"Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways." Psalm 128:1 NKJV
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Message from Bishop David Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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Beloved in Christ Jesus,
First, a pet peeve. I am astounded at the misuse of the English language by supposedly well-educated people when speaking to television audiences or large gatherings in civic arenas. So many news reporters, commentators, and even educators seem baffled by simple decisions over when to use I, me, or myself, she or her, he or him, etc. It is not a case of non-native English speakers who have failed to grasp the nuances of the English language, it is a case of multi-generational products of the American education system who weren't taught the basics nor required to exercise them. The problem isn't just with television; the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper has frequent examples of incorrect word usage and quotes where someone mispells or uses the wrong word (often a pronoun) and the editors don't put 'sic' to call attention to the error. I have to conclude that neither the AJC writers nor the editors could catch the mistakes. One of the great advantages of our present age is that with a laptop computer or smart phone one can go on the internet and immediately ask a question about word use, spelling or correct grammar and get a reply. Simple curiosity should cause some of the abusers to thus educate themselves. Check out this site for an example of the help available.
Now that we have taken a step to preserve our language, let us take steps to preserve our Anglican faith, if that is possible. In a few months, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) will meet again in Auckland, New Zealand. This body, which meets about every three years, is disproportionately made up of mostly liberal Western Anglicans who are members of dying churches, exercising the last vestiges of colonial ecclesial rule in the former British Empire (but with a few additional areas included as well). When the ACC was first constituted, especially heavy representation was given to the American Episcopal Church (TEC), and the Church of England (CofE), to name two, and there was less representation from those areas of Africa where the majority of Anglicans actually live, such as Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda, to name only three.
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Because the orthodox Anglicans are accorded unfairly low and undemocratic representation, and the spiritually dying, liberal heterodox churches are accorded unfairly high representation, the ACC for all of its showmanship cannot truthfully speak on behalf of the Anglican Communion, whether the Archbishop of Canterbury joins his voice to theirs or not. It is time to either restructure the ACC with proportionate representation, or shut it down and recognize that in ever-increasing measure the GAFCON Primates Council speaks for the majority of the communion. The current leaders at the New Zealand gathering will make sure that topics of importance and interest such as TEC's departure from orthodox Christian norms are kept out of the conversation, and all of the focus will be on tertiary issues, photo ops with the great under-represented, and business as usual.
It is time for a change, time to throw the pirates off of the ship and restore the correct course headings. Can the majority accomplish this? Only if they organize, work as a team, and stay focused on job one.
On another topic, apparently some of the homosexual and transgendered community are now using the "God made me this way," argument. You've probably already heard it, "God doesn't make junk (or mistakes), so if I'm this way, it's the way God intended me to be." Actually, when God gives us a body, male or female, that is what he intended for us to be gender-wise, and the head needs to agree with the physical reality that is present. Just by removing certain body parts one doesn't change the gender, since every cell of the body is imprinted male or female. The mother contributes an X chromosome and the father contributes either an X or a Y. If he contributes an X, the child that is conceived has two X chromosomes and is female, but if the father contributes a Y chromosome the child has an X and a Y chromosome and is male. Every one one of us alive, liberal or conservative, Anglican or otherwise, has this identification stamped into our DNA at the chromosomal level, and if there is any confusion about male, female or transgendered it is confusion that arises between the ears - confusion that arises out of an individual's insistence on determining for himself or herself what their sexual presentation will be. Where disease, accident, or chromosomal malformation has occurred, it is reasonable to ask medical science to assist in restoring the individual to their correct configuration, but that isn't determined by asking individuals who they think they are - it is mapped out in every cell of their body. The American Episcopal Church, having in their opinion set things aright on homosexual/bisexual issues, now have tackled the transgendered issue and decided at their last General Convention that all avenues of service and ministry should include the sexually confused as well as the sexually broken, that transgendered priests and bishops will be just fine. That they are wrong is very sad, that they are taking what was once a fine church and growing it ever smaller by their enlightened thinking is worse, and that they are leading people down the wrong road and spiritually deceiving them is especially painful. As I commented last week, it's the Kool-Aid thing from the 1970s and it is fatal. Oh, for a day when tinkering around with human sexuality could be a thing of the past and people could live within God's covenant.
Meanwhile, let us pray and ask the Lord's blessing and protection for our marriages, our parenting and our communities.
Faithfully,
+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
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International
Update
from the AAC
| Starting next Tuesday, August 21, the AAC will publish an additional weekly email - the "International Update," featuring Anglican Communion news. Along with focusing on international events, this free email will include unique perspectives from around the world with guest writers.
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TEC: Transitions for Episcopal Church & DFMS staff
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August 15, 2012
The Episcopal Church and the church-wide Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) staff are undergoing transitions to re-orient not only the work of the church-wide staff but also where that work will be conducted. [Editor's note: The full legal name of the national church corporate body is the "Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America"]
The transitions are primarily, but not completely, a result of actions approved at General Convention 2012 in July. Many are budget-based and most are intended to be responsive to the priorities established at General Convention....
