GadgetVicar

Any Questions?

"Any Questions?" is a new format service we are trying out tonight. Questions have been sent in by people on the subject of "God". I'll try and answer them plus we'll have texted questions for a small panel of experts. If it works, the plan is to run a whole series of these over the next year.

Lost & Found

"Either we are children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ, or we aren't. There are not preferred children and second-class children. There are just children of God." Gene Robinson in The Guardian, 29th August 2009

Yes, but children can get it wrong and go their own way. Sometimes loving parents have to wait patiently for errant offspring to come to their senses and return home. At which point there is much rejoicing!

Merciful

Ten years ago, in South Africa, I met people who had learned to forgive those who had wronged them. I was somewhat stunned by their ability to offer mercy; the couple whose children had been gunned down for the meagre contents of their schoolbags and the family whose father had been tortured and crippled by the police. They came to mind in the last week as I considered Kenny MacAskill's decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi.

Whether he is guilty or not, whether he has expressed remorse or not, he can still be shown compassion as he prepares for death. Such mercy is on offer to us all: "he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10). I don't think MacAskill was suggesting that the terminal cancer Megrahi is suffering is God's judgement. Rather that he will soon meet his maker, and the final judgement on him will be made. That is an inescapable judgement which will be more difficult to receive than any human justice. Maybe Megrahi, in his last days will be able to accept the peace of God, given to him through the blood of Jesus Christ?

I was very moved by the Justice Minister's statement. I'm only disappointed that Megahi's appeal will not now be heard. We might have learned more of the events that led up to that terrible night over Lockerbie.

Prayers tor the Diocese of South Carolina

Prayers for the clergy and people of the Diocese of South Carolina as their bishop, Mark Lawrence meets with the leaders of congregations today. I've come to know the diocese a litle in recent years and love it a lot.

Bishop Mark's address to them is available here. It's a powerful indictment of the actions and beliefs of The Episcopal Church and charts an assertive course for the diocese. They are facing some difficult decisions, but the bishop clearly wants to lead with charity. If only every bishop caught up in these battles could do so.

Help! I'm a heretic!

"The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of use alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of all being. That heresy is one reason for the theme of this Convention".

                           Katherine Jefferts-Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (from her opening remarks at the 76th General Convention of TEC)

The Faith once given is not a matter of individual vs community redemption. It's both/and! Surely if this heresy of individualism is as she describes, her own part of the church is among its greatest exponents?

As for me, I'll continue to try, in my often faltering way, to declare "Jesus is Lord!", along with that vast cloud of witnesses who have gone before me.

With nine years until the next Lambeth Conference (and hence they face very little in the way of discipline and they have three General Conventions during which they can act with virtual impunity to change both their liturgy and doctrine), we can expect the leadership of TEC to reveal their true colours over the next few days.

SPREAD

The Society for the Propagation of Reformed Evangelical Anglican Doctrine has put up a new website. Its director, Charles Raven, visits Glasgow next month.

I first heard about Charles back in 1999 when his congregation was struggling with the position taken by their diocesan bishop following Lambeth 1998. To read the press and commentary about him, he seemed like a fearsome individual.  A few years later, I met him and was surprised to learn that he is in fact a mild-mannered intellectual. I told him of the surprise discovery that he wasn't quite as scary as I'd imagined. He was quite pleased, I think.

Gafcon Primates Issue Statement on Anglican Church of North America

Statement by GAFCON Primates

Primates of the GAFCON Primates' Council meeting in London have issued the following statement about the Province of the Anglican Church in North America.

We welcome the news of the North American Anglican Province in formation. We fully support this development with our prayer and blessing, since it demonstrates the determination of these faithful Christians to remain authentic Anglicans.

North American Anglicans have been tragically divided since 2003 when activities condemned by the clear teaching of Scripture and the vast majority of the Anglican Communion were publicly endorsed. This has left many Anglicans without a proper spiritual home. The steps taken to form the new Province are a necessary initiative. A new Province will draw together in unity many of those who wish to remain faithful to the teaching of God’s word, and also create the highest level of fellowship possible with the wider Anglican Communion.

Furthermore, it releases the energy of many Anglican Christians to be involved in mission, free from the difficulties of remaining in fellowship with those who have so clearly disregarded the word of God.    

6th December, 2008 AD

From here.

