The Archbishop of Canterbury appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme Today before giving a speech in the House of Lords.
The Lambeth Palace website has:
Interview with Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme on credit, debt & inequality including a full transcript and an audio recording of the interview with John Humphrys.
Archbishop – Protect the Poorest From the Effects of Economic Downturn a press release about the House of Lords speech.
1 CommentThe Diocese of Virginia announces that National Hierarchical Churches Support the Diocese of Virginia in Opposing Virginia Law Section 57-9 . The press release starts out:
A number of national hierarchical churches have filed an Amici Curiae arguing that §57-9 division statute of the Virginia Code “cannot withstand constitutional challenge.” The constitutionality of this statute is being examined in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia’s case to preserve Episcopal Church property. The brief, filed on April 24 in support of the Diocese’s position, calls §57-9 “hopelessly infused with religious concepts” and demonstrates how this section of Virginia Code ignores the theologically-based structures of hierarchical churches throughout the Commonwealth in violation of the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.
When the Court ruled on April 4 that the 57-9 statute allowed for the CANA congregations to file their claims to take Episcopal Church property, the Court explicitly acknowledged that constitutional issues remain and scheduled a hearing on those issues on May 28, 2008.
At issue is the government’s ability to intrude into the freedom of the Episcopal Church and every other church in Virginia to organize and govern themselves according to their faith and doctrine. The implications of the Court’s ruling reach beyond the Episcopal Church, as evidenced by the number of denominations signing on to the Amici filing.
The Diocese of Virginia welcomes the filing of the Amici Brief from:
1. United Methodist Church
2. African Methodist Episcopal Church
3. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
4. Worldwide Church of God
5. The Rt. Rev. Charlene Kammerer, Bishop of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
6. W. Clark Williams, Chancellor of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Read the full text of the brief as a PDF file here.
9 CommentsThe press release from the Diocese of Melbourne is titled First woman bishop appointed in Victoria.
The Herald Sun reports it as Canon Barbara Darling to become Victoria’s first female bishop.
The ABC has Congratulations Darling! Female vicar becomes bishop.
Update
A somewhat misleading headline on this story in the Herald Sun Another historic woman bishop for Church of England.
Note to Herald Sun from here:
28 CommentsWhen did the Church of England become the Anglican Church of Australia?
The Anglican Church of Australia has been known by this name since 24 August 1981.
Anglican Mainstream has KENYA: Bishop Says GAFCON not LAMBETH is Anglican Province’s Choice.
10 CommentsWhen the Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud Wabukala, from Bungoma in Western Kenya, was asked why he was going to GAFCON, but not to the Lambeth Conference in July, he told a congregation of Kenyans in his diocese that you don’t go to a place where men marry men.
“For us it is not just a theological issue, it is a practical issue. We don’t go to a meeting where men marry each other. That is not the way of God. It is not the way of the Lord or Scripture. This is the Sensus Fidelium. It is what the people of God believe, accept, and reject.”
The bishop said it was a “hard agonizing decision to make choosing not to go to Lambeth. The question then was what do we do? It became clear to us that we had to go to GAFCON.
“GAFCON was never conceived as an alternative to Lambeth. We cannot go there (Lambeth) so what is the alternative then? We need to recover accountability in the church. We need to re-establish confidence in the church. While we believe dialogue has ended over sexuality issues not all the orthodox believe that dialogue with Lambeth has ended. Many believe it has ended and we are among them. Some orthodox want to continue to talk and dialogue. We are in a period of discernment for the orthodox, but we cannot do that by going to Lambeth, it would compromise us…
Nigeria: Archbishop Denies Attack On Homosexuals
[ Linked via AllAfrica. The original of this story was at this URL but has now gone.]
Leadership (Abuja)
23 April 2008
Posted to the web 23 April 2008
Abuja
Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi, of the Jos province, (Anglican Communion), has denied allegations that the leader of a group representing “Anglican” homosexuals in the country was attacked.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja, Kwashi rebuffed a statement credited to the Archbishop of Canterbury (ABC) on the alleged attack.
Kwashi was reacting to an allegation by Mr Davis Mac-Iyalla, leader of Changing Attitude Nigeria, that homosexuals were being physically assaulted in the country.