In the staffing areas, the senior management team is analyzing the reorientation of staff for optimum results and to more effectively address the church's needs and priorities in mission....
As such, the reduction in force (RIF) translates to the cutting of 10.25 full-time equivalent positions, five of which are unfilled. The remaining 5.25 full-time equivalent positions are located in the Los Angeles, New York City and Seattle offices. There also has been a redefining of some existing positions to better meet evolving needs and priorities. In a few cases, redefined jobs will no longer be held by existing staff members and a search process will begin for those positions with some jobs posted by Labor Day....
The rest of the article may be found here. Back to top
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| North Carolina: Billboards attack Christianity and Mormonism | Source: Anglican Journal
August 17, 2012
David Silverman, president of New Jersey-based American Atheists, atheists.org,
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Daily Caller photo
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unveiled the organization's newest billboard campaign, which mocks religion in the political landscape. The billboards feature perceived aspects of Christianity and Mormonism that, according to American Atheists, have no place in politics.
In one billboard on Christianity, for instance, God is called "sadistic" and a "useless saviour" who "promotes hate, calls it 'love.' " In a billboard on Mormonism, God is called a "space alien" who "baptizes dead people."
The notices will be located in Charlotte, N.C., where the Democratic National Convention will take place Sept. 3-6. All companies contacted in Tampa, Fla., where the Republican National Convention will be held Aug. 27-30, refused to display the billboard focusing on Mormonism.
"The election of our leaders in the United States is one of the most important decisions that we, as citizens, make, said Silverman a news conference at the group's headquarters in Cranford, N.J. "We want to show the people of our country the foolishness of mixing religion with politics."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Chick-Fil-A and the one day that changed the world
| Source: Mercator.net
August 14, 2012
By Jennifer Roback Morse
Nine Days that Changed the World is a book about Pope John Paul II's nine-day trip to Poland in 1979. The Pope's pilgrimage laid the groundwork for the revolution of conscience that eventually brought down the Communist regimes throughout Eastern Europe. Thus those nine days really did change the world. Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day could very well be the One Day that changes our world this year....
On Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, millions of people saw that they were not alone. All  those ordinary Americans who decided to Eat More Chicken were standing in line for religious freedom, for the institution of marriage, for free speech. They sat in the traffic jams out of respect and gratitude for the Cathy Family for taking a stand.
Every one of us who stood in one of those lines, or who sat in one of those traffic jams or who gloated on facebook over the photos, can see that we are not alone.
We are tired of the oppressive lies of the sexual revolution. We know that men and women are different, not interchangeable. We know that marriage is about children and what they need, not just about adults and how they feel. We know that sex is much more than a sterile recreational activity. We know that every sexual act is deeply significant, even when we treat our sex acts as meaningless and our sex partners like toys.
We believe that God loves each and every person into existence. We believe our spousal love is meant to be an image of God's fruitful and faithful love. We are not ashamed to believe these things.
On Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, millions of Americans saw that they are not alone. We know we can say what we think in public.
More Christian businesses will refuse to be bullied by the Thought Police, and will instead stand up for marriage and family values. More people will show up to political rallies. More people will attend their school board meetings to find out what our children are really being taught. More people will get involved with their professional associations and steer their professions away from the shoals of political correctness. And yes, more people will get involved with the November elections....
If all of us do our part, August 1, 2012, could well be the One Day That Changed the World.
The rest of the article may be found here.
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| Is it true Jesus never addressed same-sex marriage? | Source: OneNewsNow
August 14, 2012
By Dr. Daniel Akin
Today it is popular among those promoting same-sex marriage to say that Jesus never addressed the issue, that He was silent on the subject.
Those who affirm the historical and traditional understanding of marriage between a man and woman often are admonished to go and read the Bible more carefully. If we do so, we are told we will see that Jesus never addressed the issue. So the question that I want to raise is: "Is this assertion correct?" Is it indeed the fact that Jesus never addresses the issue of same-sex marriage?
When one goes to the Gospels to see exactly what Jesus did say, one will discover that He addressed very clearly both the issues of sex and marriage. He addresses both their use and misuse. And as He speaks to both subjects, He makes it plain that issues of the heart are of critical importance.
First, what did Jesus say about sex? Jesus believed that sex is a good gift from a great God. He also believed that sex was a good gift to be enjoyed within a monogamous, heterosexual covenant of marriage. On this He is crystal clear. In Mark 7, Jesus addresses the fact that all sin is ultimately an issue of the heart. Jesus was never after behavioral modification; Jesus was always after heart transformation. Change the heart and you truly change the person.
