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June 01, 2007
Church of Uganda will uphold Road to Lambeth Statement
31.05.07 "Accordingly, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda stands by its resolve to uphold the Road to Lambeth."
For Immediate Release
30th May 2007
In response to the recent announcement that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams, has sent out invitations to the 2008 Lambeth Conference of Bishops, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, made this statement:
On 9th December 2006, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, meeting in Mbale, resolved unanimously to support the CAPA Road to Lambeth statement, www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/the_road_to_lambeth_presented_at_capa/ which, among other things, states, “We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.”
We note that all the American Bishops who consented to, participated in, and have continued to support the consecration as bishop of a man living in a homosexual relationship have been invited to the Lambeth Conference. These are Bishops who have violated the Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture” and “cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.”
Accordingly, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda stands by its resolve to uphold the Road to Lambeth.
The Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi
ARCHBISHOP OF CHURCH OF UGANDA.
Posted by latimer at 01:21 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2005
The Logic of the Atonement
I visited St John’s Latimer Square, Christchurch, on Sunday night as they celebrated the 450th Anniversary of the martyrdom of Bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. The Revd Wally Behan was the preacher and he took as his theme “the Faith of the Reformers” based on Romans 3:21-26.
For me the sermon highlighted the catenation of ideas that form the basis of an evangelical understanding of the atonement (at-one-ment: a word coined by William Tyndale in his 1525 English translation of the Bible, for which he was eventually executed).
- As far as the Law is concerned, both Jew and Gentile (i.e. the whole of humanity from a bible perspective) stand universally condemned before God because of sin (Rom 3:19-20).
- However condemnation is not the only function of the Law (and indeed the Prophets), for it also attests to a more fundamental way of attaining a righteousness standing before God; that is by faith (Romans 3:21).
- Faith allows us to walk through the doorway of Christ’s redemption into a new right-standing with God: not condemned as guilty but justified as innocent (Rom 3:24).
How can this be? Surely a human judge would be dismissed for acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent? What makes us think that God has done such a thing?
- The means of this faith-based righteousness does not lie in human effort but in God’s own initiative (Rom 3:25).
- The effectiveness of Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice is based both on his humanity and his divinity. As one descended from David according to the flesh, Jesus stands in solidarity with our humanity. But as one declared “Son of God” by his resurrection from death, his sacrifice is of cosmic significance (Rom 1:1-4). Christ’s spotless humanity makes him a worthy sin bearer, whereas his divinity makes his sacrifice effective (Rom 3:25).
- Therefore the Gospel message demonstrates God’s righteousness in both condemning sin yet nonetheless saving sinners (Rom 3:26).
Three further things to note.
- Our understanding of the person and significance of Jesus (i.e. our Christology) is central. To deny either the full humanity or full deity of Jesus inevitably empties the cross of its power to save.
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus is crucial to the effectiveness and completeness of our salvation.
- Only those in solidarity with Christ by faith can share in his atonement. The idea of unilateral atonement is excluded.
The logic of the atonement depends on the orthodox faith of the Christian church; in God as Trinity, the virgin birth of Jesus, his bodily resurrection from the dead, and the importance of saving faith. It is therefore most appropriate for Evangelicals to make the Cross of Christ central to their thinking and living.
So-called liberalism believes none of these things and consequently has no need for the cross either. The Liberal gospel is that we are already saved; we just don’t know it yet. The Bible’s gospel tells us that we stand condemned yet God has thrown a lifeline. Which is to be believed? In whose testimony will we trust? Who is truly offering ‘Good News’? The Latimer fellowship is happy to stand with the Apostle Paul who wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” (Romans 1:16)
Rev'd Mal Falloon (Latimer Warden)Posted by latimer at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)