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"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ... that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel...."
Philippians 1:27 KJV
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A Message from Bishop Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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Bishop Anderson is traveling this week and was not able to write an article.
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A Message from Canon Ashey
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Canon Ashey
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Dear Friends in Christ, ++Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, has issued his most serious and straightforward diagnosis of the crisis within the Anglican Communion. He did so last week in Mexico, on the feast day of Jeremy Taylor. He cited Jeremy Taylor as an example of one who proclaimed tolerance of differing opinions in an age of religious civil war and persecution. In contrast to Jeremy Taylor, he said the Anglican Communion is moving in the opposite direction - into disintegration and chaos in bitter disputes between traditionalists and progressives. Quoting Jeremy Taylor, he gave this analysis: "It is unnatural and unreasonable to persecute disagreeing opinions: ... Force in matters of opinion can do no good, but is very apt to do hurt..." Taylor wrote those words at a time of civil war and rebellion, when even to suggest toleration was to risk prison - and he went there. The very existence of the state was felt to be threatened if there was variety of religious belief. I sometimes worry that as Anglicans we are drifting back in that direction. Not consciously, of course, but in an unconscious way that is more dangerous. Like a drunk man walking near the edge of a cliff, we trip and totter and slip and wander, ever nearer to the edge of the precipice."There you have it. The problem within the Anglican Communion is a lack of tolerance and even the suggestion of "force" (read "discipline") in disputes over faith and order (read "opinions").... Read Canon Ashey's complete article here.
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Anglican Perspective:
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August 29, 2013
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby recently made some interesting remarks* regarding his vote against gay marriage in the UK along with his views on what the Church should do in response to changing social norms. In this week's Anglican Perspective, Canon Phil Ashey looks at what the Bible has to say about how church leaders should respond in times like these.
*The comments regarding homophobia and same sex marriage come in the question and answer section which can be heard at 36.55 in the audio recording located on the Evangelical Alliance's website. Archbishop Welby made the comments after a speech at the official opening of the Evangelical Alliance's new headquarters in response to a media question.
View this week's Anglican Perspective here.
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Six Communion Partners bishops meet with Justin Welby
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Source: Anglican Ink
August 28, 2013
Press Release by Michael D. Smith
Dear Communion Partner Sisters and Brothers:
The Archbishop of Canterbury preached recently in Monterey, Mexico: "It is a dangerous place, a narrow path we walk as Anglicans at present. On one side is the steep fall into an absence of any core beliefs, a chasm where we lose touch with God, and thus we rely only on ourselves and our own message. On the other side there is a vast fall into a ravine of intolerance and cruel exclusion. It is for those who claim all truth, and exclude any who question. When we fall into this place, we lose touch with human beings and create a small church, or rather many small churches - divided, ineffective in serving the poor, the hungry and the suffering, incapable of living with each other, and incomprehensible to those outside the church. We struggle with each other at a time when the Anglican Communion's great vocation as bridge builder is more needed than ever."
It is our vocation as Communion Partners to navigate this narrow path between two dangerous extremes as we pursue the mission of the Church "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ."2 To that end, six Communion Partner bishops (Greg Brewer, Paul Lambert, Ed Little, Dan Martins, Ed Salmon and Michael Smith) made a visit to Archbishop Justin Welby at his residence in Canterbury, England last week....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Bishop Iker and Church of the Good Shepherd win in Texas
| Source: Anglican Curmudgeon
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Bishop Iker, Ft. Worth
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August 30, 2013
By A.S. Haley
Today the Texas Supreme Court handed down decisions in the two ECUSA cases pending before it: No. 11-0265, Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, et al. v. The Episcopal Church, et al.; and No. 11-0332, Masterson v. Diocese of Northwest Texas. In the first case, the Court sided with Bishop Iker's Diocese by a closely split vote of 5-4, reversed the summary judgment of Circuit Judge John Chupp which had awarded all of the property and assets of Bishop Iker's Diocese to the Episcopal Church and its rump diocese, and sent the case back to the trial court. The majority held that the trial court had improperly failed to apply a "neutral principles of law" analysis to the issues. The four dissenters did not disagree with that result, but instead believed that the Court lacked jurisdiction to hear a direct appeal from the trial court's judgment in the case.