Iyalla had requested the intervention of the ABC as the ‘spiritual leader’ of the global Anglican Communion.
According to Kwashi, the ABC criticised the alleged assaults on gay Anglicans in Nigeria , describing it as ” latest round of unchristian bullying .”
However, the Jos archbishop said: “I have personally tried to discover the place or nature of the attacks and threats without success.
“It is wrong for Canterbury and a group of English Bishops to accuse the Church of Nigeria of being the perpetrator of a physical attack on the streets.
“If a Nigerian Bishop or church leader was mugged in England would the Archbishop of Canterbury or even the Church of England in general be blamed for this?”
He maintained that “the Church of Nigeria would not be bullied and was committed to the human rights of all people”.
“We will not condone violence against people even though they behave in a way that is not acceptable to us.
“And none of us wishes to be responsible (either directly or indirectly) for murder or violence perpetrated by another person, ” he added.
The arguments in the Anglican Church over homosexuality came to the fore in 2003 with the ordination of a gay Bishop, Rt. Rev Gene Robins of USA.
Since then the Church has been sharply divided between conservative Anglicans who were adamant that ordaining gay clergy or blessing in the church is a sin.
However, the liberals insist on tolerance and inclusion of homosexual people. Kwashi, is the Coordinating Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a missionary initiative of the Church of Nigeria.
He said that Nigeria would do all in its power to maintain the unity of the Body of Christ. “But we shall not compromise or “dilute” the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.
(NAN)
TA has not reported any stories from the USA for two whole weeks. Time to catch up on some items from there.
Gregory Venables will be visiting Fresno, on 29 April, see details here.
And then he will be visiting Fort Worth, see details here.
Meanwhile the Living Church reports San Joaquin Incorporation Likely Faces Court Test. It also reports that there will be No Pre-Lambeth Meeting for House of Bishops.
The Bishops in the State of Ohio have taken a public stand on state legislation that seeks to secure equal access to housing and employment opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. See Bishops Support Legislation Protecting Civil Rights of Gay and Lesbian Persons.
New lawsuits have arisen in Ohio and in Central New York.
6 CommentsUpdated Thursday evening
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have today issued a joint statement in support of the strong voice of fellow bishops in Zimbabwe.
Read the Lambeth Palace press release and full text of the statement here.
The statement itself reads as follows:
Those of us who witness the events in Zimbabwe from a distance are bound to approach this crisis with a degree of foreboding and sorrow. Independent Zimbabwe promised much and was a beacon of hope and representative democracy in post-colonial Africa. But as members of the Body of Christ we also know what the Lord requires of us in terms of doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God in all times and in all places. So it is with this in mind that we as Primates and Bishops of the Church of England speak now in solidarity with our brother bishops in Zimbabwe and fellow bishops and other church leaders of the region. The ecumenical calls for action from within Zimbabwe in recent days must be heard and it is these voices we seek to support.
They rightly praise the bravery and endurance of the people of Zimbabwe throughout its protracted suffering and its quest for representative democracy and peaceful national political life; they call for true election results to be published and they speak of a dreadful fear of political violence possibly escalating to the horrific levels seen elsewhere on the African continent. They call for immediate, concerted and effective action by the government of South Africa, SADC and other regional organs and the UN to mediate and intervene as needed. Continuing political violence and drift could unleash spiralling communal violence, as has been seen elsewhere in the Continent where early warning systems or the international community failed to act in time.
Faithful men, women and young people who seek better governance in either political or church affairs continue to be beaten, intimidated or oppressed as was the recent Mothers’ Union gathering in Mbare. Anglicans can not worship in their Cathedral in Harare and Mothers’ Union groups can not now gather without fear of violence or intimidation against them as in Mbare.We join in particular the call from the heads of Christian denominations in Zimbabwe and our brother Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, for the government of South Africa, the SADC region and the United Nations to act effectively. There must be an immediate arms embargo and any ships carrying arms must be recalled.
A year ago we committed ourselves, with the Anglican Archbishop of the province, to work with the bishops of Zimbabwe to support those who spoke on behalf of the poor and marginalised in that country and to denounce those that would not leave ministers of the gospel free to serve them. As we have just heard one bishop say, “It is Zimbabweans who are suffering at the hands of Zimbabweans. The political parties must protect the people who are voting.”
