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Handle with prayer!
News – ANiC and AEN
Primate of the Southern Cone, Greg Venables
The American Anglican Council newsletter notes
that Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone has experienced
significant adversity recently. Father Phil Ashey writes, “On the same weekend
that his mother passed away, his home was severely damaged by a storm that
ruined the roof and made the upstairs uninhabitable. Another storm came through
after that and destroyed the porch. Now he is being singled out by Lambeth
Palace and ACC Secretary General Kenneth Kearon for potential sanctions for his
involvement in providing pastoral care and oversight to churches in North
America. Is it a coincidence that this follows his election as Chair of the
GAFCON Primates Council? ++Gregory Venables has been a faithful, steadfast
friend and shepherd to so many of us here in North America.”
ANiC has already been able to send a gift of money
to Archbishop Greg and his wife Sylvia and we hope to be able to send more.
Please remember them in prayer.
St Hilda’s in the news
The National Post recently carried an interesting feature on St Hilda’s (Oakville, ON) and its journey since voting unanimously to leave
the Anglican Church of Canada in February 2008. Journalist, Charles Lewis says
of the church, “…a religious revolution has taken place here as profound as
anything seen in modern Christian history.” He adds, “Their cause… seemed
utterly out of step with the predominant Canadian culture.” Parishioner Paula
Valentine and rector the Rev Paul Charbonneau are interviewed and recount the
opposition they have faced from their former diocese. The article says, “Still,
despite attacks on reputation, property and finances over the past 30 months
St. Hilda's has survived and perhaps triumphed. From being a lost cause they
have become part of a stubborn outpost of orthodoxy that is gaining millions of
allies across the globe.”
Bishop Michael Bird of the Anglican Church of
Canada Diocese of Niagara quickly responded with a letter to the editor in which he
challenged the term “religious revolution”, saying that St Hilda’s is merely “part
of a small splinter group that represents less than 2% of Anglicans in North
America”. He adds, “They would have us return to a way of thinking that is much
closer to the last Reformation that began in the 15th century, as
opposed to moving us toward a new Reformation.” He concludes his letter with:
“…whether a man loves a woman or another man, or a woman loves a man or another
woman to God it is all love.”
ARDFC and your parish budget
Has your parish included ARDFC in your next annual church budget? ARDFC is ANiC’s relief and development arm
and we’re committed to partnering with Global South dioceses to implement
projects that have been carefully vetted before approval.
As we enter mosquito season in Canada…
Next time you swat an annoying mosquito, consider
that, for many in tropical countries mosquito bites can be deadly, as
mosquitoes transmit the debilitating and potentially fatal malaria parasite. Every
year, nearly a million people – many of whom are small children – die from
malaria.
For our current project, we have committed to
raising $50,000 through ARDFC to allow a malaria reduction project to go ahead
in the Diocese of Maseno in Kenya. Our gifts will finance malaria prevention
education for students and healthcare workers and will pay for mosquito nets to
protect small children who are most at risk. Please help us help the Diocese of
Maseno “take the bite out of malaria”. Donations can be
made online or by sending your cheque to ARDFC, Box 1013,
Burlington, ON, L7R 4L8. More information will be coming to ANiC parishes very
soon.
Giving to ACNA
Just a reminder… Canadians giving directly to ACNA
will receive a receipt, but that receipt cannot be used for Canadian income tax
purposes. If you wish a Canadian charitable receipt for your gift to ACNA,
please donate through ANiC and clearly designate your gift for ACNA.
Ottawa area music leader needed
Blackburn Hamlet Community Church (Ottawa, ON)
needs a new music leader to begin in September. If you are a Christian who
plays the piano or guitar and if you feel God is calling you to this ministry,
contact the church for a job description. For contact and church information
see www.blackburnhamletcommunitychurch.ca
Calendar of upcoming events – for your interest and
prayer support
June 12-22 – St Matthias & St Luke pilgrimage
to the Holy Land
June 20 – St John’s Vancouver
confirmation service to be held at St John’s Richmond
June 20 – Blackburn Hamlet (Ottawa, ON)
confirmation service with Bishop Charlie
July 23 – Holy Trinity (Marlborough, MA) –
Ordination to priesthood of the Rev Michael Bickford
Sept 13-16 – BC Court of Appeal hearing in
Vancouver
Sept 17-19 – St Luke’s –
Spiritual renewal with Bishop Malcolm & Archdeacon Paul Crossland
Sept 18 – St George's Ottawa, Day of Prayer in
preparation for the ANiC synod
Nov 3 – Clergy day, Ottawa, ON
Nov 4-6 – ANiC synod with Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali,
Ottawa, ON
News shorts – Anglican Church in North America
(ACNA)
ACNA adds two dioceses, bringing total number of
dioceses to 20
Two new dioceses were
added to the ACNA at Provincial Council meetings on June 9: the
Diocese of the South and the Diocese of the Great Lakes. The Diocese of the
Great Lakes unites over 1500 Anglicans in 14 congregations located in Ohio,
Michigan and Indiana. Bishop Roger Ames, currently a suffragan bishop for the
Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), is expected to be formally
installed in October as the diocese’s first bishop.
