Blessing of Same-sex marriage in Anglican church of Aotearoa/New Zealand

As my comments are disappearing on Thinking Anglicans, I am publishing them here.

10 May 2018

While grateful for those like Edward Prebble, I feel surrounded in my parish including my vicar by those in the middle group who seem to have no understanding of what a lifetime of victimisation by the church has achieved. I made a decision for Christ at about age 9. At age 74 I think it was the most ridiculous thing I ever did and that my life would have been a lot happier without it. I literally cried when the decision was postponed 3 years ago, now that there has been some development I could not care less. I have realised that we are now in a post Christian age and the world would be better off without any religion. I certainly receive much more sympathy and support from people who for most of their life have not entered a church except for funerals and weddings and now these are rarely in a church. My unchurched friends are in their 60's and above and, although they do not realise it, I see the Love portrayed by Jesus in their daily lives, while the great majority I see in Church, especially in leadership roles, do not display much of it at all. As I no longer believe in an after life or any of the other claptrap that has been imposed on the teachings of Christ, I could not care less what they decide in their stupid meetings. The world has moved on and the Church is shown to be regressive and slow to catch up as in most social developments of the last few centuries.
From what I read, after a vote on the voices, the ultra conservatives called for a show of hands and, still not satisfied, then demanded people stand. They say about 90% was in favour. So these bullies, trained in Sydney where sadly I grew up amongst their evil bile, finally defeated, have now resigned. Good riddance to bad rubbish. But if I said that in my church the good people who sit in the middle would condemn me as unChristian. So be it.

Ironically the following day the General Synod has apologised for taking part in the sale of Maori lands in the 1860's. No surprise CMS was involved. Perhaps in 150 years the church, if it still exists, will be apologising for the victimisation of LGBT people. I, of course, will not see that although I have lived long enough to see the NSW parliament and police apologise for arrests and brutaiity of many of my friends at a gay rights rally in the 70's. Fortunately I escaped as it would have been the early end of what became a long career of teaching. I am sure the Sydney Anglican leaders of the time were cheering the police on but I never expect to hear an apology from them.

Then discussing

Craig D’Alton humane catholic An alternate statement on marriage equality, which could have been made by the Anglican bishops of Australia, but wasn’t …

17 May 2018

I am a refugee from Sydney Diocese who regrets my long years growing up there. The Sydney mob (I went to university with the Jensens) are homophobes and they spread their bile overseas. The local archdeacon of Dunedin who is vicar of the most evangelical church here has resigned, with immediate effect, from the role of archdeacon. Our bishop did not give the reasons but I can guess, knowing his outspoken views and within a week of the decision by the Aotearoa New Zealand Synod to allow blessings of same-sex marriages. I once joked on my blog that I saw him in the coffee shop and felt like throwing the cup over him but that would be a waste of good coffee. The curate in my parish at the time took me to task for such unchristian views. My comment and feelings would be the same if he opposed interracial marriage. These people, Mr Bunyan, are homophobes and it should be shouted from the rooftops. The time has come to end pussyfooting around. The church as always shows itself to be a hindrance to social development despite the wonderful work of many of its members to bring about change.

18 May 2018

You are not alone, Mr Bunyan in caring for the aged. Although not a priest mainly because I saw my rector in a suburb of Sydney in the 1960's suffer several nervous breakdowns despite the wonderful youth work he carried out in the parish. In those days I only had a vague understanding that he had the same conflicts due to sexual feelings as I did,. Eventually he left parish work, became an administrator for CMS but finally committed suicide.
Each Sunday I take 2 ladies over 90 years old to church. Some mornings I have to finish dressing them because their carer has not arrived in time. They have children who express their gratitude to me but either live too far away or openly tell me they cannot bear going to a church service. It is the only reason I go to church regularly. As they are deaf and have some early dementia, they tell me they do not understand the sermons. I think most of it is rubbish. I also co-ordinate a group (more than 30) of mostly women over 60 as we hike each week. While they are obviously much fitter, most are widows and it can involve some caring when they become il. It is to them I will turn if I become ill. In fact most never go near a church yet care for each other more than a lot in church who are only interested in praying for one's soul. I have been surprised, as I have become more open in my views to find older people who go to church quite often, agree when I tell them I know longer believe in an after life nor a God who answers prayer. Like me they go to church because that is the way they grew up, they like the ceremony and the music and meet their friends. Whatever they personally believe they do not want to impose their views on others or, as for some in NZ, walk out in a huff when they discover their views are in the minority.
As a young person I struggled between the things I was taught and my obvious self feelings. Today I would say to a young person "Forget the church, it is an irrelevant dying organisation."
I have just noticed the comment "yes, there are those who suffer because of their sexual orientation"
The only reason I have suffered is because of the Church and its teachings. Young GLBTI people today have a chance to marry, have families and generally lead a happy life as long as they ignore most of the churches. I use to say the only time I feel I am a 2nd class citizen is when I enter a church or go back to my birth country. Now thankfully I am not ashamed to use my Australian passport although I am much prouder to use my NZ one. 