The current climate of political intimidation, violence, vote rigging and delay has left the presidential election process without credibility. Now the people of Zimbabwe are left even more vulnerable to conflict heaped upon poverty and the threat of national disintegration. It is therefore crucial that the international community act in support of regional efforts to bring a mediated settlement to this political crisis so that the social and economic and spiritual crisis of the country can be addressed. We commend the efforts of governments and agencies actively seeking to end the crisis and pray that those whose efforts have seemed lacklustre to renew their commitment as fellow Christians, Africans and members of the human family and international community.
Churches across England have been praying for Zimbabwe before, during and after the polls. Agencies and dioceses from the UK have worked ably to support partners and parishes. We join with those now calling for an international day of prayer for Zimbabwe this Sunday (April 27) as part of a search for increased solidarity and justice for the people of Zimbabwe at home and in the UK. Ecumenically, and as part of a broad based coalition, we must work to build a civil society movement that both creates political will and gives voice to those who demand an end to the mayhem that grows out of injustice, poverty, exclusion and violence.
Thursday evening update
Video: Archbishop – Pray for Zimbabwe
Thursday 24 April 2008
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, after giving joint interviews with the Archbishop of York, reflects on the issues surrounding Zimbabwe and calls for a day of prayer on Sunday, 27 April 2008.
Watch the video and read the full transcript here.
Also Desmond Tutu has issued a statement about Zimbabwe, read it in full here.
2 CommentsA conference was convened in New York City by the General Theological Seminary at the Desmond Tutu Center, April 10-12, 2008 and sponsored by the seminaries of the Episcopal Church and the seminaries of the Anglican Church of Canada. The title was An Anglican Covenant: Divisive or Reconciling?
News reports on this:
Church Times Covenant will protect male power, says critic
Episcopal News Service Anglican covenant conference draws international group, elicits varied viewpoints
Photographs are here.
Audio and Full Texts of Conference Papers
PDF files and MP3 files of the sessions can be found in this archive.
Go there for the links, but here is a list of the speakers to whet your appetite:
First Keynote Address:
First Panel:
Second Keynote Address:
Second Panel:
Third Panel:
Fourth Panel:
Third Keynote Address:
The Anglican Communion News Service press release is headed Archbishop of Canterbury: Better Bishops for the sake of a better Church:
The Archbishop of Canterbury today set out his hopes for this year’s Lambeth Conference in a video message addressed to Bishops and Dioceses across the worldwide communion…
The Lambeth Palace website has Video: Lambeth Conference ‘08
The Archbishop reflects on the forthcoming Conference in July ‘08 in an exclusive video message. The decennial event ‘has been a place where Bishops come to pray together, to read the Bible together and quite simply to help one another to be Bishops’.
Both pages lead to the video and to a transcript of the video.
If you have a problem linking to the video from those pages, try here.
7 CommentsUpdated Tuesday evening
The Anglican Church of Canada has published the text of a letter from Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of Canada to the Primate of the Southern Cone, Gregory Venables asking him to cancel a planned, unauthorized visit to Canada: Primate asks Venables to cancel visit. He includes this snippet:
I would also add that in a letter earlier this year to one of our Diocesan Bishops Archbishop Rowan Williams stated, “I am quite content to repeat that I do not endorse any cross-provincial transfers of allegiance, and that this office and that of the Anglican Communion recognize one ecclesial body in Canada as a constitutive member of the Communion, the Anglican Church of Canada.”
The Anglican Journal reports that South American prelate rejects Canadian church’s request to cancel visit.
Canadian news reports on this in the Globe and Mail Anglican primate blasts South American rival and in the National Post Anglican leader pulls rival’s welcome mat.
Episcopal Café has the key quotes here.
The Diocese of New Westminster has published this press release: Archbishop of Canterbury recognizes only Anglican Church of Canada.
Earlier, the Anglican Journal had published this: Bishops decline request from network for national talks.
Tuesday evening update
Vancouver Sun Anglican cleric against gay unions ignores plea to stay out of Canada
And, in related news:
Anglican Network in Canada Anglican Clergy deny charges and Statement by nine Anglican Network in Canada clergy to Bishop Michael Ingham
20 CommentsUpdated Wednesday evening
The Anglican Communion News Service has published this: World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe on Sunday 27th April 2008
A desperate cry from the hearts of Zimbabwe screams across the world.