The new Anglican Diocese of the South also currently
numbers more than 1500 members in 20 churches in four states: Alabama, Georgia,
North Carolina and Tennessee. Bishop-elect Foley Beach, rector of Holy Cross
Anglican Church in Loganville, Georgia will be consecrated this fall.
ACNA Provincial Council report
A communiqué from the ACNA Provincial Council and College of Bishops’ meeting, held earlier
in June, notes that the Provincial Council approved “mission partner” status
for the Anglican Mission (formerly know as AMiA) – including the Anglican
Coalition in Canada (ACiC). The House of Bishops approved a new missionary
bishop position for work among Niobrara Sioux Native Americans, and approved
the Rt Rev Derek Jones as suffragan bishop to oversee an increasing number of
military and institutional chaplains and chaplain candidates. They also began
studying the issue of women’s ordination to the priesthood.
Father Phil Ashey, writing in the American Anglican Council newsletter,
recounts the strides taken by the ACNA in its first year: growing global
recognition by orthodox Global South provinces; deepening ecumenical relations;
nurturing of “a new generation of thirty-something preachers and teachers… who
will both guard and proclaim the faith once delivered!”
BeliefNet reports, “For now, the ACNA is
focused on laying foundations. Task forces on topics from liturgy to prayer
book and ecumenism reported to the council this week. Chief Operating Officer
Brad Root, a former entrepreneur, likens the organization to "a start
up" in the business world; it aims to grow rapidly and all administrative
systems need to be built from square one.”
ACNA Diocese of Quincy elects bishop
The ACNA Diocese of Quincy has elected a new bishop. The election of
the Rt Rev Alberto Morales must be confirmed by the ACNA House of Bishops. Abbot
Morales has been active in world missions, conferences and clergy retreats, and
is the founder of St Benedict’s Abbey, an ecumenical abbey near Peoria,
Illinois.
Two court decisions: in Virginia and California
The Supreme Court of Virginia has overturned a
pro-ACNA ruling by a lower court on one matter of law and sent the case back to
the lower court. Legal commentator, A S Haley (aka Anglican Curmudgeon) says that the result is that both sides now must “spend more time and money in
trying the issues of ownership” in the lower court – dragging the case out
another two years or more. He adds, “…the Court's decision today holds little
precedential value for the wider issues at stake in litigation in other states
between [TEC], its dioceses, and their parishes”.
In a news release Jim Oakes, spokesman for the
nine ACNA Virginia churches involved said, ““We are disappointed with today’s ruling and will review it as we
consider our options. This is not the final chapter in this matter. The court’s
ruling simply involved one of our statutory defenses… [T]hese properties are
titled in the name of the congregations’ trustees, not in the name of the
Diocese or the Episcopal Church. So we continue to be confident in our legal
position…”
The California Supreme Court has agreed to review a
2-1 split decision issued by the Court of Appeals which favoured the Episcopal
Church. The earlier ruling had denied St James Anglican Church its day in
court. According to a St James’ news release, “By granting the
St. James petition, the Court has acknowledged that this property rights
dispute is far from over as the Episcopal Church has claimed, and that the Court
must decide whether a defendant can be deprived of its property before it has
had the opportunity to defend itself with evidence in a court of law.” Christianity
Today provides a good analysis of the case.
