Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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Welcome!
Matt Kennedy
Forging a consolidated unity out of a confederated plurality is a perplexing task for any organization, government, business or church, but it is especially so for the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) because the ACNA is made up of ten formerly independent jurisdictions: AMIA, CANA, REC, the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Diocese of Quincy, the Diocese of San Joaquin, the Diocese of Fort Worth, the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Province of the Southern Cone, and the Anglican Church of Uganda. Creating unity out of this particular plurality replete as it is with theological and ecclesiological diversity may seem, at first, an impossible task but a close reading of the Constitution reveals a workable plan for achieving that end...
Wednesday, January 7 • 
12
12Sarah Hey
Here we see the beginnings of the problem with eliminating the words "inside strategy" from our vocabulary to describe certain people within TEC. The authors equate "inside strategy" with "strategies and tactics designed to use meetings of the House of Bishops and the General Convention to stop TEC’s progressive march toward liturgical and even doctrinal Unitarianism." But we all know that the HOB and the General Convention, as well as the Executive Committee and many dioceses have been on an inevitable progressive march toward liturgical and doctrinal Unitarianism. This highlights the immense gaps in strategy between the two conservative groups in TEC at General Convention 2006.
Saturday, January 3 • 101
101Sarah Hey
I plan to offer an analytical criticism of the canons and constitution -- there are some things that I believe should be of concern to members of the ACNA and, though I'm not a part of the body, I'll at least offer some reflections and critiques, hopefully with a helpful spirit. But for now, let me indulge in some "brainstorming" about the orders/affinities/affiliations idea embedded within the canons. I have pondered what I would want in such an "order" or "affiliation" or affinity network. What sorts of characteristics might one want, [as long as one accepted with gratefulness that one's Anglican brothers and sisters within the larger body were a variety of Anglo-Catholics, Charismatics, Reformed, Evangelicals, and odd mixes of all of the above]. If one lived into such a reality -- a broad church with "orders" sprinkled throughout -- what would I want the particular order to which I belonged to look like?
Tuesday, December 30 • 146
146David Ould
Shepherd has spoken about "forgiveness of sins" but wandered far away from any Biblical understanding of the notion. With sin, damnation and forgiveness now out of the way he needs to find another way to restate the Biblical themes. So why not go for his own version of the MDG's? What we end up with is humanism. If there is no dilemma over entry into the New Creation then the New Creation can begin now. Note as well that it is, once more, we who do the saving. How far this is from the grace of God. It is, truly, another form of works-righteousness that the Scriptures rightly condemn again and again.
Sunday, December 14 • 15
15David Ould
What is most distressing about all this is that those who hold these positions want to continue to be called "Evangelical" and to have their place in the evangelical world. There was much outrage from their side that the recent NEAC 2008 meeting seemed to marginalise their position. Had the CEEC actually managed the discussion well then there would still have been, one suspects, a large amount of disquiet from the Open Evangelicals, for their position is simply not evangelicalism in its classical sense.
Saturday, December 13 • 252
252Matt Kennedy
After the bulk of the argument had passed, Jonathan Fellows, the diocesan attorney, made a point of standing to tell the judge how "trying" the entire "ordeal" has been for the diocese, made worse by the fact that Raymond filed his papers at just the last possible moment, giving him little time to prepare. "After all we've been through," he said, "I think the court needs to take what we've endured--being strung out for so long--into account."
Friday, December 12 • 26
26Matt Kennedy
...The Bishop and I are willing to meet with you, however, prior to the meeting, we will need to receive from you a written listing of the items we will be discussing and any requests you will be bringing to the meeting. We will be unable to set a meeting date/time until we have had a chance to review your proposal. As to the speculation and confusion, we are clear on what we understand the next steps to be and will be more than willing to share those with you...
Monday, December 8 • 90
90Sarah Hey
The most pleasant aspect of the responses to the beginning of the formation of a new Anglican entity has been watching the spitting, hissing rage of the liberal activist Episcopalians, while they at the same time try to behave in a cool, calm, and indifferent manner. It's a hard thing to pull off.
Saturday, December 6 • 34
34David Ould
The move to widen the administration of the Lord's Supper is bound to increase, not decrease, divisions in the Communion. What for Sydney is an imperative of the gospel is seen by others as close to a denial of it. Still, if we are to have this discussion it is better to have it as well-informed as possible as to what it is exactly that our opponent believes. I trust this article will work towards that end.
Tuesday, November 18 • 335
335Greg Griffith
The annual meeting of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund was held last week in Vero Beach, Florida. I took the opportunity to talk to Bishop Duncan, and Archbishops Anis, Nzimbi, and Akrofi about the state of the fund today and its future as a beacon of hope to poor regions and people around the world.
