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ANiC news
ANiC
and ACNA events calendar
March 11-13
– 2013 ANiC Clergy
Retreat with Canon Phil Ashey at Cedar Springs, Washington
March 13-15
– Leadership Training
Institute, Part 2 at Cedar Springs, Washington
March 17
– Dr Robert Cummins
will be ordained to the diaconate at Holy Trinity (Marlborough, MA)
April 4-7
– New Wineskins 2013 conference in Ridgecrest, NC
April 12-13
- Men’s seminar offered at Blackburn Hamlet Community Church (Ottawa,
ON)
April 17-19/20
– ANiC regional
assemblies in both Vancouver and Burlington
May 13-15
– ACNA clergy women’s retreat in Woodbridge, Virginia
October
21-27 – GAFCon 2 planned for Nairobi, Kenya
ANiC
regional assemblies, April 17-19/20
Registered
yet? These gatherings promise to be highlights in ANiC this year. More
information, including agendas, speakers’ biographies and topics, and virtually
everything else you need to know, is posted on the
ANiC website.
Some
things you should note:
Hotel
rate – For the Vancouver assemblies, please note that the special rate
negotiated with the conference hotel is only available until March 18
Display
tables – If your ANiC ministry is interested in having a display at one
or more of the assemblies, please contact Marilyn as soon as possible. Priority will be given to displays which directly relate to
ANiC and its ministry and are of broad interest to ANiC members. Due to space
limitations, we may not be able to accommodate late requests.
Already
some of ANiC’s newest church plants have confirmed they will send contingents
even though they will have quite a distance to travel. For the Asian and Multicultural
assembly in Vancouver, Bishop Stephen Leung confirms that Holy Trinity,
Edmonton (Filipino) plans to send nine members; Christ the Redeemer Toronto (multicultural) is sending six; and Good Shepherd Calgary (Chinese)
will send four.
Global
bishops to speak in Calgary and Vancouver-area
In
connection with his speaking engagements at the Vancouver assemblies, Bishop Abraham
Nhial, bishop of the new diocese of Aweil in South Sudan, will speak and
minister in the South Sudanese communities in both Calgary and the Vancouver area.
A service is being organized by St John's, New Westminster on Sunday, April 14
at 3pm at a location to be announced. The Calgary service, which is being organized
by forming Sudanese congregations from Calgary and Brooks, will be on Sunday, April
21 at 3pm at Ogden United Church, 7401 - 23 St SE, Calgary.
Dr Saimond
Ip, a Hong Kong businessman who is passionate about youth evangelism and
discipleship, will speak on youth ministry at Good Shepherd Vancouver, on
Sunday April 14 at 2:30-5:30pm. This is meeting will be in Cantonese. If you
understand Cantonese, do come!
Council
sets priorities and confirms committees
Highlights
of ANiC’s council meeting in Toronto, February 28-March 1are…
In
response to a resolution passed at the last synod, Bishop Ron Ferris is leading
a task force, which includes the Revs Mike Stewart and Brent Stiller,
addressing ANiC polity – specifically the relationship between the
bishops, council and synod. Meetings with the bishops, archdeacons and council
have already taken place. The next step will be to call for submissions from
members and groups within the ANiC community. This input, combined with further
research, will shape the report which the task force intends to submit to
ANiC’s coadjutor Bishop Charlie Masters by the end of August.
Among the strategic priorities the
council identified were:
| • |
Clergy
support, specifically by providing further training in preaching and teaching |
| • |
Child
evangelism and discipleship ministries in parishes |
Membership
on council committees was confirmed as follows:
| • |
Executive:
Bishop Charlie Masters, the Rev George Sinclair, David Gibbs, Victoria Huyer, Claus
Lenk |
| • |
Finance
and audit: Ed Lewis (chair), the Rev Ray David Glenn |
| • |
Canons:
Victoria Huyer (chair), the Rev George Sinclair, Mike Donison, the Ven Darrell
Critch, the Rev Karen Berginstein |
| • |
Church
planting: the Ven Michael McKinnon (chair), the Rev Sean Love, Marion Karasiuk,
the Very Rev Archie Pell, Bishop Ron Ferris, the Rev Dan Endresen, the Rev
Denys Scully, the Rev Barclay Mayo |
| • |
Legal:
Mike Donison (Chancellor) |
| • |
Nominating:
the Ven Paul Crossland (chair) |
Clergy
retreat & leadership training
Please
remember in prayer our ANiC clergy who are attending the leadership training
retreat led by Canon Phil Ashey. The training, offered in two parts, goes from
March 11-13 (part 1) and 13-15 (part 2) at Cedar Springs in Sumas, Washington.