Other ACNA news
OneNewsNow – June 14 2010 – CANA supports Episcopalian ban
StandFirm – June 14 2010 – ACNA
receives Atlanta area diocese [Anglican Diocese of the South]
Newburyport Daily News – June 10 2010 – Local church at center of breakaway…movement
Washington Post – June 11 2010 – Va. High court rules against Anglican breakaway
churches…
Anglican Mainstream – June 17 2010 – ACNA bishop to preach at Portreath, Cornwall…
Church of England Newspaper – June 4 2010 – AMiA pulls back from joining third province movement
in North America
Living Church – June 11 2010 – ACNA celebrates its first year
News shorts – Canada
ACoC general synod achieves status quo
AEC blogger David Jenkins, who did yeoman’s service
reporting from general synod, wrote in his concluding article for the National Post,
“As synod draws to a close, I find myself wondering what it was all for. After
so many words, motions, resolutions, procedures, discernments, presentations
and earnest pondering… The sexuality resolution, when it finally arrived, was
sufficiently woolly to allow the blessing of same-sex unions to continue
informally, while avoiding— for the moment at least — censure from the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Those who set unity above all saw it as a masterpiece
of Anglican compromise… The Anglican Covenant — the document that is supposed
to prevent Anglican provinces from making radical decisions unilaterally — will
be studied for three to six years… The Anglican Church spends much of its time
questioning the faith that has shaped not only it, but the last 2000 years of
Western civilization. To fill the void, it has made an idol out of “inclusion”,
thereby alienating to the point of exclusion many who are determined to hold
fast to orthodox Christianity. The church’s quest for relevance has become an
accommodation to secular culture and it now finds itself in a market where it
cannot and never will be able to effectively compete.”
Sexuality issue - Writing in the Anglican Journal, Neale
Adams (Diocese of New Westminster), complimented Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate
of the Anglican Church of Canada for masterfully steering synod away from the rocks
– particularly the shoal of the sexuality/blessings issue. Rather than making a
decision, synod simply passed a motion to move the ongoing
“dialogue” back to the dioceses, guided by a ”Sexuality Discernment” statement distilled
from “indaba” small group discussions at synod. In a
related motion, dioceses were asked to “engage in theological and
scriptural study of human sexuality… in conversation with gay and lesbian
voices, and with a full range of theological opinion…” The AEC blog reports that an amendment to this
motion calling for the inclusion of “ex-gay voices” [such as members of
Zacchaeus Fellowship] was defeated.
In a letter to his diocese, Bishop Michael Bird
(Niagara) comments, “I believe this statement does represent significant movement
in the life of our Church. All of our delegates agree that a new spirit of
openness and generosity was felt in our meetings and I am pleased with the
acknowledgement and the acceptance of the context for the kind of local
discernment that we have undertaken. I also need to say to you that this
statement and the desire it expresses to walk together bears witness to the
work and leadership that our diocese has offered the wider church.”
As Mr Adams states in his Journal article, “In other words, in those
dioceses where same-gendered couples are blessed, they will probably continue
to be blessed; in those dioceses where the bishop and many of his priests and
people object to blessing, they won’t be performed. And the Anglican Church of
Canada will continue on as one big family. Maybe not all its members are happy,
but the family unit remains intact… Archbishop Hiltz can now send the document…
to Canterbury and suggest this is an example of “gracious restraint” that many
seem to want.”
Another Anglican Journal article states: “General Synod 2010 did not approve the
so-called local option that would allow dioceses to grant same-sex blessings.
Neither did it take a legislative decision on the matter. It did, however,
recognize that local option has been exercised by some and may be taken by
others in future, even though “it’s not local option approved by the national
church...,” said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of
Canada. “We’re not ready as a national church to say, ‘We’re building this into
our doctrine that we approve of same-sex unions,’ ” he told a press conference
following the close of General Synod 2010 in Halifax. What synod did say was,
“We need to have more conversation”…
Anglican Covenant – General synod received the
final text of the Covenant and passed
a motion to study it at the parish and diocesan level and to
consider adoption at general synod 2013 in Ottawa. The motion further asks that
work be done on the “theological, ecclesiological, legal and constitution
implications of a decision to adopt or not adopt the Covenant”. The Anglican Journal repots that, the chair of
the Covenant Working Group, Bishop George Bruce (Ontario), told synod this final
text of the Covenant was “a very significant improvement” over earlier drafts.