In the second case, the Court by a vote of 7-2 reversed the Court of Appeals' decision requiring the Church of the Good Shepherd in San Angelo to turn over its building and all other assets to the Diocese of Northwest Texas. The Court definitively ruled that all Texas courts must follow "neutral principles of law" (rather than deferring to an ecclesiastical hierarchy), and that based on such an analysis, the Dennis Canon was not effective under Texas law (or that if it were effective to create a trust, the trust was not expressly irrevocable, and so could be revoked by the parish in question)....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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California: Christian university apologizes to pro-life student, commits to pro-life policies
| Source: LiveActionNews
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Diana Jimenez
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August 23, 2013
By Susan Michelle Tyrell
A Christian university has publicly apologized for its response to a pro-life student and make a complete turnaround on its actions, detailing how it will work to promote an active pro-life culture in line with the university's vision and mission.
In June, we told you about Biola University nursing student Diana Jimenez whose eyes were opened to the reality of abortion and immediately responded on campus with a pro-life group, but after only four students showed up for the meeting, she proceeded to try to awaken others with the use of images. This got her in a heap of trouble, including threat of arrest, and threat of having her career hurt when the nursing department head Susan Elliot directed the faculty not to write Jimenez a letter of recommendation, despite her being a student in good standing.
Barry H. Corey, Biola University's president wrote this letter to the public. He says:
I want to acknowledge publicly that there were missteps made in our response to Diana. For this we apologize to the public as I have privately to Diana. In the days and weeks following this incident, we have thought about where and how we could have and should have done things differently. In turn, we have taken corrective steps....
Corey is to be commended for choosing the high road in the face of public outcry, which came from both sides. The university could have used this moment to cave to the culture and choose to assimilate into an intellectual community that says only the less intelligent do not value "choice." This was a turning point for a respected Christian institution which has been known for producing true intellectual thinkers; Biola took the right road, not simply making a token apology but making a repeat turn for the better....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Scotland: 50,000 sign petition against redefining marriage
| Source: The Christian Institute
August 27, 2013
A petition against plans to redefine marriage in Scotland has reached more than 50,000 signatures.
 The organisers of the petition, campaign group Scotland for Marriage, say they have more supporters than the combined paid-up membership of all the main political parties in Scotland....
A Scotland for Marriage spokesman said the group intends to put pressure on politicians about the plans.
He said: "We have activists present in every one of the 73 Holyrood constituencies and we will put individual MSPs on the spot using local voters to urge them to vote against changes in the law."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Anglican Communion invited to online debate [re: successor to Millennium Development Goals]
| Source: Anglican Communion News Service
August 30, 2013
Anglicans and Episcopalians worldwide with access to the Internet have a chance to take part in what is thought to be the first ever cross-Province webinar.
Anglican Alliance, the platform that supports development, relief and advocacy across the Anglican Communion, is hosting the online debate on Wednesday 4 September. Taking part in the event is Brazil's Archbishop Mauricio Andrade, Burundi's Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi, and former UN Deputy General Secretary and former UK Africa minister Baron Malloch-Brown.
The organisers claim it "will be a chance for your to hear from leading Anglicans and to put forward your views in the discussion of the new goals for world development after 2015."
The online debate will last for an hour starting next Wednesday at 6am in Brasilia, Brazil, 10am in London, UK, and 11am in Bujumbura, Burundi. People who sign up to take part here will be able to send in their questions throughout the debate for the panel to answer.
Anglican Alliance is holding this online debate as the world's leaders prepare to agree the new goals for world development that will replace the Millenium [sic] Development Goals that end in 2015....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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