Thus, when He lists a catalog of sins in Mark 7:21-22, He makes it clear that all of these sins are ultimately matters of the heart. It is the idols of the heart that Jesus is out to eradicate. Among those sins of the heart that often give way to sinful actions He would include both sexual immorality and adultery (Mark 7:21). The phrase "sexual immorality," in a biblical context, would speak of any sexual behavior outside the covenant of marriage between a man and woman. Therefore, Jesus viewed pre-marital sex, adultery and homosexual behavior as sinful. And He knew that the cure for each is a transformation of the heart made possible by the good news of the Gospel. The Gospel changes us so that now we are enabled to do not what we want, but what God wants. Here we find real freedom and joy.
Second, what about the issue of marriage? Is it truly the case that Jesus never spoke to the issue in terms of gender? The answer is a simple no. He gives His perspective on this when He addresses the issue in Matthew 19:4-6. There, speaking to the institution of marriage, Jesus is clear when He says: "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."
That Jesus was committed to heterosexual marriage could not be more evident. A man is to leave his parents and be joined to a woman who becomes his wife. This is heterosexual marriage. That He also was committed to the permanence and fidelity of marriage is clear as well....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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| England: Jeffrey John attacks Rowan Williams on gay marriage issue | Source: Guardian
August 14, 2012
By Lizzy Davies
The most senior openly gay cleric in Britain has accused the Church of England of pursuing a "morally contemptible" policy on same-sex marriage, denouncing it for moving "in the opposite direction" to society and criticising Rowan Williams for changing his "public position" on the issue as soon as he was made Archbishop of Canterbury.
In a new preface to his 1990 booklet on gay relationships, Jeffrey John, the Dean of St
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Dean Jeffrey John (Guardian photo)
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Albans, writes that, by setting themselves against same-sex marriage, the bishops of the Church have prioritised the union of the Anglican communion over the rights of gay Christians.
"This policy may be institutionally expedient, but it is morally contemptible," he writes in an abridged extract of the preface published in the Guardian. "Worst of all, by appeasing their persecutors it betrays the truly heroic gay Christians of Africa who stand up for justice and truth at risk of their lives. For the mission of the Church of England the present policy is a disaster."
John writes that, contrary to the expectations of those who had expected Williams to introduce a new tone in the Church's stance on homosexuality, the Church's line has in fact "continued to harden" during his near-decade as Archbishop of Canterbury....
A Church of England spokesman said: "These are very strong personal opinions that Jeffrey John has expounded before." The Church was far more inclusive than they made it seem, as testified to by the fact that John, an openly gay man, occupied a senior position in it, he added.
The rest of the article may be found here.
Excerpts from John's preface to his book may be found here.
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| Church of England: This Could Be Its Finest Hour | Source: IRD
August 17, 2012
By Mark Tooley
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Mark Tooley
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The U.S. based Episcopal Church's recognition of same sex unions last month mostly excited a big yawn. More interesting is the resistance of its mother body, the Church of England, to Prime Minister David Cameron's attempt to install same sex marriage in Britain. The latter's opposition is more significant because it remains its nation's established church and still wields political and constitutional powers....
In its official response, the church criticized the government's idea, which would "alter the intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, as enshrined in human institutions throughout history." Marriage benefits society by "promoting mutuality and fidelity, but also by acknowledging an underlying biological complementarity which, for many, includes the possibility of procreation." The church noted its past support for benefits for same-sex couples, and warned that redefining marriage for "ideological reasons" would be "divisive and deliver no obvious legal gains given the rights already conferred by civil partnerships."
Compared to Episcopalians, the Church of England sounded like Southern Baptists, declaring marriage was instituted by Christ Himself for all people as a lifelong union of man and woman. It even quoted the Book of Common Prayer of 1662, hardly an arbiter of modern fashion. And it cited ancient words so recognizable to all English speakers: "The Church of Christ understands marriage to be, in the will of God, the union of a man and a woman, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till parted by death."
"Many, within the churches and beyond, dispute the right of any government to redefine an ages-old social institution in the way proposed," the church noted, soundly more truly conservative than the Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party. "It is important to be clear that insistence on the traditional understanding of marriage is not a case of knee-jerk resistance to change but is based on a conviction that the consequences of change will not be beneficial for society as a whole."
The church, which is legally bound to conduct marriages to all British citizens and currently conducts one quarter of all Britain's marriages, wondered how its beliefs long could survive, even with ostensible protections for religious freedom. It also asked why the government would continue to allow civil partnerships for same sex couples after legalizing same sex marriage. And it asked how the new law would define adultery and consummation.
Rowan Williams steps down at the end of this year as Archbishop of Canterbury, no doubt partly due to his frustrations over schisms and divisions among Anglicans precipitated by the Episcopal Church over sex issues. He came to office with liberal views, but his liberal critics now chide him for supposedly "hardening" the church's resistance to liberalizing on sex. The church's defense of traditional marriage may have lasting constitutional implications for Britain. It may also turn out to be its finest hour.
The rest of the article may be found here.
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