Other items of interest coming out of general synod
–
| • |
General synod decided to cut costs by
paring down the size of the Council of General Synod (CoGS) – the body that
effectively governs the church between Genera Synod meetings. Newly elected
members of CoGS include Anglican Essentials Network rector, the Rev Gene
Packwood (AEN) of St Barnabas Anglican Church (Medicine Hat,
Alberta). |
| • |
The next general synod will be fully integrated with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada. |
| • |
When general synod was addressed by the Presiding
Bishop of the Episcopal Church (TEC), Katharine Jeffers Schori, the focus was
on the close partnership between the ACoC and TEC. In her address, according to the Anglican Journal, she
said, “Our histories have continued to be intertwined. We’ve had quite a lot of
consensual border crossing…” For his part, Archbishop Hiltz said that ACoC members “value and cherish” their
relationship with Episcopalians and he was “holding out the possibilities for
deeper partnership” between the two churches. |
| • |
The Anglican Communion’s secretary general, Canon
Kenneth Kearon, lauded ACoC leaders for their contributions
to various Communion initiatives and focused on good works currently undertaken
by the Communion. A news conference with Canon Kearon is on the AEC blog. |
Anglican Communion Alliance responds with gratitude
In a cautiously positive response, the Anglican
Communion Alliance (ACA) expressed gratitude for general synod’s status quo
decision. However, the ACA did say the “Statement remains problematic for Anglican
Communion Alliance members” and insisted “that common life will be jeopardized
by any attempt to see the Statement as a license to authorize same sex
blessings”. They added that the ACA will encourage the House of Bishops to “reaffirm
the moratorium on same-sex blessings”.
The ACA conclude by announcing “A conference of
revisioning” on September 25 at St Bride’s in Mississauga, ON with speaker Dr
Ephraim Radner. They add: “The Anglican Communion Alliance eagerly accepts the
challenge ahead of us. Our aim is to be a center of biblical and spiritual
renewal within the Anglican Church of Canada, and we intend to give ourselves
to the on-going theological discussion and study of human sexuality that this
General Synod has called for and that is so needed in our church.”
The Anglican Journal reports that Archbishop
Hiltz addressed an ACA gathering during synod:
“The primate took time to speak about all this to a
group of about 50 delegates and others at a session organized by the Anglican
Communion Alliance, until lately called the Essentials Federation. This group
of conservative Anglicans is very much opposed to where they feel the church is
headed on sexuality issues. Still, they want to stay.
“They asked hard questions and Archbishop Hiltz
gave straight answers. At the end of the meeting, most stood up and
applauded–something unimaginable three years ago.
“Of course, it helped that the Primate had chosen
to promote restraint. And it helped that some people who attended General Synod
2007 in Winnipeg weren’t attending General Synod 2010 in Halifax. Still, the
primate wished out loud that former Anglican Church of Canada bishops Donald
Harvey, Ron Ferris, and Malcolm Harding might return and help their former
church by working with disaffected Anglicans in a shared episcopal ministry.”
Other reactions to general synod
Bishop Bill Anderson, Diocese of Caledonia (in
northwestern BC) took time from general synod to talk to AEC blogger David
Jenkins. This very interesting interview is posted to the blog in two parts: part 1 and part 2. Bishop Anderson reports that he was
impressed with the graciousness of the small group discussions but sensed the
‘playing field’ was tilted with the Primate clearly favouring the ‘liberal’
position. As an example, the Primate railed against cross-border interventions,
but ignored the actions that necessitated those interventions. Bishop Anderson
said: “ACNA and ANiC didn’t come into being in a vacuum: they came into
existence out of a context that the Canadian church failed – and failed quite
badly – to deal with: that was the initiation of doing the blessings in New
Westminster.. the primate and the synod of the Canadian church can’t have it
both ways. They can’t say, “shame on ANiC and shame on ACNA, you should not be
crossing the border” and still countenance blessings being done within Canadian
dioceses.”
On the ACoC’s jettisoning of historic tenets of the
Christian faith, Bishop Anderson says, “A lot of church-speak goes on at
[synods]. People talk about doing more evangelism, we need to love, but there’s
absolutely no depth to those comments… Because we’ve gone down the road of
being very simplistic about those things, we have an incredibly confused
unfocussed message… we’ve lost our moorings... we aren’t in agreement on
Biblical authority… We’ve got a church that is madly spinning off in all
directions; I think that represents a failure of leadership over decades.”
Speaking of the leadership of the ACoC, he
indicates that as a conservative in the House of Bishops, he is generally
ignored. However, he is hopeful, because “God has raised up some Godly new
bishops in the church.”
