Evangelicals plan parallel jurisdiction for the Church of England; Archbishopric of Canterbury: Chair of Crown Nominations Commission appointed; Archbishop gives thanks for Queen who does God; New look for Fresh Expressions mission course; Sydney Archbishop Gives Ringing Endorsement of Gospel to Anglican Leaders at London conference; We should elect our chair, say Primates; Dean’s wife renews musical attack on VAT
Evangelicals plan parallel jurisdiction for the Church of England
The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans have declared their intention to set up a parallel jurisdiction within the Church of England to give an Anglican veneer to those who cannot accept the authority of their Bishops and General Synod and choose to pick their own, more agreeable bishop.
From their statement:
We have established, and this week confirmed the principle that orthodox Anglicans who despite repeated efforts cannot receive oversight in the Church of England can continue to belong together with other orthodox Anglicans and minister with recognition within the global Anglican communion.
The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in this region is a fellowship of those anywhere in the UK and Ireland, including the Diocese of Europe, who can affirm the Jerusalem Declaration. Within it the Anglican Mission in England is not an institution, but a framework that is taking shape as it responds to those needing to receive help in their own dioceses….:
…The AMiE has already acted to provide oversight to churches, including arranging the ordination of some ministers. For the future it is ready to extend this ministry, and to expand its panel of bishops accordingly. Parish Incumbents who affirm the Jerusalem Declaration are invited to meet on Wednesday 27th June to pray and make progress together.
So we pledge our support for all those who are orthodox in faith, who are experiencing pressure, and who wish to continue as Anglicans with international affirmation from the worldwide Anglican church. You have a clear identity as Anglicans through our common commitment to the faith contained in the Jerusalem Declaration.
Thinking Anglicans has a thorough post on the FOCA/AMiE conference and their actions at –
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/005479.html
Archbishopric of Canterbury: Chair of Crown Nominations Commission appointed
C of E media – The Prime Minister has appointed the Rt Hon the Lord Luce KG, GCVO to be Chairman of the Crown Nominations Commission for its selection of the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
Richard Luce, age 75, has long experience in public affairs. In the House of Lords he sits on the Cross Benches as an independent Life Peer. He is currently High Steward of Westminster Abbey. His career spans the overseas civil service, business, Parliament (Conservative MP for 21 years), a Minister for 10 years (Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Civil Service), Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar.
He retired in 2006 having served six years as Lord Chamberlain to The Queen, the senior official in the Royal Household. He is serving, or has served, as President, Chairman or Trustee of a number of charitable bodies. In 2008 The Queen made him a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter.
Richard Luce is a lifelong Anglican. He and his wife, Rose, who is a Lay Minister in the Church of England, worship at a parish church near their home in West Sussex.
The appointment has been made by the Prime Minister after taking soundings of senior figures in the Church.
http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/04/archbishopric-of-canterbury-chair-of-crown-nominations-commission-appointed.aspx
Archbishop gives thanks for Queen who does God
Christian Today – The Archbishop of Wales has expressed his thanks to the Queen for continuing to uphold the Christian faith in national life. In an address at the start of the Queen’s two-day visit to Wales, Dr Barry Morgan praised the Queen for ‘doing God’ in public in spite of changing public opinion.
“Over the last 60 years, amidst all the shifting sands of public opinion and different viewpoints, you have regarded the Christian faith as the rock on which you have been able to draw strength and comfort,” he said
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishop.gives.thanks.for.queen.who.does.god/29765.htm
New look for Fresh Expressions mission course
Christian Today – The Fresh Expressions introductory mission course has been given a makeover in time for the spring and summer.
The new look Mission Shaped Intro (MSI) is being launched on 1 May. It features six freely downloadable sessions exploring ways in which churches can rediscover and re-imagine church around the question: “why should we create fresh expressions of church?”
Each 90-minute session looks at the ever-changing nature of communities and why the church needs to rethink its approach to these communities in meaningful and relevant ways.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.look.for.fresh.expressions.mission.course/29766.htm
Sydney Archbishop Gives Ringing Endorsement of Gospel to Anglican Leaders at London conference
Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen last night gave a ringing endorsement of the gospel and urged hearers attending the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans conference not to cave in to modernity and a culture that is hell bound if people do not confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
“There is enormous pressure for those living for Christ in a secular society. The world has turned truth upside down.”
Citing a case of an adulterous minister who was caught and forced to resign but found support from a group of elderly people in his church, Jensen said he got criticism not from the world but from inside the church for disciplining the priest. “The depth of ignorance of the bible that this displays is breathtaking. Western churches are in a parlous condition, old standards have been shattered we no longer stand where we once stood. We no longer take and stand on the verities of the faith and moral behavior. There is a tremendous danger of the loss of the gospel in the great lands of the West.”
Jensen said that what happens in the West percolates throughout the rest of the world. The issues are threefold: a desperate need, an unclear gospel and a compromised church.
Jensen said the church’s desperate need could be summed up in one word, “Adam.” “In Adam all die, by his sin he condemned the human race. This is a prelude to judgment because after death comes judgment. That is the clear testimony of Scripture. It is a universal testimony, we are heading for judgment and we must all face the judge. That is the great fact of human existence. The reality of judgment can lead to horrible eternal shipwreck and eternal exclusion from the presence of God which is hell.”
We should elect our chair, say Primates
Church times – The Primates of Nigeria and Kenya suggested this week that the Archbishop of Canterbury should no longer chair the Primates’ Meeting. The chairman should instead be elected by the Primates themselves, they said.
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=127734
Dean’s wife renews musical attack on VAT
Wakefield Cathedral unveiled a second protest song at a national charities tax summit in London. “VAT ditty — the sequel with the George Osborne sextet” — features, Pamela Greener, the wife of the Dean of Wakefield, again take the Chancellor to task in a lyrical fashion. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i26K2jvX6AQ