March 28, 2014
 
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Psalm 2:10-11
 
World Vision: Lingering Questions 
By the Rev. Canon Phil Ashey
 
Many of you will have read World Vision's (WV) announcement of its intent to hire gay Christians in same-sex Marriages on March 24, and World Vision's reversal of that decision by its Board on March 28. The American Anglican Council applauds and thanks the Board of World Vision for their reconsideration and the following statement:

"The Board acknowledges they made a mistake and chose to revert to our longstanding conduct policy requiring sexual abstinence for all single employees and faithfulness between the Biblical covenant of marriage between a man and a woman."

Faithful Anglicans will recognize this as the same standard we have been given by the Bible and expressed in our own Anglican Communion teaching in Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 (1998).

Nevertheless, the original lengthy explanation by World Vision's President Richard Stearns "Why we're hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages" contains at least three assertions that seem to go unchallenged in the March 28 statement by the charity's board. These unchallenged assertions by their President leave one wondering what will be the long term trajectory of WV:

"Same-sex marriage has only been a huge issue in the church in the last decade or so. There used to be much more unity among churches on this issue, and that's changed."

Does the lack of unity among churches require or even invite faithful Christians to suspend their judgment on any issue directly addressed by the Bible? The Bible is very clear in its teaching on human sexuality and marriage, as the Board noted in its statement of reversal on March 28. Yet Stearns said on March 24 that the board of WV was "overwhelmingly in favor" of the change-even if not unanimous....Read more.
   
Article VII: The Old Testament

This week's Anglican Perspective focuses on the seventh of the 39 Articles of Religion. Canon Phil Ashey talks about how Christians should view the Old Testament and its relation to the New.

Article 7: The Old Testament 
 
 
World Vision Reverses Decision To Hire Christians...
March 26, 2014

Only two days after announcing it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages, World Vision U.S. has reversed its ground-breaking decision after weathering intense criticism from evangelical leaders.

"The last couple of days have been painful," president Richard Stearns told reporters this evening. "We feel pain and a broken heart for the confusion we caused for many friends who saw this policy change as a strong reversal of World Vision's commitment to biblical authority, which it was not intended to be."

"Rather than creating more unity [among Christians], we created more division, and that was not the intent," said Stearns. "Our board acknowledged that the policy change we made was a mistake ... and we believe that [World Vision supporters] helped us to see that with more clarity ... and we're asking you to forgive us for that mistake."

"We listened to [our] friends, we listened to their counsel. They tried to point out in loving ways that the conduct policy change was simply not consistent ... with the authority of Scripture and how we apply Scripture to our lives," said Stearns. "We did inadequate consultation with our supporters. If I could have a do-over on one thing, I would have done much more consultation with Christian leaders."...Read more.
 
Terry Fullam Funeral
 


The funeral service for the Rev. Terry Fullam will be held April 5 at 11:00 am at St. Paul's, Darien, Ct. Clergy may vest in white stoles. Terry Fullam was a well-respected leader of the charismatic renewal movement within The Episcopal Church and rector of St. Paul's, Darien. 
 
 UK: Church decline has halted, say Anglican statisticians
Church Times
March 28, 2014

OFFICIAL statistics issued last week suggest that attendance at C of E churches may have levelled out after decades of decline.

A report by the Archbishops' Council, Statistics for Mission 2012, released on Friday last week, suggests that, on an average Sunday in 2012 (the latest year with available data) about 859,000 people attended a C of E church. This compares with 901,000 in 2003.

The average weekly attendance for the Church was higher, at 1.05 million people. About one in five of those who attend a C of E service weekly are reckoned not to attend on a Sunday.

Three months ago, a C of E report on church growth, From Anecdote to Evidence (News, 31 January), suggested that there had been nine per cent decline in average weekly attendance over the decade to 2010...Read more.
 
Pakistani Christian gets death penalty for blasphemy
March 28, 2014

A Pakistani Christian man has been sentenced to death for blasphemy, in a case which sparked fierce rioting in the eastern city of Lahore last March.

Sawan Masih was convicted of using derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammed in a row with a Muslim friend.

Hundreds of Muslims attacked the city's Christian Joseph colony, torching homes, when the allegations surfaced.

Allegations of blasphemy against Islam are taken very seriously in Pakistan, where 97% of the population are Muslim.

Several recent cases have prompted international concern about the application of blasphemy laws...Read more.
Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.