Referring to how ANiC bishops were treated by the
ACoC leadership, Bishop Anderson laments, “I’ve seen a number of good friends
who have left… And Bishop Harvey was a good friend and a guide to me when I
joined the HOB. I see him as someone who has been a man of incredible courage,
and I know that it hurt him so deeply to be forced by conscience to do what he
did. And there was nothing from this side. It was: “You’ve got a problem; too
bad!” There was no sense of… what have we done wrong, that a man of that
calibre would feel he had to do what he did… that, to me, is one of the great
sins that we’re going to pay for.”
Dr George Sumner, principal of Wycliffe College –
David Jenkins also interviewed Dr Sumner and posted it in three parts to the
AEC blog. Dr Sumner shares his views on the proposed Covenant, theological
education, and renewal within the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC). On
remaining in the ACoC, Dr Sumner said, “I’m someone who believes that there is
a valid calling to remain in the ACoC and to work for and be hopeful of its
renewal. And I believe that the ACoC in its formal prayer is an orthodox
church… I think the prayer books of the church are recognisably Christian. My
exhortation to conservative Anglicans in Canada is to set about the business of
building up parishes, dioceses and schools and understanding themselves as
servants of the renewal of the church.” You can see part one, part two and part three of this interview.
Sara Plumpton, in a post submitted to the AEC blog advises
orthodox Christians still within the ACoC not to participate further “in the
charade of fruitless ‘dialogue’” on same-sex blessings. She says, “…’dialogue’
implies that there is something that can reasonably be disputed, or that there
is leeway for interpretation afforded by the Scriptures… Either homosexual sex
is blessed or it is sinful. The Anglican Church of Canada has already
given its blessing to homosexual sex… By participating in “dialogue,”
conservative Anglicans legitimize the hypocritical position of the Anglican
Church of Canada, which is in fact breaking the moratoria at the diocesan level
and in intent at the national level.” Instead of dialogue, she urges orthodox members
of the ACoC to “…call upon the international Communion to sanction the Anglican
Church of Canada for its wilful breaking of the moratoria, for its apostasy,
and for its exclusion of those faithful Christians who uphold the authority of
Scripture in their own obedient lives [especially Zacchaeus Fellowship
members].”
Other Canadian news
Anglican Journal – June 9 2010 – Vision 2019 adopted
Anglican Journal – June 10 2010 – ‘A new vision of what church can be’
Anglican Journal – June 10 2010 – Money matters [General synod hits $70,000
in sponsorship]
Anglican Journal – June 10 2010 – Hope within diversity
Anglican Journal – June 11 2010 – Spirit of God presided
National Post – June 9 2010 – Anglican gay rights fight accelerates
Vancouver Sun – June 11 2010 – Anglicans fail to resolve gay-marriage debate
Christian Today – June 8 2010 – Anglicans in Canada favour dialogue over debate…
Christian Post – June 14 2010 – Anglican Church of Canada accepts diversity on
same-sex issue
Canadian Christianity – June 2010 – Rwanda’s Kolini visits [BC] ‘for fellowship’
News shorts – United States
Is the Presiding Bishop
laying the ground-work for a competing Communion?
As Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori
travels internationally – visiting Canada, Scotland and England in the last two
weeks – her language has taken on the tone of a campaign. VirtueOnline points out that she is
emphasizing the reach and power of the Episcopal Church (TEC), telling the general
synod in Scotland that TEC has churches in 16 countries: Taiwan, Micronesia,
Honduras, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Haiti, Dominican Republic, the British
and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy
and Switzerland. She also notes that TEC is forming “covenant relationships” with
other like-minded Provinces – such as Brazil, Mexico, Liberia and the
Philippians – and forging mission partnerships with parishes and dioceses
throughout the Communion. VirtueOnline notes that later this month her tour
will continue to Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand and then to Australia.
As an aside… For her speaking engagement at
Southward Cathedral, London, the Presiding Bishop was told that she had to abide by Church of
England canons which do not recognize women bishops. As such she could function
only as a priest and could not wear her mitre or other symbols of the bishop’s
office. Defiantly, she carried her mitre under her arm and wore her purple
bishop’s shirt under her robe (both clearly visible in photos). This perceived
slight by the CoE – now termed “mitregate” – has caused a minor
tempest among TEC elites. Immediately prior to her visit, orthodox clergy in
the Southwark diocese wrote the Times expressing their concern at
her visit and saying they “seriously questioned the judgement” of the Dean for
not withdrawing the invitation.
