and the implications of the absence of numerous bishops from the Global South.
The session’s final question asked for him to offer further comments on his understanding of the role of the Book of Common Prayer within the Anglican Communion. Previously, during an address given to the bishops gathered for the three-day retreat which preceded the official start of the conference, Dr. Williams had indicated that he regards common prayer as a fundamental and necessary element for any future unity which the Anglican Communion might recover and enjoy.
At today’s press conference he further affirmed that “The Book of Common Prayer remains one of the standards of belief for Anglicans.”
[The Anglican Planet] 22 Aug 2008--For the first time during the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, addressed the press and entertained questions from them. During this 25-minute press conference the Archbishop fielded questions on various topics, including the contentious issue of the ordination of women to the episcopate and the implications of the absence of numerous bishops from the Global South.
The session’s final question asked for him to offer further comments on his understanding of the role of the Book of Common Prayer within the Anglican Communion. Previously, during an address given to the bishops gathered for the three-day retreat which preceded the official start of the conference, Dr. Williams had indicated that he regards common prayer as a fundamental and necessary element for any future unity which the Anglican Communion might recover and enjoy.
At today’s press conference he further affirmed that “The Book of Common Prayer remains one of the standards of belief for Anglicans.”
The Winners and the Losers from the Lambeth Conference
http://geoconger.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/analysis-the-winners-and-losers-from-the-lambeth-conference-cen-82208-p-7/
[Conger] 22 Aug 2008--The 14th Lambeth Conference was a triumph for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, in light of the criteria set forward for success by its organizers, but did not prevent the collapse of the Anglican Communion.
“The miracle hasn’t happened,” Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone said on Aug 2. “It was a good try,” he observed, but Lambeth had not worked, leaving division as the most likely option. “We have gotten this far without formally announcing our division, but we haven’t announced it,” he told the German Catholic New Agency.
“The division is over what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a church,” Bishop Venables said, and the conference did not bridge the gap.
[Conger] 22 Aug 2008--The 14th Lambeth Conference was a triumph for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, in light of the criteria set forward for success by its organizers, but did not prevent the collapse of the Anglican Communion.
“The miracle hasn’t happened,” Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone said on Aug 2. “It was a good try,” he observed, but Lambeth had not worked, leaving division as the most likely option. “We have gotten this far without formally announcing our division, but we haven’t announced it,” he told the German Catholic New Agency.
“The division is over what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a church,” Bishop Venables said, and the conference did not bridge the gap.
Western Bishops Dominated Lambeth
http://geoconger.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/western-bishops-dominated-lambeth-cen-82208-p-6/
[Conger] 22 Aug 2008--Bishops from the American Episcopal Church and the Church of England comprised almost 40 percent of the bishops present at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, an investigation by The Church of England Newspaper has determined.
On Aug 8, the Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council stated the 2008 Lambeth Conference “involved the participation of some 680 bishops and 3000 participants.” However, only 617 Anglican bishops registered for the conference and no more than 600 Anglican bishops appear in the Conference’s group photo.
[Conger] 22 Aug 2008--Bishops from the American Episcopal Church and the Church of England comprised almost 40 percent of the bishops present at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, an investigation by The Church of England Newspaper has determined.
On Aug 8, the Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council stated the 2008 Lambeth Conference “involved the participation of some 680 bishops and 3000 participants.” However, only 617 Anglican bishops registered for the conference and no more than 600 Anglican bishops appear in the Conference’s group photo.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
What Should We Study Next?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/smallgroups/articles/whatshouldwestudynext.html
[Christianity Today] 21 Aug 2008--Leading a successful small group is a lot like sailing a ship at sea. Your job as the captain is to navigate your fellowship through a variety of obstacles and hazards, staying on course to reach your destination. An effective captain knows the right questions to ask.
One of the questions often heard in small groups is, "What are we going to study next?" That question shows a lack of direction and a lack of real leadership. Rather than sailing toward a destination, many small groups are like a sailboat at sea being "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching" (Ephesians 4:14).
As you lead your group, you need to know the answers to at least five important questions. These questions provide you with five principles for selecting the next study for your group.
[Christianity Today] 21 Aug 2008--Leading a successful small group is a lot like sailing a ship at sea. Your job as the captain is to navigate your fellowship through a variety of obstacles and hazards, staying on course to reach your destination. An effective captain knows the right questions to ask.
One of the questions often heard in small groups is, "What are we going to study next?" That question shows a lack of direction and a lack of real leadership. Rather than sailing toward a destination, many small groups are like a sailboat at sea being "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching" (Ephesians 4:14).
As you lead your group, you need to know the answers to at least five important questions. These questions provide you with five principles for selecting the next study for your group.
Backtrack to Saddleback - Secularists Not Pleased
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080820/backtrack-to-saddleback-secularists-not-pleased.htm
[The Christian Post] 21 Aug 2008--Pastor Warren's questions ranged from the deeply personal to the overtly controversial. He often asked questions that made it difficult for the candidates to avoid giving direct and revealing answers. He let the candidates speak for themselves.
He asked about their greatest moral failure. Obama spoke of drug and alcohol use as a young person. McCain referred directly to the failure of his first marriage. When asked about the reality of evil, the two candidates revealed very different approaches. When asked about abortion and same-sex marriage, a great chasm appeared between the candidates. Obama declared his complete support for the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand. When asked, "at what point does a baby get human rights?" Obama said that the question "is above my pay grade." That is a particularly evasive answer, because the President of the United States must frame policies that are predicated on some assumption of when a human being, born or unborn, deserves the full protection of the law.
On same-sex marriage, Sen. Obama attempted to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, but he made clear that he would actively oppose any constitutional amendment designed to protect that definition, and he gave full support to civil unions. He suggested that the matter should be left to the states, but he has opposed Proposition 8 on the California ballot - a citizen-initiated referendum that would define marriage as a heterosexual union.
[The Christian Post] 21 Aug 2008--Pastor Warren's questions ranged from the deeply personal to the overtly controversial. He often asked questions that made it difficult for the candidates to avoid giving direct and revealing answers. He let the candidates speak for themselves.
He asked about their greatest moral failure. Obama spoke of drug and alcohol use as a young person. McCain referred directly to the failure of his first marriage. When asked about the reality of evil, the two candidates revealed very different approaches. When asked about abortion and same-sex marriage, a great chasm appeared between the candidates. Obama declared his complete support for the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand. When asked, "at what point does a baby get human rights?" Obama said that the question "is above my pay grade." That is a particularly evasive answer, because the President of the United States must frame policies that are predicated on some assumption of when a human being, born or unborn, deserves the full protection of the law.
On same-sex marriage, Sen. Obama attempted to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, but he made clear that he would actively oppose any constitutional amendment designed to protect that definition, and he gave full support to civil unions. He suggested that the matter should be left to the states, but he has opposed Proposition 8 on the California ballot - a citizen-initiated referendum that would define marriage as a heterosexual union.
Smoking gun? Papers expose Obama's 'infanticide' vote
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28732
[Baptist Press] 21 Aug 2008--Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama asserted Aug. 16 that National Right to Life was "lying" about his record as an Illinois state senator in opposing a bill commonly known as the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a bill pro-lifers say protects against infanticide. As it turns out, Obama apparently was the one wrong on the facts.
The controversy -- which comes as the party tries to soften its abortion stance with a new platform -- surrounds Obama's opposition to bills in the Illinois state Senate from 2001-03 that would have required medical attention be given babies who survive botched abortions and that would have given them legal rights. On several occasions he was the leading opponent.
[Baptist Press] 21 Aug 2008--Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama asserted Aug. 16 that National Right to Life was "lying" about his record as an Illinois state senator in opposing a bill commonly known as the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a bill pro-lifers say protects against infanticide. As it turns out, Obama apparently was the one wrong on the facts.
The controversy -- which comes as the party tries to soften its abortion stance with a new platform -- surrounds Obama's opposition to bills in the Illinois state Senate from 2001-03 that would have required medical attention be given babies who survive botched abortions and that would have given them legal rights. On several occasions he was the leading opponent.
Show love to Muslims, then Bible verses, says evangelist
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/show.love.to.muslims.then.bible.verses.says.evangelist/21253.htm
[Christianity Today UK] 21 Aug 2008--An evangelist from northern Ghana has told Christians to reach out to the Muslim world by first getting to know Muslims near to them, instead of “sniping people with Bible verses”.
It's easy to "know Muslims as immigrants from other countries”, noted Dr John Azumah, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and speaker at the Inside-Out Conference in Long Beach, California, last weekend.
[Christianity Today UK] 21 Aug 2008--An evangelist from northern Ghana has told Christians to reach out to the Muslim world by first getting to know Muslims near to them, instead of “sniping people with Bible verses”.
It's easy to "know Muslims as immigrants from other countries”, noted Dr John Azumah, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and speaker at the Inside-Out Conference in Long Beach, California, last weekend.
Bishop Duncan Shares Concerns on Windsor Continuation Group
http://www.united-anglicans.org/stream/2008/08/concerns-windsor-continuation.html
[The Common Cause Partnership] 21 Aug 2008--A letter by Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Common Cause Partnership, to Bishop Gary Lillibridge of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has been made public. In that letter, dated August 11, Bishop Duncan put in writing concerns of the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Quincy and other members of the Common Cause Partnership caused by the suggestions of the Windsor Continuation Group for dealing with divisions in the Anglican Communion. Bishop Duncan had initially shared these concerns with those present at the Lambeth Conference of Bishops.
[The Common Cause Partnership] 21 Aug 2008--A letter by Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Common Cause Partnership, to Bishop Gary Lillibridge of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has been made public. In that letter, dated August 11, Bishop Duncan put in writing concerns of the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Quincy and other members of the Common Cause Partnership caused by the suggestions of the Windsor Continuation Group for dealing with divisions in the Anglican Communion. Bishop Duncan had initially shared these concerns with those present at the Lambeth Conference of Bishops.
The Diocese of Virginia releases terse statement
http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2008/08/diocese-of-virginia-releases-terse.html
[BabyBlueOnline] 21 Aug 2008--Again, this statement is another opportunity to go find a bucket of water for these pants-on-fire statements. At Truro, no one - repeat - no one has been "forced to worship elsewhere." In fact, many of the minority who initially voted to remain in the structures of the Episcopal Church, also voted that the property should go with the majority. Those who voted to remain in the Episcopal Church are valuable and treasured members of the Truro family and so far they remain with us as a community, thanks be to the Lord. They continue to serve on committees (including the Search Committee for our new rector) and in the life and worship of our community. The ones that have told me how they voted (which is the only way we know how individuals voted, as in a Presidential Election) I love dearly and respect very much and am very glad they remain and have told them so - I need them in my life.
[BabyBlueOnline] 21 Aug 2008--Again, this statement is another opportunity to go find a bucket of water for these pants-on-fire statements. At Truro, no one - repeat - no one has been "forced to worship elsewhere." In fact, many of the minority who initially voted to remain in the structures of the Episcopal Church, also voted that the property should go with the majority. Those who voted to remain in the Episcopal Church are valuable and treasured members of the Truro family and so far they remain with us as a community, thanks be to the Lord. They continue to serve on committees (including the Search Committee for our new rector) and in the life and worship of our community. The ones that have told me how they voted (which is the only way we know how individuals voted, as in a Presidential Election) I love dearly and respect very much and am very glad they remain and have told them so - I need them in my life.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Gay Movers and Shakers Launch Community Website to Elect Barack Obama
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/08/Aug/2001.htm
[UK Gay New] 20 Aug 2008--Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender supporters of Barack Obama yesterday launched an online community web portal for information and discussion about the Presidential election campaign, and easy to use tools for getting involved.
The website, LGBTforObama.com, is the idea of long-time gay activist and Democratic Party loyalist Terry Bean of Portland, Oregon.
[UK Gay New] 20 Aug 2008--Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender supporters of Barack Obama yesterday launched an online community web portal for information and discussion about the Presidential election campaign, and easy to use tools for getting involved.
The website, LGBTforObama.com, is the idea of long-time gay activist and Democratic Party loyalist Terry Bean of Portland, Oregon.
Anglican Province of America Cuts Ties with Common Cause Partnership. Joins FACA
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8862
[VirtueOnline] 20 Aug 2008--Those of the APA and others who left in the 70's over the ordination of women and Prayer Book are theologically and culturally different from those who are now leaving. Aside from the homosexual concerns, our issues and their issues seem so different and what we see as of primary importance are of only secondary importance to the new exiles.
There are differing opinions about what the level of participation in the CCP we should have, particularly as it is now rapidly moving to become "the New North American Province." My statement in January 2008 that the APA not join the CCP at this time was supported by the majority of the House of Bishops, the Provincial Council, and many of the Christian media. The positive effect of this seems to have been that it has raised the issue of women's ordination (WO) to a new level of consciousness.
It appears that our not joining the CCP has caused more interest in addressing the problem. Bishop John Rodgers of the Anglican Mission in America noted at GAFCON the "serious degree of impaired communion...around this matter." Bishop Hewett, who attended GAFCON representing FACA, stated that FACA and Forward in Faith, N.A. (FIF/NA) and therefore the APA, will introduce a resolution to the CCP to begin a study of the women's ordination issue. There are forces and personalities in CCP equally intent on maintaining the status quo of allowing the ordination of women. Until a resolution is reached on this vital issue, there can be no inter-communion with other members of CCP who accept the practice.
[VirtueOnline] 20 Aug 2008--Those of the APA and others who left in the 70's over the ordination of women and Prayer Book are theologically and culturally different from those who are now leaving. Aside from the homosexual concerns, our issues and their issues seem so different and what we see as of primary importance are of only secondary importance to the new exiles.
There are differing opinions about what the level of participation in the CCP we should have, particularly as it is now rapidly moving to become "the New North American Province." My statement in January 2008 that the APA not join the CCP at this time was supported by the majority of the House of Bishops, the Provincial Council, and many of the Christian media. The positive effect of this seems to have been that it has raised the issue of women's ordination (WO) to a new level of consciousness.
It appears that our not joining the CCP has caused more interest in addressing the problem. Bishop John Rodgers of the Anglican Mission in America noted at GAFCON the "serious degree of impaired communion...around this matter." Bishop Hewett, who attended GAFCON representing FACA, stated that FACA and Forward in Faith, N.A. (FIF/NA) and therefore the APA, will introduce a resolution to the CCP to begin a study of the women's ordination issue. There are forces and personalities in CCP equally intent on maintaining the status quo of allowing the ordination of women. Until a resolution is reached on this vital issue, there can be no inter-communion with other members of CCP who accept the practice.
Remodeling Hell -- Americans Redefine the Doctrine
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1414
[Albert Mohler] 20 Aug 2008--Is belief in hell disappearing? "Absolutely," says Barnard College professor Alan Segal, author of Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion. Segal's remark is found within a news story released by Religion News Service. In "Belief in Hell Dips, But Some Say They've Already Been There," Charles Honey traces the transformation of hell in contemporary America.