19 May 2018

David, my initial degree was in economics and education so not strong on grammar, however my post graduate degree was in information science so I have done some research. Yes, a phobia does imply an emotional fear and may not be what we want to describe although I wonder about those who immediately give up their positions in the church just because the church now allows some to have their same sex marriages blessed in that church. Apparently the better terms are heterosexist which is better applied to institutions or sexually prejudiced. I feel that if I told a person they were racist I would get my point across, telling them they were sexist not quite so much and telling them they were sexually prejudiced would not convey my feelings of loathing for them when they state that I do not have the same rights as other human beings to enter into a committed sexual partnership due to my sexual orientation

Christmas Worship

My first Christmas in Dunedin.
As related, I visited Sydney at the beginning of November for a reunion of my class of '73.  Therefore, while happy that Air New Zealand is making a profit, unlike Qantas, I was not happy to assist it any further by flying over again so soon, espcially when it would have been a Virgin Australia flight anyway.

I was undecided whether to attend the service at St John's on Christmas Eve at 11.30pm or Christmas Morning at 9.30am. The fact that I had to be out at Glenfalloch on the peninsula before midday to have Christmas lunch with others from the 60+ club who have no family in Dunedin and I was told that the Christmas Eve service was more popular and more of my friends would be there swayed my choice.
Never again.
 I am usually in bed by 9.30pm and although I laid down at 8.30pm and set the alarm for 10.30, I felt dreadful. At the conclusion, just before 1 am, everyone naturally rushed home so having friends there was not such an advantage anyway.
However the service was choral Eucharist, traditional and Anglican.

Of course the same would have been true in St James, King Street, Sydney where I usually worship on Christmas Day with my sister.  In fact the procession, incense, choral singing would have been wonderful.

However the problem with St James is the distance.  While my sister lives much closer than I did, attending the 10 am service means catching a train slightly after 9 am and not returning home unti 12.30 pm at the earliest.  Sadly I must also admit that St James is not a friendly church.  Almost no one speaks to my sister when she goes by herself.  When I worshipped there regularly,  I only knew a few people slightly and while Fr John, the assistant priest is wonderful, I have worried my sister would stop going.

She decided this Christmas, being by herself, she would attend the local St Stephen's Willoughby.
I was keen to hear her report.
Probably 10 years ago we took our mother there one Christmas.  We could not get to the 8am "traditional service"  due to Mum's age and attended at 9.30 am
I was horrified and walked out, followed about 10 minutes later by my sister and mother.
It was not communion and I did not recognise anything of the service except the Creed. When the Rector, dressed in a lounge suit and tie asked us to put up our hands if we were saved, I left.

I wrote and complained and was informed the 8 am service was traditional.

We are not sure if the Rector is the same but my sister hoped she would experience a traditional Anglican communion at 8 am.
She tells me the service was, thankfully, from the prayer book but the priest and his assistant  were in suits but did wear clerical collars. He did not even put on a stole to celebrate communion. Grape juice was offered as well as the traditional cup.
During the sermon the priest joked that Anglicans were traditional and did not like change.
She tells me she glared at him on the way out.

I have researched and suggested she try worshipping at St John's Gordon, just 10 minutes away by train and one of the other few Anglo-catholic parishes in Sydney.

Googling the rector I find this from 2009.

"The rector of St John's Church, Gordon, Father Keith Dalby, said diaconal and lay presidency contravened the type of church services and ministry role as prescribed in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which is the ultimate standard of worship in the Anglican communion.