Has TEC been asked to withdraw from the Instruments
of Communion?
The Church of England Newspaper reports that,
even prior to sending his Pentecost letter which outlined mild sanctions for TEC,
the Archbishop of Canterbury sent, on April 17, “a private letter delivered to
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori asking her to consider withdrawing
from active participation on the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion.” A subsequent article confirms that Canterbury
also asked the Presiding Bishop not to attend the next Primates’ meeting. However,
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori subsequently denied that TEC had been asked
to withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council, one of the Instruments of
Communion.
Responding to TEC’s arrogance
A S Haley, a TEC parishioner who blogs at the
Anglican Curmudgeon suggests that, since TEC wants absolute
power to decide who it will consecrate as a bishop without any reference to
other provinces, other provinces in the Communion should simply refuse to
recognize the orders of those within TEC. He says, “It has never been recognized, anywhere in
the church catholic, that a denomination in communion with others has a
unilateral right to make its standard for ordinations at odds with those of
everyone else. To "be in communion" with other denominations means to
be of a common mind with them…
Recognition of orders in [TEC] by the rest of the Communion must be refused
until such time as [TEC] brings its standards of ordination back into line with
those of the Communion as a whole.”
Former Ugandan bishop joins Bishop Gene Robinson to
promote pansexuality
Bishop Robinson and former Church of Uganda bishop
Christopher Senyonjo have been making joint appearances promoting pansexuality
in the US. The Institute on Religion & Democracy reports that Bishop Robinson told a news conference: "Where I hope we are headed
is to discover the enormous diversity in human sexuality. Wouldn't it be
wonderful if there were as many sexualities as there are human beings?"
Lectionary omissions
An Episcopal Church (TEC) priest has noted another glaring omission from his
Revised Common Lectionary which quietly skips over Romans 1:26-27, verses
dealing with homosexual practice.
Other US news
Religion News Service – June 3 2010 – Episcopal head lashes out at Anglican ‘colonial’…discipline
Living Church – June 17 2010 – Communion tensions echo at executive council
USA Today – June 17 2010 – For Anglicans and Episcopalians, it’s USA v England…
VirtueOnline – June 18 2010 – The four humiliations of Episcopal Presiding Bishop
Jefferts Schori
News shorts – International
Secretary General indicates sanctions of TEC are
for pragmatic reasons
Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the
Anglican Communion visited both the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) general
synod and the Episcopal Church (TEC) executive council recently. The Episcopal News Service provides a fascinating report on Canon Kearon’s meeting with TEC’s executive council. It reports he told them
they should have expected sanctioned when TEC defied the Communion and
proceeded to ordain a second openly homosexual bishop. “However, he said that
in the recent removal of Episcopal Church members from some Anglican Communion
ecumenical dialogues "the aim has not been to get at the Episcopal Church,
but to find room for others to remain as well as enabling as full a
participation as possible for the Episcopal Church within the communion." He
added that the Communion’s ecumenical dialogues “are at the point of collapse”
and that the last meeting of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion “was
probably the worst meeting I have experienced.”
TEC publicly chided by South African ally
The Living Church reports that the Primate of
South Africa, The Most. Rev Thabo Makgoba, in the midst of a recent public
address, chided TEC and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for not “listening
to the rest of the Anglican Communion”. He added, “People had hoped that those
of your bishops who were at the Lambeth Conference would have grasped how sore
and tender our common life is. We had hoped that even those who, after long
reflection, are convinced that there is a case for the consecration of
individuals in same-sex partnerships, might nonetheless have seen how unhelpful
it would be to the rest of us for you to proceed as you have done…. There are
times when it seems… that your province, or some within it, despite voicing
concern for the rest of us, can nonetheless act in ways that communicate a
measure of uncaring at the consequent difficulties for us. And such apparent
lack of care for us in the Global South increases the stress.”
News in brief from around the world and the
Communion
Kenya – LifeSiteNews reports that a rally organized
by pro-life and religious groups in Nairobi was bombed twice, killing six and
injuring more than100. The rally was in support the “no” vote in the August 4
referendum on the proposed national constitution which would legalize abortion
for the first time and recognize Sharia (Islamic) law. Muslims comprise only 12
per cent of the population while over 70 per cent are said to be Christians. Rally
organizers issued a statement following the blasts accusing the government of
the bombings, saying it was part of the government’s strategy to discourage
opposition. A second article reports that the US Vice
President has travelled to Kenya specifically to press for the passing of the
constitution, promising more foreign aid in exchange.