The catalyst for Honey's article was the "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" released this summer by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The data does indicate a shift in beliefs concerning hell. In the Pew study, just 59 percent of those surveyed indicated belief in a concept of hell "where people who have led bad lives, and die without being sorry, are eternally punished."
That figure, Honey reports, is down from 71 percent "who said they believed in hell" as recently as a 2001 Gallup poll.
[Albert Mohler] 20 Aug 2008--Is belief in hell disappearing? "Absolutely," says Barnard College professor Alan Segal, author of Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion. Segal's remark is found within a news story released by Religion News Service. In "Belief in Hell Dips, But Some Say They've Already Been There," Charles Honey traces the transformation of hell in contemporary America.
The catalyst for Honey's article was the "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" released this summer by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The data does indicate a shift in beliefs concerning hell. In the Pew study, just 59 percent of those surveyed indicated belief in a concept of hell "where people who have led bad lives, and die without being sorry, are eternally punished."
That figure, Honey reports, is down from 71 percent "who said they believed in hell" as recently as a 2001 Gallup poll.
Virginia Anglican Churches Praise Fairfax Judge Ruling on Contracts Clause
http://anglicandistrictofvirginia.org/content/view/81/41/
[Anglican District of Virginia] 20 Aug 2008--The 11 Virginia Anglican congregations suedby The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Diocese of Virginia responded to theFairfax County Circuit Court ruling issued today concerning the ContractsClause and the assertion by TEC and the Diocese that the 11 Anglicancongregations waived their right to invoke the Virginia Division Statute.Judge Randy Bellows ruled that TEC and the Diocese failed to timely asserttheir claim that the 11 Anglican congregations contracted around or waivedtheir right to invoke the Division Statute. In addition, the judged ruledthat the Division Statute does not violate the contracts clause provisionsof the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions as applied to these properties. Therulings can be found at www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org. Today’s rulingsmean that there are only a small number of issues remaining to be decided atthe October trial, and the 11 Anglican congregations are hopeful that theycan be resolved quickly.
Related legal documents:
http://anglicandistrictofvirginia.org/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/Itemid,41/gid,31/orderby,dmdate_published/
[Anglican District of Virginia] 20 Aug 2008--The 11 Virginia Anglican congregations suedby The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Diocese of Virginia responded to theFairfax County Circuit Court ruling issued today concerning the ContractsClause and the assertion by TEC and the Diocese that the 11 Anglicancongregations waived their right to invoke the Virginia Division Statute.Judge Randy Bellows ruled that TEC and the Diocese failed to timely asserttheir claim that the 11 Anglican congregations contracted around or waivedtheir right to invoke the Division Statute. In addition, the judged ruledthat the Division Statute does not violate the contracts clause provisionsof the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions as applied to these properties. Therulings can be found at www.anglicandistrictofvirginia.org. Today’s rulingsmean that there are only a small number of issues remaining to be decided atthe October trial, and the 11 Anglican congregations are hopeful that theycan be resolved quickly.
Related legal documents:
http://anglicandistrictofvirginia.org/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/Itemid,41/gid,31/orderby,dmdate_published/
Pakistan’s Christians face uncertain future after Musharraf resignation
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/pakistans.christians.face.uncertain.future.after.musharraf.resignation/21252.htm
[Christianity Today UK] 20 Aug 2008--The future for Pakistan's minority Christian community is an uncertain one after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf this week, says Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
“Even Christians in Pakistan are somewhat mixed in their response,” Mission Network News quoted him as saying. “There are those that are quite glad to see a return to civilian government, and there are others that are also concerned with, I think, the uncertainty of what is going to happen now for the future.”
Musharraf ended his nine-year reign as Pakistan’s army chief when he stepped down on Monday to avoid impeachment.
[Christianity Today UK] 20 Aug 2008--The future for Pakistan's minority Christian community is an uncertain one after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf this week, says Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
“Even Christians in Pakistan are somewhat mixed in their response,” Mission Network News quoted him as saying. “There are those that are quite glad to see a return to civilian government, and there are others that are also concerned with, I think, the uncertainty of what is going to happen now for the future.”
Musharraf ended his nine-year reign as Pakistan’s army chief when he stepped down on Monday to avoid impeachment.
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/mission/resources/the_gospel_and_personal_evangelism/
[sydneyanglicans.net] 20 Aug 2008--This is a short book written in an easy-to-read style. It is 119 pages long with each chapter about 15 pages long. Chapters include material on why we should evangelise, why we don’t evangelise, what the gospel is, who should evangelise, how we should evangelise and what we should do after we evangelise.
Author Mark Dever is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC and an executive director of 9 Marks ministries. In some ways it is like John Chapman’s book ‘Know and Tell the Gospel’ although being an American book it may reach a different audience.
[sydneyanglicans.net] 20 Aug 2008--This is a short book written in an easy-to-read style. It is 119 pages long with each chapter about 15 pages long. Chapters include material on why we should evangelise, why we don’t evangelise, what the gospel is, who should evangelise, how we should evangelise and what we should do after we evangelise.
Author Mark Dever is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC and an executive director of 9 Marks ministries. In some ways it is like John Chapman’s book ‘Know and Tell the Gospel’ although being an American book it may reach a different audience.
Rick Warren: Obama's Abortion Answer Not Clear Enough
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080819/rick-warren-obama-s-abortion-answer-not-clear-enough.htm
[The Christian Post] 20 Aug 2008--Moderator Rick Warren of the Saddleback Civil Forum said presidential hopeful Barack Obama needed to be more specific in his answer to the question of when life begins.
Obama, the putative Democratic nominee, had glibly responded that “it’s above my pay grade” to answer specifically when asked the question on life.
“I think he needed to be more specific on that,” said Warren in an interview following the forum with Beliefnet.com. “I happen to disagree with Barack on that.
[The Christian Post] 20 Aug 2008--Moderator Rick Warren of the Saddleback Civil Forum said presidential hopeful Barack Obama needed to be more specific in his answer to the question of when life begins.
Obama, the putative Democratic nominee, had glibly responded that “it’s above my pay grade” to answer specifically when asked the question on life.
“I think he needed to be more specific on that,” said Warren in an interview following the forum with Beliefnet.com. “I happen to disagree with Barack on that.
Bishop Wantland: Litigation, Confusion Ahead for Communion
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/19/bishop-wantland-litigation-confusion-ahead
[The Living Church] 20 Aug 2008--Assisting Bishop William Wantland of Fort Worth offered a sobering assessment of a post-GAFCON, post-Lambeth Conference future for the Anglican Communion Aug. 15 in addressing members of the South East Wisconsin American Anglican Council at Nashotah House.
Bishop Wantland, who retired as Bishop of Eau Claire in 1998, minced no words.
“GAFCON (the Global Anglican Future Conference) didn’t need Lambeth,” Bishop Wantland said, “but Lambeth needs GAFCON.”
Bishop Wantland said he was confident that the GAFCON council of primates, which is currently comprised of the nine primates who attended the meeting in Jerusalem in June, would recognize a provisional overlapping Anglican province in North America within the next year.
[The Living Church] 20 Aug 2008--Assisting Bishop William Wantland of Fort Worth offered a sobering assessment of a post-GAFCON, post-Lambeth Conference future for the Anglican Communion Aug. 15 in addressing members of the South East Wisconsin American Anglican Council at Nashotah House.
Bishop Wantland, who retired as Bishop of Eau Claire in 1998, minced no words.
“GAFCON (the Global Anglican Future Conference) didn’t need Lambeth,” Bishop Wantland said, “but Lambeth needs GAFCON.”
Bishop Wantland said he was confident that the GAFCON council of primates, which is currently comprised of the nine primates who attended the meeting in Jerusalem in June, would recognize a provisional overlapping Anglican province in North America within the next year.
Episcopal Church Sent Most Bishops to Lambeth
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/19/episcopal-church-sent-most-bishops-to-lambeth
{The Living Church] 20 Aug 2008--The Episcopal Church provided the largest block of bishops at the Lambeth Conference, sending 104 of the 469 diocesan bishops present during the conference of Anglican bishops in Canterbury.
The largest number of absentees was from Africa, with 209 of the continent’s 324 diocesan bishops missing. There were 115 diocesan and 12 suffragan bishops from African dioceses.
After The Episcopal Church’s 127 bishops, the second largest contingent came from the Church of England, which registered 113: 39 diocesan and 64 suffragan/assistant bishops.
{The Living Church] 20 Aug 2008--The Episcopal Church provided the largest block of bishops at the Lambeth Conference, sending 104 of the 469 diocesan bishops present during the conference of Anglican bishops in Canterbury.
The largest number of absentees was from Africa, with 209 of the continent’s 324 diocesan bishops missing. There were 115 diocesan and 12 suffragan bishops from African dioceses.
After The Episcopal Church’s 127 bishops, the second largest contingent came from the Church of England, which registered 113: 39 diocesan and 64 suffragan/assistant bishops.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
CSW condemns brutal murder of Catholic priest in India
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/csw.condemns.brutal.murder.of.catholic.priest.in.india/21249.htm
[Christianity Today UK] 19 Aug 2008--Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has strongly condemned the murder of a Catholic priest in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday and called for a proper investigation into the attack.
Father Thomas Pandippallyil’s body was found in Nizamabad district on Sunday morning, bearing the marks of eighteen stab wounds and submersion under water.
According to Indian Catholics, his body was severely disfigured and his eyes had been gouged out. Although the priest is not known to have received any previous threats, local sources and investigators believe that the attack was religiously-motivated.
[Christianity Today UK] 19 Aug 2008--Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has strongly condemned the murder of a Catholic priest in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday and called for a proper investigation into the attack.
Father Thomas Pandippallyil’s body was found in Nizamabad district on Sunday morning, bearing the marks of eighteen stab wounds and submersion under water.
According to Indian Catholics, his body was severely disfigured and his eyes had been gouged out. Although the priest is not known to have received any previous threats, local sources and investigators believe that the attack was religiously-motivated.
'Rolling rev' camps out to connect with parish
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/rolling.rev.camps.out.to.connect.with.parish/21246.htm
[Christianity Today UK] 19 Aug 2008--A Herefordshire vicar is taking a novel approach to outreach by camping out in one of the villages he is responsible for in an attempt to get to know the people better.
Simon Lockett has been in charge of five churches in the area of the county known as the Golden Valley since the end of 2006.
“The parishes are quite scattered in this most rural part of Herefordshire,” said Simon, “and I live in Madley, probably the most accessible of them all. But the problem for a modern day vicar is not being able to live in all the communities that he serves.”
To this end, Simon has come up with a plan to spend four days in the villages of Turnastone and Vowchurch living and working from an iconic 1972 VW Camper van. He will move in on Tuesday August 25 and return home on the Saturday ready for services on the Sunday.
“I will be packing my
[Christianity Today UK] 19 Aug 2008--A Herefordshire vicar is taking a novel approach to outreach by camping out in one of the villages he is responsible for in an attempt to get to know the people better.
Simon Lockett has been in charge of five churches in the area of the county known as the Golden Valley since the end of 2006.
“The parishes are quite scattered in this most rural part of Herefordshire,” said Simon, “and I live in Madley, probably the most accessible of them all. But the problem for a modern day vicar is not being able to live in all the communities that he serves.”
To this end, Simon has come up with a plan to spend four days in the villages of Turnastone and Vowchurch living and working from an iconic 1972 VW Camper van. He will move in on Tuesday August 25 and return home on the Saturday ready for services on the Sunday.
“I will be packing my
The Saddleback Small Group Difference
http://www.christianitytoday.com/smallgroups/articles/saddlebacksgdifference.html
[Christianity Today] 19 Aug 2008--I'm often asked what Saddleback Church does differently in our small group strategy. My answer is, "not one thing." Because, in fact, we probably do several things that many other churches also do. But what has been so interesting is to watch how God uses the combination of many different things to reach people and connect them into life-changing small groups.
This combination of eight key principles is what we characterize as the Saddleback difference.
[Christianity Today] 19 Aug 2008--I'm often asked what Saddleback Church does differently in our small group strategy. My answer is, "not one thing." Because, in fact, we probably do several things that many other churches also do. But what has been so interesting is to watch how God uses the combination of many different things to reach people and connect them into life-changing small groups.
This combination of eight key principles is what we characterize as the Saddleback difference.
'American Teen' - Not a Pretty Picture
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080818/-american-teen-not-a-pretty-picture.htm
[The Christian Post] 19 Aug 2008--Nanette Burstein's "American Teen" documentary has hit the big screen with a limited release in major American cities. The film purports to be a realistic view of American adolescence, as Burstein went to Warsaw, Indiana in order to follow five teenagers through their senior year in high school. Parents who see the film will wonder if the documentary is as realistic as Burstein claims - but they will worry that it is true.
"American Teen" won the Best Directing award for Burstein at the Sundance Film Festival, where the documentary was enthusiastically received. The big question now is whether the public will pay theater prices to see a film about what goes on at the local high school. Time will tell. In the meantime, the film is attracting controversy.
[The Christian Post] 19 Aug 2008--Nanette Burstein's "American Teen" documentary has hit the big screen with a limited release in major American cities. The film purports to be a realistic view of American adolescence, as Burstein went to Warsaw, Indiana in order to follow five teenagers through their senior year in high school. Parents who see the film will wonder if the documentary is as realistic as Burstein claims - but they will worry that it is true.
"American Teen" won the Best Directing award for Burstein at the Sundance Film Festival, where the documentary was enthusiastically received. The big question now is whether the public will pay theater prices to see a film about what goes on at the local high school. Time will tell. In the meantime, the film is attracting controversy.
Obama Caught Red-Handed in Abortion Lie
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081808.html
[LifeSite News] 19 Aug 2008--Barack Obama and National Right to Life went head-to-head over Obama's abortion record, and Obama blinked. The Democratic presidential candidate now has backed off his claims that pro-life advocates were "lying" over his vote to kill a bill that would have prevented infanticide in Illinois. Obama's campaign now acknowledges he "misrepresented" his position.
Obama's decision to sabotage the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) has repeatedly come back from the grave to haunt his campaign. Pro-life advocates, and National Right to Life, have hounded Obama over his "no" vote to BAIPA while a state senator in 2003.
BAIPA was a bill intended to clarify that any baby who is entirely expelled from his or her mother, and who shows any signs of life, is to be regarded as a legal "person" with all the rights thereto, whether or not the baby was born during an attempted abortion.
[LifeSite News] 19 Aug 2008--Barack Obama and National Right to Life went head-to-head over Obama's abortion record, and Obama blinked. The Democratic presidential candidate now has backed off his claims that pro-life advocates were "lying" over his vote to kill a bill that would have prevented infanticide in Illinois. Obama's campaign now acknowledges he "misrepresented" his position.