Monday, November 17 • 8
8Greg Griffith
"I think the formation of a new province is going to come much more quickly than any of us really thought. I think it will be up and running in early 2009."Wednesday, November 12 • 71
71Sarah Hey
While in Savannah, Katharine Jefferts Schori alluded to Jesus not being God’s only provision for salvation. There is a sense of pious humility that accompanies such a false teaching: “Who am I to assert Jesus to be the only way to heaven?” In today’s pluralistic age of “tolerance” and “inclusivity,” such language is usually met with nodding heads and affirmation. As Leslie Newbigin states:
There is an admirable air of humility about the statement that the truth is much greater than any one person or any one religious tradition can grasp. The statement is no doubt true, but it can be used against the truth when it is used to neutralize any affirmation of the truth. (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society).
There is an admirable air of humility about the statement that the truth is much greater than any one person or any one religious tradition can grasp. The statement is no doubt true, but it can be used against the truth when it is used to neutralize any affirmation of the truth. (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society).
Monday, November 10 • 33
33Matt Kennedy
WARNING: OFFENSIVE CONTENT
But what happens when those who "stoop low" to help the "uneducated" find that the "ignorant" masses reject the lessons of their betters? What happens when, say, the minority vote makes up a large percentage of the voting electorate that defeated Proposition 8 in California?
Rage. Blinding, ugly, disgusting rage.
But what happens when those who "stoop low" to help the "uneducated" find that the "ignorant" masses reject the lessons of their betters? What happens when, say, the minority vote makes up a large percentage of the voting electorate that defeated Proposition 8 in California?
Rage. Blinding, ugly, disgusting rage.
Thursday, November 6 • 172
172Matt Kennedy
Those of you who know my Calvinist inclinations might find this post ironic and funny at the same time. Good Shepherd is the first and only parish I've served. When I arrived in the summer of 2002, I stepped into a parish steeped, for most of her 125 year history, in Anglo-Catholicism. Thirty years before my arrival, my predecessor a VTS grad moved the parish in a more "broad" direction theologically but retained the high liturgical tradition. All of this was very strange and difficult for me but to my mind at the time, there were hills worth dying on and liturgy just wasn't one of them. While I made a few minor changes, I largely concentrated on what I considered the most vital needs...starting up and leading weekly bible studies (there had not been bible studies for decades), bibles in the pews, starting an adult Sunday school to catechize the parish adults who were largely unaware of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith. Six years later, I am very happy I decided to leave the liturgy alone...in fact, I've grown to love it...
Thursday, November 6 • 95
95Sarah Hey
5) This isn't the Episcopal Church.
Our country is far juster, far more interested in the rule of law, far more stable, far more popular, far less vicious, and far more conservative. It is completely within our power as conservatives -- with God's help -- to transform this country's political landscape if we so choose. It will be very hard and very long. The next two years will be appallingly painful. Every week or month, we'll be reminded of the judgement of God -- and our challenge will be not to get angry, or despairing, or inactive, but rather to humble ourselves all over again, repent, acknowledge the horrible consequences of our compromises, corruption, passivity, and loss of principle, and continue turning away from the wrong path and seeking the right one.
Our country is far juster, far more interested in the rule of law, far more stable, far more popular, far less vicious, and far more conservative. It is completely within our power as conservatives -- with God's help -- to transform this country's political landscape if we so choose. It will be very hard and very long. The next two years will be appallingly painful. Every week or month, we'll be reminded of the judgement of God -- and our challenge will be not to get angry, or despairing, or inactive, but rather to humble ourselves all over again, repent, acknowledge the horrible consequences of our compromises, corruption, passivity, and loss of principle, and continue turning away from the wrong path and seeking the right one.
Wednesday, November 5 • 51
51Matt Kennedy
It is precisely here that the third and most “pragmatic” of the three rationalizations comes into play: Senator Obama will make the buses run on time and put a “chicken in every pot" and thereby, ipso facto presto viola, create social conditions from within which fewer moms will feel the need to kill their unborn babies. Electoral victory for Senator Obama, in other words, will reduce the number of future abortions theoretically even though it means that thousands of non-theoretical of babies will be killed directly on the way…
Tuesday, November 4 • 184
184Jackie Bruchi
Begin with Heart Preparation:
Come into God's Presence with Worship.
Thank God for his great mercy and many blessings.
Ask God to extend his mercy to us and to our nation.
Come into God's Presence with Worship.
Thank God for his great mercy and many blessings.
Ask God to extend his mercy to us and to our nation.
Monday, November 3 • 3
3Jackie Bruchi
Over the years Planned Parenthood has reported total profits of over $700 million. That is 700,000,000 reasons to deny a child life. Taypayer money now accounts for 34% of Planned Parenthood's income. An uninformed nation is financing the abortion campaign of deception. It certainly helps explain Planned Parenthood's vigorous opposition to legislation that would provide informed consent. In a strange twist, such groups have become the very thing they have accused the unborn of being - a parasite on the face of our nation.
Monday, October 27 • 25
25