''By allowing for diaconal and lay presidency you collapse the office of deacon and priest into the one order so you actually effectively destroy the traditional threefold order of deacon, priest and bishop, that has been upheld way back to 110AD.''

Father Dalby does not seem to be in favour of change.  I pray my sister can find a welcoming parish there.

Anglican ??? Worship in Sydney

In yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald, a writer described recently attending a Baptism service in a Sydney Anglican church. Some of the comments.

"To be fair, it's a while since I attended a christening or indeed a church service, but I did expect that I would recognise both. I didn't. Not the words, not the hymns, not the prayers (other than the Lord's Prayer).

The service began with ''OK. We'll get started now.'' Well, we sort of did. I presume it was an attempt to be contemporary, but really the service sounded like it was being made up on the spot; there was no flow, no structure, and no sense of occasion."

"Clearly, churches no longer attract the congregations they once did. No doubt there are myriad reasons for this, and perhaps the adoption of an informal approach is thought to be more appealing to a younger generation. But it is hard to see how the complete dumbing down of the hymns, the content and the structure of any form of worship does not do a disservice to everyone, particularly the young.

Whether you believe or not, there is a sense of importance and occasion in a service with form and structure. Dare I say tradition?"

I happened to also read the latest monthly bulletin from St James, King Street where Fr Andrew Bowyer writes about his time there. On arriving Fr John Stewart, at that time Acting Rector,  told him the three principles of worship at St James were “diligence, dignity and devotion.”

That is why parishioners travel from all over Sydney to worship there.  I had elderly friends in the Blue Mountains tell me, with tears in their eyes, that the local services did not seem Anglican and they were unable to travel regularly the long distance to St James.

One Christmas morning we took my mother to St Stephen's Anglican church at Willoughby. We were unable to get her to the very early service and were surprised when at the next service the rector arrived in shirt sleeves and tie.  The only part of the service I recognised was the creed and I left when the congregation were asked to raise our hands if we were saved.

When I wrote and complained that the service was not Holy Communion, the rector did apologise that had not been made clear in the local advertisements but also told me he believed that too many people took communion unworthily at Christmas. I was too flabbergasted to reply.

Many (most?) of the churches in the Sydney Diocese are Anglican in name only.

Why New Zealand is so much better than Sydney

 From Newstalk ZB in Auckland via Madpriest although I do not understand his humour at times.

Anglicans debating gay issue

30/10/2009 7:04:01

A Maori Anglican Church report will be recommending the ordination of gay leaders at the church's two-yearly conference being held Auckland over the weekend.

Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu says the Commission on Human Sexuality believes sexual orientation is no barrier to ordination.

He admits there is opposition to gay ordination in the Anglican Church worldwide, but says what is important is that the issue is being talked about.

"The Anglican Maori Church is beginning to wrestle with this issue in an open way, in an open forum."

Bishop Pikaahu says there is opposition to gays being ordained worldwide and there is a long way to go before the church reaches a view it can act on, but what is important is that the conversation is even happening.

I may be wrong but I always thought the opposition to gay ordination in NZ came from the Maori Tikanga. If so, that seems to be changing, Praise God.

Meanwhile thanks to Lapinbizarre commenting at Caliban's Dream I learn that

On the final night of the 2009 Synod, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney has passed a resolution embracing the new Anglican province, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

In the words of the resolution “Synod welcomes the creation of the Province of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) under the leadership of Archbishop Bob Duncan and notes the GAFCON Primates’ Council recognition of the ACNA as genuinely Anglican and its recommendation that Anglican Provinces affirm full communion with the ACNA. Synod therefore expresses its desire to be in full communion with the ACNA.’

My house is on the market, I have had one offer which I rejected as too low and I really do not want to move out before Christmas but other than that the sooner the better to be out of the Sydney Diocese.

Calling Anonymous

A person from Sydney commented on the blog of Revd Ivan Ackeroff - Unthinking Anglicans the following comment. He has since more briefly commented here on one of my posts.

