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March 7, 2014
...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
Romans 3:23
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Whatever Happened to Biblical Reconciliation in the Anglican Communion?
By the Rev. Canon Phil Ashey
You and I both know the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is a unilateral act that we must repeat, according to Jesus, "seventy times seven," precisely because we have been forgiven of our sins by God in Christ on the cross, and precisely because it is a hallmark of following Jesus. We forgive whether or not the person who has offended us recognizes their offense, or repents, or expresses any remorse at all. We forgive because Jesus first forgave us.
Reconciliation, unlike forgiveness, is neither a unilateral act nor a one way street. 2 Corinthians 5:18 reminds us that the primary and central context for biblical reconciliation is God's reconciliation of himself to humankind through the death of Jesus Christ and his blood shed for our sins. From this, all people may be at peace with God through Jesus Christ. It is this reconciliation that the Christian primarily offers. Whatever other ministries of reconciliation we may have to offer are always shaped in every way by this God-initiated, Christ-effected process of reconciliation.
I wish to commend the Rev. Patrick Ware's new website, unifyanglicanism.org, and specifically the article he recently posted "What is Biblical Reconciliation?"... Read more. |
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Accountability is Needed
By the Rt. Rev. David Anderson
Recently, I have been thinking about accountability, authority and discipline. Not discipline in a harsh sense, but discipline in the sense of having fences and walls that define distance and relationships, expectations and behavior, and that protect more than punish those concerned.
I have been blessed with an intelligent and perceptive wife. Throughout my preaching career she listened to what I said from the pulpit and occasionally would ask me about something I said. Her questions often helped me explore an idea further and better develop or drop it if necessary.
Only once did she bring up a particular sermon illustration and say to me, "You will never use that example again." I never did, and in fact I have forgotten what it was.
As a father of a family, I believe the man should take the leadership role in consultation with his wife and, to a lesser degree, everyone else who is affected. Since all five in my family have dominant personalities, there was never really a loose football; everyone was willing and ready to lead. For this reason, decisions were nearly always by consensus. Our family was part of a larger, intact, functional family, and so there were aunts, uncles and cousins who all played a part in a system of accountability. Unfortunately, not everyone has this advantage. Where it is lacking, a family should try to create a system of support and accountability, sometimes to protect themselves from themselves...Read more.
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This week's Anglican Perspective focuses on Article 6 of the 39 Articles of Religion.
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J.I. Packer "Anglican Agenda" books now available online - FREE
The 21 short booklets, edited by Dr J I Packer and written by various Anglican theologians (known as the Ginger Group), have been available for purchase for several years - and still can be purchased through the ANiC online store. However, they are now also available as free downloads (pdfs) on the ANiC website. Thank you Ginger Group! May these books be a blessing to many around the world and be used by God to build His kingdom.
Each book tackles an important and timely topic for Anglican Christians. They are the perfect size for use by adult Bible study groups - covering a different topic each week.
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African church leaders resist gay rights, call it a colonial import
March 6, 2014 By Frederick Nzwili A call for greater acceptance of gays and lesbians has put African and Western churches on a collision course, as some African clerics liken mounting criticism from the U.S. and Europe to a new wave of colonization by the West. Consider some of the statements at a news conference last week led by Bishop Arthur Gitonga of the Redeemed Church in Kenya: Homosexuality is equivalent to colonialism and slavery," said one participant. "We feel it's like a weapon of mass destruction," said another. "It is not biblical and cannot bring blessing to Christians," said a third. Gitonga, a powerful East African Pentecostal church official, is among a group of Kenyan leaders who have launched "Zuia Sodom Kabisa," Kiswahili for "Stop Sodom Completely." The campaign seeks 1 million signatures to petition legislation to criminalize homosexual acts in Kenya. Scholars warn that such radical comparisons blur real issues... Read more.
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Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali.
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Clarification on the Church of Uganda's Relationship with the Church of England
March 5, 2014 Archbishop Stanley issued a very important clarification today about the erroneous information printed in the Monday, 3rd March 2014, edition of the Daily Monitor about the Church of Uganda's relationship with the Church of England. He said, "The Church of Uganda has had no discussions about breaking away from the Church of England or the Anglican Communion. "It's true that the fabric of the Anglican Communion was torn at its deepest level in 2003 when the American Episcopal Church consecrated as Bishop a gay man living in a same-sex relationship. Not only was this against the Bible, but it went against the agreed position of the Anglican Communion. "Our current concern is that the Church of England seems to be drifting rapidly in the same direction. We are very grateful to them for sending missionaries who told us about the good news of Jesus Christ. Ironically, they seem now to be reversing themselves. Fortunately, we no longer need to be directed by them. "We can read and interpret the Bible for ourselves, and we know what it says about sexual behaviour belonging between one man and one woman in holy matrimony."
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