This past week I went to Mere Anglicanism, a gathering of evangelical Anglicans in Charleston. It was like a reunion being able to visit with some of my heroes in the modern Anglican movement: Bishop Fitz Allison, Bishop Alec Dickson, Bishop Ed Salmon. The event was held at historic St. Philip’s Church, a vibrant in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

Titled “The Once and Future Church,” we heard some great presentations on the evangelical contributions of Anglicanism. Richard Turnbull, the Principal of Wycliff Hall in Oxford highlighted the eighteen and nineteenth centuries.

The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, spoke on a previous bishop of London, Henry Compton, and his emphasis on missions in the colonies back in the late 1600’s.

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The message [of the conference] was unified and simple.

1. From the time of Augustine and Cuthbert to the great reformers of the 16th, 18th, and 19th centuries, to today, men and women who answer the call of Jesus to turn from their former ways and follow God have been used to transform not only lives, but societies.
2. As those same people forsook their sinful ways and conformed their lives to the clear teaching of Scripture, which is the example of our Lord, God used them, and he will use us, to bring the most obdurate sinners to personal confession, repentance, and moral transformation.
3. The cost of following Christ in this way is high, but the results are far-reaching, and ultimately eternal.
4. We who name Christ as Saviour are called to follow him in the knowledge that through us, through our hard work and sacrifice, God will transform the world and to bring all people to himself.
5. It is for this reason that he has called us and redeemed us by his blood.

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Southwark Cathedral’s new dean, the Very Revd Andrew Nunn, used the sermon at his induction service on Saturday to affirm Southwark and South London’s role at the heart of national life.

“This cathedral community is proud to be the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark for south London and East Surrey,” he told a large Southwark Cathedral congregation on Saturday afternoon.

In comments prompted by recent press comment on the church’s activities in south London, he said: “We are proud to be part of the melting pot of south London and stand proudly on the south bank looking across to the City of London and our sister cathedral St Paul’s.

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“This is our big, grand celebration to kick off all the other things that will be happening throughout the year,” explained Jan Pringle, tricentennial standing committee co-chairwoman with Bob Barrett. “There is a tremendous amount of excitement among our parishioners, and I personally am overjoyed because this is just an incredible opportunity to glorify God for the 300 years our church has withstood so many things.”

“I have never been to a church that seems to be so full of the Holy Spirit with teachers and preachers that lift you up every time you are there,” Pringle said.

It is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the country and is the oldest public building in Beaufort with the original building completed in 1724.

Since its establishment in 1712 as a colonial parish of the Church of England, the church has withstood the 1715 Yemassee Indian War, Civil War encampment by federal soldiers, service as a hospital, the Great Depression and even hurricanes.

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What a difference a week makes.

Newt Gingrich completed his miraculous come-from-behind charge Saturday, surging to a commanding victory over a wounded Mitt Romney to win the South Carolina Republican presidential primary.

“The biggest thing I take from the campaign in South Carolina is that it’s very humbling and very sobering to have so many people who so deeply want their country to get back on the right track,” Gingrich told a crowd of cheering supporters in Columbia.

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Newt Gingrich surged to victory in the South Carolina presidential primary, batting back questions about his personal life and riding a pair of strong debate performances to overtake Mitt Romney and slow his seeming march to the GOP nomination.

Romney finished more than 10 percentage points behind the former House speaker Saturday, with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul a distant third and fourth, respectively.

Gingrich, flashing just an occasional smile, marked his victory with a sober address to supporters in Columbia, praising each of his opponents and returning to a favorite tack ”” bashing the media and “the elites in Washington and New York [who] have no understanding, no care, no connection, no reliability” and fail to represent the American people.

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Lord Jesus Christ, who began your ministry by proclaiming the Kingdom of God in Galilee, grant that this day I may both in word and deed reflect your divine realm and goodness whereever and with whom thou dost call me to be, to my great benefit and to your honor and glory.

O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee.

–Psalm 63:1-3

The United States is currently in what some have called the “Mormon Moment” ”“ a time when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is gaining attention due, in part, to the popularity of Mormon celebrities and politicians. Many Mormons, however, are leaving the church to embrace traditional Christianity, but such radical shifts in thought don’t come easily.

The Western Institute for Intercultural Studies (WIIS), a think-tank organization dedicated to helping Christians understand and witness to those of other religions, has come up with a program which includes DVDs and a workbook that are designed to help ex-Mormons have an easier transition into Christianity.

Nearly 70,000 people left the Mormon Church in the U.S. in 2007, according to the Mormon Social Science Association via the first Transitions DVD. Some of the thousands of Mormons who have left the church have turned to Christianity, which is why WIIS created “Transitions: The Mormon Migration from Religion to Relationship,” a six-part program that helps “immigrants” to Christianity address both personal and doctrinal issues.

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