Ordination
in Massachusetts, March 17
On
Sunday, March 17, Bishop Don will ordain Robert Cummins, PhD as a Deacon
(transitional) in the Church of God at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Marlborough, MA. Robert is a Doctor of
Psychology with a practice in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He and his wife Karen
are both involved in the life and ministry of Holy Trinity. Bob has a deep
desire to serve his Lord and to reach people with the healing message of God's
love through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Important
news from Artizo
Artizo Institute, which trains and equips
men and women ministry – effectively and faithfully preaching and teaching
the Word of God – has been busy.
It has created a Curacy
Seed Fund to help ANiC congregations hire ministry-ready Artizo grads. Currently,
many Artizo grads struggle to find paid ministry opportunities The Curacy Seed
Fund, which now stands at $10,000, will provide financial assistance so ANiC congregations
can hire Artizo interns as curates for two years (2013-14). Christ said “The
harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2 ESV) We
have willing and ready labourers. Will you help make it possible for these
labourers to minister in the “fields”? If you are led to contribute to this
Curacy Seed Fund please email the Rev Eric
Thurston, Artizo’s director of training. If your congregation would like to
hire a curate, ask Eric+ to send you application
information. But act fast, completed applications must be received by April 15.
With summer approaching,
this is a good time to consider Artizo’s program of “supply” preachers and
teachers. Artizo ministry-equipped students are able to fill in during clergy
vacations or at any other time. For more information see the
Artizo website.
Susan Norman has joined
staff as the Women’s Trainer. She will work part-time with Artizo and continue
part-time with Intervarsity Christian Ministries. Eric+ says “I believe Susan
will be a great blessing to the furthering of Artizo's objective of
identifying, encouraging and equipping dynamic men and women with gifts for
Christian ministry.”
Parish
news
Good Shepherd, Vancouver, BC has a new Associate Priest. The Rev Philip Soh joined Good Shepherd on March 1.
Philip+ comes from the Anglican Diocese of Singapore where he was the Vicar of
Marine Parade Christian Center, a multicultural church with four congregations
– English, Chinese, Indonesian, and Filipino. He will be primarily
responsible for Good Shepherd’s English congregation.
Saint
Timothy’s Anglican Bible Church (Montréal-area, QC) now meets
Sundays at 2pm in Lakeside Heights Baptist Church, 275 Braebrook Avenue, Pointe
Claire QC
Church of Our
Lord (Victoria, BC) was featured in a news
article in The Light, the local Christian publication. Although the
article contained some factual errors, it offers a sense of the blessings
experienced through the merging of the two congregations.
St Matthias and St Luke’s (Vancouver,
BC) invites all fellow Christians to join them for their Passover
Seder Supper, held in association with Bethlehem Lutheran Church. It is on
Maundy Thursday, March 28 at 6pm in the parish hall, 320 East 15 Avenue,
Vancouver. Please register before March 21, 2013 by emailing info@smslchurch.ca or calling 604-876-4320. Seating is limited. Participation is by donation. Please
note that the full Seder Supper will last at least a couple of hours.
Ottawa – A report and photos from the Time to Build meeting held at St Peter
& St Paul’s on March 9 are posted on The
Anglican Gathering of Ottawa website. One attendee said it was a “powerful
and inspired presentation by any standards”. Led by Archdeacon Ron Corcoron, Time
to Build focuses on building a financially strong ANiC. More information and
contact information for booking a visit from Archdeacon Ron is posted on the ANiC website.
St
Hilda’s (Oakville, ON) has a very attractive new website. Have a look!
Please email parish news to Marilyn or call 1-866-351-2642 ext 4020.
Anglican
Church in North America (ACNA) news
Church planters conference
The ACNA reports that more than 700 –
primarily church planters, clergy and lay leaders – gathered in Wheaton
for the annual Anglican
1000 summit last week. Among the gathered were ten ANiC delegates,
including three of our bishops. The theme was: “The Church: The Pillar and Foundation of the Truth”. In addition to
discussing aspects of planting churches, several speakers emphasized the
importance of catechesis (Christian formation or discipleship).
