Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Anglican Evangelicals in Church of England

David Virtue draws attention to Anglican Evangelicals in the Church of England.  See: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=15807

Church of England evangelicals are waking up to the fact that they might just have more power than they think so they are beginning to flex their ecclesiastical muscle. This past week about 100 Evangelical clergy and laity from Southwark diocese met the Bishop, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, to protest about the lack of Evangelicals in senior clergy posts. Evangelicals are unhappy that, in the past year, six senior positions have been given to clerics whom they consider to be liberal, particularly on the issue of sexuality: the Bishop of Croydon, the Rt Revd Jonathan Clark; the Bishop of Woolwich, Dr Michael Ipgrave; the Dean of Southwark, the Very Revd Andrew Nunn; the acting Arch­deacon of Southwark, Canon Dianna Gwilliams; the Sub-Dean, Canon Bruce Saunders; and the Diocesan Director of Ordinands, Canon Leanne Roberts. Perhaps CofE evangelicals are seeing what has happened to their Anglo-Catholic brethren, many of whom have fled to Rome because of the possibility of women bishops. Those remaining are being squeezed with no place to go, so the evangelicals are asking "Is it our turn next?"

Evangelicals have a number of organizations including REFORM, Church Society and the Anglican Mission in England (AMIE). Recently the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) opened an office in London and so the heat is being turned up on Lambeth Palace and on the institution itself that the old ways of doing business are over.

There is a new order coming. The GAFCON primates are meeting later this month in London. You can be sure that their presence will evoke some anger and outrage from the establishment. 

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