"I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing." Jeremiah 10:23-24 ESV
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Message from Bishop David Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, How is it that a small group of people, perhaps 2% or less, have managed to co-opt the Western culture, laws, school curricula, politics, churches, the media and now even the armed forces with their specific issues? First they push for open-mindedness and not being judgmental, and imply that anyone who doesn't agree with them is narrow-minded, bigoted, and hateful. Religions that turn to Holy Scripture and see God's condemnation upon homosexual practice are accused of being homophobic, an odd word since it means one who fears homosexuals rather than one who does not approve of the practice. Under the onslaught on the ABCXYZ sexual agenda (this is to leave room for any new groups that wish to be added into the usual LGBT collection) even the language has been corrupted, such that "gay" no longer means happy or festive, but homosexual. Over the last 40 years or so we have seen the constant erosion of traditional family values and ethics in both the heterosexual and homosexual communities. I for one am tired of the constant pushing and shoving of the homosexual community on their issues, trying to jam them down everyone else's throat. Why is it that the allegedly broad-minded liberal community is so narrow-minded on gay and lesbian issues, and so intolerant of those who object on religious grounds? Could it be that the allegedly broad-minded liberal community is actually a fraud, masquerading as liberals when in reality they are the hateful, narrow-minded, bigoted and judgmental ones? Could it be? Chick-fil-A restaurant president Dan Cathy is a supporter of traditional marriage, the Bible, and keeping his restaurants closed on Sundays so his employees can attend church or do whatever they want. He hasn't, to my knowledge, condemned gay or lesbian people or vilified their same-sex relationships, though he personally doesn't agree with them. He doesn't refuse to hire gay and lesbian people, nor refuse to serve them delicious chicken sandwiches. He is the truly liberal person, treating those he disagrees with fairly and honorably, and having his company treat everyone the same.
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Many companies that I do business with or have done business with, including Ford Motor Company, Home Depot and a long list of others, are reportedly active supporters of homosexual causes and use the revenue from my shopping for causes I don't approve of. I don't go and demonstrate in their place of business and try to create a scene. But when the tables are turned, we are not allowed to have freedom of speech without calls from the gay and lesbian community for punishment and demonstrations such as the Chick-fil-A invasion called a gay "kiss-in" on August 3. You can quickly see where the real hateful, mean-spirited, bigoted people are to be found, wanting to silence those who disagree with them.
Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have suggested that advocates of traditional marriage have a meal at Chick-fil-A next Thursday, August 1 to show their support for the Cathy's and their family values.
Here's what I am going to do: on August 1st AND on August 3rd I'm going to my local Chick-fil-A for a traditional chicken sandwich, and I'll kiss my traditional wife of 45 years, support Dan Cathy and say by my presence that in this crazy world, the religious conservatives are now the truly open-minded non-bigoted ones, and the "anything goes" sexual revolutionaries are the bigots. Yes, this world has grown old and crazy, and if Leon Panetta, the Secretary of Defense, has his way, it will become more so.
It has been illegal for men and women in the armed forces of the United States to take part in partisan demonstrations in their uniforms, since it would seem to imply that the military was somehow endorsing one point of view or the other. Until now that meant that military could not wear their uniforms at Right to Life demonstrations or Gay Pride parades, but Panetta has changed that. It is still illegal to wear your military uniform at any demonstration deemed conservative, such as Right to Life, and you can be hauled up on military charges, be fined and imprisoned and/or get a dishonorable discharge for such an outrage. However, now if you are a homosexual or transgendered or bisexual person, you can wear your United States military uniform in a Gay Pride parade, even ride on an obscene float, and that is perfectly OK because Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said so. And where might he have gotten the authority to permit this illegal behavior? From the person he reports to, the President of the United States. Indeed, the world has gone upside down. At this point, if we don't fight back at the ballot box, we will lose the right to speak the truth plainly and clearly.
The ills of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are only a small part of this larger battle for the very existence of people of faith. Circle your calendar for August 1, go find a Chick-fil-A, order a sandwich and tell them you are there to support Dan Cathy.
Blessings and Peace in Jesus,
+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
Editor's note: ABC News has just reported that Chick-fil-A's Vice President of Public Relations, Don Perry, died of a heart attack this morning. Our prayers are with his family and all his coworkers at Chick-fil-A.