Anglican
1000 leaders presented “1,2,3 Challenge” which
calls every ACNA church to plant “1” church, in the next “2” years, using one
of “3” planting strategies: Jurisdictional, Congregational, and Pioneering. You
can learn more about the 1,2,3 Challenge by visiting the website.
Regional
Anglican 1000 events are planned for Chicago, Atlanta, New England, Seattle,
Ottawa, Phoenix and Boston – to encourage, equip and catalyze church
planting work in ACNA. Dates and details will be posted on the Anglican 1000 website once
confirmed.
New
Wineskins conference 2013 in Ridgecrest, NC
Many
ACNA members will attend the 2013 edition of New Wineskins in Ridgecrest, North
Carolina, April 4-7. The missions-focused conference, which is held every three
years, is bringing in speakers from around the world, including many Anglican
missionaries, to inspire and equip clergy, lay leaders, youth ministers and
entire congregations to fulfill our Lord's Great Commission to make disciples
of all nations. Over 900 participants from the US, Canada and 36 other
countries came to the last New Wineskins conference.
Legal
action involving an ACNA parishes and dioceses
Virginia – The Falls Church
News Press reports that “The Virginia Supreme Court in Richmond
yesterday [February 26] heard the oral arguments of an appeal by the breakaway
Falls Church Anglicans, seeking to reverse a January 2012 ruling by the Fairfax
Circuit Court returning the property of the historic Falls Church in downtown
City of Falls Church to the Episcopal Church.” A decision is expected by the
end of April.
Diocese
of San Joaquin (ACNA) – A court has tentatively
rejected a motion for summary judgement by the Episcopal Church that
would have essentially conceded the argument to TEC. At stake is the question
of “who is the rightful owner of the diocese’s assets?” The judge indicated
that TEC documents failed to demonstrate that a diocese cannot lawfully leave
TEC. The court will hear oral arguments on March 13, after which it will either
overturn or uphold this decision.
Lawyer
Alan Haley writes: “…the ruling shows that the court grasps the essence of the case, and
understands why the plaintiffs have not shown they are entitled to judgment as
a matter of law. There simply is no evidence of any provision in any canon or Constitution of
ECUSA or the Diocese of San Joaquin which would have prevented the latter from
exercising its first amendment right to cease to be associated with the
Episcopal Church (USA).” Do remember this case in your prayers. The March 11
edition of Anglican Unscripted provides interesting commentary on
this and the other current legal actions involving TEC.
Other
news in brief
Canada
Motion
408, which condemns sex-selective abortion but which would have no legislative
impact, is slated to be debated in the House of Commons on March 28. Although
this private members bill was brought forward by Conservative MP Mark Warawa
(Langley, BC), the government is officially opposing the motion on the basis
that it raises the abortion debate. If you are concerned about this matter you
can get further information
from LifeSiteNews.
LifeSiteNews
reports the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) wants the British
Columbia Court of Appeal to reverse an earlier decision which ruled that
banning assisted suicide is unconstitutional. The EPC argues that significant
errors were made in that decision. ANiC parishioner and EPC-BC chair Dr Will
Johnston expresses his concern that people who are not
terminally ill are receiving assisted suicide in countries where it has been
legalized. He stated, "Elder abuse is already difficult to detect… Giving
legal immunity to those who would provide suicide does not make our loved ones
safer."
A recent
Supreme Court ruling (Saskatchewan vs Whatcott) makes Canadians
vulnerable to jail sentences for making truthful statements if these can be
taken as “detesting or vilifying” of homosexual behaviour. The ruling said in
part, “Truthful statements can be presented in a manner that would meet the
definition of hate speech, and not all truthful statements must be free from
restriction.” The decision is seen as a blow against freedom of speech, opinion
and religion. More information is here. Professor John Stackhouse provides an excellent response here.
United
States
Diocese
of South Carolina – The legal situation in South Carolina continues to
evolve. The Episcopal Church (TEC) has counter-sued Bishop Mark Lawrence, bishop of the now independent Diocese of South Carolina.
Although the matter is already before a South Carolina court, TEC’s countersuit
is in the federal court system, where some believe TEC has a better chance of
success. The suit is over who has the right to the trademarks of the historic
diocese.
Alan
Haley, aka the “Anglican Curmudgeon”, comments,
“[TEC’s] claim is that Bishop Lawrence -- who just last month obtained a State
court temporary injunction against ECUSA and its agents from using any of the
marks or insignia of his Diocese -- is actually infringing on his own trademarks!... So ECUSA is
attempting, by the back door, to achieve what it has not yet been able to
achieve through the state courts of South Carolina: the deposition of Mark
Lawrence and the takeover of his entire Diocese, with its 28,000 parishioners
in some sixty separate parishes and missions.”
