So he called them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went off with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day they entered Caesare’a. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
–Acts 10:23-26
Long long overdue and worth some scrutiny.
[i]update: We’re “bumping” this up the page, since the Anglican Ink website is now working again after one or two days of problems. — the elves.[/i]
As Americans who believe in a “one man, one woman” definition of marriage become a minority for the first time ever, evangelical Christians actually have become more opposed to same-sex marriage, a recent Barna Group survey found.
Barna’s June poll results revealed that as Americans have become more aware of the LGBTQ community’s agenda, a majority of Americans have likewise become more accepting of legal recognition of same-sex unions and granting these unions equal rights.
Catholics, other religious groups, and religious nones have shown large increases in support for legal recognition of gay rights, but churchgoing Protestants””and evangelicals in particular””have maintained firm opposition to the legal measures on social and moral grounds.
General Synod met in York over the weekend, running through to Tuesday with strong representation from this diocese.
While a lot of media coverage centred on the on-going issue of finding acceptable legislation for those who oppose women bishops, there were a number of other important issues discussed.
A very serious and shocking statement from the sex abuse victim support groups led to a sincere apology from Justin Welby on behalf of the whole church and a removal of the twelve month rule within which complaints had to be raised. It also exposed the lack of pastoral care given to those in need.
The Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh has condemned the emergence of the ‘get rich quick’ sermon that is the rave of most Pentecostal Churches in the country.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s programme View From The Top, Archbishop Okoh said this was not the foundation that was laid by the missionaries who introduce Christianity in Nigeria.
It is becoming increasingly clear that homosexuality will be a defining issue for the twenty-first century church, at least here in North America. It seems inevitable that same-sex marriage will soon be legalized across America; it has been the law in Canada for several years now. Meanwhile the acceptance and celebration of homosexuality is becoming a cultural shibboleth, a means of determining who has a voice worth hearing and who does not.
In the middle of all this is the Christian church which, since time immemorial, has held that the Bible forbids homosexuality. Is it time, as so many insist, for Christians to take a second look at the Bible, to get with the times, and to embrace homosexuality as a valid lifestyle, a valid expression of love and sexuality?
Many Christians feel threatened, like their backs are against the wall, and that this issue represents a major threat to their faith. But is it possible that Christians have been thinking about the issue all wrong? In his new book Love Into Light, Peter Hubbard asks, “What if homosexuality is not a threat but an opportunity?….”
The drone base [in Niger], established in February and staffed by about 120 members of the Air Force, is the latest indication of the priority Africa has become for the United States at a time when it is winding down its presence in Afghanistan and President Obama has set a goal of moving from a global war on terrorism toward a more targeted effort. It is part of a new model for counterterrorism, a strategy designed to help local forces ”” and in this case a European ally ”” fight militants so American troops do not have to.
But the approach has limitations on a continent as large as Africa, where a shortage of resources is chronic and regional partners are weak. And the introduction of drones, even unarmed ones, runs the risk of creating the kind of backlash that has undermined American efforts in Pakistan and provoked anger in many parts of the world.
This time, the military’s actions could be disastrous. Egypt’s armed forces have not only brought the 2011 uprising to an ignominious end but invited a vengeful extremist backlash in the process.
Those who celebrate Morsi’s ouster seem to think the Muslim Brotherhood ”” and the millions of Egyptians who are sympathetic to its cause ”” will suddenly and magically disappear.
This is indeed a fantasy. Even if Egypt’s fractious liberals had anything approaching a coherent plan for governing Egypt, they would not be able to defuse the ticking time bomb that is Egypt’s sizable minority of now-disenfranchised radical-leaning Islamists.
Since it is not the suffering and deaths of infants nor the lack of safeguards for the health and safety of women that Representative [Nancy] Pelosi finds reprehensible, it seems the only distinguishing factor of Dr. Gosnell’s practice to which she can object is the filthy, unsanitary environment. She is comfortable with women and children dying in a posh Maryland suburban clinic, but finds it reprehensible only when stripped of its sterile medical façade, and occurring in a vermin infested inner city office.
The Netherlands and Belgium apply similar mental gymnastics to cloak the horror of infanticide in medical terminology and procedures to allow the steady advance of infant and child euthanasia. Belgium is poised to become the first Western nation to legally allow minor children to undergo voluntary euthanasia. These children ”“ who are not considered mature enough to drink alcohol, vote, drive, or marry ”“ will be allowed to request their lives be ended by medical personnel. The fact that death will be brought to these young people by white-coated professionals bearing a sterile syringe of poison makes the procedure palatable to the Belgian legislature. The move is strongly opposed by the Belgian Catholic hierarchy and clergy, but this does not seem to be enough to sway politicians from their deadly path.
Last month, Canada was lauded by the OECD for how its college system connects graduates with the labour market and leads to lower youth unemployment. In its annual global education survey, the OECD found that youth employment in countries where vocational training was strong fared better in the last recession and recovered faster.
