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"My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of His correction:
for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth..." Prov. 3:11-12b KJV
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Message from Bishop Anderson
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Dear Friends of the Anglican Realignment, Recently I attended the Anglican Church in North America's (ACNA) College of Bishops meeting in Nashotah, Wisconsin. One of the things that has been under discussion for some time is a new Ordinal [liturgy for ordaining Bishops, Priests, and Deacons] for use in the ACNA. Many have felt that the American Episcopal Church's (TEC) 1979 Ordinal leaves much to be desired, and individual ACNA bishops have been using a variety of Anglican Communion Ordinals. The goal is to have a thoroughly orthodox Anglican Ordinal for common use in the ACNA. In the old 1662 English Prayer Book, which is the gold standard for much of the Anglican Communion, the ordination of a bishop has the following question to be posed by the Archbishop to the bishop ordinand: "Are you ready, with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to God's Word; and both privately and openly to call upon and encourage others to do the same?" This challenge to the bishop ordinand was continued in the American tradition up to and including the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Then, in the 1976 trial-use Prayer Book, which was adopted in 1979 as the official TEC Book of Common Prayer, the above challenge to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine gave way to a question so mild that ordinands of questionable orthodoxy didn't even need to cross their fingers: "Will you guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church?" Those who superintended the implementation of the 1979 Prayer Book prepared the way for the broad, pluralistic, "anything goes" church of today, where the current Presiding Bishop can opine that there are many ways to God: Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, whatever works for you. I think that this is exactly the kind of non-Christian false teaching that the old prayer books had in mind in charging new bishops to "banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to God's Word." In fact, the old prayer book went even further in challenging them to not only practice this personally but to call upon others to do the same.... Read the rest of Bishop Anderson's article here.
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Message from Canon Ashey
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Contextualization without compromise
"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." St. Paul in I Corinthians 9:22
"This is the challenge: If you don't contextualize enough, no one's life will be transformed because they won't understand you. But if you contextualize too much, no one's life will be transformed because you won't be challenging their deepest assumptions and calling them to change." Tullian Tchividjian, "Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different"
Dear Friends in Christ,
On Monday night I was enjoying the table discussion in our inductive-manuscript Bible study with almost 60 others, mostly people in their 20's. I was struck by the question a young man next to me raised: "How does this Biblical text about Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4, written 2,000 years ago and to a different culture, apply to me and to us today?" This is the question of contextualization. How do we speak Biblical truth in a language that our own culture can understand? How can we apply it to our own context with up-to-the-minute relevance? And how can we do so without compromising the whole truth that Christ and the Bible offer?
Tullian Tchividjian, Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (PCA), Ft Lauderdale FL, addressed this very question in his book "Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different" (NY: Doubleday, 2009). Because his remarks are so clear and succinct, permit me to quote him at length:
"Edith Schaeffer, wife of the late Francis Schaeffer, wrote about a visit the two of them made to San Francisco in 1968. One night they went to Fillmore West to hang out with the druggies and hippies and take in a light show. She records how heartbroken they were as they witnessed on that night "the lostness of humanity in search of peace where there is no peace." She concluded, "A time of listening is needed-listening to what the next generation is saying, listening to the words of the music they are listening to, listening to the meaning behind the words. If true communication is to continue, there is a language to be learned."...
Read the rest of Canon Ashey's article here.
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Anglican Perspective: Wobbly or Winsome?
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The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in a recent speech said the following:
"In some things we change course and recognize the new context. Revolutions change culture. In others we stand firm because truth is not set by culture, nor morals by fashion. But let us be clear, pretending that nothing has changed is absurd and impossible."
This statement raises the question, "What beliefs can we as Christians, in our efforts to evangelize, maintain and what can we allow to be compromised?"
View this week's Anglican Perspective here:
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National Coalition Announces Boy Scouts Alternative Founded on Christian Values
| Source: Christian Post
July 10, 2013
By Jeff Schapiro
A national coalition, which includes people formerly associated with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) as well as several other partners, announced Tuesday the formation of a new youth organization for boys that is founded on Christian values and principles.
"Our vision is to be the premier national character development organization for young men which produces godly and responsible husbands, fathers, and citizens," said Rob Green, the organization's interim executive director, during a press conference call Tuesday.
He added, "The new program will be an exciting and motivating outdoor-based program focused on leadership and character development for boys, and founded on principles and values that reflect a Christian worldview."