 Dear Brian, You are to be commended for speaking out about some of the Sydney Diocese's inappropriate decision making. However you seem to be a voice in the wilderness. A very noble lone wolf. There has been the occasional single Sydney voice but nothing collective. Is there any real concern amongst Sydney Anglicans regarding the economic and prejudicial decision making of the senior management? Are any Sydney Anglicans aware of the impact that these decisions are having domestically and internationally, particularly on GLBT people? I realise that a few groups exist such as Anglicans Together and MOW but they are rarely heard publicly. Are they more concerned about the image of the Sydney Diocese than the damage this diocese is doing to the marginalised? Are all Sydney Anglicans in favour of their church being affiliated with extreme right wing Evangelicals and of the decision to empower African bishops, who are involved politically in the persecution of gays? Do they realise that their policies re women's ministry translates into social injustice, particularly in 3rd world countries? Brian, have any of these Sydney Anglicans ever listen to how hurt GLBT people are as a result of church discrimination, or is their only contact the ex/post gay propaganda thing? (These post gay spruikers should be ashamed of themselves. They know the hurt they have endured and that's what forced them to turn their backs on their own sexuality/identity in order to stop the discrimination against them and gain acceptance from those who hurt them). Brian, I'm just interested to know if all Sydney Anglicans condone the prejudices that are laid out in the diocese's mission.

From a Sydney sider, who is concerned about the influence that this diocese wields within the broader community. Influence gained by masquerading as a very tolerant, compassionate moderate "old" church, when in reality its conservatism only reinforces stereotypes that breeds hatred. Thanks again Noble Wolf 17 October 2009 22:44 

Thank you Anonymous although as I said, I wish you could use a nom de plume so that I can differentiate your comments from any other anon that might comment. I guess you are the person who has often commented on other posts  by Revd Ivan Ackeroff relating to the Jensens and  the Sydney Diocese.
He, Madpriest and Rev Fr Dr Christian Troll seem to know more about what is going on in this diocese than I do but then I do not want to regularly monitor the dribble that is produced by the Diocese.


MOW (Movement for the Ordination of Women) is still going strong. The Sydney branch use to meet at St Luke's Concord, the subject of my previous post. I guess there is only so much banging one's head against a brickwall that any group can do. Most capable women in Sydney who want to be ordained as a priest just move to another diocese. Those who remain are generally restricted in their ability to relocate by family considerations. Most of the other dioceses in Australia are happy to take advantage of the ministry of these women.


Anglicans Together seems to muddle along although I do find it frustrating at times.
While, from my observation, most if not all members are inclusive in their outlook, many are more concerned with the departure from prayer book practices that are carried out in so much of the diocese.  They worship in the handful of Anglo-catholic parishes which are permitted to exist within the diocese and I often feel are not willing to raise their heads too high above the parapet. Eventually they will be searching for a new rector and the person they choose will need the approval of the Archbishop. The rule seems to now be that any new appointment within the diocese must be a person who has studied for at least one year at Moore College. I think many suitable men would need to really want work in Sydney to undergo that painful experience.  The majority of active members of Anglicans Together both lay people and ordained seem to be older.

Young people are either brainwashed into the Moore agenda or have left the church especially if they are LGBT.
There are 2 MCC churches in Sydney. One meets at Petersham and the other at Granville. From looking at their webpages I gather they are fairly liturgical which I am told is not so common in other parts of the globe. This may be due to the large number of refugees from Sydney Anglicanism in their membership.
I have often considered attending the church at Granville but am Anglican and have a personal dislike of anything resembling a gay ghetto. But this is for me personally and I would encourage any LGBT Christian to attend if they find Sydney Anglicanism impossible to stomach.


However there are true Anglican churches operating within the diocese who openly welcome LGBT people. St Marks South Hurstville featured in last night's Compass program Anglicans - Sydney Style and I was pleased to see Rev Chris Albany display and explain the significance of the Rainbow that is placed on the pulpit. To quote him.


The kind of Anglicanism at St Marks is what I would call a broad inclusive Anglicanism that would be recognisable by Anglicans from most parts of the world.

By broad and inclusive I mean that we seek to welcome anybody and everybody without any qualification in terms of the normal discriminators that are sometimes used in terms of age or race or sexual identity or gender.

Yeah we have the rainbow sitting up on the pulpit there most Sundays. It’s there to remind us of God’s promise to Noah, of his covenant relationship with his people.
And it is also a little sign if any gay and lesbian people were to come into the life of this community and to worship here, a little sign to them to say we’re a friendly welcoming community.

This is a parish that supports very strongly women being involved in all aspects of the church’s life and ministry, including its leadership and so being able to be both priests and bishops. We believe that that’s in fact quite clear from Scripture, that there is no reason why that can’t happen.