Malawi – The media headlines first trumpeted the
same-sex engagement of two men in Malawi, then their subsequent trial and jail
sentence for violating the law of the land, and finally their pardon by the
country’s president who capitulated to intense pressure from the west. Now Kenya’s Daily Nation tells us that one of
the men has renounced the relationship and is engaged to a woman. According to
the Daily Nation, the man is “accusing ‘hidden hands’ of engineering” the earlier
same-sex “engagement”.
Papua New Guinea – The Anglican Church of Papua New
Guinea has elected the Rt Rev Joseph Kopapa as its
new primate.
Egypt – A lay pastor and his wife were shot and left for dead by a gang of
Islamic militants, but both survived. Despite the loss of employment and facing
mounting medical bills due to their severe injuries, the Christian couple is
willing to drop charges against their attackers on condition the government relents
and allows them to build a church building in the village.
Nigeria – The Christian Post reports that the Anglican
Church of Nigeria is “the largest active Protestant church in the world” and “grew
by over fivefold to its present membership of 20 million in a mere 22 years”. In
the interview/article, former primate Archbishop Peter Akinola explains how
this growth has occurred: by focusing on planting churches in every community, establishing
“missionary dioceses”, and consecrating as bishops men who were first and
foremost evangelists. Archbishop Akinola also says that breaking the dependency
on foreign funding was important. He concludes, “We dare not rest … We must
continue mission work, we must continue church growth until Christ comes.”
Kyrgyzstan – Christianity Today reports Christians in
Kyrgyzstan are living in fear for their lives as uncontrolled mobs of Kyrgyz
roam the streets killing Uzbeks in the politically-motivated ethnic violence.
Kyrgyz Christians, at great personal risk, are hiding Uzbeks, who are the
minority ethnic group, in their homes and driving them to safety. Kyrgyzstan is
overwhelmingly Muslim and increasingly militant. Pray for the Christians. May
their selfless witness bear eternal fruit.
England – Evangelicals are calling for the CoE general synod to
debate the House of Bishops decision to allow divorced bishops.
India – A bishop in the Church of South India faces new criminal charges, this time for
fraud and accepting kick-backs from contracts. Bishop Manickam Dorai had been
suspended in April by the Church standing committee due to earlier charges of
theft of diocesan funds.
Other international news
Times of London – June 8 2010 – Warring Anglicans removed from ecumenical faith group
Times of London – June 8 2010 – Commentary: Pentecost and the Anglican schism
Fulcrum (Andrew Goddard) – June 2010 – Reflections on… Canterbury’s Pentecost letter
VirtueOnline – June 8 2010 – Why the Global South will triumph in the Anglican
culture wars
Church of England Newspaper – June 4 2010 – China opens to the Global South
Soul food
God’s created order
marred by sin
Sexuality
Former gay activist encourages Christians to love
homosexuals – A touching article written by a man who was healed of
his same-sex attractions, discusses how to show true Christian love to those
leading a homosexual lifestyle without compromising the Gospel. He writes: “Does
love mean we agree with everything? God forbid. Does love mean we don't feel
when people are hurting themselves? God forbid. God's love is as great as His
justice… Christians have the blessed opportunity to share in the power of our
Savior, and watch His power at work, as He delivers people from their cages.”
Child trafficking – A private member’s bill specifically
addressing those convicted of child trafficking is set to become law, needing
only Royal Assent. The bill will amend Canada’s Criminal Code to impose minimum
sentences of five years imprisonment for offences involving trafficking of
persons under the age of eighteen years.
Abortion
Is there a link between abortion and autism? LifeSiteNews reports that a new study
suggests a “…link between autism and aborted fetal DNA in vaccinations…” The
study found that “autism rates in the US and the UK began to rise when the
measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine switched from using animal cells to
using human cells that had been derived from aborted fetuses.” Although more
studies are planned, it is known that residual human DNA can trigger
auto-immune reactions and DNA fragments can enter the nucleus of human cells
and integrate with the genome of the cell. Drawing from the abstract of the study, the article says
that “The probability of integration is 1 billion times greater with DNA from
the same species than with DNA from another species... The study explained
that, as the average human DNA fragment length in the rubella vaccine is 220bp,
it would be especially likely to enter the nucleus of a cell. Moreover, 25 of
the "recombination hotspots" where the DNA fragment could likely
combine are located in some of the autism-associated genes… Thus, such
recombination could be one of the causes of autism… [B]efore children received
many vaccinations and before vaccines contained aborted fetal DNA, only about 1
of 10,000 children was diagnosed with autism, whereas now 1 of 150 is
diagnosed.”