Obama's decision to sabotage the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) has repeatedly come back from the grave to haunt his campaign. Pro-life advocates, and National Right to Life, have hounded Obama over his "no" vote to BAIPA while a state senator in 2003.
BAIPA was a bill intended to clarify that any baby who is entirely expelled from his or her mother, and who shows any signs of life, is to be regarded as a legal "person" with all the rights thereto, whether or not the baby was born during an attempted abortion.
Evangelicals Praise McCain's Performance at Saddleback
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080818/evangelicals-praise-mccain-s-performance-at-saddleback.htm
[The Christian Post] 19 Aug 2008--Prominent evangelical leaders gave Sen. John McCain a thumbs up for his responses to questions posed by Pastor Rick Warren at Saturday evening’s Saddleback Civil Forum.
McCain was praised for clearly laying out his stance on divisive issues, such as abortion and the California marriage amendment, while opponent Sen. Barack Obama was criticized for what some saw as unclear or safe answers.
[The Christian Post] 19 Aug 2008--Prominent evangelical leaders gave Sen. John McCain a thumbs up for his responses to questions posed by Pastor Rick Warren at Saturday evening’s Saddleback Civil Forum.
McCain was praised for clearly laying out his stance on divisive issues, such as abortion and the California marriage amendment, while opponent Sen. Barack Obama was criticized for what some saw as unclear or safe answers.
Petition attacking Iris Robinson MP rejected
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/20080814/petition-attacking-iris-robinson-mp-rejected/
[The Christian Institute] 18 Aug 2008--The Prime Minister’s office has rejected a petition asking it to reprimand a Christian MP who expressed the Bible’s teaching about homosexual practice.
A statement published yesterday says, “There is no constitutional role for the Prime Minister to reprimand individual Members of Parliament who are accountable to their electorate for their own comments.”
[The Christian Institute] 18 Aug 2008--The Prime Minister’s office has rejected a petition asking it to reprimand a Christian MP who expressed the Bible’s teaching about homosexual practice.
A statement published yesterday says, “There is no constitutional role for the Prime Minister to reprimand individual Members of Parliament who are accountable to their electorate for their own comments.”
AAC: A message from Bishop David Anderson
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/08/18/aac-a-message-from-bishop-david-anderson/
[Anglican Mainstream] 19 Aug 2008--As I reflect on the strange times we live in with regard to the Church and the Anglican Communion, I am preparing for another birthday next week. I will by year’s end celebrate 64 years as an Anglican, thirty-six of them in Episcopal Church Holy Orders, and almost two years as a priest and then bishop in CANA (Nigeria), outside of TEC.
As early as 1988 I saw this conflict coming, but never imagined that it would be so worldwide or so bitter. Part of my amazement and disappointment has been with the duplicity of the current Archbishop of Canterbury, saying things in private that he has to act counter to in his public role. I could sympathize with his pain, but in reality the pain is of his own making. He can either change his mind over his privately held opinions, or he can step down from the office; either way his pain will go away. The fact that he has to espouse things publicly which the Anglican Communion is on record as believing and he secretly doesn’t believe, does damage to his spirit and soul.
[Anglican Mainstream] 19 Aug 2008--As I reflect on the strange times we live in with regard to the Church and the Anglican Communion, I am preparing for another birthday next week. I will by year’s end celebrate 64 years as an Anglican, thirty-six of them in Episcopal Church Holy Orders, and almost two years as a priest and then bishop in CANA (Nigeria), outside of TEC.
As early as 1988 I saw this conflict coming, but never imagined that it would be so worldwide or so bitter. Part of my amazement and disappointment has been with the duplicity of the current Archbishop of Canterbury, saying things in private that he has to act counter to in his public role. I could sympathize with his pain, but in reality the pain is of his own making. He can either change his mind over his privately held opinions, or he can step down from the office; either way his pain will go away. The fact that he has to espouse things publicly which the Anglican Communion is on record as believing and he secretly doesn’t believe, does damage to his spirit and soul.
Analysis: Will the Lambeth Conference bring peace to the Anglican world?
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2509
[Religious Intelligence] 19 Aug 2008--Chou En Lai excited ridicule for saying it was still too soon to judge the results of the French Revolution but such caution is the wisest response to this year’s Lambeth Conference. This hasn’t stopped two bishops telling The Sunday Telegraph we need an ‘orderly separation’ of liberals and traditionalists or The Times declaring that Anglicans have ‘reaffirmed their mutual bonds’ or Theo Hobson moaning to readers of The Guardian that Rowan Williams has stamped his authority on the Anglican Communion and turned his back on liberalism, but the wide spectrum of comment being offered tells us the dust has still to settle.
Actually it is hard to see how there could be an ‘orderly separation’ between traditionalists and liberals because in many cases the fault-lines do not lie between provinces but within them. In America attempts are to be made in September to depose traditionalist bishops while court battles rage over church property. There is nothing orderly about this.
[Religious Intelligence] 19 Aug 2008--Chou En Lai excited ridicule for saying it was still too soon to judge the results of the French Revolution but such caution is the wisest response to this year’s Lambeth Conference. This hasn’t stopped two bishops telling The Sunday Telegraph we need an ‘orderly separation’ of liberals and traditionalists or The Times declaring that Anglicans have ‘reaffirmed their mutual bonds’ or Theo Hobson moaning to readers of The Guardian that Rowan Williams has stamped his authority on the Anglican Communion and turned his back on liberalism, but the wide spectrum of comment being offered tells us the dust has still to settle.
Actually it is hard to see how there could be an ‘orderly separation’ between traditionalists and liberals because in many cases the fault-lines do not lie between provinces but within them. In America attempts are to be made in September to depose traditionalist bishops while court battles rage over church property. There is nothing orderly about this.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Calls for Bennison to be defrocked
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2506
[Religious Intelligence] 18 Aug 2008--Sentencing recommendations have been submitted in the trial of the Bishop of Pennsylvania, calling for the Rt Rev Charles E Bennison, Jr, to be defrocked.
On July 30, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Pennsylvania --- the diocese’s governing board --- stated Bishop Bennison should be removed from the ordained ministry. US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, however, advocated a less severe penalty, urging the bishop never be permitted to hold episcopal office again.
[Religious Intelligence] 18 Aug 2008--Sentencing recommendations have been submitted in the trial of the Bishop of Pennsylvania, calling for the Rt Rev Charles E Bennison, Jr, to be defrocked.
On July 30, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Pennsylvania --- the diocese’s governing board --- stated Bishop Bennison should be removed from the ordained ministry. US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, however, advocated a less severe penalty, urging the bishop never be permitted to hold episcopal office again.
Never Underestimate the Importance of a Good Party
http://www.christianitytoday.com/smallgroups/articles/neverunderestimateaparty.html
[Christianity Today] 18 Aug 2008--Everyone loves parties. From little kids excited about a birthday party to young ladies all atwitter at bridal showers, everyone loves a party! Whether it's wedding receptions and anniversaries or tailgate gatherings, getting together with good friends and tasty food is a can't-miss recipe for fun.
Never underestimate the importance of a good party or social activity as a way to build your group. In the small groups at my home church, we learned we could easily double our regular small-group attendance with unchurched friends if the group members invited them to a party or two first.
[Christianity Today] 18 Aug 2008--Everyone loves parties. From little kids excited about a birthday party to young ladies all atwitter at bridal showers, everyone loves a party! Whether it's wedding receptions and anniversaries or tailgate gatherings, getting together with good friends and tasty food is a can't-miss recipe for fun.
Never underestimate the importance of a good party or social activity as a way to build your group. In the small groups at my home church, we learned we could easily double our regular small-group attendance with unchurched friends if the group members invited them to a party or two first.
Chinese officials seize Bibles from US missionaries
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/chinese.officials.seize.bibles.from.us.missionaries/21236.htm
[Christianity Today UK] 18 Aug 2008--Officials at Kunming International Airport in China seized suitcases full of Bibles being carried into the country by four American Christians on Sunday.
Pat Klein, Steve Nichols, Forrest Higginbotham and his 15-year-old grandson Stephen Constantinou were carrying around 300 Bibles when they were stopped after flying into Kunming from Thailand.
[Christianity Today UK] 18 Aug 2008--Officials at Kunming International Airport in China seized suitcases full of Bibles being carried into the country by four American Christians on Sunday.
Pat Klein, Steve Nichols, Forrest Higginbotham and his 15-year-old grandson Stephen Constantinou were carrying around 300 Bibles when they were stopped after flying into Kunming from Thailand.
Angelican Agonies
http://ncregister.com/site/article/15638/
[National Catholic Register] 18 Aug 2008--This summer the Anglican church is in meltdown. Two issues have revealed the deeper fault lines in the foundations of Anglicanism, and these faults are producing the Anglican Communion's most severe earthquake ever. The two issues are homosexuality and the role of women in the church. The fault lines are the question of Anglican identity and authority in the church.
To understand the fissures that are widening within Anglicanism, it's necessary to understand the nature of the Anglican church. Anglicans have always prided themselves on being an inclusive, broad church. There are three basic groups of priests within Anglicanism: evangelical, liberal and Anglo-Catholic.
[National Catholic Register] 18 Aug 2008--This summer the Anglican church is in meltdown. Two issues have revealed the deeper fault lines in the foundations of Anglicanism, and these faults are producing the Anglican Communion's most severe earthquake ever. The two issues are homosexuality and the role of women in the church. The fault lines are the question of Anglican identity and authority in the church.
To understand the fissures that are widening within Anglicanism, it's necessary to understand the nature of the Anglican church. Anglicans have always prided themselves on being an inclusive, broad church. There are three basic groups of priests within Anglicanism: evangelical, liberal and Anglo-Catholic.
Apostle to generation wired
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/sydneystories/apostle_to_generation_wired/
[sydneyanglicans.net] 18 Aug 2008--Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, has arrived in Australia for a range of speaking engagements. Sydneyanglicans.net spoke to the hippest hero for young evangelicals and found a man ‘grieved’ that the ipod generation might idolise him instead of Jesus.
“I think about Jesus a lot and hope and pray that I point to him rather than myself, as he is the hero.”
[sydneyanglicans.net] 18 Aug 2008--Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, has arrived in Australia for a range of speaking engagements. Sydneyanglicans.net spoke to the hippest hero for young evangelicals and found a man ‘grieved’ that the ipod generation might idolise him instead of Jesus.
“I think about Jesus a lot and hope and pray that I point to him rather than myself, as he is the hero.”
Why not every scientist worships at Darwin's feet
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/why-not-every-scientist-worships-at-darwins-feet/2008/08/17/1218911450452.html
[The Sydney Morning Herlad] 18 Aug 2008--Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species. The momentous occasion will be celebrated with new books, articles, documentaries and editorials. One commentator has called for a public holiday in Britain to honour Darwin - the "humble Shrewsbury family man who changed the world forever".
For some, this anniversary celebrates the high point of human liberation from stultifying religion and superstition, our freedom from past theological "delusions". For others, it is more complicated.
[The Sydney Morning Herlad] 18 Aug 2008--Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species. The momentous occasion will be celebrated with new books, articles, documentaries and editorials. One commentator has called for a public holiday in Britain to honour Darwin - the "humble Shrewsbury family man who changed the world forever".
For some, this anniversary celebrates the high point of human liberation from stultifying religion and superstition, our freedom from past theological "delusions". For others, it is more complicated.
Hard core Jesus = Hard-core gospel
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/insight/hard_core_jesus_hard_core_gospel/
[sydneyanglicans.net] 18 Aug 2008--This is an extract from a talk Mark Driscoll gave in Edinburgh, Scotland in November last year which caused some controversy.
Jesus is our ‘propitiation’. This word appears four times in the Greek New Testament. Most translations don’t include it. They say, “People don’t know what the word ‘propitiation’ means”, so they put in other words like ‘sacrifice of atonement’. [But] people don’t know what those words mean either! So I don’t think it helps. Use the word. It’s a good word.
[sydneyanglicans.net] 18 Aug 2008--This is an extract from a talk Mark Driscoll gave in Edinburgh, Scotland in November last year which caused some controversy.
Jesus is our ‘propitiation’. This word appears four times in the Greek New Testament. Most translations don’t include it. They say, “People don’t know what the word ‘propitiation’ means”, so they put in other words like ‘sacrifice of atonement’. [But] people don’t know what those words mean either! So I don’t think it helps. Use the word. It’s a good word.
Leader: The story of Lambeth ’08
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=61604
[Church Times] 18 Aug 2008--It is troubling that, five days after the close of the Lambeth Conference, many people are asking: what did the bishops do? We suspect that some bishops fall into this group, and not just those who stayed away. Part of the reason for the uncertainty is that the bishops did many things. We hope that our digest of the long Reflections document will help readers to pick out the most important of these.
They did talk about sexuality. They did talk about the threat of schism and the means of heading it off. The two-and-a-half weeks in Canterbury were not an avoidance exercise; for it was known beforehand that the Conference by itself had no authority to resolve the crisis over homosexuality, even had the GAFCON bishops been present. For this reason, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his team devised a programme that emphasised conversation rather than resolution.
[Church Times] 18 Aug 2008--It is troubling that, five days after the close of the Lambeth Conference, many people are asking: what did the bishops do? We suspect that some bishops fall into this group, and not just those who stayed away. Part of the reason for the uncertainty is that the bishops did many things. We hope that our digest of the long Reflections document will help readers to pick out the most important of these.
They did talk about sexuality. They did talk about the threat of schism and the means of heading it off. The two-and-a-half weeks in Canterbury were not an avoidance exercise; for it was known beforehand that the Conference by itself had no authority to resolve the crisis over homosexuality, even had the GAFCON bishops been present. For this reason, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his team devised a programme that emphasised conversation rather than resolution.
State high court to rule in local civil rights case
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/18//news/sandiego//zc7ad298357ea8aee882574a70004b1d1.txt
[North County Times] 18 Aug 2008--The California Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Monday in a North County case that pits religious freedoms against protection from discrimination.
The question before the court is whether doctors can cite religious beliefs in refusing to provide a nonemergency treatment to gays and lesbians. The case, a clash of civil rights, has landmark potential that could reverberate throughout the state.
[North County Times] 18 Aug 2008--The California Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Monday in a North County case that pits religious freedoms against protection from discrimination.
The question before the court is whether doctors can cite religious beliefs in refusing to provide a nonemergency treatment to gays and lesbians. The case, a clash of civil rights, has landmark potential that could reverberate throughout the state.
A third of British Muslim students back killing in the name of Islam
http://www.religiousintelligence.com/news/?NewsID=2501
[Religious Intelligence] 18 Aug 2008--Some 32 per cent of British Muslim students believe that killing in the name of Islam is justified, according to a poll by YouGov, a British polling agency.