The primates concerned are:

The Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria

The Most Rev Gregory Venables, Primate of The Southern Cone 

The Most Rev Emmanuel Kolini, Primate of Rwanda

The Most Rev Valentino Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania

The Most Rev Benjamin Nzmibi, Primate of Kenya

The Most Rev Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda

Anglican Church of North America

A significant moment for the embattled Anglican Communion arrives today. In Wheaton, Illinois, a constitution and code of canons are being announced for a new North American province which will operate in parallel with The Episcopal Church. It brings together eleven jurisdictions in the USA and Canada and represents what seven Anglican primates asked the leaders of those jurisdictions to do.

Some parts of the Communion will recognise this new entity immediately. Others will completely ignore its existence.

Why does any of this matter? It matters because it makes clear that the revisionist agenda cannot be pushed without there being serious consequences. It also matters because it communicates that some Primates will not shy away from establishing new Anglican jurisdictions, even where Anglican churches exist already. It matters beause it indicates that the half-hearted attempts at achieving peace have failed, in my view mainly because the North American hierarchy never had any intention of repenting for their actions (apologising for upset caused is not the same thing as repentance) and reversing the direction they have taken. The TEC and Anglican Church of Canada could have made room for conservative dioceses and congregations which could not approve the ordination of women. They could have affirmed Jesus Christ as the only way to God. They could have proclaimed a Gospel of radical transformation. They could have clearly stepped away from their support for practicing homosexual bishops and same sex blessings. None of this happened because most of the leadership North American provinces just don't believe these things any more. If they did the Global South provinces would have ceased their involvement in supporting new church structures in TEC/ACC territory.

It seems unlikely that those Provinces supporting this new Province will themselves be thrown out of the Communion. That would mean the loss of far too much of the Communion. Instead, we'll see a period of messiness, with some Provinces in relationship with only some parts of the Communion (reappraisers or reasserters) and others trying to be in relationship with everyone (both reappraisers and reasserters). I believe this latter course of action is going to get harder to follow, as the provinces supporting the new  North American province discover who is with them or not. What could make it very interesting is if other provinces like Scotland and Wales come out as backing TEC in the face of this new development.

It's a deep sadness that such action has been necessary. However, this happened because the TEC leadership has steadily eroded belief and practice to such a point that many now reckon that they follow a different gospel. 

Is this new entity be truly Anglican? Because of the support from other parts of the world, I venture to say, "Yes, it is". Is it part of the church catholic? Of course it is. Aren't all followers of Christ? It will be called schismatic. Aren't all Anglicans part of a schismatic organisation anyway? Will it be effective in mission? My experiences in the USA (including time with the staff of an Anglican Church in the city where today's events are unfolding) suggests it will be. Set free from fighting rear guard theological actions and supported by bishops who know, understand and encourage what congregations are doing, they seem able to focus on simply growing the Church. Will it be recognised by Canterbury? I suspect not. Will that matter? Only if Rowan Williams speaks out actively against it. He won't do that either.

We wait to see what effect, if any, the events in Wheaton have on the rest of the Communion.

Post Gay - Peter Ould

Post Gay - A Lecture at St John's Nottingham, 6 Nov 2008 from Peter Ould on Vimeo.

AB of C at Glasgow University

Last night, I thoroughly enjoyed the Archbishop of Canterbury in public conversation with Professor Mona Siddiqui. A packed Bute Hall enjoyed his gentle good humour but he skillfully managed to avoid anything really difficult as when it came to being asked the questions the gathered punters had put on cards, he cherry-picked most of the them from the bowl on the coffee table in front of him. For some inexplicable reason he chose not to answer the question of one of my friends on the use of rose vestments.

He seemed well pleased with the outcome of the Lambeth Conference mainly because it didn't produce the fireworks some had predicted. Instead in his view it had helped to rebuild trust. I wondered how this could be so when at least a quarter of Anglican bishops weren't there and there was no opportunity for the ones who did attend to deliberate on anything? He doesn't think GAFCON is a threat to the Communion and is meeting with some of its leaders soon.

He talked about preferring the word "hospitality" rather than "tolerance". He wouldn't be drawn on the US election. There's nothing new in the new Atheism. He draws inspiration from his predecessors Anselm, Michael Ramsey and Thomas Cranmer ("who had to make decisions").

At the very end he described the antics of Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross and their producers as "disgusting and pathetic infantilism" and "toxic immaturity".

I really don't envy him in his tough job. He is clearly a scholarly person with a deep prayer life but he's probably not great in the leadership gift department. He needs our prayers for, like Cranmer, he may well have some difficult decisions yet to take.