He also
notes that TEC has engaged three law firms and points out that TEC’s executive council earlier “authorized a $250,000 line of credit for
the Episcopal Church in South Carolina” – the recent designation for the remnant
which chose to remain in TEC when Bishop Lawrence and the Diocese of South
Carolina severed its ties with TEC.
The
“conciliation” terms agreed to by those TEC bishops threatened with discipline
for earlier signing legal affidavits which contradicted TEC’s legal arguments
in two court cases have been
made public. In the “accord”, the bishops expressed “regret for any
harm”, agreed not to do it again, agreed that their view on TEC polity “is
likely a minority opinion”, and accept a financial penalty to “help defray the
costs”. The bishops involved are: Bishops Peter Beckwith (Springfield), Bruce
MacPherson (Western Louisiana) and Edward Salmon (South Carolina) – in
one instance – and Bishops Maurice Benitez (Dallas), John Howe (Central
Florida), Paul Lambert (Dallas), William Love (Albany), Daniel Martins
(Springfield), Edward Salmon (South Carolina), and James Stanton (Dallas)
– in another. The offending documents had contradicted TEC’s claim that
it is hierarchically structured beyond the diocesan level.
The
Anglican Communion Institute has posted an unusually forceful analysis of
and response to this “accord”. They believe “…the real purpose of
this conciliation was to assist the secular litigation objectives of the
Presiding Bishop and her co-litigants” and that the disciplinary action and the
specter of bankrupting lawsuits were intended to intimidate the bishops and put
them under duress. However, they believe “…that the bishops have not conceded
their original position on Church polity.” They also reveal that in 2001, the
current Presiding Bishop was a signatory to an “amicus brief” supporting the
position that the diocesan bishop is the apex of the hierarchical structure of
the church. And they conclude by defiantly stating, despite two of the members
– Dr Philip Turner and Dr Ephraim Radner – already facing the
prospect of discipline, “members of ACI will not be intimidated”.
England
(& Archbishop of Canterbury)
Bishop
Michael Nazir Ali has written a nuanced
letter to the new Archbishop of Canterbury discussing the need for
the Church of England to focus more on equipping members for ministry and
outreach and less on bureaucracy and “the ‘dead hand’ of parliamentary
procedure”. Bishop Nazir-Ali continues with a brief discussion of women in the
Church, saying, “Equality is not sameness… we [are] pushing women into a male
pattern of ministry. Whatever the outcome of the debate on the ordination of
women, we must discover forms of ministry which respect both equality and
distinctiveness.” He concludes with a subtle suggestion that the
“establishment” of the Church of England might be compromising its ability to
be “light” in an increasingly dark society.
“Reconciliation”
is becoming a hallmark of the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s term – much
as Indaba (or ongoing dialogue) was a hallmark of Dr Williams’ tenure. However,
some are concerned that his concept of reconciliation may not completely align
with Scripture.
The Rev
Matt Kennedy has compiled links to some of Archbishop Justin Welby’s teaching and writing on the topic of
reconciliation. Matt+ concludes that the Archbishop Welby’s views are not
consonant with a Biblical understanding of reconciliation. While Archbishop
Welby seems to commend seeking the “highest degree of unity possible” with
those with whom we disagree on core doctrinal issues, Matt+ contends that this is not
Christian love. He says, “Instead, love refuses to acknowledge the false
teacher’s authority, refuses to give him credibility, refuses to promote or
legitimize his claims to be Christian in any way - both for his sake and the
sake of those he leads into the darkness. That is the apostolic model…”
In the
March 8 American Anglican Council e-newsletter, Canon Phil Ashey comments, “It
seems that the leadership of the Anglican communion is again defaulting to
process rather than getting to the competing values that are driving the
conflicts within the Anglican Communion… There comes a time when a leader needs
to say, "No, this is not about competing values that are equally Biblical
and well within the tradition of apostolic Christianity. This is about a
conflict between values that are biblical on the one hand and values that
cannot be reconciled with the Bible on the other." It does no good in this
instance to reframe the issue as one needing "assisted and facilitated
conversations." Rather, one needs to recognize the irreconcilable values
at work, to frame the issue as it really is, and to begin to ask what we do to
maintain the faith and order of the church so that it can continue to proclaim
with authority the Lordship of Jesus Christ, who alone has not only the skill,
but the authority to help us resolve our competing values in a way that is
faithful to both truth and grace.”