The study, commissioned by the Centre for Social Cohesion, further indicated that 40 per cent of Muslim students agree with the introduction of Islamic law (Sharia) in Britain.
[Religious Intelligence] 18 Aug 2008--Some 32 per cent of British Muslim students believe that killing in the name of Islam is justified, according to a poll by YouGov, a British polling agency.
The study, commissioned by the Centre for Social Cohesion, further indicated that 40 per cent of Muslim students agree with the introduction of Islamic law (Sharia) in Britain.
The Rising of the Perfect Storm
http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2008/08/rising-of-perfect-storm.html
[BabyBlueOnline] 18 Aug 2008--Will The Episcopal Church sacrifice its prophetic witness for full inclusion in order to protect its full standing in the Anglican Communion? Executive Council and House of Deputies member Canon Mark Harris seriously considers the possibility that it will not.
Some are calling the decision before The Episcopal Church (TEC) - between, on one hand, remaining in the Anglican Communion under the moratorium prohibiting the blessing/marriages of same sex couples as well as prohibiting the election and consecration of non-celibate homosexuals or, on the other hand, embracing what has been described as the "prophetic witness of full inclusion" as an Episcopal-version of Sophie's Choice.
[BabyBlueOnline] 18 Aug 2008--Will The Episcopal Church sacrifice its prophetic witness for full inclusion in order to protect its full standing in the Anglican Communion? Executive Council and House of Deputies member Canon Mark Harris seriously considers the possibility that it will not.
Some are calling the decision before The Episcopal Church (TEC) - between, on one hand, remaining in the Anglican Communion under the moratorium prohibiting the blessing/marriages of same sex couples as well as prohibiting the election and consecration of non-celibate homosexuals or, on the other hand, embracing what has been described as the "prophetic witness of full inclusion" as an Episcopal-version of Sophie's Choice.
The Great Lie - Ananias and Sapphira
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/15496/
[Stand Firm] 18 Aug 2008--On Wednesday we reported on the proposed resolution from Louie Crew that Dioceses should not be allowed a vote at GC2009 if they had not paid their fair share of the costs of that Convention.
As Jackie noted in that post, Crew had added some of the text of Acts 5 in order to back up his motion, namely these....
[Stand Firm] 18 Aug 2008--On Wednesday we reported on the proposed resolution from Louie Crew that Dioceses should not be allowed a vote at GC2009 if they had not paid their fair share of the costs of that Convention.
As Jackie noted in that post, Crew had added some of the text of Acts 5 in order to back up his motion, namely these....
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Gay 'Marriage' Opponents Seek to Reverse New Law
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080816/gay-marriage-opponents-seek-to-reverse-new-law.htm
[The Christian Post] 16 Aug 2008--The gay "marriage" fight in Massachusetts might not be over after all.
Opponents of same-sex "marriages" are seeking a ballot question that would prevent gay and lesbian couples from getting married here if their union wouldn't be legal in their home state.
Brian Camenker of the group Mass Resistance said Friday lawmakers and Gov. Deval Patrick bowed to the will of the "gay lobby" last month by approving the repeal of a 1913 statute that banned such marriages.
[The Christian Post] 16 Aug 2008--The gay "marriage" fight in Massachusetts might not be over after all.
Opponents of same-sex "marriages" are seeking a ballot question that would prevent gay and lesbian couples from getting married here if their union wouldn't be legal in their home state.
Brian Camenker of the group Mass Resistance said Friday lawmakers and Gov. Deval Patrick bowed to the will of the "gay lobby" last month by approving the repeal of a 1913 statute that banned such marriages.
Abortion Leader Confirms that Democratic Platform is More Pro-Abortion than Ever
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081509.html
[LifeSite News] 16 Aug 2008--Pro-Abortion leader Francis Kissling has published an article acknowledging that the new Democratic Party platform favors the cause of abortion and sex education, even more so than in previous years.
Kissling notes that the new platform "derives its moral authority from 'a woman's right to choose safe and legal abortion'", unlike older ones that spoke merely of "privacy."
She is also delighted that the platform makes no mention of making abortion "rare", and for the first time mentions "sex education", which is frequently used to promote contraception, abortion, "alternative sexual lifestyles" and extra-marital sex.
"A notable omission is the Clintonian phrase 'safe, legal and rare,' replaced by a more honest and modest goal of reducing unintended pregnancy through better health care, family planning and comprehensive sex education. Sex education was not even mentioned in the old Platform," Kissling writes.
Kissling dismisses the claim recently made by some Obama supporters that the new platform has pro-life elements: "The progressive pro-life desire to see the Platform commit to reducing abortions was subtly undercut; this year, the Platform merely 'recognizes' that sex ed, family planning and good health care will have the effect of reducing the need for abortion."
[LifeSite News] 16 Aug 2008--Pro-Abortion leader Francis Kissling has published an article acknowledging that the new Democratic Party platform favors the cause of abortion and sex education, even more so than in previous years.
Kissling notes that the new platform "derives its moral authority from 'a woman's right to choose safe and legal abortion'", unlike older ones that spoke merely of "privacy."
She is also delighted that the platform makes no mention of making abortion "rare", and for the first time mentions "sex education", which is frequently used to promote contraception, abortion, "alternative sexual lifestyles" and extra-marital sex.
"A notable omission is the Clintonian phrase 'safe, legal and rare,' replaced by a more honest and modest goal of reducing unintended pregnancy through better health care, family planning and comprehensive sex education. Sex education was not even mentioned in the old Platform," Kissling writes.
Kissling dismisses the claim recently made by some Obama supporters that the new platform has pro-life elements: "The progressive pro-life desire to see the Platform commit to reducing abortions was subtly undercut; this year, the Platform merely 'recognizes' that sex ed, family planning and good health care will have the effect of reducing the need for abortion."
Is it time to step back?
http://anglicanfuture.blogspot.com/2008/08/is-it-time-to-step-back.html
[Preludium] 16 Aug 2008--...Here is the sort of letter I was imagining. It is addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to the Anglican Consultative Council.
"The Episcopal Church wishes to affirm that it is, for its part, in full communion with all the churches in the Anglican Communion and that this fellowship of churches constitutes our most immediate family in the wider ecumenical witness of Christian churches. In particular we affirm that we are, for our part, in communion with the See of Canterbury. We recognize that every such affirmation must be met by mutual recognition for that communion to indeed be full and it is our prayer that the several churches of the Anglican Communion and in particular the See of Canterbury, and therefore the Church of England, will be able to affirm this state as well....
[Preludium] 16 Aug 2008--...Here is the sort of letter I was imagining. It is addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to the Anglican Consultative Council.
"The Episcopal Church wishes to affirm that it is, for its part, in full communion with all the churches in the Anglican Communion and that this fellowship of churches constitutes our most immediate family in the wider ecumenical witness of Christian churches. In particular we affirm that we are, for our part, in communion with the See of Canterbury. We recognize that every such affirmation must be met by mutual recognition for that communion to indeed be full and it is our prayer that the several churches of the Anglican Communion and in particular the See of Canterbury, and therefore the Church of England, will be able to affirm this state as well....
Pittsburgh Assisting Bishop to Step Down
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/15/pittsburgh-assisting-bishop-to-step-down
[The Living Church] 16 Aug 2008--Assisting Bishop Henry Scriven of Pittsburgh will be leaving the diocese and returning to his native England to take up a new position as part of plans to integrate the South American Missionary Society (SAMS) and the Church Mission Society (CMS).
The CMS and SAMS are planning to join together progressively from January 2009, subject to final negotiations and decisions by their respective governing bodies.
Bishop Scriven will initially work in a leadership role within SAMS but it is planned that he will ultimately become the Mission Director for South America for the new joint entity, according to release prepared by the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Related letter:
http://www.pitanglican.org/news/local/filesforposting/BishopScrivenLetter081508.pdf
A Letter from Assisting Bishop of Pittsburgh Henry Scriven to the Diocese - The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
[The Living Church] 16 Aug 2008--Assisting Bishop Henry Scriven of Pittsburgh will be leaving the diocese and returning to his native England to take up a new position as part of plans to integrate the South American Missionary Society (SAMS) and the Church Mission Society (CMS).
The CMS and SAMS are planning to join together progressively from January 2009, subject to final negotiations and decisions by their respective governing bodies.
Bishop Scriven will initially work in a leadership role within SAMS but it is planned that he will ultimately become the Mission Director for South America for the new joint entity, according to release prepared by the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Related letter:
http://www.pitanglican.org/news/local/filesforposting/BishopScrivenLetter081508.pdf
A Letter from Assisting Bishop of Pittsburgh Henry Scriven to the Diocese - The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Friday, August 15, 2008
Bishops offer lead to Catholics: Wait and be charitable
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=61855
[Church Times] 15 Aug 2008--Traditionalist Anglo-Catholic bishops have reached out to a wing of the Church of England that they describe as shocked, bewildered, and disappointed after the General Synod’s vote in July for a statutory code of practice for objectors to the ordination of women as bishops. They are advising like-minded clergy that all may not yet be lost.
But the Manchester Group and the House of Bishops must be “in no doubt about the seriousness of the situation”, insist the Bishops of Beverley, Blackburn, Burnley, Chichester, Ebbsfleet, Edmonton, Fulham, Gibraltar in Europe, Horsham, Plymouth, Pontefract, Richborough, and Whitby, and the Assistant Bishop of Newcastle.
[Church Times] 15 Aug 2008--Traditionalist Anglo-Catholic bishops have reached out to a wing of the Church of England that they describe as shocked, bewildered, and disappointed after the General Synod’s vote in July for a statutory code of practice for objectors to the ordination of women as bishops. They are advising like-minded clergy that all may not yet be lost.
But the Manchester Group and the House of Bishops must be “in no doubt about the seriousness of the situation”, insist the Bishops of Beverley, Blackburn, Burnley, Chichester, Ebbsfleet, Edmonton, Fulham, Gibraltar in Europe, Horsham, Plymouth, Pontefract, Richborough, and Whitby, and the Assistant Bishop of Newcastle.
US accuses Russia of campaign of scorched earth in Georgia
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4535378.ece
[Times Online] 15 Aug 2008--The United States accused Russia yesterday of waging a campaign to cripple Georgia’s ability to defend itself in the future.
As American military transport aircraft landed in Tbilisi to strong complaints from Moscow, the Russian Army undertook search-and-destroy missions on Georgian soil, defying the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Sarkozy of France.
Tanks and soldiers continued to occupy Gori despite promising to leave by yesterday. A Georgian military base in the city was destroyed and the Georgian Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe accused the Russians of laying mines before a withdrawal.
[Times Online] 15 Aug 2008--The United States accused Russia yesterday of waging a campaign to cripple Georgia’s ability to defend itself in the future.
As American military transport aircraft landed in Tbilisi to strong complaints from Moscow, the Russian Army undertook search-and-destroy missions on Georgian soil, defying the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Sarkozy of France.
Tanks and soldiers continued to occupy Gori despite promising to leave by yesterday. A Georgian military base in the city was destroyed and the Georgian Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe accused the Russians of laying mines before a withdrawal.
Can We Not Give One Hour to Adult Education?
http://www.kendallharmon.net/t19/index.php/t19/article/15447/#more
[TitusOneNine] 15 Aug 2008--How can the Episcopal Church claim to be the thinking people’s church when so few parishes devote sufficient time to adult education on Sunday mornings?
It is a question worthy of much pondering. I think we should where at all possible give one hour to adult spiritual formation on the Lord’s day — but if you study how parishes actually function, the number who use this standard is precious few.
In some parishes there is little or no adult education to speak of on Sunday mornings, whereas there are such offerings for children. But following Christ is a life long call, and this approach won’t do.
Thankfully in the last two to three decades more and more parishes are offering adult education on the Sabbath day. But how much time do they give them?
[TitusOneNine] 15 Aug 2008--How can the Episcopal Church claim to be the thinking people’s church when so few parishes devote sufficient time to adult education on Sunday mornings?
It is a question worthy of much pondering. I think we should where at all possible give one hour to adult spiritual formation on the Lord’s day — but if you study how parishes actually function, the number who use this standard is precious few.
In some parishes there is little or no adult education to speak of on Sunday mornings, whereas there are such offerings for children. But following Christ is a life long call, and this approach won’t do.
Thankfully in the last two to three decades more and more parishes are offering adult education on the Sabbath day. But how much time do they give them?
Christian Students Locked Up for Protesting Bible Burning
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080813/christian-students-locked-up-for-protesting-bible-burning.htm
[The Christian Post] 15 Aug 2008--Several high school students in Eritrea were locked up earlier this month in metal shipping containers as punishment for protesting the burning of hundreds of Bibles.
The students had objected when military authorities at Sawa Defense Training Center near Eritrea’s border with Sudan began burning more than 1,500 Bibles that were confiscated from new students enrolled in the upcoming academic year on Aug. 5, a source told the persecution watchdog agency Compass Direct News.
Authorities told the male students that the military training school they were at is a place of patriotism and not of “Pentes” (Pentecostals).
Eritrea requires students to enroll in military training centers in order to graduate from high school.
[The Christian Post] 15 Aug 2008--Several high school students in Eritrea were locked up earlier this month in metal shipping containers as punishment for protesting the burning of hundreds of Bibles.
The students had objected when military authorities at Sawa Defense Training Center near Eritrea’s border with Sudan began burning more than 1,500 Bibles that were confiscated from new students enrolled in the upcoming academic year on Aug. 5, a source told the persecution watchdog agency Compass Direct News.
Authorities told the male students that the military training school they were at is a place of patriotism and not of “Pentes” (Pentecostals).
Eritrea requires students to enroll in military training centers in order to graduate from high school.
Many Evangelical Denominations Have No Megachurches, Survey Finds
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080814/many-evangelical-denominations-have-no-megachurches-survey-finds.htm
[The Christian Post] 15 Aug 2008--Many evangelical church denominations have no megachurches, a new survey finds.
Evangelical leaders participating in the July survey of the National Association of Evangelicals reported that their denomination has few, if any, large churches.
Moreover, “none” was the top answer from evangelical leaders when asked about the role megachurches play in their denominations.
“The numbers show that megachurches are relatively few in America. They make up less than one percent of the total number of congregations,” commented Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, in a statement.
“However, they have a disproportionate influence and visibility. They are the leaders to which pastors and other church leaders look for how to do church,” he added.
[The Christian Post] 15 Aug 2008--Many evangelical church denominations have no megachurches, a new survey finds.
Evangelical leaders participating in the July survey of the National Association of Evangelicals reported that their denomination has few, if any, large churches.
Moreover, “none” was the top answer from evangelical leaders when asked about the role megachurches play in their denominations.
“The numbers show that megachurches are relatively few in America. They make up less than one percent of the total number of congregations,” commented Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, in a statement.
“However, they have a disproportionate influence and visibility. They are the leaders to which pastors and other church leaders look for how to do church,” he added.