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The Chaplain's Corner
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By The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey
Chief Operating and Development Officer, American Anglican Council
Dear Friends in Christ,
When the Anglican Communion's own governance structures lack the will to change, is reform from within even possible?
That's precisely the question our own Robert Lundy asks in our just-released edition of Encompass which you can find here online. I encourage you to read the whole article here, as well as the excellent summary of the governing structures of the Anglican Communion here.
This Sunday I will be visiting an Anglican congregation, preaching and addressing their Adult Education hour where I have been asked to talk about what is happening in the Anglican Communion. Many people are only vaguely aware of the Anglican Communion and its workings. "What will it mean to the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) that the Archbishop of Canterbury is retiring and will soon be replaced?" "Yes, we are in communion with the majority of Anglicans worldwide. But when will ACNA be officially recognized as a province by the Anglican Communion?" "What would that look like?" These are just a few of the questions I'll be asked on Sunday, and which I find myself being asked wherever I go among Anglicans in North America. I commend our Encompass newsletter and other downloadable publications here as resources that you can use for your congregation, adult Sunday School class, or small groups, especially on issues of what is happening in the realignment of Anglicanism in North America and throughout the Anglican Communion.
All of these questions, and the overarching question of whether the Anglican Communion can be reformed from within remind me of what Dallas Willard said about genuine life change. Genuine life change comes from within, from the heart. It cannot be imposed by structures or habits that are not of our own heart. Genuine life change - including spiritual transformation into Christlikeness - is always an "inside-out" process. And in the case of spiritual transformation, it comes from above. As he observes in The Renovation of the Heart, (p. 15):
"The revolution of Jesus is in the first place and continuously a revolution of the human heart or spirit... a revolution of character which proceeds by changing people from the inside through ongoing personal relationship to God in Christ and to one another. It is one that changes their ideas, beliefs, feelings, and habits of choice, as well as their bodily tendencies and social relations. It penetrates to the deepest layers of their soul. External, social arrangements may be useful to this end, but they are not the end, nor are they a fundamental part of the means." (Emphasis added).
What the Anglican Communion needs is a "renovation of the heart." That heart lies in what we believe, confess and draw upon prayerfully in Christ Jesus, and through his word and Spirit. The current structures of the Anglican Communion are deeply dysfunctional and dominated by representatives of a false gospel (which as Paul says, is really no gospel at all- Galatians 1:7). The last decade, from the Windsor Report to the rejected Anglican Covenant, has been a stunning failure to address the problems which lie at the heart of the Anglican Communion, including the structures themselves. Well-intentioned efforts to reform Anglican Communion structures, half-measures at best, have been used by revisionist leaders to distract and delay from the real problems of an encroaching false gospel. Robert Lundy sums it up well:
"With existing structures like the Standing Committee, Anglican Consultative Council, Lambeth Conference and Primates' Meeting being dominated by revisionist voices, there is little sense in looking to these bodies for direction and positive change. Those looking for biblical leadership in the Anglican Communion must look to the provinces of the global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) and those who have signed the Jerusalem Declaration.... The moral authority in the Anglican Communion is with those who stand on the unchanging truth revealed in scripture...."
With thanks for the grace of Jesus Christ that comes from above and begins within,
Phil+
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Anglican Perspective: A Warning to the Church
| Source: AAC Weekly Anglican Perspective
July 26, 2012
While noting how The Episcopal Church and others have departed Biblical Christianity, Canon Ashey points to a recent article by Timothy George that serves as a warning to the Church's faithful.
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AAC's Encompass Newsletter
|  The second quarter 2012 edition of Encompass, the AAC's newsletter, is now available online.
In this edition you will find articles on the Anglican Communion's Standing Committee, the recent ACNA Assembly meeting in Ridgecrest, NC, and more.
In this issue:
A Shining Moment in Anglicanism
A Message from the President
Communion Structures Lack the Will to Change
What are the "Instruments of Unity"?
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Conservatives Rally Around Chick-fil-A
| Source: NewsMax
July 26, 2012
(AP) All of a sudden, biting into a fried chicken sandwich has become a political  statement.
Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain known for putting faith ahead of profits by closing on Sundays, is standing firm in its opposition to gay marriage after touching off a furor earlier this month.
Gay rights groups have called for a boycott, the Jim Henson Co. pulled its Muppet toys from kids' meals, and politicians in Boston and Chicago told the chain it is not welcome there.