Yet a bit of rifling through the report suggests that Canada is quite unusual among countries with vocational education: We wait a very long time to offer it. As a result, we are one of the few countries where more people graduate from postsecondary than high school. We think that having lots of graduates from higher ed is good. But what if it means that we waste an awful lot of time in high school?
Compare Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovenia. There, partnerships between business and schools start in high school and training continues throughout one’s career, leading to promotions and advancement in spite of the “lack” of postsecondary credentials.
I like Keith Getty’s “In Christ Alone.” I think the PCUSA hymnal committee probably made the right call on the whole “wrath of God was satisfied” business, but still: it’s a good song for congregational use, accessible but with some theological meat.
It’s a little bizarre, however, to present “In Christ Alone” and Getty’s other songs as one side of a two-sided debate over church music, as NPR does here. Yes, “In Christ Alone” is not a praise chorus but a hymn, in the formal sense of a sacred strophic song. And it’s more substantive and less repetitive than a lot of praise choruses, which in my view doesn’t make it better but does provide some needed balance if praise choruses are the only other option.
Of course, they aren’t.
320 Year 8 and Year 9 students from Archbishop Holgate’s School, a Church of England Academy, will be recognised for their remarkable volunteering projects at a Young Leaders’ Award Ceremony on Wednesday 10th July at 7pm.
The Young Leaders Award, developed by the Archbishop of York Youth Trust, has been delivered through the School’s Citizenship lessons.
School teacher Mrs Caroline Capper said: “The Award is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about people of faith such as Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Bono and Nelson Mandela….”
In the first part [of the book], Mr. Rutherford discusses the origin of life on Earth; in the second part he looks to the future in the light of the possibilities opened up by human interference in the processes of life. As he puts it, “the great theories of biology are now being tested with groundbreaking experimentation.” So why call the book “Creation”? Because “in the next few years, for only the second time in four billion years, a living thing, probably something akin to a cell, will be born in the laboratory without coming from an existing cell.” We will be the creators.
Read it all (another link there if needed).
Thousands of South Sudanese gathered in stadiums across the country to pray for the world’s newest nation ahead of celebrations on Tuesday to mark two years of independence, and to try to heal the still painful wounds left by decades of war.
“Today is a good day for us as South Sudanese because it is a day for reconciliation and peace. We enjoyed these prayers, because they gather all the churches, all the government officials, all the communities,” said Jenty Bangafu, one of hundreds of people who sang hymns and danced in Yambio’s Gbudue Stadium during a prayer ceremony on Monday.
O Lord, who though thou wast rich yet for our sakes didst become poor, and hast promised in thy holy gospel that whatsoever is done to the least of thy brethren thou wilt receive as done to thee: Give us grace, we humbly beseech thee, to be ever willing and ready to minister, as thou enablest us, to the needs of others, and to extend the blessings of thy kingdom over all the world; to thy praise and glory, who art God over all, blessed for ever.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
–1 Samuel 16:7
This is no ordinary choir.
Formed two years ago as part of Theatre Terrific’s mandate to provide inclusive arts education to adults with physical and mental disabilities, as well as anyone else interested in learning to sing, the choir includes a diverse membership. Four members sit in wheelchairs with various conditions such as muscular dystrophy or adrenoleukodystrophy, also known as locked-in body syndrome. Others have developmental challenges such as autism or Down syndrome, while others still have no diagnosed labels at all.
“It’s a place where anyone from any background and any sort of various challenges that they have, they can come and sing,” explains [James] Coomber, the choir’s musical director and executive director of Theatre Terrific.
Read it all (and I sure loved the video).
Forward in Faith thanks the many members of the Catholic Group in General Synod, together with other supporters, for their excellent contributions to yesterday’s debate.
Naturally, we are very disappointed that none of the amendments which would have ensured secure provision for those unable to receive the ministry of women as bishops and priests was passed. However, we are encouraged by the significant minorities, especially in the House of Laity, which did vote for such provision. We are confident that these votes, and the commitment which they represent on the part of many to a genuinely inclusive Church of England, in which all may flourish, will not be overlooked as the process moves forward. The alternative, which we would deeply regret, would be to pursue unsatisfactory legislation, lacking the necessary breadth of support, with the strong risk of ultimate defeat.
The Church of England’s ruling general synod has voted to restart work on allowing women to become bishops.
Delegates voted by 319 to 84 to move forward on a new draft law, although this isn’t expected to get final approval until July or November 2015.
Previous attempts at creating similar legislation have been thrown out because of internal disagreements.