Archbishop
Welby’s address to a “Faith in Conflict” conference held at Coventry Cathedral
in late February is posted here. Elsewhere,
Archbishop Welby says, “…the way that… I understand reconciliation in the
church: not agreement, but conflict transformed from being destructive)”
The Anglican News
Service reports that Archbishop Welby’ has appointed “the Reverend
Dr Jo Bailey Wells as his new Chaplain, based at Lambeth Palace. Her primary
focus will be for the spiritual life at Lambeth Palace and for supporting the
Archbishop's pastoral and liturgical ministry.”
The Telegraph
reports on a new biography of Archbishop Welby, which notes his
refreshingly clear “traditional” positions of current issues – at least
prior to his elevation to his current position. His positions expressed in the
past include, opposition to sex outside of traditional marriage, questioning
formality of the Church of England, and concerns about the Church’s financial future.
However the article notes, “But since being named as Archbishop he has
hinted at a softening of the Church’s stance, expressing strong support for
civil partnerships and attacking homophobia. Some commentators have noted an apparent
reluctance on his part to be drawn into issues such as the gay marriage debate
since his appointment.”
Another Telegraph
article draws more tidbits from the Archbishop’s biography including
instances when his life was in danger during negotiation trips to troubled
areas, and comments he made about the perception of colonialism in the
Communion. It says:
“The book also recounts how
once [he] openly suggested that the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury - “a
white man in Lambeth” - in overseeing the worldwide Anglican Communion was an
anachronistic colonial hang-over.
“Speaking in 2006, he said:
“If you're in Nigeria … and you have 17 million Anglicans in church every
Sunday, after a little while, however gracious you are, it does begin to occur
to you to ask the question as to why the Anglican Communion should be run by a
white man in Lambeth.”
A report of Archbishop
Welby’s visit to a Vineyard Church in England says, “Unusually perhaps for a
senior Anglican, Justin Welby was very clear on the exact time and date he
became a Christian and on the gospel he responded to. In a boost of
encouragement for those of us engaged in work among students, he recounted that
he gave his life to Christ after a fellow student shared the gospel with him
and led him to Christ, having explained to him the cross.” You can read the
full account of his sermon and a non-Anglican’s impressions here.
The Times
reports that “The number of young people applying to train as
priests hit a 20-year high in the Church of England last year, despite rows
within the Church over women bishops and gay marriage. In 2012, 113 people
under 30 were accepted for training in the Church of England ministry, 47 per cent
up on 2011.”
Rome
The 115 cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the 266th pontiff will be
sequestered beginning March 12. The Toronto Star offers
interesting insight into the process and notes, “Only one ballot is
permitted the first day. Each succeeding day allows for two ballots in the
morning and two in the afternoon.”
You can
read a succinct
insight into a possible reason for the pope’s resignation –
the powerful homosexual underground operating clandestinely in the Roman
Catholic Church – and the potential for good that may come from it. You
can read more here and here.
Russia
In a statement condemning changes – and contemplated changes – to marriage and
family law in England and France, the Russian Orthodox Church concludes:
“The Russian
Orthodox Church preserves and defends the primary Christian understanding of
marriage and family… [W]e believe it important to develop dialogue with all the
public forces, both religious and non-religious, who support the traditional
ideas of family values. This criterion is one of the most important ones in the
Russian Orthodox Church’s choice of partners in inter-Christian and
interreligious dialogues.”
Syria
CTV News
reports that “Syria's accelerating
humanitarian crisis hit a grim milestone Wednesday: The number of UN-registered
refugees topped 1 million -- half of them children -- described by an aid
worker as a "human river" of thousands spilling out of the
war-ravaged country every day. Nearly 4 million of Syria's 22 million people
have been driven from their homes by the civil war. Of the displaced, 2 million
have sought cover in camps and makeshift shelters across Syria, 1 million have
registered as refugees in neighboring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt,
and several hundred thousand more fled the country but haven't signed up with
the UN refugee agency.”
Iran
A Christian Solidarity Worldwide report posted on VirtueOnline states that five more Christians went on trial March 10. They
were arrested last October during a prayer service in a private home.
Pakistan
The National Post reports that, once again, a Muslim mob “…rampaged
through a Christian neighbourhood Saturday, torching dozens of homes after
hearing reports that a Christian man had committed blasphemy against Islam’s
prophet.”