Interestingly, reporting on the Autism Genome
Project results, the Globe and Mail reports states that, “After
sifting through the DNA of 1,500 families, members of the Autism Genome
Project, a consortium of 120 researchers in 11 countries, have made the
humbling discovery that the genetic risk factors for autism are different for
each person who suffers from it.”
Forced abortions in China – LifeSiteNews reports that about 35,000
forced abortions occur in China each day and that China’s one-child policy has
resulted in the abortion of over 400 million babies.
Resources – for Vancouver-area pastors
Theological study group for Vancouver area pastors –
Pastors are invited to Reading Theology
Together, a study group meeting on Wednesdays (not Mondays) at 8-10am starting September 15. The text is Systematic Theology
by Wayne Grudem. You can register here.
The Gospel in 4 minutes - An intriguing video
presentation of the Gospel with multiple uses.
Sure Foundation project – The American Anglican Council plans to launch an
18-month curriculum of courses presented in person and via DVD, designed to
respond to the concerns ACNA rectors expressed in a recent online survey. The Sure
Foundation courses will help a “participating congregation to develop a
strategic growth plan with core values, Kingdom vision, a mission that focuses
the ministries, and specific time phased objectives that will result in
individual lives and whole communities healed and transformed through the love
of Jesus Christ.” The focus will be on Christian formation and discipleship,
community outreach, missional perspective, and church planting. Father Phil
Ashey writes, “If you have ten congregations in your area who would be
interested in learning more about The Sure Foundation, please contact me at
(770) 414-1515 or pashey@americananglican.org.
Thought
Children need your love
the most when they deserve it the least.
Just for laughs
80-year-old George was going up to bed, when his
wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could
see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the
light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.
He phoned the police, who asked 'Is someone in your
house?' He said 'No.' Then they said “All patrols were busy. Lock your
doors and an officer will be along when one is available.” George said, “Okay”.
He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he
phoned the police again. “Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because
there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry
about them now because I just shot them.” And he hung up.
Within five minutes, six police cars, a SWAT
team, a helicopter, two fire trucks and an ambulance showed up – and the police
caught the burglars red-handed.
Miffed, one of the officers said to George, 'I
thought you said that you shot them!' George replied, 'I thought you said
there was nobody available!'
Please pray...
For the
Rev David Robinson who is being ordained to the
priesthood this weekend in Ottawa.
For ANiC projects, church plants and parishes, and
for their proclamation of Good News to those in their communities who desperately
need new life in Christ.
For our bishops and clergy and their families.
For donations to ANiC to help meet the current
budget shortfall.
For funding of the Anglican
Relief & Development Fund Canada’s Kenya Malaria Prevention Project. Donations
are urgently needed to begin this life-saving and life-changing project.
For adequate funding of
the legal cases and disputes involving ANiC congregations:
| • |
For the Vancouver-area parishes appealing the
earlier court decision, and for their legal counsel Geoff Cowper & Stanley
Martin as they prepare for the appeal to be heard Sept 13-16. |
| • |
For the Ottawa congregations
which are newly embroiled in legal action. |
| • |
For all the congregations involved in court
proceedings and disputes. Pray for a continued focus on, and blessing upon,
their ministry in the midst of this turmoil. Pray for peace for the wardens and
trustees who are on the front lines and bear the burden of risk and
responsibility. |
| • |
For the leaders and parishioners of the dioceses
pursuing eviction of and legal damages against ANiC congregations and wardens. |
| • |
That we would seek to glorify God by our
conduct in all court proceedings.
|
For those in positions of
leadership and influence in the Anglican Communion, that they would seek to
honour and obey God above all else.
For Christians facing violence
and persecution in Pakistan, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan.
That our nation would return to
God and His moral principles.
And now a word from our sponsor
You, however, have followed my teaching, my
conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my
persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at
Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and
being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have
firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that
the man of God may be competent, equipped for
every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and
exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people
will not endure sound teaching, but having
itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into
myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out as a drink
offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will
award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his
appearing.
2
Timothy 3:10-4:8
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