The statement we heard at the beginning of this debate was, I know, to all of us ”“ as has been said ”“ absolutely agonising. And what it says above all is that, for us, what we’re looking at today is far from enough. We are opening a process, continuing a process in many ways, that will go far further than we can imagine. The reality is that there will always be people who are dangerous who are part of the life of the church. They may be members of the congregation; we hope and pray that they will not be in positions of responsibility, but the odds are from time to time people will somehow conceal sufficiently well. And many here, as the Bishop of Herefordshire said, have been deeply affected, as well as the survivors who have so rightly brought us to this place. Many other people here have been deeply affected and badly treated. So we face a continual challenge and reality. This is not an issue we can deal with; it is something we will live with, and must live in the reality of ”“ day in day out, for as long as the church exists ”“ and seek to get it right.
The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska has settled a dispute with a local parish over whether the congregation could remain in its church building.
In an out-of-court settlement, St. Barnabas parish made a cash payment to the diocese. The settlement enables the congregation to permanently remain on the church property at 129 N. 40th St. Both sides are keeping the amount of the payment confidential.
In 2007, members of St. Barnabas voted to leave the Episcopal Church. The parish disagreed with the Episcopal Church over issues of church doctrine.
[The] Rev. Nick Trussell was humbled last year when members of his Terwillegar Towne church turned down a developer’s offer to buy the whole property in favour of leasing some unused land for a housing development catering to the formerly homeless.
“I walked into the meeting, selfishly hoping we would sell,” Trussell said Sunday, explaining he had great visions for expansion of the church at a new location.
“When they all spoke in favour of leasing I was humbled and then I realized; we are the only place where this could happen.”
Washington…[is] then as now a place where “disproportionate numbers of residents lie about reading The Economist…”
–My favorite line from the review in the previous post (LOL)
Start to finish, this is a brilliant portrait ”” pointillist, you might say, or modern realist. So brilliant that once it lands on a front table at the Politics & Prose Bookstore on upper Connecticut Avenue, Mr. Leibovich will never be able to have lunch in This Town again, not that there is a respectable nonexpense-account lunch to be had in those precincts.
That said, this is a different Washington from the one I departed from a decade ago (Pittsburgh: what a relief!) and surely a different one from the era when, among the Washington royalty, only Alsop (and not Reston, Broder, Kraft, Evans or Novak) required a first name, and only because there were two of them (Stewart and Joseph).
The partisanship is worse, in part because the parties are different, with no liberal wing to the Republicans and hardly a conservative wing to the Democrats. And the rhetoric is mean, in part because it is less elegant.
Morsi, meanwhile, saw more and more signs of conspiracy. Liberal members of the constitutional committee did not want to reach consensus, he thought, but rather to prevent Egypt from stabilizing on an agreed-upon document. Accustomed to decades in the political wilderness, he and the Brotherhood believed the non-Islamist opposition and the entrenched state bureaucracy were doing everything in their power to oppose not only them but the success of the revolution.
Morsi was ousted within this polarized setting. The Rebel movement began in April to collect signatures demanding early presidential elections, with a goal of 15 million by June 30, the anniversary of Morsi’s presidency. Islamist leaders were dismissive, but the campaign gained steam. Days before the deadline, organizers announced their goal was reached””prompting Islamists to hold a massive demonstration in support of the president. But their hundreds of thousands near the presidential palace were soon dwarfed: Rebel supporters not only filled Tahrir Square but surrounded the palace in numbers exceeding the revolution itself.
Yet the situation was different. Morsi was legitimately elected. And unlike Mubarak, he had a substantial social base. The original Tahrir was a united revolution; now one side rallied against another.
For some Canadian Anglicans, General Synod’s decision on July 6 to bring to its next meeting in 2016 a resolution changing the church’s law to allow same-sex marriage will bring new life; but others argue it will only serve to precipitate its decline.
Bishops, clergy and laity have expressed wide-ranging emotions about a resolution that will ask members””at the triennial meeting of the church’s governing body””to change Canon 21 on marriage, to allow the marriage of same-sex couples.
The Anglican Journal interviewed an equal number of representatives from each order and from opposite sides of the divide to gauge opinions about the controversial resolution.
Where there is Tea, there is hope
–Words on a coaster where I am currently staying
There is clearly a division among faiths occurring, which is based on a similar division among cultures. The Anglican Communion, such as it was, was a brave attempt to bridge cultures under the banner of one faith, ultimately stemming from the Church of England. But with that Church now splintering over the issue of women in the episcopate, and the majority’s treating the issue as one of straightforward “civil rights,” can the admission of openly noncelibate gays and lesbians to the Church’s episcopate be far behind? After all, that issue will be debated in the Church on that same ground of “civil rights,” which the English Archbishops recently cited in Parliament to support the measure allowing same-sex civil marriages.
And there you have it. For America, Canada, Britain, and many other European countries, it all boils down to “equal civil rights” for all, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and their country’s churches feel bound to mirror, and thus to honor, in their own structures that which the legislatures (or judges, as in America) have decreed.
But for traditional Anglicans, including those in GAFCON, the Church is the keeper and guardian of the faith, and is not free to jettison Holy Scripture in an effort to accommodate the society in which it finds itself.