Thinking Anglicans

creationism in Britain

on Tuesday, 3 March 2009 at 11.36 pm by Simon Sarmiento
categorised as News

Theos has announced Biggest evolution and God survey ever launched today.

Among its key findings, the report reveals that:

• Only 54% of people know that Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species (3% believe he wrote The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and 1% think he wrote The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver).
• Only 15% of people know that Charles Darwin was a self-described agnostic towards the end of his life (20% think he was an atheist).
• 42% of people believe that evolution presents some challenges to Christianity but that it is possible to believe in both.

The research also canvassed people across the UK about the origins of human life and found that:

• The East has the largest proportion of people in the UK who believe that the theory of evolution removes any need for God (44%)
• Wales has the largest proportion of theistic evolutionists (the belief that evolution is part of God’s plan – 38%).
• Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of people who believe in Intelligent Design (16%) and Creationism (25%).

Read the full report as a PDF here (1.1.Mb).

The Guardian has published a snazzy interactive map which shows more details of the regional breakdown of answers. This accompanies a news report headlined Four out of five Britons repudiate creationism.

reconciliation efforts

on Monday, 2 March 2009 at 10.55 am by Simon Sarmiento
categorised as Anglican Communion

Updated Tuesday morning

A report from the Anglican Journal in Canada says Burundi archbishop supports Canadian church in opposing cross-border interventions, and there is also ‘Stay the course’ in Burundi, UN envoy advises Canadian Anglican delegation.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has thanked his Burundian counterpart, Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi, for the Anglican Church of Burundi’s stance against cross-border interventions, notwithstanding its opposition to more liberal views on homosexuality in some churches in Canada.

Meanwhile, there is an announcement from Lambeth Palace about the Pastoral Visitors, which says:

Pastoral Visitors Briefing Seminar

Following the Report of the Windsor Continuation Group to the Archbishop of Canterbury (which was published at the Primates Meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, in February 2009) the initial group of Pastoral Visitors called for by the Windsor Continuation Group in their Report and commended by the Primates Meeting in their Communiqué (para 15) met for a briefing session at Virginia Theological Seminary from 25-28 February.

Those appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Pastoral Visitors team are: the Rt Rev’d Santosh Marray, the Rt Rev’d Colin Bennetts, the Rt Rev’d Simon Chiwanga, Maj Gen (ret’d) Tim Cross, Canon Dr Chad Gandiya, who all participated in the briefing seminar, and the Very Rev’d Justin Welby, who was unable to attend.

The meeting was facilitated by the Rt Rev’d Peter Price, Bishop of Bath and Wells, England, and received briefings from the Rev’d Dr Ephraim Radner (Wycliffe Theological Seminary, Toronto) the Rt Rev’d Gary Lillibridge (Bishop of West Texas, TEC and member of the Windsor Continuation Group), The Rev’d Canon Dr Chuck Robertson (Canon to the Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church), the Rt Rev’d Herbert Donovan (Deputy to the Presiding Bishop for Anglican Communion Relations, TEC) and the Ven Paul Fehely (Principal Secretary to the Primate, the Anglican Church of Canada) and members of the Faculty at VTS.

The Pastoral Visitors team will now report to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Update Tuesday

More details about these individuals are contained in the report by Matthew Davies at ENS Pastoral visitors appointed by Archbishop of Canterbury:

• the Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, bishop of Seychelles (Indian Ocean);
• the Rt. Rev. Colin Bennetts, retired bishop of Coventry (England);
• the Rt. Rev. Simon Chiwanga, retired bishop of Mpwapwa (Tanzania) and former chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council;
• Major General Tim Cross, a retired British soldier who was the U.K.’s senior-most officer involved in the Pentagon’s post-war planning in Iraq;
• Canon Chad Gandiya, Africa desk officer for the U.K.-based mission organization USPG; and
• the Very Rev. Justin Welby, dean of Liverpool Cathedral (England).

And there is slightly more information in this Living Church article, by George Conger Pastoral Visitors Hold Inaugural Meeting:

• The Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, who retired in 2008 as Bishop of the Seychelles in the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean. Bishop Marray served in the Diocese of Florida at the time of his election in 2005, and is presently a member of the Anglican Covenant Design Group.
• The Rt. Rev. Colin Bennetts, retired Bishop of Coventry in the Church of England. He also serves as chairman of the International Centre for Reconciliation (ICR) based at Coventry Cathedral.
• The Very Rev. Justin Welby, dean of Liverpool Cathedral (England). Dean Welby was formerly sub dean and canon for reconciliation ministry at Coventry Cathedral.
• The Rt. Rev. Simon Chiwanga, retired Bishop of Mwapwa in the Anglican Church of Tanzania. For 18 years he served on the Anglican Consultative Council.
• The Rev. Canon Chad Gandiya, former dean of Bishop Gaul Theological College in Harare, Zimbabwe, and now serves as the United Society for the PreservationPropagation of the Gospel’s regional desk officer for Africa.
• Maj. General Tim Cross, former chief logistics officer in the British Army. Gen. Cross was deputy head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq. He is also a visiting professor at Nottingham and Cranfield universities.

(more…)

Which bishops are against women bishops?

on Sunday, 1 March 2009 at 5.13 pm by Simon Sarmiento
categorised as Church of England

Last year, I made an analysis of the July vote which I titled Bishops give a clear lead, in which I said:

Episcopal opposition turned out to be almost entirely limited to a core group of only twelve bishops. These included five who later signed the 15 August letter (see below) and who also have votes in Synod, i.e. the Bishops of Blackburn, Chichester, Europe, Burnley and Beverley. There were also seven others: the Bishops of Birmingham, Exeter, London, Rochester, Winchester, Dover and, significantly, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

At the end of the debate, the Archbishop abstained, and the other eleven all voted against the substantive motion. The only other bishop who voted “No” was the Bishop of Durham, whose earlier motion to adjourn the debate had support from only 46% of the synod. He had consistently opposed every amendment throughout the debate.

So, how did these thirteen bishops vote in February 2009, and who else voted AGAINST this legislation?

An examination of the February voting record shows as follows:

• The Archbishop of Canterbury voted in favour of both items.

• The Bishops of Blackburn, Chichester, Europe, Burnley and Beverley voted against both items, EXCEPT that: Chichester did not record a vote on Item 508 (draft canon) and Europe voted FOR the draft canon.

• London voted against both items. Birmingham and Winchester voted FOR both items. Exeter and Rochester recorded no vote on either item. Dover voted against the draft measure but for the the draft canon.

• Durham voted for both items.

Thus altogether only seven bishops of the “July thirteen” voted against the draft measure, and only five voted against the draft canon.

However, there were other bishops who cast negative votes: Chester, Norwich and Wakefield voted against the draft measure, and Salisbury and Wakefield voted against the draft canon while Chester abstained in relation to the canon (Norwich voted for it).

In summary, the bishops gave a even clearer lead than in July.