It calls upon all Christians of every denomination in every nation to focus their prayers, in churches, halls, homes or elsewhere, on Sunday 27th April, 2008 on the critical situation in Zimbabwe, a nation in dire distress and teetering on the brink of human disaster.
Let the cry for help touch your heart and mind. Let it move you to do what you can immediately to ensure this Day of Prayer takes place in your country and neighbourhood.
Please pass on this message right now to all the churches and Christian organisations known to you and to the media as well as to everyone anxious to rescue Zimbabwe from violence, the concealing and juggling of election results, deceit, oppression and corruption, and to bring about righteousness, joy, peace, compassion, honesty, justice, democracy and freedom from fear and want.
May a continual strong stream of prayer and supplication flow up to the Lord on behalf of all the people on this Day of Prayer, exhorting His divine intervention throughout the nation.
“It is by making the truth publicly known that we recommend ourselves to the honest judgment of mankind in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2)
Some advice to Zimbabweans
“Who so putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25) “Stand fast, and do not let yourselves be caught again in the yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) “Make no mistake, you cannot cheat God.” (Galatians 6:7) “Do not be overcome by evil but overcame evil with good” (Romans 12:21)
Bob Stumbles, Chancellor – The Anglican Diocese of Harare
See also Zimbabwe, abuse and silence at Only Connect.
And a statement by the Archbishop of Cape Town is here.
Wednesday evening update
Dave Walker has a roundup of links to related stories at the Church Times blog Zimbabwean Christians call for a World Day of Prayer on Sunday.
8 CommentsThis item relates to the earlier report here.
Changing Attitude has published Report on contents of syringe used in attack on Davis Mac-Iyalla. Note: the text of this article has been amended.
The report itself can be seen at Original report on contents of syringe used in attack on Davis Mac-Iyalla.
50 CommentsIn his Fulcrum lecture last Saturday, Bishop Tom Wright said this (emphasis added):
…Fourth, we have seen, predictably but sadly, the rise of the super-apostles, who have wanted everything to be cut and dried in ways for which our existing polity simply did not, and does not, allow. Please note, I do not for one moment underestimate the awful situation that many of our American and Canadian friends have found themselves in, vilified, attacked and undermined by ecclesiastical authority figures who seem to have lost all grip on the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be eager only for lawsuits and property squabbles. I pray daily for many friends over there who are in intolerable situations and I don’t underestimate the pressures and strains. But I do have to say, as well, that these situations have been exploited by those who have long wanted to shift the balance of power in the Anglican Communion and who have used this awful situation as an opportunity to do so. And now, just as the super-apostles were conveying the message to Paul that if he wanted to return to Corinth he’d need letters of recommendation, we are told that, if we want to go on being thought of as evangelicals, we should withdraw from Lambeth and join the super-gathering which, though not officially, is clearly designed as an alternative, and which of course hands an apparent moral victory to those who can cheerfully wave goodbye to the ‘secessionists’. I have written about this elsewhere, and it is of course a very sad situation which none of us (I trust) would wish but which seems to be worsening by the day…
This has been commented on at Fulcrum by Graham Kings who suggests that this is a response to what the Dean of Sydney said:
Phillip Jensen, in his address in Sydney on 14 March 2008, ‘The Limits of Fellowship’, said:
To those bishops who go to Lambeth knowing the unrepentant homosexual activity is wrong – your profession of evangelical credentials will always be tarnished.
And he also explains the reference to elsewhere in the last sentence quoted above:
…that last sentence, which refers to an earlier article. This, it seems to me, is the one written for the Church Times, 28 January 2008, and co-published with permission on Fulcrum, ‘Evangelicals are not about to jump ship’…
In that earlier article, Bishop Tom had said (again emphasis added):
The rationale of GAFCON (the Global Anglican Future Conference) is: “The Communion is finished; nothing new can happen; it’s time to split.” No mention is made of the Windsor report, the proposed Anglican Covenant, or, indeed, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advent letter, insisting as it does on scriptural authority, which GAFCON seems to regard as its monopoly.