If anonymous or anyone else in Sydney emails me (and I promise the utmost discretion) I can give them the location of Anglican churches within the diocese who are inclusive although this may not be widely advertised. Within the city St James, King Street and Christchurch St Laurence certainly have GLBT members who are welcomed and in some cases play leading roles in the life and worship of the church.


Back in the early 80's I was a member of a group called 'Angays' and they once met up here in my house. It was a small but active group largely based on St Luke's Enmore.
Even in those days the situation was made clear when we met with one assistant bishop who was willing to meet and consider our case. The leader of our group mentioned his friendly attitude to a reporter. It was widely believed that this report in the newspaper was the death knell for the ambitions of said bishop.


The well known case was Bishop Watson who, while an assistant in Sydney, spouted the hardline against the ordination of women but once elected as Archbishop of Melbourne had a sudden conversion.


So, Anonymous, there are Sydney Anglicans who are inclusive. However, if they are in a position of influence, they are well aware that any hint of deviation from the accepted homophobic stance will ruin any chance they have of preferment within the diocese.

Two Dioceses, Missouri and Sydney

I have been reading on the blogs that the Diocese of Missouri has passed resolutions to affirm same-sex-blessings, and to re-open the door to LBGT candidates to the episcopate. Apparently this is very unexpected for a Diocese like Missouri. However I note they have women priests and at least one is openly Lesbian.

They sound rather liberal to someone who must live in Sydney. I have just received the latest newsletter from Anglicans Together which is a very small organisation promoting inclusive Anglicanism within the Diocese of Sydney. Some of its members were at the recent Sydney Synod and have reported.
On the humorous side one Rector recommends appropriate preparation with intensive therapy, including grief counselling plus a balanced diet and lots of exercise. Meal breaks are terribly important: good food with a little wine for the stomach's sake, consumed in the company of friends is a wonderful remedy to the well known syndrome of post synod depression.

The whole Anglican world has heard that Synod found there were no legal barriers to Lay and Diaconal Administration and encouraged the Archbishop to include in the licences of deacons and suitable lay persons authorisation to assist the presbyter in administering the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. However the Archbishop is not minded to follow this request at this time. (He is not stupid and knows how it will be accepted by many of his GAFCON mates).

However the rest of the world would not be so aware of other motions and motions lost.
Rev Chris Albany presented a motion calling on the Archbishop to explore ways in which the different views on the ministry of women "could be creatively lived out in the life and practice of the diocese" The motion was well supported by a number of speakers and there was vigorous debate but sadly creative resolution of difference of opinion is not something the Sydney diocese is famous for and the motion was defeated. Despite the number of new members in the synod this year the mind of synod remains closed on the issue of the ordination of women to the priesthood.

There was a report from the Doctine Commission on the Theology of Christian Assembly. This arose due to the number of prayer book-less services now being held in many parishes. The report was remarkable in that it managed to avoid all traditional liturgical language: words such as church, worship, sacrament, Holy Communion, Baptism, etc. are obviously no longer in favour.
Even 'praise and thanksgiving' had to wait for paragraph 53 in a document of 71 paragraphs before rating a mention. Paragraph 48 did make reference to 'the Lord's meal' but gave no recommendation as to how often or in what manner this was to be observed today.
The motion was to welcome the report. Bishop Glenn Davies rather courageously moved an amendment that it not be welcomed but received and pointed out its deficiencies particularly its failure to discuss the importance and place of sacraments in worship. The majority of synod voted in favour of the report.

The motion 'that Synod congratulates our Archbishop and Assistant Bishops on their attendance at Gafcon and their move to coninue our development as a truly Bible based Anglican Church' was passed. Not surprisingly Fr Gwilym Henry-Edwards amendment 'Notes with sadness their inability to attend the Lambeth Conference and encourages them in their support of the unity and diversity of the Anglican Communion' was resoundingly rejected.

From what I read the Diocese of Missouri is in a conservative part of the USA so the resolutions passed are surprising.

The city of Sydney is very progressive socially but its Anglican Diocese is hardly representative of the city.