New England Journal of Medicine: 'Brain Death' is not Death - Organ Donors are Alive
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081406.html
[LifeSiteNews] 15 Aug 2008--In an article that is sure to rock the world of organ donation, the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has backed up the objections of various pro-life groups, as well as some scientists and physicians, to certain types of organ donation which involve the removal of vital organs from patients believed to be dead. The problem, say the authors of the NEJM article, is that in many cases these patients may not be dead at all.
Key experts in the medical field have, since its inception, considered the 1968 invention of 'brain death' and the more recent criteria of 'cardiac death' as unsupportable criteria for true death. If it is true, however, that brain death and cardiac death are invalid as criteria for true death, it would make morally illicit vital organ donation, since such donation would in some cases result directly in the killing of the donor for the purpose of harvesting his organs.
The two authors of the article in the NEJM, both proponents of organ donation, argue that "as an ethical requirement for organ donation, the dead donor rule has required unnecessary and unsupportable revisions of the definition of death."
[LifeSiteNews] 15 Aug 2008--In an article that is sure to rock the world of organ donation, the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has backed up the objections of various pro-life groups, as well as some scientists and physicians, to certain types of organ donation which involve the removal of vital organs from patients believed to be dead. The problem, say the authors of the NEJM article, is that in many cases these patients may not be dead at all.
Key experts in the medical field have, since its inception, considered the 1968 invention of 'brain death' and the more recent criteria of 'cardiac death' as unsupportable criteria for true death. If it is true, however, that brain death and cardiac death are invalid as criteria for true death, it would make morally illicit vital organ donation, since such donation would in some cases result directly in the killing of the donor for the purpose of harvesting his organs.
The two authors of the article in the NEJM, both proponents of organ donation, argue that "as an ethical requirement for organ donation, the dead donor rule has required unnecessary and unsupportable revisions of the definition of death."
Why I leaked the Archbishop’s letters
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article4533744.ece
[Times Online] 15 Aug 2008--Sir, The Bishop of Durham in his articulate letter (Aug 9) regarding the leaking of the Williams letters makes some useful clarifications and I am grateful for his statements regarding Dr Williams’s closing address at the Lambeth Conference.
As for why I decided to offer his letters to the public arena, I have written to Dr Wright at length, but suffice it to say that as events moved from GAFCon to Lambeth I became almost sure for various reasons that the liberals knew far more about Dr Williams’s personal views than the traditionalists did and, if so, the balance should be redressed.
[Times Online] 15 Aug 2008--Sir, The Bishop of Durham in his articulate letter (Aug 9) regarding the leaking of the Williams letters makes some useful clarifications and I am grateful for his statements regarding Dr Williams’s closing address at the Lambeth Conference.
As for why I decided to offer his letters to the public arena, I have written to Dr Wright at length, but suffice it to say that as events moved from GAFCon to Lambeth I became almost sure for various reasons that the liberals knew far more about Dr Williams’s personal views than the traditionalists did and, if so, the balance should be redressed.
McDonald's Restaurants Continue to Promote Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081412.html
[LifeSite News] 15 Aug 2008--A press release from the American Family Association has given an update on the involvement of McDonald's in the promotion of homosexuality.
"Now we learn that McDonald's sponsors training for homosexuals on how to promote their agenda among corporations from the inside. Out & Equal™ Workplace Advocates is a national organization devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the workplace," the press release states.
"One of its primary purposes is to train employees how to aggressively promote homosexuality within the company they work for, all the way to the corporate boardroom. Part of last year's Out & Equal Summit in Washington, DC, (sponsored by McDonald's) was an organized march into congressional offices demanding same-sex marriage laws be passed."
"At the bottom of McDonald's half-page ad in the Out & Equal Summit booklet is this statement: 'From neighborhood to neighborhood, coast to coast and around the world, McDonald's is proud to celebrate diversity,'" the press release concludes.
[LifeSite News] 15 Aug 2008--A press release from the American Family Association has given an update on the involvement of McDonald's in the promotion of homosexuality.
"Now we learn that McDonald's sponsors training for homosexuals on how to promote their agenda among corporations from the inside. Out & Equal™ Workplace Advocates is a national organization devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the workplace," the press release states.
"One of its primary purposes is to train employees how to aggressively promote homosexuality within the company they work for, all the way to the corporate boardroom. Part of last year's Out & Equal Summit in Washington, DC, (sponsored by McDonald's) was an organized march into congressional offices demanding same-sex marriage laws be passed."
"At the bottom of McDonald's half-page ad in the Out & Equal Summit booklet is this statement: 'From neighborhood to neighborhood, coast to coast and around the world, McDonald's is proud to celebrate diversity,'" the press release concludes.
Setting The Record Straight (Before It Gets Crooked)
http://cariocaconfessions.blogspot.com/2008/08/setting-record-straight-before-its.html
[Confessions of a Carioca] 15 Aug 2008--On July 10th, the Right Revd Jerry Lamb, putative bishop of the putative "Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin", wrote this letter to the clergy of the diocese as it was constituted prior to December 8, 2007. It gave August 5th as the deadline for receiving responses from said clergy as to their intentions with respect to their future relationship to the Episcopal Church. Apparently it was not a precision operation. I know of at least two female deacons who were addressed as "Dear Father N." I also know of two presbyters who never received the letter.
In any case, I am given to understand that the Standing Committee of the (rogue and illicit) Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is set to meet this Friday. One might reasonably presume that their agenda includes taking notice of responses received and not received by last week's deadline. One might further presume that a goodly number of letters will be in the mail shortly informing their recipients that they have been deposed from the ordained ministry as the Episcopal Church understands ordained ministry.
[Confessions of a Carioca] 15 Aug 2008--On July 10th, the Right Revd Jerry Lamb, putative bishop of the putative "Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin", wrote this letter to the clergy of the diocese as it was constituted prior to December 8, 2007. It gave August 5th as the deadline for receiving responses from said clergy as to their intentions with respect to their future relationship to the Episcopal Church. Apparently it was not a precision operation. I know of at least two female deacons who were addressed as "Dear Father N." I also know of two presbyters who never received the letter.
In any case, I am given to understand that the Standing Committee of the (rogue and illicit) Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is set to meet this Friday. One might reasonably presume that their agenda includes taking notice of responses received and not received by last week's deadline. One might further presume that a goodly number of letters will be in the mail shortly informing their recipients that they have been deposed from the ordained ministry as the Episcopal Church understands ordained ministry.
Netherlands Recognises Polygamous Marriages of Muslims reports Dutch Newspaper
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081404.html
[LifeSite News] 15 Aug 2008--Two Dutch cities have instructed their marriage registrars to recognize polygamous marriages of immigrants that have taken place in countries where having more than one wife is permitted, such as Morocco.
Although polygamy is technically banned in the Netherlands, the marriages of Muslims who have several wives are now recognized by Dutch authorities in the cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, reports the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.
Until now, registrars in the major cities had been recording the irregular marriages of immigrants, but the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS), where all marriages are registered nationally, has been removing these bigamous or polygamous marriages from its files, on the assumption that administrative errors had occurred, reports NIS News.
The city councils of Amsterdam and Rotterdam have informed the CBS that the marriage records are not a mistake.
[LifeSite News] 15 Aug 2008--Two Dutch cities have instructed their marriage registrars to recognize polygamous marriages of immigrants that have taken place in countries where having more than one wife is permitted, such as Morocco.
Although polygamy is technically banned in the Netherlands, the marriages of Muslims who have several wives are now recognized by Dutch authorities in the cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, reports the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.
Until now, registrars in the major cities had been recording the irregular marriages of immigrants, but the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS), where all marriages are registered nationally, has been removing these bigamous or polygamous marriages from its files, on the assumption that administrative errors had occurred, reports NIS News.
The city councils of Amsterdam and Rotterdam have informed the CBS that the marriage records are not a mistake.
Bishop Lamb: Unlikely to Depose San Joaquin Clergy Friday
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/14/bishop-lamb-unlikely-to-depose-san-joaquin-clergy-friday
[The Living Church] 15 Aug 2008--Bishop Jerry Lamb, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, said it is unlikely that there will be any action taken Aug. 15 at a meeting of the standing committee to depose clergy who failed to reply to a letter sent with an Aug. 5 deadline.
Bishop Lamb said it was within his canonical authority as the elected bishop of the Episcopal diocese to proceed to depose all clergy who did not respond affirmatively to the first of three options he outlined in a July 10 letter. But he said it was very unlikely that the standing committee would take any action toward that purpose at this time. He said a more likely prospect would be the issuance of another invitation leading to reconciliation.
[The Living Church] 15 Aug 2008--Bishop Jerry Lamb, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, said it is unlikely that there will be any action taken Aug. 15 at a meeting of the standing committee to depose clergy who failed to reply to a letter sent with an Aug. 5 deadline.
Bishop Lamb said it was within his canonical authority as the elected bishop of the Episcopal diocese to proceed to depose all clergy who did not respond affirmatively to the first of three options he outlined in a July 10 letter. But he said it was very unlikely that the standing committee would take any action toward that purpose at this time. He said a more likely prospect would be the issuance of another invitation leading to reconciliation.
Saudi man kills daughter after she converts
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2485
[Religious Intelligence] 15 Aug 2008--A Washington DC-based human rights group has said that a Saudi Arabian man cut out the tongue of his daughter and burned her to death following his discovery of her conversion from Islam to Christianity.
According to Gulf News, the girl heard about Jesus Christ through the internet, after which her father killed her “following a heated debate on religion”, the source indicated.
“Saudi Arabia has to treat Christians with the same respect that it wants Muslims to be treated in other countries”, began Jeff King, president of the human rights group who learned of the killing, International Christian Concern (ICC.) “It has to stop exporting hate and persecution against Christians in other countries.” The killer, who is currently in custody, works for the mutaween (Commission for promotion of virtue and prevention of vice), a branch of the government that enforces religious purity.
Saudi Arabian officials are reportedly using their large oil wealth to export the most intolerant version of Islam, known as “Wahhabism”, to other countries, including the United States.
[Religious Intelligence] 15 Aug 2008--A Washington DC-based human rights group has said that a Saudi Arabian man cut out the tongue of his daughter and burned her to death following his discovery of her conversion from Islam to Christianity.
According to Gulf News, the girl heard about Jesus Christ through the internet, after which her father killed her “following a heated debate on religion”, the source indicated.
“Saudi Arabia has to treat Christians with the same respect that it wants Muslims to be treated in other countries”, began Jeff King, president of the human rights group who learned of the killing, International Christian Concern (ICC.) “It has to stop exporting hate and persecution against Christians in other countries.” The killer, who is currently in custody, works for the mutaween (Commission for promotion of virtue and prevention of vice), a branch of the government that enforces religious purity.
Saudi Arabian officials are reportedly using their large oil wealth to export the most intolerant version of Islam, known as “Wahhabism”, to other countries, including the United States.
Patriarchs of Russia, Georgia Call for Conflict's End
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/14/patriarchs-of-russia-georgia-call-for-conflicts-end
[The Living Church] 15 Aug 2008--In a break with their respective governments, the patriarchs of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches have issued calls for peace.
The declarations have come even while troops from the Democratic Republic of Georgia continue to be routed by the Russian army, which has invaded in support of two separatist enclaves in Georgia.
[The Living Church] 15 Aug 2008--In a break with their respective governments, the patriarchs of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches have issued calls for peace.
The declarations have come even while troops from the Democratic Republic of Georgia continue to be routed by the Russian army, which has invaded in support of two separatist enclaves in Georgia.
Bishop backs ‘orderly split’
http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/bishop_backs_orderly_split_cen_15th_aug_2008/
[Global South Anglican] 15 Aug 2008--The Anglican Communion must prepare for “an orderly” separation if differences cannot be healed, claims the Bishop of Winchester (pictured). In a report addressed to his diocese relaying his reflections on the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt said that the Archbishop of Canterbury had three realistic options ahead of him after the next Primates meeting in 2009.
Firstly, Dr Williams will need to judge “whether there is a will for the Anglican Communion to go forward together in our Lord’s service,” claimed the Bishop. Secondly there existed the “terrifyingly difficult decision” of negotiating “an orderly separation”. And finally there is the looming possibility of watching a “more destructive separation take place around him.”
[Global South Anglican] 15 Aug 2008--The Anglican Communion must prepare for “an orderly” separation if differences cannot be healed, claims the Bishop of Winchester (pictured). In a report addressed to his diocese relaying his reflections on the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt said that the Archbishop of Canterbury had three realistic options ahead of him after the next Primates meeting in 2009.
Firstly, Dr Williams will need to judge “whether there is a will for the Anglican Communion to go forward together in our Lord’s service,” claimed the Bishop. Secondly there existed the “terrifyingly difficult decision” of negotiating “an orderly separation”. And finally there is the looming possibility of watching a “more destructive separation take place around him.”
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Joining the Resistance
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/august/22.48.html
[Christianity Today] 14 Aug 2008--Long before televisions and remote controls, people responded to evil by turning a blind eye. Leviticus 20 tells of a bleak period in Israel's history, when they substituted worship of the true God for worship of the Ammonite fire god, Molech. Part of the pagan ritual was to kill and burn children as sacrifices to appease Molech. God's severe warnings to Israel were dire. He held those who knew of the evil and did nothing as responsible as those who actually practiced child sacrifice. Leviticus 20:4–5 says, "If the people of the land look the other way as if nothing had happened when that man gives his child to the god Molech and fail to kill him, I will resolutely reject that man and his family, and him and all who join him in prostituting themselves in the rituals of the god Molech I will cut off from their people" (The Message).
I came away from Svey Pak wounded by the pain of these young girls forced to act like grown women. Changing the channel could no longer be my response to evil in the world. My newfound knowledge made me ready to face it, hate it, and resist it. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was the moment when I joined the resistance.
[Christianity Today] 14 Aug 2008--Long before televisions and remote controls, people responded to evil by turning a blind eye. Leviticus 20 tells of a bleak period in Israel's history, when they substituted worship of the true God for worship of the Ammonite fire god, Molech. Part of the pagan ritual was to kill and burn children as sacrifices to appease Molech. God's severe warnings to Israel were dire. He held those who knew of the evil and did nothing as responsible as those who actually practiced child sacrifice. Leviticus 20:4–5 says, "If the people of the land look the other way as if nothing had happened when that man gives his child to the god Molech and fail to kill him, I will resolutely reject that man and his family, and him and all who join him in prostituting themselves in the rituals of the god Molech I will cut off from their people" (The Message).
I came away from Svey Pak wounded by the pain of these young girls forced to act like grown women. Changing the channel could no longer be my response to evil in the world. My newfound knowledge made me ready to face it, hate it, and resist it. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was the moment when I joined the resistance.