That last point is crucial. To say “scripture is our authority” does not commit anyone to joining the small group represented by Chris Sugden, Martyn Minns, and Peter Jensen. It is clear that they are the prime movers and drafters, making a mockery of Canon Sugden’s claim (Comment, 11 January) that GAFCON is about rescuing the Churches from Western culture. But they have marshalled impressive support, particularly from great leaders like Henry Orombi of Uganda.
And later:
Our Communion has for the past five years been living through 2 Corinthians: the challenge to re-establish an authority based on the gospel alone and embodied in human weakness. Inevitably, “super-apostles” then emerge, declaring that such theology is for wimps.
To them I would say: Are they Evangelicals? So am I. Are they orthodox? So am I. Do they believe in the authority of scripture? So do I (including the bits they regularly downplay). Are they keen on mission? So am I, and on the full mission of God’s kingdom which an older Evangelicalism often ignores.
Those who want to be biblical should ponder what the Bible itself says about such things. There are many in the GAFCON movement whom I admire and long to see at Lambeth, but the movement itself is deeply flawed. It does not hold the moral, biblical, or Evangelical high ground.
To say no to GAFCON is not to say yes to the revisionist agendas prevailing in much of the Episcopal Church in the US. It is to say yes to a Lambeth Conference based on and taking forward the Archbishop’s agenda of Windsor and the Covenant, in pursuit of what Dr Williams refers to in his recent letter as “an authoritative common voice”.
Anglican Mainstream has responded to the recent lecture by publishing an article by Charles Raven Gospel Grip and Fulcrum Fantasy – a response to Tom Wright’s Fulcrum Conference Lecture ‘Conflict and Covenant in the Bible’. (Mr Raven is now Senior Minister of Christ Church Wyre Forest.)
44 CommentsAbraham Pinter writes that Passover is a good time to think about freedom of religious education in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column.
In The Times Roderick Strange writes that The resurrection of Jesus was real and physical.
In the Daily Telegraph Christopher Howse reports on Doing God in the land of Mammon.
The Church Times has an article by Jonathan Clark explaining why The C of E is losing its own history.
And last week in the Church Times Elaine Storkey wrote about Taking on the moral high ground.
Simon Barrow writes for Ekklesia about an issue in British parliamentary democracy, see Power to which people, exactly?
2 CommentsThe Archbishop of Canterbury gave a lecture in which he acknowledges the rise in interest in spirituality, particularly in the Western World, but underlines the crucial role traditional religious allegiance continues to play in a genuinely plural society.
Read the press release Archbishop’s Lecture – Society Still Needs Religion and read the full transcript of the lecture, The Spiritual and the Religious: Is the Territory Changing?
2 CommentsThe Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has published Response to alleged attacks on Changing Attitude leaders in Nigeria: Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi.
This is in response to the material reported earlier here and here.
40 CommentsThe Church Times has a cover story on Darfur.
The complexities of Darfur are no excuse for the West’s refusal to act, says Giles Fraser in an article, The people cry out for action now which also has some illustrations that should not be missed.
More on these pictures can be found here on the Waging Peace website.
1 CommentTwo items on this today in the Church Times, both by Pat Ashworth:
A detailed report of the Trumpington case is headlined Ambrose caused parish breakdown, says tribunal.
And there is a preview of the guidelines on bullying that are to be published soon by the Archbishops’ Council, Parish guidelines aim to end bullying.
Elsewhere Alan Wilson has written a highly informative article on his blog at Bully pulpit — On baiting of the Clergy. (The comments there are also interesting.)
19 CommentsLord Harries of Pentregarth, aka Richard Harries, former Bishop of Oxford had a discussion with Simon Jenkins in the Guardian last weekend, see Atheist versus Bishop.
6 CommentsAs religious objections to the embryology bill mark the latest skirmish between faith and reason, Simon Jenkins and Richard Harries confront their differences head-on.
The full text of the recent lecture given by Paul Vallely to the London Newman Association can be found here.
The title of this lecture was On being an English Catholic: from minority to mainstream – and back again? English Catholicism 1951 – 2008.
Paul explained this title in his Church Times column of 4 April, I am English Catholic, not Roman. The previous week’s article, to which he refers, is This does not violate a deep taboo. That article is germane to the debates here concerning the embryology bill.
7 Comments