The tentacles of Sydney

Wandering around the blogs, I learn that one of the parishes in Vancouver trying to secede to the Southern Cone, St John's, Shaughnessy, is run by an ex-Sydney type Rev David Short, son of the retired bishop of Wollongong, Ken Short. For my overseas readers, Wollongong is just a region within the diocese of Sydney. So we have another example of Sydney muscling in on the affairs of other dioceses around the world.
What amazes me is the variety in the churches/dioceses running off to the Southern Cone. My reading regarding San Joaquin is that it is very catholic. I read where they reserve the sacrament, highly illegal in Sydney. Sydney also bans the wearing of the chasuble, shows disapproval of anything more than a surplice and stole and some, including the Dean of the cathedral, look more like escapees from Presbyterianism. The Archbishop is known to conduct services in collar and tie. They turn up their collective noses at incense and candles and only change the colours when the old ones need washing.
So Rev David Short would be most uncomfortable in San Joaquin.
Another church which has voted to go south is St Chad's, Toronto where the acting priest was Rev. Barbara Richardson. Hullo, isn't that a woman? I am sure David Short, coming from Sydney would not want a woman priest and I understand that is also the case with those departing from San Joaquin.
It seems the only thing they have in common is their homophobia. And it is homophobia despite their protestations to the contrary. Once they have gathered into this cosy little group, shoved out all the poofs and locked the doors, the squabbling regarding other matters should be great fun to watch.

More on the the letter to +Jensen

In case you are one of the few who might read here and not visit Caliban's Dream, please go visit. His report on what is happening regarding this letter in an ordinary Sydney parish has cheered me up immensely. I know my sister has spread it around many friends, good Anglican ladies who are keen to have a copy and send it individually. My sister may be slightly biased with her younger brother, but these ladies do not know my deep dark secret. My mother loved me unconditionally but she had a silly idea that my sexuality might be her fault and she would rather her friends did not know. (She was 96 when she died 18 months ago). I always respected her wishes and have only become more public since her death. Hopefully the Jensenites will find that their hard-line stand is not as accepted as they believe even in their own diocese. It is certainly becoming clear that they are a very small grouping in the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

Letter to Archbishop Jensen

Thankfully something is happening at Anglicans Together.

They have composed a letter to be presented in sympathetic parishes regarding the refusal of Sydney Bishops to attend Lambeth.
It is much more polite than anything I would compose, however I am publishing it here for the the many Anglicans in the Diocese of Sydney who may attend unsympathetic parishes or where the Rector is unwilling to put his neck on the line. They may like to copy and sign it individually and send to the Archbishop.

The Archbishop’s address is
PO Box Q 190
QVB Post Office 1230.

PARISHIONERS’ LETTER TO THE ARCHBISHOP

Dear Archbishop Peter,

We - the undersigned parishioners of ............................................................. – respect your sole authority to decide whether to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference or not. We write to say that we are profoundly disappointed at your decision, as announced Saturday 2 February. We would like you to reconsider your decision, prayerfully, on the following grounds:

. this decision has clearly alienated you from most of Australia’s Anglican bishops, including this Province of which you are Metropolitan;
. your decision, in conjunction with your decision to take a prominent role in the Global Anglican Future Conference, appears to many to be at variance with your professed claims of commitment to and prayers for the Anglican Communion;


. the grounds given for your decision – standing for Biblical truth – impugn the integrity of many parishes and parishioners of this Diocese, who conscientiously seek to take the Bible with absolute seriousness in their Christian discipleship and evangelism, yet maintain different interpretations;
. the grounds of your decision suggest that authentic Christian belief and discipleship are inseparable from the most stringent interpretation of all biblical texts, which detracts from justification by faith alone;
. you and the other bishops have much to contribute and much to gain from Lambeth, with its rich, complex, and diverse engagement with fellow bishops, and its focus on equipping bishops to fulfil their leadership role in God’s mission;
. our experience is that bishops who have attended Lambeth Conferences in the past have returned with new energy and enthusiasm which they have then imparted to their dioceses, so we believe the Diocese of Sydney will be impoverished by your absence.

We therefore respectfully ask you again to reconsider your decision.

If you decide that you personally cannot attend, we ask that at least one of the Assistant Bishops attend, so we of the Diocese can benefit accordingly.