Is Jesus the Only Way?
http://www.bpnews.net/BPCollectionNews.asp?ID=138
[Baptist Press] A June report by the Pew Research Center revealed some interesting stats: 57 percent of the evangelical surveyed reported believing that "many religions can lead to eternal life."
But that result was not as surprising as another discovered by Pew: 21 percent of those who identified themselves as "atheist" said they believe in a God or universal spirit. One must wonder whether many of those polled understood what it means to be an evangelical or an atheist. I also suspect that Kelly Boggs is correct in a recent Baptist Press article that many evangelicals confused the term "religion" with "denomination" -- which, if true, casts doubt on the validity of the 57 percent figure. (A LifeWay Research poll found that 31 percent of Protestant churchgoers believe a person can obtain eternal life through "religions other than Christianity.") The Pew Forum said that further research will be conducted to answer these questions.
A four-part article by Mike Licona.
[Baptist Press] A June report by the Pew Research Center revealed some interesting stats: 57 percent of the evangelical surveyed reported believing that "many religions can lead to eternal life."
But that result was not as surprising as another discovered by Pew: 21 percent of those who identified themselves as "atheist" said they believe in a God or universal spirit. One must wonder whether many of those polled understood what it means to be an evangelical or an atheist. I also suspect that Kelly Boggs is correct in a recent Baptist Press article that many evangelicals confused the term "religion" with "denomination" -- which, if true, casts doubt on the validity of the 57 percent figure. (A LifeWay Research poll found that 31 percent of Protestant churchgoers believe a person can obtain eternal life through "religions other than Christianity.") The Pew Forum said that further research will be conducted to answer these questions.
A four-part article by Mike Licona.
Personal reflections on Lambeth 2008
http://www.anglicannetwork.ca/mm_081108.htm
[Anglican Network in Canada] 14 Aug 2008--I was struck by the marked contrast between what I was hearing from Lambeth and what I experienced at the GAFCon meeting only a few weeks earlier in Jerusalem. The ambiguity and confusion created by Lambeth is in stark contrast to the clarity and joy of GAFCon. While Lambeth focused on holding together institutional unity in the absence of spiritual unity, GAFCon manifested the genuine unity of those who share the same Lord, the same Truth and the same Spirit. Those of us privileged to be in Jerusalem in June experienced daily symphonies of praise as brothers and sisters in Christ worshipped together in “one accord”.
Sadly, Lambeth again clearly demonstrated that there are those who call themselves Anglicans who have strayed far from Christian truth and have embraced another lord and a different gospel. The Archbishop of Canterbury, I believe, is struggling to do the impossible – hold together under the Anglican banner two utterly incompatible religions. Thus, the incoherence, the confusion, and the contradictions contained in the Lambeth documents. Compare the 42 page Lambeth “Reflections” document which says everything, but in the end says nothing, to the four page GAFCon statement, which offered a clear statement of faith and outlined next steps.
[Anglican Network in Canada] 14 Aug 2008--I was struck by the marked contrast between what I was hearing from Lambeth and what I experienced at the GAFCon meeting only a few weeks earlier in Jerusalem. The ambiguity and confusion created by Lambeth is in stark contrast to the clarity and joy of GAFCon. While Lambeth focused on holding together institutional unity in the absence of spiritual unity, GAFCon manifested the genuine unity of those who share the same Lord, the same Truth and the same Spirit. Those of us privileged to be in Jerusalem in June experienced daily symphonies of praise as brothers and sisters in Christ worshipped together in “one accord”.
Sadly, Lambeth again clearly demonstrated that there are those who call themselves Anglicans who have strayed far from Christian truth and have embraced another lord and a different gospel. The Archbishop of Canterbury, I believe, is struggling to do the impossible – hold together under the Anglican banner two utterly incompatible religions. Thus, the incoherence, the confusion, and the contradictions contained in the Lambeth documents. Compare the 42 page Lambeth “Reflections” document which says everything, but in the end says nothing, to the four page GAFCon statement, which offered a clear statement of faith and outlined next steps.
Land, others warn Bush: Get Department of Justice in line on human trafficking bill
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28681
[Baptist Press] 14 Aug 2008--Southern Baptist ethics leader Richard Land has joined in warning President Bush his own Department of Justice is threatening to tarnish his legacy on combating human trafficking.
The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and 13 others told Bush in a letter that the Department of Justice (DOJ) "is out of step with your bold stance against slavery and human trafficking." They called for Bush to bring the department into compliance with his policy goals and urged the president to provide unwavering support to legislation opposed by the department.
Related articles:
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28682
DOJ's reasoning on bill 'indefensible' - Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28683
Trafficking bills differ in critical ways - Baptist Press
[Baptist Press] 14 Aug 2008--Southern Baptist ethics leader Richard Land has joined in warning President Bush his own Department of Justice is threatening to tarnish his legacy on combating human trafficking.
The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and 13 others told Bush in a letter that the Department of Justice (DOJ) "is out of step with your bold stance against slavery and human trafficking." They called for Bush to bring the department into compliance with his policy goals and urged the president to provide unwavering support to legislation opposed by the department.
Related articles:
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28682
DOJ's reasoning on bill 'indefensible' - Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28683
Trafficking bills differ in critical ways - Baptist Press
Gay bishop attacks Diocese of Sydney
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2478
[Religious Intelligence] 14 Aug 2008--Speaking about the diocese with Sydney's weekly gay magazine "SX News", he said: "It is ironic that the Sydney Diocese, taking in one of the great gay cities of the world, is also among the most bigoted."
Robinson claimed that the Anglican Church had "abused" gay people and said, "God and the church aren't the same thing. The church has gotten this and many other things wrong. God hasn't gotten it wrong."
Related article:
http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/feature/eye-of-the-storm-3696.html
Eye of the storm - SX
[Religious Intelligence] 14 Aug 2008--Speaking about the diocese with Sydney's weekly gay magazine "SX News", he said: "It is ironic that the Sydney Diocese, taking in one of the great gay cities of the world, is also among the most bigoted."
Robinson claimed that the Anglican Church had "abused" gay people and said, "God and the church aren't the same thing. The church has gotten this and many other things wrong. God hasn't gotten it wrong."
Related article:
http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/feature/eye-of-the-storm-3696.html
Eye of the storm - SX
Dems Plan Subtle Changes to Party Platform to Lure Catholic, Evangelical Votes at Convention
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081302.html
[LifeSite News] 14 Aug 2008--When the Democratic National Convention (DNC) gets underway in Denver, the party will vote on plans to adjust its platform to make its position on abortion look friendlier to Catholic and Evangelical voters without angering radical feminists.
Delegates at the DNC, which starts August 25, will vote on language that calls for reducing "the need for abortions" while ensuring the party's holy grail of abortion-on-demand remains sacrosanct.
Related article:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061010.html
Obama's Abortion Bombshell: Unrestricted Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a Priority for Presidency - LifeSite News
[LifeSite News] 14 Aug 2008--When the Democratic National Convention (DNC) gets underway in Denver, the party will vote on plans to adjust its platform to make its position on abortion look friendlier to Catholic and Evangelical voters without angering radical feminists.
Delegates at the DNC, which starts August 25, will vote on language that calls for reducing "the need for abortions" while ensuring the party's holy grail of abortion-on-demand remains sacrosanct.
Related article:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061010.html
Obama's Abortion Bombshell: Unrestricted Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a Priority for Presidency - LifeSite News
Watch Out for Those Who Lead You Away from the Truth
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2006/1872_Watch_Out_for_Those_Who_Lead_You_Away_from_the_Truth/
[desiring God] 14 Aug 2008--I recall talking to a wise leader of a large missions organization about doctrinal faithfulness. He said something to this effect, “It’s crucial. And so is unity. Some people emphasize one, and some the other. Our organization is made of two kinds of people: purity boys and unity boys.” The unity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of personal relationships and tend to neglect an emphasis on truth. The purity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of truth and tend to neglect the nurture of personal relationships.
In fact, you could probably categorize people and churches and denominations and institutions and movements in the evangelical church today (or even in society in general) along these lines: There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity.
[desiring God] 14 Aug 2008--I recall talking to a wise leader of a large missions organization about doctrinal faithfulness. He said something to this effect, “It’s crucial. And so is unity. Some people emphasize one, and some the other. Our organization is made of two kinds of people: purity boys and unity boys.” The unity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of personal relationships and tend to neglect an emphasis on truth. The purity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of truth and tend to neglect the nurture of personal relationships.
In fact, you could probably categorize people and churches and denominations and institutions and movements in the evangelical church today (or even in society in general) along these lines: There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity.
Christian fundamentalist group prays for rain to drown out Barack Obama
http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/fundamentalists-unusual-plot-to-silence-obama/2008/08/13/1218306948976.html
[Sydney Morning Herlad] 14 Aug 2008--A Christian fundamentalist group is fervently praying for rain to drown out Barack Obama when he accepts the Democratic Party's presidential nomination before a vast open-air throng.
"Would it be wrong ask people to pray for rain of Biblical proportions," asked Stuart Shepard, holding an umbrella in a video put out by the ultraconservative Focus on the Family group.
[Sydney Morning Herlad] 14 Aug 2008--A Christian fundamentalist group is fervently praying for rain to drown out Barack Obama when he accepts the Democratic Party's presidential nomination before a vast open-air throng.
"Would it be wrong ask people to pray for rain of Biblical proportions," asked Stuart Shepard, holding an umbrella in a video put out by the ultraconservative Focus on the Family group.
Media Ignore Pro-Family Protest of McDonald’s ‘Hate’ Smear
http://www.cultureandmediainstitute.org/articles/2008/20080717190511.aspx
[CMI] 14 Aug 2008--Mainstream media outlets declined to cover a press conference held yesterday by conservative groups protesting a McDonald’s spokesman who accused them of “hatred.”
A coalition of pro-family groups, spearheaded by the American Family Association (AFA), sponsored the press conference at the McDonald’s world headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. The coalition was accused of “hatred” by a company spokesman because they are boycotting McDonald’s for sponsoring the homosexual agenda.
Related website:
http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/
Boycott McDonalds
[CMI] 14 Aug 2008--Mainstream media outlets declined to cover a press conference held yesterday by conservative groups protesting a McDonald’s spokesman who accused them of “hatred.”
A coalition of pro-family groups, spearheaded by the American Family Association (AFA), sponsored the press conference at the McDonald’s world headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. The coalition was accused of “hatred” by a company spokesman because they are boycotting McDonald’s for sponsoring the homosexual agenda.
Related website:
http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/
Boycott McDonalds
'Substantial number' of clergy will leave over plans for women bishops
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/2553011/Substantial-number-of-clergy-will-leave-over-plans-for-women-bishops.html
Telegraph] 14 Aug 2008--A group of 14 traditionalist bishops claim that there are "irreconcilable differences" over historic reforms that would introduce women as bishops without giving proper concessions to oponents of the move.
In a letter to 1,400 clergy who have indicated that they are considering defecting from the Church of England, they are highly critical of a decision by the General Synod - the Church's parliament - to ignore proposals for a compromise over the divisive issue.
Telegraph] 14 Aug 2008--A group of 14 traditionalist bishops claim that there are "irreconcilable differences" over historic reforms that would introduce women as bishops without giving proper concessions to oponents of the move.
In a letter to 1,400 clergy who have indicated that they are considering defecting from the Church of England, they are highly critical of a decision by the General Synod - the Church's parliament - to ignore proposals for a compromise over the divisive issue.
Lambeth and gays
http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/belief-blog/2008/Aug/13/lambeth-and-gays/
[The Washington Times] 14 Jul 2008--The world's Anglican bishops met for three weeks this summer for their once-every-10-years Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, England, and it's indicative of the low news value of that gathering that not one American newspaper sent over one of its staff writers to cover it.
I covered a Lambeth pre-event 30 years ago and covered the main event 20 years ago for the Houston Chronicle when there were a great number of journalists there to watch the debate on women's ordination. That was the big controversy in 1988.
[The Washington Times] 14 Jul 2008--The world's Anglican bishops met for three weeks this summer for their once-every-10-years Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, England, and it's indicative of the low news value of that gathering that not one American newspaper sent over one of its staff writers to cover it.
I covered a Lambeth pre-event 30 years ago and covered the main event 20 years ago for the Houston Chronicle when there were a great number of journalists there to watch the debate on women's ordination. That was the big controversy in 1988.
Quincy Delegates will Consider Separation in November
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/13/quincy-delegates-will-consider-separation-in-november
[The Living Church] 14 Aug 2008--Delegates to the annual synod in the Diocese of Quincy will consider a second and decisive vote to leave The Episcopal Church when the annual meeting of the diocese is held Nov. 7-8 at St. John’s Church, Quincy.
“No formal resolutions have been drawn up or submitted yet,” said the Rev. James Marshall, president of the standing committee, “but I don’t see how it could not happen.”
[The Living Church] 14 Aug 2008--Delegates to the annual synod in the Diocese of Quincy will consider a second and decisive vote to leave The Episcopal Church when the annual meeting of the diocese is held Nov. 7-8 at St. John’s Church, Quincy.
“No formal resolutions have been drawn up or submitted yet,” said the Rev. James Marshall, president of the standing committee, “but I don’t see how it could not happen.”
Quincy, Springfield Plan Joint Meeting
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/13/quincy-springfield-plan-joint-meeting
[The Living Church] 14 Aug 2008--Two of the three Episcopal dioceses in Illinois will hold a joint meeting of clergy and lay leadership at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Springfield, on Aug. 30. The meeting is mandatory for clergy from the Diocese of Springfield, said Bishop Peter Beckwith of Springfield.
“We’re going to do an assessment of what happened at Lambeth and [the Global Anglican Fellowship Conference] to see what might be possible,” Bishop Beckwith said when reached by a reporter for The Living Church. “This is not a decision-making meeting, although I would not oppose a decision if a consensus is reached.”
[The Living Church] 14 Aug 2008--Two of the three Episcopal dioceses in Illinois will hold a joint meeting of clergy and lay leadership at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Springfield, on Aug. 30. The meeting is mandatory for clergy from the Diocese of Springfield, said Bishop Peter Beckwith of Springfield.
“We’re going to do an assessment of what happened at Lambeth and [the Global Anglican Fellowship Conference] to see what might be possible,” Bishop Beckwith said when reached by a reporter for The Living Church. “This is not a decision-making meeting, although I would not oppose a decision if a consensus is reached.”
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Planting the Right Seed
Commentary by Robin G. Jordan
One of the secrets of a successful garden is to plant the right seed in the right soil.
Anglo-Catholicism, while it was the only flower that was planted in the Diocese of Kentucky for more than a century, was a flower that did not grow well in Kentucky soil. It was introduced in Kentucky in the 1830s but did not adapt to the soil or flourished in it. Where it did grow was in the cities and commercial centers of the diocese and then in a small upper middle class segment of the population.
