Latest Anglican News*                                                  Volume 4, Number 1, 16 Jan 2010

Affirming the Catechesis (the systematic instruction of Christian fundamentals) - Teaching the catechism should be a regular, continuing project for churches.  Crucial topics include the authorship of Scripture; the reality of God’s being; the holiness of God’s law; the centrality of Jesus Christ; the graciousness of salvation; the power of the Holy Spirit; and the praiseworthiness of God. – J. I. Packer, 9 January, 2010, speaking at St. Matthews Cathedral, Dallas, Texas.
Just a few odds and ends to start off the New Year:

This positive news from The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), which was launched with 703 parishes in June of 2009, uniting 12 distinct Anglican groups into a single province. Over the last six months, 62 additional parishes have formed or joined the Anglican Church in North America.  More come knocking at the door almost every day.

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The Rev. Dr. James I. Packer, 83, British-born Canadian theologian, considered to be one of the most influential evangelical Christians in North America, spoke at the semi-annual Stanton Lecture series at St. Matthews Cathedral in Dallas on 9 January.
Packer yearns for the return of “Bible-based, Christ-centered, declarative style [teaching” at a time when “the Christian value system is virtually disappearing from schools.  We are drifting back into paganism, that’s the truth,” said Dr. Packer.  “Ongoing learning is part of the calling of the Church,” he said. “It has to be taught in all churches at all times.”  He called it “ridiculous to think that no more learning of the faith is necessary after confirmation has taken place.  It’s a matter of time till this current Western [secularist] infection spreads its tentacles in the rest of the world.  Every parish priest,” he said, ‘should be — among other things — a catechist. 

He emphasized the urgency of Christian worship, which he called “a rehearsal for heaven.  God comes first, and worship should come first also.” 

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From David Virtue’s 8 Jan newsletter: Criticism grows almost daily from both the left and the right that the Covenant, even if signed on to by a majority of Anglicans, will not bring us altogether as one happy family. There are no disciplinary measures in place that will be acted on and everyone knows that a family without some sort of discipline ends up in chaos.

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In a message dated 12 January, Father Dick Kim, of kimgrams.org writes:
In a recent interview with the Christian Post, Moses Tay, onetime Archbishop of Singapore, brings a sharp, prophetic insight to bear on the Anglican Covenant and warns that it is a ‘whitewash’. “It cannot be of God because if you try to keep the light and darkness together and the righteous and immoral together to say we are a church, it’s disparaging the meaning of covenant.  That the Windsor Covenant process is both superficial and manipulative has been a regular theme of my articles over the past twelve months”   So I am greatly encouraged that Archbishop Tay has spoken out so boldly, says Kim.

The retired archbishop depicted the covenant as an attempt to “draw a bigger circle to include both the gays and the non-gays.”  Some sincere evangelicals support the idea, he said, on the premise that Christians have a responsibility to facilitate the conversion of the liberals.  They justify their view by highlighting that Jesus Christ Himself made friends with sinners and so should Christians.   “But Jesus accepting them (sinners) as friends is different from condoning their sins,” said Archbishop Tay, adding that in spite of the attractiveness of human reasoning the Bible is consistent in its warning that no mortal sinner, apostate, homosexual will enter the Kingdom of God.

“I cannot see how Bible-believing people can agree to the covenant,” he said, calling for spiritual 'discernment' on the part of Anglican leaders.   He also criticized leaders today for lacking the 'guts' to stand up for the truth.  The retired archbishop said: "Church leaders will not even sacrifice a little bit of pride for the sake of truth. That is the darkness of the church leadership today. It is too much arrogance, too much human understandings... too much false grace, too much false unity, too much false humility.  Ultimately they have found a right way of doing the wrong thing," he said.  He said: “For me it’s very simple. If a thing is right it is right. If a thing is wrong it is wrong.”

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Quoting from a Dec 16 editorial by Dallas resident and nationally known commentator Bill Murchison, the Rt. Rev. William C. Frey delivered… addresses
 in Dallas at the Church of St. Michael & All Angels, for decades one of the Episcopal Church’s largest and wealthiest parishes.  Bishop Frey said, “The church’s work is not limited to social engagement.  Evangelism is our primary calling.  It would sell Jesus short to imply that he’s simply an example for us to follow, or another one of the world’s moral teachers. He’s a doer — the one who acts with power to transform us from what we are to what we can become.

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Form David Virtue’s column dated 31 Dec: A little history. The US Episcopal Church was the first of the 38 Anglican provinces worldwide to consecrate women bishops. New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Cuba have since followed suit. Barbara Harris became the Anglican Communion's first woman bishop in 1989 when she was elected Suffragan in Massachusetts. Canon Mary Glasspool, who was elected the communion's first lesbian bishop in Los Angeles just a few days ago…  Besides Scotland, churches and provinces in the Anglican Communion that have voted to consecrate women, but not yet done so include Bangladesh, Brazil, Central America, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, North India, Philippines, Southern Africa and Sudan. Provinces with no ordained women at all include Central Africa, Jerusalem and the Middle East, Melanesia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, South East Asia and Tanzania…[and of course, CHC and the Reformed Anglican Church.]

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If you have not already done so, please consider signing the Manhattan Declaration.  At 7:00 this morning 392,763 had signed this document.  To do this, go to:          www.manhattandeclaration.org

Rudy Schenken
Church of the Holy Communion, Dallas, Texas
A Reformed Episcopal Church and a founding
member of the Anglican Church in North America
www.holycommuniondallas.org
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

* Please note that throughout this news letter the bold print is emphasis placed by the editor.