Across the Bible Belt, where most of the 1,600 restaurants are situated, Christian conservatives have thrown their support behind the Atlanta-based company, promising to buy chicken sandwiches and waffle fries next week on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day."
The latest skirmish in the nation's culture wars began when Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family." In a later radio interview, he ratcheted up the rhetoric: "I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.'"...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Only traditionalist Archbishop of Canterbury can save Anglican church, warn primates
| Source: Telegraph
July 26, 2012
By John Bingham
In a major intervention in the selection process, an alliance of archbishops and bishops from four continents has written directly to the selection committee urging them to choose someone prepared to halt a drift towards liberal values on issues such as homosexuality.
The next Archbishop must be willing to "uphold the orthodoxy of the Christian faith" in order to secure the "future and unity" of the church "at a foundational level", they say in a letter seen by The Daily Telegraph.
Only someone with an understanding of the more traditional views of Anglicans in Africa and elsewhere and the ability to gain their "respect" would be acceptable they add.
The warning comes in a letter to Lord Luce, the chairman of the Crown Nominations Commission, which is selecting the next Archbishop, by the leaders of the Church in the so-called "Global South", who met earlier this week in Singapore.
Their intervention is likely to be viewed as a boost to the chances of the Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, being selected for Canterbury, as a figure well-regarded in Africa and elsewhere....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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UK: Prime Minister urged to correct serious misrepresentation
| Source: Anglican Mainstream
Contact: Chris Sugden
Following his speech at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday July 24th, Anglican Mainstream
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David Cameron
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has sent this letter to the Prime Minister asking him to correct his serious misrepresentation of the teaching of the Church.
The Rt Hon David Cameron P.C. M.P.,
10 Downing Street
London
July 25 2012
Dear Prime Minister
We write to ask you to correct a serious misconception in the speech you made to representatives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Groups at Number 10, reported on your website on 25 July 2012.
In that speech you say that opponents of the redefinition of marriage within the church are "locking out people who are gay, or are bisexual or are transgender from being full members of that Church." This is simply not the case. It is in fact the teaching of Christian churches that all people, including those self-identified as gay, bisexual or transgendered, are to be welcomed as members.
Your misconception suggests, first, that you are not adequately informed about the terms being used in the debates about same-sex attraction. For example, when you refer to 'people who are gay, bisexual or transgender', do you mean people who experience these attractions or people who engage in such experiences? For the churches, the distinction is critical: those who experience the attraction have always been fully welcomed. This is because 'full membership' of a Christian church comprises those who are baptised, i.e. those who have repented of their sins, and declared their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Since we are all sinners, all people are welcome. You are perhaps familiar with the most famous verse in the Bible: God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal live. (John 3:16, emphasis added). That is why the gospel is such good news for everyone.
Second, your statement suggests that you have not understood what 'full membership' of a Christian church actually means. When we are baptised, we make a commitment to live no longer according to our own lights but according to the love of God as expressed in the teaching of Jesus and the scriptures. This teaching allows for physical sexual expression only within marriage of a man and a woman, and calls for repentance when we transgress. This applies, of course, just as much to hetero-sexual activity outside marriage as it does to homosexual activity.
We are sure that you will agree that, whatever people's views about a public policy issue such as your Government's proposal for same-sex marriage, the public debate about them should be conducted as far as possible on the basis of correct information. We make no progress if we misrepresent the views of those with whom we disagree. We therefore invite you, in the interest of promoting healthy and effective public debate, to correct the misconception contained in your statement of 25 July.
Please be assured that, notwithstanding our differences with you on this question, we as Christians will continue to pray for you and your colleagues in government in the heavy responsibilities you bear at this challenging time for our nation and a needy world.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Philip Giddings (Convenor)
Canon Dr Chris Sugden (Executive Secretary)
on behalf of the Trustees and Steering Committee of Anglican Mainstream
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Communiqué of the Global South Primates Bangkok, Thailand, 20 July 2012
| Source: Global South Anglican
July 21, 2012
1. We, the Primates and representatives of 17 Global South Provinces, met in Bangkok,
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Global South Primates
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Thailand, from 18-20 July 2012, in conjunction with the Global South Conference on the Decade of Mission and Networking.
2. The theme of Conference called the Church to "Be Transformed by the Renewing of the mind to Obedience of Faith for Holistic Mission in a Radically Changing Global Landscape", offering our sanctified bodies and renewed minds as living sacrifices for our Lord's glory.