Anglo-Catholicism comes in several varieties (See David Mill’s Catholic Online article, "Transcending Anglicanism"). It is the offspring of the nineteenth century Tractarian movement that was essentially a Counter-Reformation movement in the Church of England and its daughter churches. The Tractarians were sympathetic toward the Church of Rome and reintroduced many so-called "catholic" beliefs and practices into the Anglican Church that the English Reformers had rejected as unscriptural. These beliefs and practices include the doctrines of the sacrifice of the Mass and of transubstantiation and the practices of venerating the saints—including our Lord’s mother—and praying to them and of auricular confession.
The Tractarians taught in contradiction to the New Testament that the clergy were intermediaries between God and humankind and that sacramental grace, not faith in Christ, is essential to salvation. Their detachment of authority from Scripture would have tremendous ramifications for Anglicanism in the 20th and 21st centuries. They also created a great deal of confusion regarding Anglican identity that lasts to this day.
In the 1960s a hybrid—High Church Liberalism—began to appear in Kentucky gardens. It had the outward appearance of Anglo-Catholicism from the root of which it had sprung and was easily mistaken for the parent flower. Wherever it was allowed to grow, it choked out the parent flower. By early 21st century it had displaced Anglo-Catholicism in the gardens of the diocese.
The parent flower is now only found in a few tiny plots, struggling to survive. These plots comprise a handful of "Continuing Anglican" churches scattered throughout the diocese.
Neither Anglo-Catholicism nor its offspring High Church Liberalism are suited to the Kentucky soil. High Church Liberalism is not doing any better than Anglo-Catholicism in the Diocese of Kentucky. It simply took over the gardens in which Anglo-Catholicism had once grown. In a number of cases its appearance presaged the death of the garden.
Some hope to take the parent flower from the few tiny plots where it barely survives and reintroduce the plant in Kentucky. They dream of a day when it will grow again in the gardens where it formerly grew. However, like all exotic flowers, it is a flower for the few.
Evangelical Anglicanism may be more suited to Kentucky soil. Anglicanism is in the final analysis a Protestant movement. The English Reformers sought to free the Church of England from all the innovations in doctrine and worship that had overgrown the primitive Christian faith in both the Eastern and Western Churches in fifteen centuries and to return the English Church to its New Testament and apostolic roots. Evangelical Anglicans are the heirs to the English Reformation. They are Protestant and Reformed in their views (if not always their practices).
A large segment of Kentucky’s unchurched population comes from a conservative Protestant background. In the region of Kentucky in which I live, the westernmost part of the state and the Diocese of Kentucky, the three dominant church groups are the Baptists, the Churches of Christ, and the United Methodists. The Cumberland Presbyterians and the Pentecostals also have sizable representations in the region. The region’s demographic make-up suggest that a fellowship of believing Christians committed to an Evangelical and Anglican expression of the Christian faith, flexible in its approach to worship, and sensitive to the region’s culture might flourish in the region.
Evangelical Anglicanism may be just the right seed to plant in Kentucky soil.
One of the secrets of a successful garden is to plant the right seed in the right soil.
Anglo-Catholicism, while it was the only flower that was planted in the Diocese of Kentucky for more than a century, was a flower that did not grow well in Kentucky soil. It was introduced in Kentucky in the 1830s but did not adapt to the soil or flourished in it. Where it did grow was in the cities and commercial centers of the diocese and then in a small upper middle class segment of the population.
Anglo-Catholicism comes in several varieties (See David Mill’s Catholic Online article, "Transcending Anglicanism"). It is the offspring of the nineteenth century Tractarian movement that was essentially a Counter-Reformation movement in the Church of England and its daughter churches. The Tractarians were sympathetic toward the Church of Rome and reintroduced many so-called "catholic" beliefs and practices into the Anglican Church that the English Reformers had rejected as unscriptural. These beliefs and practices include the doctrines of the sacrifice of the Mass and of transubstantiation and the practices of venerating the saints—including our Lord’s mother—and praying to them and of auricular confession.
The Tractarians taught in contradiction to the New Testament that the clergy were intermediaries between God and humankind and that sacramental grace, not faith in Christ, is essential to salvation. Their detachment of authority from Scripture would have tremendous ramifications for Anglicanism in the 20th and 21st centuries. They also created a great deal of confusion regarding Anglican identity that lasts to this day.
In the 1960s a hybrid—High Church Liberalism—began to appear in Kentucky gardens. It had the outward appearance of Anglo-Catholicism from the root of which it had sprung and was easily mistaken for the parent flower. Wherever it was allowed to grow, it choked out the parent flower. By early 21st century it had displaced Anglo-Catholicism in the gardens of the diocese.
The parent flower is now only found in a few tiny plots, struggling to survive. These plots comprise a handful of "Continuing Anglican" churches scattered throughout the diocese.
Neither Anglo-Catholicism nor its offspring High Church Liberalism are suited to the Kentucky soil. High Church Liberalism is not doing any better than Anglo-Catholicism in the Diocese of Kentucky. It simply took over the gardens in which Anglo-Catholicism had once grown. In a number of cases its appearance presaged the death of the garden.
Some hope to take the parent flower from the few tiny plots where it barely survives and reintroduce the plant in Kentucky. They dream of a day when it will grow again in the gardens where it formerly grew. However, like all exotic flowers, it is a flower for the few.
Evangelical Anglicanism may be more suited to Kentucky soil. Anglicanism is in the final analysis a Protestant movement. The English Reformers sought to free the Church of England from all the innovations in doctrine and worship that had overgrown the primitive Christian faith in both the Eastern and Western Churches in fifteen centuries and to return the English Church to its New Testament and apostolic roots. Evangelical Anglicans are the heirs to the English Reformation. They are Protestant and Reformed in their views (if not always their practices).
A large segment of Kentucky’s unchurched population comes from a conservative Protestant background. In the region of Kentucky in which I live, the westernmost part of the state and the Diocese of Kentucky, the three dominant church groups are the Baptists, the Churches of Christ, and the United Methodists. The Cumberland Presbyterians and the Pentecostals also have sizable representations in the region. The region’s demographic make-up suggest that a fellowship of believing Christians committed to an Evangelical and Anglican expression of the Christian faith, flexible in its approach to worship, and sensitive to the region’s culture might flourish in the region.
Evangelical Anglicanism may be just the right seed to plant in Kentucky soil.
Lambeth Conference shortfall plugged by Church charities
http://www.professionalfundraising.co.uk/home/content.php?id=1395&pg=2&cat=2
[Proefessional Fundraising] 13 Aug 2008--Prior to Monday’s offer, the Archbishops’ Council’s lone offer sparked media speculation that it had called upon its US congregations to raise the remaining funds and that the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams (pictured) was to be sent to personally rally funds at American churches and institutions.
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA, the Most Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori, was quoted as saying: “I believe the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to come to the United States and do some fundraising work.”
However, the Anglican Communion’s director of finance and administration Andrew Franklin ruled out the possibility of the Archbishop carrying out such work in the US but confirmed that it would be looking initially to the US to help raise funds to repay the amount underwritten by the Church of England.
[Proefessional Fundraising] 13 Aug 2008--Prior to Monday’s offer, the Archbishops’ Council’s lone offer sparked media speculation that it had called upon its US congregations to raise the remaining funds and that the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams (pictured) was to be sent to personally rally funds at American churches and institutions.
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA, the Most Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori, was quoted as saying: “I believe the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to come to the United States and do some fundraising work.”
However, the Anglican Communion’s director of finance and administration Andrew Franklin ruled out the possibility of the Archbishop carrying out such work in the US but confirmed that it would be looking initially to the US to help raise funds to repay the amount underwritten by the Church of England.
Iran: Elderly Christian couple die after physically assaulted by police
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/iran.elderly.christian.couple.die.after.physically.assaulted.by.police/21206.htm
[Christianity Today UK] 13 Aug 2008--A 62-year-old church leader and his wife have died as a result of injuries sustained from a police raid on their home in Isfehan, Iran.
Abbas Amiri died in hospital on 30 July 2008, in Isfehan, Iran, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). Mr Amiri was one of a number of church members who was physically assaulted by police officers who raided his home in Malek Shahr on 27 July 2008 during a Sunday gathering of the house church.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) also confirmed that Mr Amiri’s wife, Mrs Sakineh Rahnama, died on 3 August 2008 in Masjid-Soleiman, from the injuries and emotional stress she suffered during the police raid and as a result of the loss of her husband.
2008 has seen a serious increase in the number of detentions and physical mistreatment of non-Muslims in Iran. Two church leaders who were arrested in Shiraz in May 2008 are still being kept in poor conditions, with no charges brought against them.
[Christianity Today UK] 13 Aug 2008--A 62-year-old church leader and his wife have died as a result of injuries sustained from a police raid on their home in Isfehan, Iran.
Abbas Amiri died in hospital on 30 July 2008, in Isfehan, Iran, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). Mr Amiri was one of a number of church members who was physically assaulted by police officers who raided his home in Malek Shahr on 27 July 2008 during a Sunday gathering of the house church.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) also confirmed that Mr Amiri’s wife, Mrs Sakineh Rahnama, died on 3 August 2008 in Masjid-Soleiman, from the injuries and emotional stress she suffered during the police raid and as a result of the loss of her husband.
2008 has seen a serious increase in the number of detentions and physical mistreatment of non-Muslims in Iran. Two church leaders who were arrested in Shiraz in May 2008 are still being kept in poor conditions, with no charges brought against them.
How Babies Were Left to Die: Nurse Recounts Horrors of Infanticide Practice Barack Obama Protected
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081209.html
[LifeSite News] 13 Aug 2008--At the same time that the National Right to Life Committee has unearthed documents proving that Barack Obama repeatedly voted against a bill that would have protected children born alive after an attempted abortion, Illuminati Pictures has released a video of an interview with a nurse who witnessed the very practice that Obama protected while in the Illinois senate (See: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081101.html ).
[LifeSite News] 13 Aug 2008--At the same time that the National Right to Life Committee has unearthed documents proving that Barack Obama repeatedly voted against a bill that would have protected children born alive after an attempted abortion, Illuminati Pictures has released a video of an interview with a nurse who witnessed the very practice that Obama protected while in the Illinois senate (See: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081101.html ).
Defining the Evangelical
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/indepth/articles/defining_the_evangelical/
[sydneyanglicans.net] 13 Aug 2008--They all start with “evangel” for they are all about the gospel. “Evangel” is the anglicised version of the Greek word for gospel. These different English words are just different grammatical forms of the word gospel.
Evangelise is a verb. It means to preach the gospel. He evangelised (preached the gospel to) the crowd
[sydneyanglicans.net] 13 Aug 2008--They all start with “evangel” for they are all about the gospel. “Evangel” is the anglicised version of the Greek word for gospel. These different English words are just different grammatical forms of the word gospel.
Evangelise is a verb. It means to preach the gospel. He evangelised (preached the gospel to) the crowd
The Delusion of Disbelief
http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/mission/resources/the_delusion_of_disbelief/
[sydneyanglicans.net] 13 Aug 2008--Recent times have seen the rise of the ‘New Atheism’, an aggressive campaign seeking to undermine all religious belief.
Former TIME correspondent David Aikman tackles this movement with his latest book, The Delusion of Disbelief – Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.
[sydneyanglicans.net] 13 Aug 2008--Recent times have seen the rise of the ‘New Atheism’, an aggressive campaign seeking to undermine all religious belief.
Former TIME correspondent David Aikman tackles this movement with his latest book, The Delusion of Disbelief – Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.
Churches Damaged in Russia-Georgia Conflict
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080812/churches-damaged-in-russia-georgia-conflict.htm
[The Christian Post] 13 Aug 2008--Three evangelical churches in the capital of South Ossetia have been damaged by the conflict between Russia and Georgia, according to a report, released Tuesday.
People who escaped the conflict told Russian Ministries that the churches in the battleground town of Chinvali were assisting locals before they were damaged. Other churches in the region are also reportedly offering physical, emotional and spiritual help to those affected by the violence.
[The Christian Post] 13 Aug 2008--Three evangelical churches in the capital of South Ossetia have been damaged by the conflict between Russia and Georgia, according to a report, released Tuesday.
People who escaped the conflict told Russian Ministries that the churches in the battleground town of Chinvali were assisting locals before they were damaged. Other churches in the region are also reportedly offering physical, emotional and spiritual help to those affected by the violence.
Where were you when they crucified Georgia?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/08/12/do1208.xml
[Telegraph] 13 Aug 2008--The gathering annexation of Georgia by Russia has been met with a cold shoulder from sister churches, whose leaders have in the past been only too keen to condemn illegal invasions of sovereign states, such as Iraq.
This is all the more surprising given that Georgia is a predominantly Christian country, second only to Armenia as the oldest official Christian state.
Some 82 per cent of the population are members of the Georgian Orthodox Church, with the next largest tranche of faith being the 10 per cent who count themselves Muslim.
Such a devout populace might have expected a unified condemnation of an attack on such a solid and venerable household of faith.
[Telegraph] 13 Aug 2008--The gathering annexation of Georgia by Russia has been met with a cold shoulder from sister churches, whose leaders have in the past been only too keen to condemn illegal invasions of sovereign states, such as Iraq.
This is all the more surprising given that Georgia is a predominantly Christian country, second only to Armenia as the oldest official Christian state.
Some 82 per cent of the population are members of the Georgian Orthodox Church, with the next largest tranche of faith being the 10 per cent who count themselves Muslim.
Such a devout populace might have expected a unified condemnation of an attack on such a solid and venerable household of faith.
Kendall Harmon: Lambeth Questions (IV)
http://www.kendallharmon.net/t19/index.php/t19/article/15393/
[TitusOneNine] 13 Aug 2008--Earlier we noted a blog entry from the Bishop of Lichfield about Lambeth 2008 in which he said:
We are told that in the lawsuits in America between parishes and their dioceses it is the dioceses who are the defendants and the conservative parishes who are the accusers.
This led one of our blog readers to write the bishop to correct this misinformation. As A. S. Haley has shown comprehensively, the facts are entirely the opposite of this assertion cited by the Bishop of Lichfield.
We now know from conversations with bishops at Lambeth that this was not something isolated to the Bishop of Lichfield, but that other bishops at Lambeth were given this misinformation as well. This raises disturbing questions, namely, who were the TEC bishops giving out this misinformation? And perhaps more important: can we look for reappraising blogs and leaders who claim to care about justice to denounce the injustice of spreading untruths like this at a once a decade bishops meeting? Who were the bishops providing this misinformation and why were they doing so? Can we look for them to come clean and apologize?
[TitusOneNine] 13 Aug 2008--Earlier we noted a blog entry from the Bishop of Lichfield about Lambeth 2008 in which he said:
We are told that in the lawsuits in America between parishes and their dioceses it is the dioceses who are the defendants and the conservative parishes who are the accusers.
