I was in the congregation at a parish Eucharist recently – not a huge congregation, maybe around a hundred. There was a good age range. Young people were having fun leading music with a ukulele group. A sister from the Community of the Sacred name was towards the back. A Franciscan brother was preaching. There
renewing religious life? Read More »
The International Anglican Liturgical Consultation (IALC) is reporting to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC15) starting its meeting today. That reporting will include the new Statement from the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, Rites Relating to Marriage (PDF) In the current more-heat-than-light Anglican controversy about committed same-sex couples I have often thought that we need to work
marriage curate’s egg Read More »
Since this site did a post on Biblical Marriage, The Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill was one of five private member’s bills drawn from the ballot in the New Zealand Parliament towards the end of July. This has increased the intensity of discussion about the nature of marriage in the Bible. Here’s some quotes
Biblical marriage – introduction Read More »
After several years of study, the Episcopal Church (TEC) has released a draft and reflections around what formally-approved TEC liturgical rites for blessings of committed same-sex relationships may look like. Before presenting these resources it may be worth reminding people, for some comparison, of the liturgical situation in Anglicanism in NZ. In 1992 the NZ
Same-Sex Blessings TEC & NZ Read More »
Recently an e-friend of mine got a tattoo. And talked about it online. He is a Christian with a big following online. Well, the resulting very public hostility is enough to put anyone off Christianity. You can divide “Bible-believing Christians” into three: those who think the Bible forbids tattoos; those who think the Bible allows
The church and marriage. Every March and September our local newspaper, the Press, publishes a lift-out Wedding Directory/Advertising Feature (called “I do“) along with the daily newspaper. Twenty A3 pages very attractively present hints, lists, articles, venues, jewellery, dresses, cakes, flowers, etc…. I wrote about the last one, in March. That was the first one
I attended a special non-church wedding recently. There was much that the church can learn from such occasions. One moment was particularly moving, important and significant. One of the spouses made a promise to the other spouse’s young child, and this child made a promise back. I have looked in vain to find such a
revise the marriage rite Read More »
Bible Alone It continues to intrigue me that those who hold to a Bible-Alone, sola scriptura position regularly continue to clamour in favour of the proposed Anglican Covenant. This more protestant, “reformed” end of the Anglican spectrum on the one hand claims the Bible Alone is totally sufficient for all our Christian needs, that the
Anglican Covenant – strength of weak ties Read More »
