Content about Jesus Christ

May 14, 2013 (GTS News) – The Rev. Kurt H. Dunkle was elected on May 14, 2013 to be the 13th Dean and President of The General Theological Seminary in New York City by the GTS Board of Trustees. He will officially begin serving as Dean and President on July 1, 2013.

After the storm of a life lived in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm.

The storm of conflicting opinions centres on the Mrs Thatcher who became a symbolic figure - even an "ism". But today the remains of the real Margaret Hilda Thatcher are here at her funeral service. Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings.

Bravo!  The Anglican Communion needs a strong voice and a strong leader to turn us back to Jesus Christ and the faith once delivered to the saints.  It is precisely this faith that has been undermined and challenged by the unilateral actions of North American leaders from The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) by, among other things, consecrating actively practicing homosexual and lesbian bishops and authorizing same-sex blessings - contrary to the Bible, apostolic and catholic teaching, and the teaching of the Anglican Communion on human sexuality, marriage and holy orders (Lambeth Resolution 1.10 1998).  

A spokesman for Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has denied suggestions that her sermon denouncing as terrorists and murderers those who did not share her views on the polity of the Episcopal Church was directed at Bishop Mark J. Lawrence or the members of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

Speaking to national church loyalists at a special convention held 26 Jan 2013 at Grace Church in Charleston, Bishop Jefferts Schori characterized her opponents as “wolves” and false shepherds.

A selection of links to sermons preached by the leaders of the Church of England, Church of Ireland and Church in Wales this Christmas. Topics raised by the bishop of the Church of England, Church of Ireland, and Church in Wales ranged from Israeli policies in the occupied territories, reaching out to the poor and marginalized, conforming the church to the changing moral and social standards of society, and the mystery of the incarnation.

Following the announcement that the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church plans a trip to Charleston for a January 25-26 convention of those wishing to re-associate with the Episcopal Church, the Diocese of South Carolina released the following statements:

Dr. Todd Morris tells us about a plaque in an old English Church that reads, “In the year 1653 when all things sacred throughout the land were demolished or profaned, Sir Robert Shirley built this church, whose singular praise is this, to have done the best of things in the worst of times.” Remember that it was at a time when Anglican churches were being closed and Presbyterians were being harassed and persecuted. Yet in the midst of that…in the worst of times, Sir Robert Shirley did the best of things…he built a church! My brothers and sisters in Christ, it has fallen to us, to you and me, to do the best of things in this hour. It is for us to build our diocese and our parish churches.

The national Episcopal Church and its loyalists in the Diocese of South Carolina will be held accountable for violating civil and canon law, Bishop Mark Lawrence has told the members of his diocese.

In a pastoral letter released on 15 Nov 2012 endorsed by 35 rectors and vicars, Bishop Lawrence urged members of the diocese to hold fast to the faith once delivered to the saints.  The crisis in the national Episcopal Church had been brought about by a perfect storm – a “convergence” of revisionist “theology, morality and polity”, he wrote, that has taken place over the past 25 years “within The Episcopal Church.”

The Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Reverend Justin Welby for election as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury.

He will succeed Dr Rowan Williams who is retiring at the end of December after ten years as Archbishop.

The Right Reverend Justin Welby, aged 56, is currently Bishop of Durham. He will be enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral on 21st March 2013.

We write to you as representatives to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-15), which has just concluded in Auckland NZ. We represent the Church of Nigeria and the Church of Kenya, approximately 31 million active and worshipping Anglicans within our Anglican Communion. We write in the spirit of Jude 3 to express our concerns about the directions taken by ACC-15.

... we are grieved that this meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council avoided the real crisis in the Anglican Communion.

As a result of the increased aggressiveness of the revisionists there are now those in every province and beyond who wish to stand with us and who need our help to stand for Christ: in Recife (Brazil), in South Carolina, in the Church of Scotland, in Ireland, in England, in Australia and many more. We received reports from various FCA affiliates and rejoice in their faithful witness in the face of tremendous pressure and were delighted to receive an application for the establishment of an FCA affiliate in Australia.

We were also reminded of the need for prayer for those who will gather in Auckland, New Zealand, for the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council. In particular we prayed that they will avoid compromise and have the courage to declare boldly the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is good news for all people at all times and in all cultures.