This led one of our blog readers to write the bishop to correct this misinformation. As A. S. Haley has shown comprehensively, the facts are entirely the opposite of this assertion cited by the Bishop of Lichfield.
We now know from conversations with bishops at Lambeth that this was not something isolated to the Bishop of Lichfield, but that other bishops at Lambeth were given this misinformation as well. This raises disturbing questions, namely, who were the TEC bishops giving out this misinformation? And perhaps more important: can we look for reappraising blogs and leaders who claim to care about justice to denounce the injustice of spreading untruths like this at a once a decade bishops meeting? Who were the bishops providing this misinformation and why were they doing so? Can we look for them to come clean and apologize?
Ex-Anglicans: The Wrong Kind of Catholics?
http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/08/exanglicans-the-wrong-kind-of.html
[beliefnet] 13 Aug 2008--Do ex-Anglicans make the wrong kind of Catholics? You know, the kind who really believe the Catechism? I ask for two reasons. One, the Dallas Morning News reports today that priests of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth have been inquiring of the city's Roman Catholic bishop about their diocese coming over to Rome en masse, so to speak. No report on how the RC bishop, Kevin Vann, responded to the Episcopal priests' petition, though the Catholic diocese did confirm that the meeting took place.
Here, from the blog of Katie Sherrod (a liberal north Texas Episcopalian), are more details, including a text of the proposal itself. That proposal included this information:
There are currently 60 active clergy [in the FW Episcopal diocese].
We believe 9 will opt to stay in The Episcopal Church.
51 will remain in a temporarily realigned diocese with the Southern Cone.
5 are not interested at this time in working for full communion [with Rome].
46 are truly interested. If we add our seminarians currently on the priesthood track and our retired clergy the number becomes 59.
Our best guess is that approximately 59 clergy are willing to pursue an active plan to bring the Diocese of Fort Worth or a significant portion of it into full communion with the Holy See, if this be God's will.
Related articles:
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=3803
The rite stuff in Fort Worth? - Get Religion
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=28870&cb300=vocations
An Interview with a Former Anglican - Catholic Online
[beliefnet] 13 Aug 2008--Do ex-Anglicans make the wrong kind of Catholics? You know, the kind who really believe the Catechism? I ask for two reasons. One, the Dallas Morning News reports today that priests of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth have been inquiring of the city's Roman Catholic bishop about their diocese coming over to Rome en masse, so to speak. No report on how the RC bishop, Kevin Vann, responded to the Episcopal priests' petition, though the Catholic diocese did confirm that the meeting took place.
Here, from the blog of Katie Sherrod (a liberal north Texas Episcopalian), are more details, including a text of the proposal itself. That proposal included this information:
There are currently 60 active clergy [in the FW Episcopal diocese].
We believe 9 will opt to stay in The Episcopal Church.
51 will remain in a temporarily realigned diocese with the Southern Cone.
5 are not interested at this time in working for full communion [with Rome].
46 are truly interested. If we add our seminarians currently on the priesthood track and our retired clergy the number becomes 59.
Our best guess is that approximately 59 clergy are willing to pursue an active plan to bring the Diocese of Fort Worth or a significant portion of it into full communion with the Holy See, if this be God's will.
Related articles:
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=3803
The rite stuff in Fort Worth? - Get Religion
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=28870&cb300=vocations
An Interview with a Former Anglican - Catholic Online
Ft. Worth Bishop: No Plans for Diocese to Join Roman Catholic Church
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/8/12/ft-worth-bishop-no-plans-for-diocese-to-join-roman-church
[The Living Church] 13 Aug 2008--At the convention of the Diocese of Fort Worth in November, delegates will consider for a second and decisive time a proposal to realign with another Anglican Church in hopes of finding a greater sense of communion and catholicity than is currently afforded within The Episcopal Church, according to a statement issued today by Bishop Jack L. Iker.
The statement came in response to a report in the Dallas Morning News that four influential priests of the diocese had met on June 16 with the Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, and his chancellor. The Rev. Canon Charles A. Hough, SSC, canon to the ordinary, the Very Rev. William A. Crary, Jr., SSC, rector of St. Laurence Church, Grapevine, the Rev. Louis L. Tobola, priest-in-charge of St. Barnabus the Apostle, Keller, and the Very Rev. Christopher C. Stainbrook, vicar of St. Timothy’s, Fort Worth, met with the Roman Catholic bishop.
Related statement:
http://www.fwepiscopal.org/news/statement081208.html
A Statement by Bishop Iker on Roman Catholic Dialogues - The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
Related article:
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2470
Anglican Diocese of Fort Worth ‘is not moving to Rome’ - Religious Intelligence
[The Living Church] 13 Aug 2008--At the convention of the Diocese of Fort Worth in November, delegates will consider for a second and decisive time a proposal to realign with another Anglican Church in hopes of finding a greater sense of communion and catholicity than is currently afforded within The Episcopal Church, according to a statement issued today by Bishop Jack L. Iker.
The statement came in response to a report in the Dallas Morning News that four influential priests of the diocese had met on June 16 with the Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, and his chancellor. The Rev. Canon Charles A. Hough, SSC, canon to the ordinary, the Very Rev. William A. Crary, Jr., SSC, rector of St. Laurence Church, Grapevine, the Rev. Louis L. Tobola, priest-in-charge of St. Barnabus the Apostle, Keller, and the Very Rev. Christopher C. Stainbrook, vicar of St. Timothy’s, Fort Worth, met with the Roman Catholic bishop.
Related statement:
http://www.fwepiscopal.org/news/statement081208.html
A Statement by Bishop Iker on Roman Catholic Dialogues - The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
Related article:
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2470
Anglican Diocese of Fort Worth ‘is not moving to Rome’ - Religious Intelligence
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Aid Groups Begin Relief Efforts in Conflict-Ridden Georgia
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080811/aid-groups-begin-relief-efforts-in-conflict-ridden-georgia.htm
[The Christian Post] 12 Aug 2008--World Vision has begun providing emergency assistance to civilians displaced by the conflict in Georgia.
The Christian humanitarian agency started distributing food, soap, blankets and other essentials to those, mainly women and children, who managed to flee to Georgia's capital, Tblisi. Meanwhile, the United Nations' World Food Program has also started providing food rations to some 2,000 people, with the number of needy people rising by the hour.
[The Christian Post] 12 Aug 2008--World Vision has begun providing emergency assistance to civilians displaced by the conflict in Georgia.
The Christian humanitarian agency started distributing food, soap, blankets and other essentials to those, mainly women and children, who managed to flee to Georgia's capital, Tblisi. Meanwhile, the United Nations' World Food Program has also started providing food rations to some 2,000 people, with the number of needy people rising by the hour.
Black liberation theology is basis for Obama’s views
http://www.fwdailynews.com/articles/2008/08/11/features/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/evening_star/doc48a0340b2575d794846128.txt
[fwdailynews] 12 Aug 2008--The candidate for President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has sat under the ministry of the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright for 20 years. He is the preacher who has condemned and damned America and said that America had 9-11 coming to us, the pastor who has given Louis Farrakhan many accolades, a man who has compared the U.S. Marine Corps with the Roman Legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior and that the flag of Al Qaeda and the American flag were the same flags.
Rev. Wright is an apostle of liberation theology, a theology rooted and developed in Latin America in the l960’s. The theologies of liberation seek to provide deliverance for oppressed and marginalized people by changing the structures which deny them the privilege of determining their own destiny. It was fostered by the concern for the problems of underdevelopment that arose out of the Latin American Episcopal Conference held in Medellin, Colombia in 1968.
Liberation theology not new
Liberation theology is neither new nor limited to Latin America and it has become a world-wide theme which includes women’s liberation and black theologies.
Mark Rush, a black man, writes in the BorderFire Report, “Black Liberation Theology … has been fostering largely unseen within the church since the 60’s. Indeed, it is likely that it would have remained ‘hands off’ if not for the Obama/Wright controversy.”
Liberation theology has a reactionary bias against traditional evangelical theology. It is doctrinally vague. The point of departure is the human condition of sin. The social, political and economic contexts have been so overemphasized that even the deeper problem of a person’s sin is quickly passed over, if not ignored. They purport that their model for the new humanity is Jesus Christ but nothing is said about the power of God in Christ to deliver man from sin.
[fwdailynews] 12 Aug 2008--The candidate for President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has sat under the ministry of the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright for 20 years. He is the preacher who has condemned and damned America and said that America had 9-11 coming to us, the pastor who has given Louis Farrakhan many accolades, a man who has compared the U.S. Marine Corps with the Roman Legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior and that the flag of Al Qaeda and the American flag were the same flags.
Rev. Wright is an apostle of liberation theology, a theology rooted and developed in Latin America in the l960’s. The theologies of liberation seek to provide deliverance for oppressed and marginalized people by changing the structures which deny them the privilege of determining their own destiny. It was fostered by the concern for the problems of underdevelopment that arose out of the Latin American Episcopal Conference held in Medellin, Colombia in 1968.
Liberation theology not new
Liberation theology is neither new nor limited to Latin America and it has become a world-wide theme which includes women’s liberation and black theologies.
Mark Rush, a black man, writes in the BorderFire Report, “Black Liberation Theology … has been fostering largely unseen within the church since the 60’s. Indeed, it is likely that it would have remained ‘hands off’ if not for the Obama/Wright controversy.”
Liberation theology has a reactionary bias against traditional evangelical theology. It is doctrinally vague. The point of departure is the human condition of sin. The social, political and economic contexts have been so overemphasized that even the deeper problem of a person’s sin is quickly passed over, if not ignored. They purport that their model for the new humanity is Jesus Christ but nothing is said about the power of God in Christ to deliver man from sin.
Georgian Archbishop appeals for aid
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2465
[Religious Intelligence] 12 Aug 2008--Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, head of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, launched an appeal for aid for the victims of the conflict. Church leaders this week called for an end to the crisis engulfing South Ossetia.
His call came after church leaders spoke out on developments there. On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI urged an “immediate” end to hostilities there while the Bishop of Wakefield issued a statement calling for peace.
Although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a halt to military operations in Georgia today after five days of fighting, Church leaders have united to call for peace in the conflict between Georgia and Russia. “We call upon all Church leaders in Georgia to pray and work for the peace and to put pressure on the leather of both Russia and Georgia to cease hostilities,” said the Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev Stephen Platten.
[Religious Intelligence] 12 Aug 2008--Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, head of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, launched an appeal for aid for the victims of the conflict. Church leaders this week called for an end to the crisis engulfing South Ossetia.
His call came after church leaders spoke out on developments there. On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI urged an “immediate” end to hostilities there while the Bishop of Wakefield issued a statement calling for peace.
Although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a halt to military operations in Georgia today after five days of fighting, Church leaders have united to call for peace in the conflict between Georgia and Russia. “We call upon all Church leaders in Georgia to pray and work for the peace and to put pressure on the leather of both Russia and Georgia to cease hostilities,” said the Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev Stephen Platten.
Church leaders call for peace in Georgian dispute
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2462
[Religious Intelligence] 12 Aug 2008--Church leaders have united to call for peace in the conflict between Georgia and Russia, as Moscow showed no sign of recognising the cease-fire called by Tblisi.
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged an “immediate” end to hostilities in South Ossetia and the initiation of negotiations between Russia and Georgia over the disputed province.
The Pontiff called for peace in the name of Christian roots shared by the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Christians. A large majority of Georgians and Russians are Orthodox.
Meanwhile, the Church of England’s spokesman on Georgian affairs, the Bishop of Wakefield, has issued a statement calling for a peace. The Rt Rev Stephen Platten outlined the Church’s effort to keep the “very strong links with the Christian churches in the region.”
[Religious Intelligence] 12 Aug 2008--Church leaders have united to call for peace in the conflict between Georgia and Russia, as Moscow showed no sign of recognising the cease-fire called by Tblisi.
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged an “immediate” end to hostilities in South Ossetia and the initiation of negotiations between Russia and Georgia over the disputed province.
The Pontiff called for peace in the name of Christian roots shared by the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Christians. A large majority of Georgians and Russians are Orthodox.
Meanwhile, the Church of England’s spokesman on Georgian affairs, the Bishop of Wakefield, has issued a statement calling for a peace. The Rt Rev Stephen Platten outlined the Church’s effort to keep the “very strong links with the Christian churches in the region.”
Open Evangelicalism, NEAC 2008 and the future of the Church of England
http://ugleyvicar.blogspot.com/2008/08/open-evangelicalism-neac-2008-and.html
[The Ugley Vicar] 12 Aug 2008--Fulcrum was founded in reaction to the direction being taken during the organizing of the last residential NEAC, at Blackpool in 2003. An article on the Fulcrum website speaks of "the restrictive nature of the planning ... and the sharp reaction of some conservative evangelicals to the appointment of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury".
Since then, Fulcrum has claimed the 'Evangelical Centre' and, simultaneously, has steadfastly opposed more Conservative groupings such as Reform, and initiatives such as GAFCON. In effect, therefore, it has formalized the divisions in Evangelicalism between its Conservative and Open strands.
Thus Evangelical unity in the Church of England is probably at an all-time low since the end of the Second World War. The old pattern of Evangelical clergy and laity gathering in Diocesan Fellowships - which provide one of the electoral bases for representation on the CEEC itself - has almost disappeared in many areas. There is deep mistrust, exacerbated by what is perceived amongst many Conservatives as a drift of Open Evangelicals into Liberalism. Christina Rees, for example, now seems thoroughly committed, via WATCH, to the 'Inclusive Church' network and agenda, and equally committed to the marginalization of Traditionalists, both Evangelical and Catholic, on the issue of women bishops.
[The Ugley Vicar] 12 Aug 2008--Fulcrum was founded in reaction to the direction being taken during the organizing of the last residential NEAC, at Blackpool in 2003. An article on the Fulcrum website speaks of "the restrictive nature of the planning ... and the sharp reaction of some conservative evangelicals to the appointment of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury".
Since then, Fulcrum has claimed the 'Evangelical Centre' and, simultaneously, has steadfastly opposed more Conservative groupings such as Reform, and initiatives such as GAFCON. In effect, therefore, it has formalized the divisions in Evangelicalism between its Conservative and Open strands.
Thus Evangelical unity in the Church of England is probably at an all-time low since the end of the Second World War. The old pattern of Evangelical clergy and laity gathering in Diocesan Fellowships - which provide one of the electoral bases for representation on the CEEC itself - has almost disappeared in many areas. There is deep mistrust, exacerbated by what is perceived amongst many Conservatives as a drift of Open Evangelicals into Liberalism. Christina Rees, for example, now seems thoroughly committed, via WATCH, to the 'Inclusive Church' network and agenda, and equally committed to the marginalization of Traditionalists, both Evangelical and Catholic, on the issue of women bishops.
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