Libya
Muslim hostility toward Christians in Libya has grown dramatically since the
civil war (so-called “Arab Spring”). Persecution
International Christian Concern reports that four foreign Christian
missionaries were arrested last week and face the death penalty for
“proselytizing”. Then more that 100 Egyptian Coptic Christians working in the
country were also arrested. Churches have been attacked as well.
Zimbabwe
The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe has issued another ruling in favour of the Anglican church of the Province of Central
Africa in its
dispute with a renegade bishop. The dispute was over Church property in
Manicaland. A similar decision earlier returned Church properties in Harare to
the Province.
Tanzania
In the February 28th
edition of the Anglican Unscripted news video, commentators George
Conger and Kevin Kallsen discuss the allegation that the recent election of the
new Primate of Tanzania was tampered with by forces aligned with the US
Episcopal Church (TEC). The allegation is that several members of the House of
Bishops changed their vote as a result of financial bribes. The former Primate,
who failed in his bid to be reelected, was closely aligned with the GAFCon
movement. The Church in Tanzania has long had a minority faction aligned with
TEC. In addition, a missionary from Tanzania speaks about the growing violence
against Christians by Islamists in that country. However, Anglican Ink
reports that “The Tanzanian church has long been divided into tribal
factions, a split between Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals, and a regional
divide between the coast and the interior. Archbishop Mokiwa has been unable to
consolidate his support among the House of Bishops, several of whose members
have voiced their unhappiness with his leadership.” Additional information is here and here.
Zambia
The Anglican
Communion New Service reports that “The Government of the Republic
of Zambia has praised the Anglican Church in Zambia for being proactive leaders
in the fight against gender-based violence and has especially applauded women
for choosing to speak out.”
Eritrea
Persecution
International Christian Concern reports that 125 Christians were
beaten and imprisoned in Eritrea two weeks ago. Eritrea is notorious for
persecution and is sometimes called the “North Korea of Africa”. An estimated
2000 Christians remain imprisoned in some of the most inhuman conditions in the
world.
Kenya
The Vancouver Sun
reports that the election in Kenya has not seen the violence experienced
after the election five years ago – despite the challenger refusing to
concede, allegations of multiple electoral failures, and the winning
presidential candidate facing International Criminal Court charges “…of helping
to orchestrate the vicious violence that marred the nation’s last vote”. The
Primate, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, and bishops of the Anglican Church of Kenya have worked
tirelessly to promote a peaceful post-election, regardless of the outcome.
Soul
food
Board game ministry
A Sydney
Anglican article tells how one church has started a board game
ministry in a shopping mall to connect with community youth –
specifically those from Middle Eastern backgrounds. Recently Bible reading was
added before the games for those who come early. The plan is to soon also offer
Bible study. The article offers good insight.
Family and moral matters
Marriage – The Rev
John Richardson has written a three-part series titled “Toward a Biblical Theology of Marriage” in which he
looks at both Old and New Testament teaching.
Euthanasia –
LifeSiteNews has a review of the movie “Amour” which it describes as “a dangerously seductive piece of
pro-euthanasia propaganda”. Belgium, which instituted euthanasia some years
ago, originally only for adults expressly requesting it, is now looking at
amending the law to cover younger people. The rational is that euthanasia was already being carried out on children, so “doctors need a
legal framework”. The proposed amendment to the law also covers those with
Alzheimer’s disease. LifeSiteNews reports that a study found that “32% of all assisted
deaths, in the Flanders region of Belgium, were done without consent” and “47%
of all assisted deaths… were not reported”.
Sexualizing children – An article in the Huffington Post (UK edition) reports “It
is quite simply staggering that up to one in three sexual assaults on children
are committed by other children… easy access to hardcore pornography is warping
young people's views of what is 'normal' or acceptable sexual behaviour”.
Just for laughs
A little girl, dressed in
her Sunday best, was running to church as fast as she could, trying not to be
late for Bible class.
As she ran she prayed,
"Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be
late!"
While she was running and
praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing
her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again.
As she ran she once again
began to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! But please don't
shove me either!"
www.mikeysFunnies.com
Thought
Life becomes easier when
you learn to accept an apology you never got. ~ Robert
Brault
www.mikeysFunnies.com
And now
a word from our sponsor
Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that,
but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does
not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through
the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For
while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For
one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good
person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now
been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath
of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans
5:1-11 ESV
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