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"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 34:4 NKJV
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A Message from Bishop Anderson
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Bishop Anderson is out of the office this week and will not be writing an article.
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A Message from Canon Ashey
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 Dear Friends in Christ, Since September 2 I have been on the road and out of country in Uganda, Wales and Kenya. I'd like to share just a few thoughts and highlights of what the Lord has taught me along the way. First, I have learned that God's word applies across many different cultures to Anglican leaders everywhere. From September 2-12, I was privileged to serve on a joint SOMA/AAC team to help develop leaders among the Church of Uganda - first in Kampala, for the Provincial Secretariat (or "staff" as we would call them, to the Archbishop and Church), and then to the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of Northern Uganda, in Gulu. One of our defining biblical verses came from I John 1:6-7: "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." In Uganda itself, the social, educational, tribal and cultural differences between Kampala and Gulu are significant. Yet in both cases the leaders we worked with found God's word timely, challenging and with up to the minute relevance. They were able from their own experience as leaders to readily identify attitudes and behaviors that witness to "walking in the light" with each other - as well as those that do not, those that destroy trust. It was a great joy to see that many of the biblical principles we teach in our AAC Clergy Leadership Training Institute readily transferred to their context - especially those on what it means to be a "well defined leader," how to recognize when we as leaders are operating out of the woundedness from our own past, how to avoid "personalizing" conflict, and how we can stay focused as Jesus was on mission even in the face of conflict, resistance and cultural challenges.... Read the rest of Canon Ashey's article here.
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Anglican Perspective: 39 Articles, Article 2
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This week Canon Ashey discusses the second article in the 39 Articles of Religion: II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man.The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men. View Anglican Perspective here.
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Correction re: last week's Update
| Last week an incorrect email address was given for the author of "Supreme Deception," a book about Doe v. Bolton, the companion case to Roe v. Wade which legalized partial birth abortion. The correct email address for author Sybil Fletcher Lash is sybielash@gmail.com
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A Call to Prayer for Kenya and Pakistan from Archbishop Duncan
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Source: Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)
"If one member suffers, all suffer together." ~ I Corinthians 12:26
In the wake of the terrorist attacks that have befallen our brothers and sisters in both Kenya and Pakistan over the last few days, I call upon our members to pray for the victims and their families as they walk through this dark valley of death's shadow. Let us also pray that all people everywhere might be delivered from the scourge of terrorism, and that our God would turn the hearts of those who are tempted to use such violence to achieve their purposes.
Over the last decade, the connections between our global fellowship of churches have grown all the stronger so that when tragic events such as these take place, our thoughts move beyond the headlines, and to the faces and names of our beloved friends. In the past, we have had many occasions for joy. Today is a day to grieve, pray, and suffer with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is in moments like these that our unity is most important.
In the Anglican Church in North America some of us have known first hand what it is like to live through terrorist attacks. Today, for our Kenyan and Pakistani friends, going into the marketplace or attending worship become acts of courage. Pray that they will know the presence of the Good Shepherd by their side, and be comforted by the assurance of His rod and His staff.
Archbishop Robert Duncan
Anglican Church in North America
23 September 2013
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Christians now suffering mass martyrdom, says Archbishop of Canterbury
| Source: Telegraph
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AP Photo
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September 25, 2013
By John Bingham
Christians are being deliberately attacked because of their faith across parts of the Muslim world and even martyred for their faith in large numbers, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.
The Most Rev Justin Welby said that there had been more than 80 Christian "martyrs" in the last few days alone. He was speaking about the bombing of All Saints Anglican church in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which 85 were killed and more than 200 injured. But he said that Christians were also being singled out for violence in a string of other countries.
Christian communities which have existed "in many cases since the days of Saint Paul" are now under threat in countries such as Syria and Egypt, he said. Last month around 100 Christian sites were attacked amid the turmoil in Egypt, with 42 churches burnt to the ground. Ancient Christian communities in Syria have also been singled out for violence....
The rest of the article may be found here.
Editor's note: For more in-depth information on Christians being attacked for their faith, see this book: "Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians" by Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert, and Nina Shea.
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Europe: Campaign to stop public funding of destructive embryo research gains one million signatures
| Source: Anglican Mainstream 
September 24, 2013
By Peter Saunders
Last week, 'One of Us' announced that 1 million EU citizens had signed its initiative to protect tiny human lives.
There will now be an official public hearing on the need to ban EU funding for activities that involve destroying human embryos.
It's an amazing achievement - and this week, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic officially congratulated the campaign....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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New study: Porn activates the same addiction centers in the brain as alcohol and heroin
| Source: LifeSiteNews
September 25, 2013
by Kirsten Andersen
CAMBRIDGE, UK - A soon-to-be-published Cambridge University study of compulsive pornography users seems to confirm that porn use can become a physical addiction.
Cambridge researcher Dr. Valerie Voon studied 19 men aged 19 to 34 who had tried to quit pornography and failed, even after losing relationships and jobs because of their porn habit.
Similarities between the compulsive behaviors of porn users and those struggling with chemical addictions have long been noted by the mental health community.
Voon scanned the men's brains as they watched erotic imagery and found that they displayed the same addiction responses as those of alcoholics shown ads for booze, or drug abusers shown images of dealers.
"We found greater activity in an area of the brain called the ventral striatum, which is a reward center, involved in processing reward, motivation and pleasure," Voon told the Sunday Times. "When an alcoholic sees an ad for a drink, their brain will light up in a certain way and they will be stimulated in a certain way. We are seeing this same kind of activity in users of pornography."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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A compilation of pro-life and pro-family responses to Pope Francis' interview
| Source: LifeSiteNews
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Pope Francis
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September 26, 2013
By John Jalsevac
It has been more than a week now since Jesuit magazines around the world released a blockbuster 12,000-word interview with Pope Francis, in which the pontiff spoke frankly and at length about a wide variety of topics, but the flood of headlines and op-eds about the interview has barely slowed down....
In the mainstream media the reporting on the pope's remarks has been predictably monochrome: most newspapers and cable networks have spun the pope's interview as a clear statement that the Pontiff wishes the Church to downplay, or even abandon, its teachings on unpopular moral topics, and have ignored the rest of the interview.
Among Catholic and conservative commentators, the reporting and opinion pieces have been far more diverse. Many Catholic commentators have defended the pope's interview wholesale from the media's misrepresentations, arguing that Francis did nothing more than re-state age-old Catholic teaching within the framework of a compelling, Christ-centered pastoral approach. His controversial remarks, they say, should be put in the context of his rousing call to a radical, mercy-based evangelization, in which the Church's moral teachings play an integral part.
Others, however, have expressed misgivings about the interview, arguing that the pope has given fodder to segments of the Church, and the broader culture, that would be more than happy to see the Church stop talking about key moral issues like abortion, gay "marriage" and contraception....
The rest of the article may be found here.
Another commentary by Larry Chapp is here.
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Egyptian Crisis: The Vulnerable Need Your Help
| Source: Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) 
The situation in Egypt is still very dire. The streets remain unsafe for many ordinary Egyptians whose lives have been violently disrupted by this political crisis. There is no time to lose as we seek to respond to this humanitarian need.
The Diocese of Egypt is appealing for immediate financial assistance in order to serve the poor and marginalized who are particularly affected by the social and economic unrest....
Click here to donate online. Your support will allow our Anglican brothers and sisters in Egypt to demonstrate the love of Jesus to poor and vulnerable people during this time of crisis. Thank you for your generosity....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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