Lecture by Archbishop of Canterbury to be seen around the world; New course to boost rural evangelism; Digital theology library breaks new ground; Crown Nominations Commission; Yoga ban
Lecture by Archbishop of Canterbury to be seen around the world
The inaugural address of an annual international lecture series honouring Dr Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, will be seen live by a global audience via webcast on 28 September 2012 beginning at 14:15 BST (9:15 am ET in the USA).
Sponsored by Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC), the series will be launched by Dr Williams himself, in an address considering the nature and role of Anglican institutions of higher learning. Audiences at many of the more than 130 member institutions in the international CUAC network will view the historic event live, as can members of the public, by logging on to www.canterbury.ac.uk/CUAC-Lecture2012.
The live streaming webcast can be seen on any browsing device with Flash Player capability. Users of iPhones and iPads can go to the live streaming URL and will be offered a free downloadable app that will enable them to view the live webcast on their devices. A full video of the Archbishop’s address will also be available for on-demand viewing immediately after the event at the same URL as the live stream. A high definition video for on-demand viewing and download will be permanently available on the CUAC website at www.cuac.org beginning Monday, 1 October at 12:00 noon ET (17:00 GMT).
The Dr Rowan Williams Annual CUAC Lecture commemorates Dr Williams’ ten years as Archbishop of Canterbury. The choice of the Archbishop as the first lecturer is apt for several reasons: Dr Williams serves as Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, and the inaugural lecture comprises a part of the University’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. The Archbishop is also CUAC’s Patron, and he has long held that higher education within the context of an Anglican identity provides benefits that are both universal and particular to the local context. In subsequent years, the annual CUAC lecture will rotate among different regions and be hosted by member colleges and universities. The Revd Canon James Callaway, CUAC’s General Secretary, noted, ‘By rotating among the regions of the CUAC chapters, this will be a global voice seeking the commonalities of Anglican higher education that take shape in such diverse cultures. Because of the Gospel, we all have common roots.’
New course to boost rural evangelism
The Arthur Rank Centre has developed a new training course to help churches in the countryside share the Christian faith.
The course has been put together in recognition of the difficulty some churches have with the “concept and practice” of evangelism.
The ARC said rural churches may struggle with evangelism because they do not understand what it is or because they have a “fear” of speaking out about the Christian faith.
Other reasons may include a lack of experience, the small size of the congregation or “confusion over who might be expected to bear witness”.
“Some of these reasons are magnified by the circumstances of many rural churches and the communities they serve,” the ARC said.
“They are also sometimes made worse by a lack of help – whether resources or training – that takes rural church & community life seriously.”
The Journey to Faith resource is not designed for personal evangelism but rather to equip the local congregation as a whole.
The course can be run by any local church – or group of churches – over two half-days and does not require any outside or expert help.
It has been developed by Church Army Captain and Chichester Diocesan Evangelist Gordon Banks, and Arthur Rank Centre Training & Resources Officer, Simon Martin.
To download the course material, visit www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/publications-and-resources/rural-evangelism
Digital theology library breaks new ground in knowledge sharing
A new online theological library is offering free access to thousands of articles, dissertations and documents covering theology and ecumenism.
More than 10,000 have already signed up to the GlobeTheoLib, launched jointly by the World Council of Churches and Globethics.net.
There are more than 600,000 full text documents in the library, which is available in Chinese, English, French, German and Spanish.
GlobeTheoLib aims to use new digital models of information exchange to create greater visibility for theological knowledge and insights from churches of the global South.
On the web: www.globethics.net/web/gtl
Articles and comment relating to this week’s meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9568563/Former-oil-executive-still-bookies-favourite-as-final-decision-due-on-Archbishop-of-Canterbury.html
Reports that “a row has erupted over a priest banning yoga from a church hall because the class was ‘not compatible’ with the Roman Catholic faith”.