3. We are grateful to the Lord for the convivial fellowship, the insightful discussions and the spirit of unity that we enjoyed at this assembly. It is truly a demonstration of the Holy Spirit at work across diverse cultures and backgrounds to shape "a people belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9) for His glory in the salvation of humankind.
4. The Conference, with delegations from the Global South as well as orthodox Anglican churches in the West, explored the trends in mission in the 21st century amidst the post-1989 global landscape, and evaluated the effectiveness of Anglicans in missions. The challenges of the unfinished work of mission were intensively discussed in four tracks, namely Economic Empowerment, Emerging Servant Leaders, Theological Resourcing and Inter-faith Relations, as well as various regional networking sessions.
5. We are committed to implement the recommendations of the Conference. In order to do so, we have appointed the following Task Forces to follow up the progress.
5.1 Economic Empowerment, coordinated by the Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala.
5.2 Theological Resourcing, coordinated by the Most Rev Bolly Lapok.
a) Evangelism and Discipleship
b) Mission
5.3 Emerging Servant Leaders, coordinated by the Most Rev Ian Ernest.
5.4 Inter-faith Relations, coordinated by the Most Rev Nicholas Okoh.
6. We note with great sadness the passing of Resolution A049 at the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church which authorized a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions. This action confirms our disappointment that The Episcopal Church has no regard for the concerns and convictions of the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.
7. We stand in solidarity with our brethren in the Communion Partners who have dissented from this action. We uphold them in prayer and support them in fellowship as they continue in their commitment to the evangelical faith and catholic order of the Church, as expressed in their Minority Report known as The Indianapolis Statement.
8. We also appreciate and support all the faithful in Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) as well as those in the Anglican Church in Canada who remain true to our biblical and historic faith.
9. We deeply respect and appreciate our historical and spiritual relationship with the See of Canterbury. We have written to the Crown Nominations Commission with concerns from the Global South and important principles for consideration as it nominates candidates for the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.
10. We have appointed a new Global South Primates Steering Committee (GSPSC) comprising:
10.1 The Most Rev Dr Mouneer Anis as Chairman
10.2 The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh as Vice-Chairman
10.3 The Most Rev Ian Ernest as Honorary Secretary
10.4 The Most Rev Bolly Lapok as Honorary Treasurer
10.5 The Most Rev Stephen Than as an Elected Member
10.6 The Most Rev Henri Isingoma as an Elected Member
10.7 The Most Rev Hector Zavala as an Elected Member
10.8 The Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala as an Elected Member
10.9 The Most Rev Daniel Deng as an Elected Member
11. We have also invited the Primates of the Provinces of West Africa and Melanesia to be co-opted members of this Steering Committee.
12. We deeply appreciate the Right Rev Dr John Chew who served as Secretary and Chairman of the last two Steering Committees respectively, especially for his untiring efforts in focusing the Global South on the vital tasks of missions and transformation of society through the Gospel of Jesus Christ culminatinh in this Conference.
13. We have the pleasure of nominating the Right Rev Peter Akinola and the Right Rev Dr John Chew to be Honorary Members of the Global South Steering Committee.
14. We also appreciate the Venerable Wong Tak Meng and the Rev Canon Terry Wong for their work in the Global South Secretariat.
15. Now, as we launch the Decade of Mission and Networking, we seek God's guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit to expand God's kingdom.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Primates Present or Represented:
The Most Rev Dr Mouneer Anis, Primate of Jerusalem & the Middle East
The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, Primate of Nigeria
The Most Rev Ian Ernest, Primate of the Indian Ocean
The Most Rev Bolly Lapok, Primate of South East Asia
The Most Rev Dr Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya
The Most Rev Stephen Tan, Primate of Myanmar
The Most Rev Henri Isingoma, Primate of Congo
The Most Rev Daniel Deng, Primate of Sudan
The Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi, Primate of Burundi
The Most Rev Onesphore Rwaje, Primate of Rwanda
The Most Rev Valentino Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania
The Most Rev David Vunagi, Primate of Melanesia
The Most Rev Joseph Kopapa, Primate of Papua New Guinea
The Right Rev Dr Johannes Seoka representing Southern Africa
The Right Rev Matthias Medadues-Badohu representing West Africa
The Right Rev Dr Chad Gandiya representing Central Africa
The Right Rev Peter Bartlett representing the Southern Cone
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