Green said during a press conference call that a group of nearly 50 leaders met on June 29 in Louisville, Ky., and agreed to start the new organization, which currently has no name. Among those who participated in the meeting were experienced scout leaders, as well as representatives from major church denominations and organizations who are concerned with families and youth....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Nebraska Parish, Episcopal diocese settle dispute
| Souce: Omaha World Herald 
July 6, 2013
By Michael O'Connor
The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska has settled a dispute with a local parish over whether the congregation could remain in its church building. In an out-of-court settlement, St. Barnabas parish made a cash payment to the diocese. The settlement enables the congregation to permanently remain on the church property at 129 N. 40th St. Both sides are keeping the amount of the payment confidential....
St. Barnabas joined the Anglican Church in America, an affiliation of conservative Anglican churches. Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned earlier this year, had set up a path by which such parishes could join the Catholic Church, and St. Barnabas has put itself on that path....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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England: Justin Welby promises to press on with introduction of female bishops
| Source: Guardian
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Archbishop Welby
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July 8, 2013
By Sam Jones
The archbishop of Canterbury has vowed to press on with the introduction of female bishops despite admitting the move could once again be derailed by traditionalist members of the General Synod who remain deeply opposed to the Church of England's plans to bring women into the episcopate.
Although the synod voted in favour of fresh negotiations on the issue on Monday afternoon - and Justin Welby said he wanted to consecrate the first female bishop "as soon as possible" - the result of the vote suggests the standoff between proponents of female bishops and traditionalists remains as fierce as ever.
The motion to reaffirm the synod's commitment to female bishops and to call for new draft legislation on the matter was approved by 319 votes to 84, with 22 abstentions. Only a simple majority was needed to pass the motion at the synod's meeting in York, but any final vote on moves to introduce female bishops will require the usual two-thirds majority in each of the synod's three houses: bishops, clergy and laity....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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The Curmudgeon on the Anglican Communion - Again
| Source: Anglican Curmudgeon blog 
July 8, 2013
By A.S. Haley
Finally surfacing again after a long spell of litigation, I came across two blog posts that deserve juxtaposition. Both have to do with the perceived future, such as it is, of the amorphous entity known as "the Anglican Communion." Since I am an Anglican Curmudgeon, it seems fitting to weigh in.
The first post, by the Rev. Canon Mark Harris, follows a theme he has sounded on several earlier occasions. Entitled "GAFCON II: will it spell the end of the Anglican Communion?", it treats the question it poses as purely rhetorical. All churches who remain in communion with the See of Canterbury will remain in the Anglican Communion, Canon Harris says, and neither ECUSA nor the Anglican Church of Canada have any plans to withdraw from that communion. And if the members of GAFCON do so, well -- too bad, but it won't mean the end of "the Anglican Communion."
Contrast to this the second post, by the Rev. Dale Matson, entitled "GAFCON II: a Way Forward for Anglicanism." In contrast to Canon Harris, Fr. Matson views the picture from the standpoint of one who is in ACNA. He sees the group that will be gathering at GAFCON II this next October in Kenya as the true future of the Anglican Communion. While the Archbishop of Canterbury is trimming his Church's sails so as to remain abreast of Britain's popular culture, the Archbishop of Kenya (who heads up GAFCON's Primate Council, and who is hosting the conference) is sailing against the popular winds, and holding fast to traditional Anglican teachings on marriage, priests and homosexuality....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Central Africa: Tengatenga resigns
| Source: Anglican Ink
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Dr Tengatenga
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July 11, 2013
By George Conger
The chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council, the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga has resigned as Bishop of Southern Malawi the Nyasa Times has reported.
The newspaper stated Dr. Tengatenga, the senior bishop of the Province of Central Africa, will take up a university post in the United States and will relinquish his leadership of several Malawian civil society groups including the National AIDS Commission, Malawi Council of Churches and the Public Affairs Council (PAC)....
Dr. Tengatenga stated he was not sure how his resignation from his bishopric would affect his leadership of the ACC. While clergy members of the ACC must step down upon retirement, Dr. Tengatenga is the elected chairman and not a delegate from Central Africa. It is "up to the ACC to tell me what they think is proper once I make the official announcement. As far as i am aware I am not expected to step down until my term is over but I may be wrong. The legal advisor will let me know in due course," he said.
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Pope Francis embraces the Ordinariate - and increases its power to evangelise
| Source: Telegraph
July 10th, 2013
By Damian Thompson
Opponents of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, set up by Benedict XVI to allow ex-Anglicans to worship together with their own liturgy, were so excited when it was reported that Pope Francis, when Archbishop of Buenos Aires, wasn't keen on the initiative. But if that were ever the case, then he has changed his mind.
This week it emerged that Francis has widened the remit of the Ordinariates in Britain, America and Australia. Until now, only ex-Anglicans and their family members could join the new body. But, thanks to a new paragraph inserted into the Ordinariate's constitution by Francis, nominal Catholics who were baptised but not confirmed can join the structure. Indeed, the Holy Father wants the Ordinariates to go out and evangelise such people....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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