Weekly Update from the AAC

June 6, 2014

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:3-4

Article X: Of Free-Will

What is true Christian freedom? Canon Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council discusses this as we look at Article 10 of the 39 Articles of Religion.

Article 10: of Free-Will

To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism

ACNA

The Anglican Church in North America is pleased to announce the release of To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism produced by the provincial Catechesis Task force.

Led by the Rev. Dr J.I. Packer, the Task Force has developed a unique and powerful resource for helping inquirers come to an understanding of the Christian faith, and for helping disciples deepen their relationship with God. Written in a "Question and Answer" format, this Catechism, in the words of Packer, "is designed as a resource manual for the renewal of Anglican catechetical practice. It presents the essential building blocks of classic catechetical instruction: the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue). To these is added an initial section especially intended for those with no prior knowledge of the Gospel; as such, this catechism attempts to be a missional means by which God may bring about both conversion to Christ and formation in Christ."

The Most Reverend Robert Duncan, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, noted the global impact of this work: "This Catechism assumes a post-Christian world where the basic foundations of the faith cannot simply be assumed. It begins by outlining the faith for those who have no Christian background, or were never fully discipled. This production is a landmark offering, both for North Americans and for the whole Anglican world. Our Christian brothers and sisters from other provinces who saw advanced copies have enthusiastically begun translating the Catechism into their native languages. So far we know of translation work in Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi, and Urdu. We are excited to see this work expand in the days ahead."

The Catechism will be available for purchase from Anglican House Publishers in the second quarter of 2014. It is now available here for non-commercial use in PDF and Microsoft Word format.

There Is No 'Third Way' - Southern Baptists Face a Moment of Decision (and so will you)

By Albert Mohler
June 2, 2014

Southern Baptists will be heading for Baltimore in just a few days, and the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is to be held in a city that has not hosted the convention since 1940. This time, Baptists attending the meeting will face an issue that would not have been imaginable just a few years ago, much less in 1940 - a congregation that affirms same-sex relationships.

Just days before the convention, news broke that a congregation in suburban Los Angeles has decided to affirm same-sex sexuality and relationships. In an hour-long video posted on the Internet, Pastor Danny Cortez explains his personal change of mind and position on the issue of homosexuality and same-sex relationships. He also addressed the same issues in a letter posted at Patheos.com.

In the letter, Cortez describes a sunny day at the beach in August of 2013 when "I realized I no longer believed in the traditional teachings regarding homosexuality."...read more.

Meriam Ibrahim and her husband Daniel Wani

Meriam's Release a Testament to the Power of Advocacy

IRD
June 6, 2014
By Faith McDonnell

Welcome news: Death row inmate Sudanese Christian Dr. Meriam Yahya Ibrahim may soon be released from her prison.

Ibrahim is jailed in Omdurman Women's Prison in Khartoum with her 20-month old son, Martin, and newborn daughter, Maya, under sentences of apostasy and adultery. Her marriage to South Sudanese Christian Daniel Wani is invalid in the eyes of the Sudanese legal system that considers Ibrahim, a lifelong Christian, to be a Muslim.

"The related authorities in the country are working to release Mariam (Yahya Ibrahim), who was sentenced to death for apostasy, through legal measures," Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdelah Al-Azrak told Reuters...read more.

Lesbian Episcopal Priest the Rev. Susan Russell is Vice Chair of Planned Parenthood's Clergy Advocacy board.

Planned Parenthood Claims God Supports Abortion

Daily Caller

June 4, 2014

If you're religious and pregnant, Planned Parenthood wants to let you know God would be completely supportive of you having an abortion.

Planned Parenthood recently posted a "Pastoral Letter" that explained God would champion women to terminate pregnancies because abortion is never mentioned in Christian or Jewish texts, reported The Christian Post.

The letter, however, was quickly removed on June 3, yet various Planned Parenthood state chapter websites still have differing forms of the same religious, pro-abortion message...read more.