In His name,

Replies re Jensen's boycott

Today's Sydney Morning Herald has letters to the editor. They did not publish mine which focussed on the point made by Jensen that the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson had made it difficult for the African Anglicans living amongst Muslims.
I wrote:
"If Archbishop Jensen is so worried about the opinions of Muslims, perhaps he will demand Anglican women wear the chador in future. Nothing would surprise me. He does not speak for the Anglican church. So far no other Diocesan Bishop in Australia agrees with him let alone the rest of the world. There are many of us forced to live and worship in Sydney who would like to request alternative oversight from the Bishop Newcastle, Dr Farran who represents true Anglican inclusiveness and diversity."
Five letters were published
I can ignore Rev. Scott Blackwell who is Anglican Chaplain to Macquarie University and comes from Christchurch, St Ives, a hotbed of fundamentalism and also Dr Peter Barnes who is a Presbyterian minister in Sydney so probably also indoctrinated at Moore College.
I did give Jensen his full title of Archbishop (although not in my blog, I admit) but Blackwell could not extend the same courtesy to Archbishop Aspinall, Anglican Primate of Australia. His origins are displayed in his snide comments regarding incense.
Archdeacon Ian Palmer is in the Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn but apparently recently moved from Newcastle (Australia). While he criticises Jensen for his 'holier than thou' attitude and lack of courageous leadership, he also criticises the US Episcopal church for flouting the moral authority of Lambeth. I would remind him that 1968 Lambeth did not recommend women being ordained as priests but had changed its mind by 1978 AFTER TEC, Canada and New Zealand had followed Hong Kong(pre '68) in the ordination of women to the priesthood. If we always waited for Lambeth to act, very little would be achieved.
The two letters from apparent lay persons ridicule the obvious inconsistencies in upholding the infallibility of the Bible. I liked George Pugh's reference to "the Anglican evangelical wing's unhealthy excitement about homosexuals in the church."

Sydney alone among the Aussies, Yeah

As I expected, Sydney is almost alone.
Bishops condemn Sydney dissent
THE Anglican Primate of Australia, Phillip Aspinall, said yesterday that it was difficult to understand the decision by the Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, to boycott this year's Lambeth Conference, as virtually all Australian bishops declined to support Dr Jensen.

The Bishop of Newcastle, Brian Farran, said he was boycotting the "Futures" conference for conservative Anglican bishops being organised by Dr Jensen.
Dr Aspinall said: "I think the only way we can really address issues of deep difference in the life of the church is to come together, pray together, study the scriptures and speak openly with each other. That some bishops seem willing to forgo this important opportunity is disappointing."

I am pleased to see Bishop Brain of Armidale is not in support. He is from Sydney. There is no comment from North West Australia, where Bishop Mulready is also from Sydney.
The only other possibilities are the 2 extreme anglo-catholic dioceses in Victoria, no news yet. They make very strange bed-fellows for Sydney but are linked over their opposition to women priests.

Jensens and music

I am grateful to Madpriest for the following link.
How does he keep up with it all? He (living in Northern England) has posted titbits from the Sydney Morning Herald before I have even collected it from the front lawn.

Archbishop of Sydney 'vandalising' Anglican culture.

In case you do not read him, Peter Phillips, Director of the Tallis Scholars, has written an article accusing the Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, and his brother Philip, the Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral, of vandalising Anglican music and culture in their city.

I would not even bother visiting the cathedral anymore. I believe the numbers are falling. Across the city at St James, King Street music is a very important part of worship. During January and continuing next week there has been a series of orchestral masses (yes the word mass in an Anglican church within the Sydney Diocese) by Charpentier, Haydn and Rheinberger. The church is always packed for such events even during the holiday season downunder.

Jensen was on TV during the week visiting St James for the annual Law service. It was a surprise to see him in his Bishop's robes, well what has always passed for bishop's robes here in Sydney, no cope or mitre here. Guess he would have felt a bit dowdy in his usual suit, tie and academic gown when all the judges were wearing red gowns and full wigs.
I do wonder what goes through his mind as he observes the crucifix on the wall behind the pulpit. A comment on Madpriest's blog referred to the altar in St Andrew's cathedral. Tut, tut, there is no altar in Sydney's cathedral. The communion table on wheels is only brought out when necessary. We do not want anything sacramental to be on display. Really communion is so unimportant we can leave it to the laity. I mean, give the women a job where they feel important, it is only like serving at tables anyway. Allow the men to do the real job of pontificating from the pulpit. And they still call themselves Anglican?????