ACSA’s (at least diocese of Cape Town) companions!!!!!
Sunday, November 29th, 2009Washington Diocese is the diocese to which we in the Southern Africa are shamefully linked read Chane visit and interview in Goodhope
Washington Diocese is the diocese to which we in the Southern Africa are shamefully linked read Chane visit and interview in Goodhope
Modernity is commonly reputed to have laid in ruins the account of Christological reason just outlined. It did not, in fact, do so; it simply installed in the centres of greatest intellectual prestige (the research universities) one contingent version of instrumental reason to which most Protestants and, later, some Roman Catholic, theologies found themselves hard put to respond by anything other than concessions. The failure to respond and the readiness to make concessions were rooted in internal failures in Christian theology in the post-Reformation (and possibly the early modern) periods, notably the reluctance to deploy primary Christian doctrine (Trinity, Christology, pneumatology) in criticism of philosophical teaching, and the assumption that methods of inquiry are content-neutral. (Word and Church, pp. 124–5)
NEW BRIGHTON, MINN. — The split over gay clergy within the country’s largest Lutheran denomination has prompted a conservative faction to begin forming a new Lutheran church body separate from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Leaders of Lutheran CORE said Wednesday that a working group would immediately begin drafting a constitution and taking other steps to form the denomination, with hopes to have it off the ground by next August.
“There are many people within the ELCA who are very unhappy with what has happened,” said the Rev. Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran CORE and a retired ELCA bishop from State College, Pa.
At its annual convention in Minneapolis in August, ELCA delegates voted to lift a ban that had prohibited sexually active gay and lesbian pastors from serving as clergy. The new policy, expected to take effect in April, will allow such individuals to lead ELCA churches as long as they can show that they are in committed, lifelong relationships.
Opponents, led by Lutheran CORE, said that decision is in direct contradiction to Scripture.
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News Analysis
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
November 12, 2009
The Episcopal Church’s 100 domestic dioceses are unevenly divided over whether or not they will allow rites for same-sex blessings to occur in their dioceses following the passage of Resolution C056 at General Convention last summer.
In 2003 General Convention passed resolution C051 which recognizes that “local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions.” The 2006 General Convention defeated a resolution that would have implemented a moratorium on rites for blessing same-sex unions.
By GC2009 the moral landscape had shifted even further to the left. Bishops and deputies passed Resolution C056 which called for collecting and developing theological and liturgical resources and design liturgies and to report to the 77th General Convention for further action.
Dean Robert Munday, President of Nashotah House, noted the word games being played by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. They struck “and design liturgies” from the final form of the resolution, he said.
“Even if only the word ‘collect’ had been used, it would have been sufficient to allow for the development of liturgies for same sex unions, because you can’t collect something that does not exist.”
Only gullible bishops would be willing to bet that other bishops will not interpret these words as support for allowing the blessing of same sex unions in their dioceses, given that such “generous pastoral responses” have already occurred even without such a resolution. The GLBT organization, Integrity, and some of the more realistic bishops have already said that this is exactly how they interpret C056, said Munday.
The action of General Convention caused two Episcopal bishops of orthodox dioceses to say the actions of General Convention 2009 had pushed The Episcopal Church over the edge and will accelerate splitting the Anglican Communion. Albany Bishop William Love described it as the final straw. “The wider Anglican Communion will now say we have gone too far.” He was right.
But it has not stopped the stampede by liberal and revisionist bishops to leap into the pansexual stream offering rites for same-sex blessings and, in some cases, marriages that will only further polarize the Anglican Communion.
The dioceses listed below have unofficial, but in some cases official policies, allowing the blessing of same-sex relationships. The Navajoland Mission and the “reconstituted diocese of Quincy” could not be reached for comment.
From Forward in Faith
The Holy See has today published the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which will provide for Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. The text of the Apostolic Constitution, and its Complementary Norms, can be read here.
The Chairman of Forward in Faith, Bishop John Broadhurst, has issued the following interim statement to those clergy who look to him, as Bishop of Fulham, for episcopal care at the present time and he is happy to share it with the membership of Forward in Faith worldwide.
I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive. I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage.
What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused. Indeed it has offered the requests of Consecrated Women? with the completion of its ecumenical hopes. We all need now to ask the question ‘is this what we want?’ For some of us I suspect our bluff is called! This is both an exciting and dangerous time for Christianity in this country. Those who take up this offer will need to enter into negotiation with the Church of England about access to parish churches and many other matters. This situation must not be used to damage the Church of England but I do believe we have a valid claim on our own heritage in history.
The doctrinal standard demanded by Rome is the New Catechism which most of us use any way. We would be allowed to use Anglican or Roman rites and our ordinaries would have jurisdiction. We will all need to meet and talk. I would hope that this could take place in collaboration with the PEVs and other Catholic bishops. It is not my style to give a expansive analysis of a document that I have only received today nor will I answer the question ‘What are you going to do?’ That is something we need to work out together.
Every Blessing,
+John Fulham
THE Grahamstown community is reeling in shock at the mystery murder of an Anglican priest who survived a gruesome attack by two men on a countrywide killing spree in 1991.
Clive Newman, 45, a lecturer at the College of the Transfiguration in Grahamstown for the past four years, was found murdered in his room at the college residence yesterday morning.
Newman was attacked in his car in Bluewater Bay 18 years ago. His throat was slit and one of his vocal chords was severed. His testimony helped convict Antonie Wessels, 31, and his 16-year-old homosexual lover, Jean Havenga. Newman was the fourth and final victim of the pair and the only one to survive.
College of the Transfiguration rector William Domeris, who found Newman’s decomposed body, said: “I went to look for him in his room because he didn’t pitch up for class. In fact, he didn’t even come to church on Sunday but nobody was worried. We thought he was just sick.
“I then found him (murdered) in his room at 10am. I didn’t look at the body. I only saw the feet and, judging by the smell in the room, the body was obviously decomposed.”
Domeris said he then called the police, who were still on the scene yesterday afternoon.
Regarding a note left on Newman’s door, reading “Gone for the weekend, will be back on Monday,” Domeris said they suspected a crime although Newman had always “used the note whenever he went away”.
Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown secretary Nobuntu Mageza said it appeared the note was not in Newman’s handwriting.
The college closed early yesterday, because “everyone is deeply shocked by the murder”, Domeris said.
Mageza, her voice cracking on the phone, said they were shocked at the murder. She described Newman as being “very excited about his ministry and working for God”.
“People at the college say they saw a suspicious-looking person lurking around. They say they will be able to identify him. Also, Newman’s car has been reported missing,” she said.
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November 9th, 2009 Posted in Roman Catholicism |
According to its own doctrinal standards and history, the Church of England’s true nature is that of a Protestant, Reformed, Evangelical and catholic (in other words, universal) church. Orthodox Anglicanism is therefore defined by reference to these characteristics only, which are set out in the Thirty-nine Articles and the Church of England’s submission to the over-arching authority of Scripture alone. Church Society seeks to defend and promote these defining characteristics, especially the Gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone which is at the heart of the message and mission of the Church of England.
While acknowledging the correct stand taken by Anglo-Catholics against theological liberalism (the features of which do not represent true, Biblical Anglicanism), it should also be noted that the true doctrine of the Church of England does not embrace any of the teachings or practices which characterise the Church of Rome. For instance, the Church of Rome is fundamentally flawed in its claims about its own nature and authority and in its teaching about the means of salvation.
A proper rejection of theological liberalism should therefore not be accompanied by a turning to the Church of Rome and its unbiblical teachings and practices. Rather, both theological liberalism and the unscriptural teachings and practices of the Church of Rome are contrary to the Bible and to the historic doctrines of the Church of England as a Protestant, Reformed, Evangelical and catholic church. Read the rest of this entry »