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November 06, 2006
Bishop under-fire as gay priest ordained
The head of the Anglican Church in Dunedin is under-fire by a senior vicar, furious at yesterday's ordination of a gay man as a deacon. Bishop George Connor ordained three people as deacons at St Paul's Cathedral. One ...is in a same-sex relationship ... Outside the church, Falloon told Sunday News: "This violates the rules of our church.
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3851206a11,00.html
Posted by latimer at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2006
Today is a sad day for the Anglican Communion
"We express our strong support for the witness of the Latimer Fellowship and Anglican Mainstream New Zealand to the concern for obeying God’s will for the health and wholeness of human society and for the good ordering of his people in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and hope others will do the same.”
Dr Philip Giddings Convenor, Canon Dr Chris Sugden, Executive Secretary -UK Anglican Mainstream:
Today is a sad day for the Anglican Communion
Saturday November 04th 2006, 8:43 pm
Filed under: Dunedin Ordination Link to: this post
“Today is a sad day for the Anglican Communion. Despite well-founded objections and protests the Bishop of Dunedin has knowingly and deliberately ordained a man in a committed same-sex relationship as a deacon into the Anglican Church of Aotearoa on Saturday November 4 in contravention of the constitution of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa.
We call on the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa to disassociate themselves from this precipitate action outside the Windsor Process which has specifically called for a moratorium on all such breaches of the agreed teaching and discipline of the Anglican Communion. By their silence the other Bishops and Archbishops of the Church in New Zealand are failing in their duty to guard the faith and drive away error. If they are giving their support to the Dunedin ordination, they would appear to be wanting to take their church out of the global Anglican Communion in the same way as the leadership of ECUSA is doing.
We express our strong support for the witness of the Latimer Fellowship and Anglican Mainstream New Zealand to the concern for obeying God’s will for the health and wholeness of human society and for the good ordering of his people in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and hope others will do the same.”
Dr Philip Giddings Convenor, Anglican Mainstream
Canon Dr Chris Sugden, Executive Secretary
www.anglican-mainstream.net/?p=893
Posted by latimer at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2006
Bishop of Dunedin ignores protest at Ordination service
When Bishop George Connor asked the question, “Are you will that [the individuals] should be ordained deacon?” there was a loud protest from three members of the congregation, Revd Mal Falloon, Revd Wally Behan and a Dunedin layperson. They sought leave to lodge the basis of their objection but this was denied them. They then left the service followed by the press.
The Latimer Fellowship, of which the Revd Mal Falloon is the Warden, issued the following press statement. (See 'Statement of Protest' below)
See also:
Anglicans told to understand by American Dean of Dunedin
www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=106859
Posted by latimer at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
Statement of Protest
04.11.06 Press Release: We have publicly expressed our protest at the actions of the Bishop of Dunedin in ordaining a man in a same-sex relationship for the following reasons.
Statement of Protest
We have publicly expressed our protest at the actions of the Bishop of Dunedin in ordaining a man in a same-sex relationship for the following reasons.
1. It ignores the clear teaching of the Bible on matters of human sexuality. We cannot call holy what the Bible does not call holy, nor can we bless behaviour that does not belong in the kingdom of God.
2. It disregards 2000 years of the Christian understanding of the Bible on which the Anglican Church is founded. The church from the very first days has insisted on either marriage or celibacy for its ordained ministers, and the Anglican Church has always affirmed this.
3. It violates the rules of our Church and denies those who disagree with the Bishop the right to a fair hearing and due process. The Bishop of Dunedin is not authorised or free to apply the rules of the Church merely subject to his own opinions.
4. It dismisses the call for a “moratorium” on such actions from the leaders of the Anglican Church worldwide and deepens the current crisis that is in the words of the Communion’s Archbishops “tearing the fabric” of the Anglican Communion.
5. It completely undermines the process of careful listening and conversation that the General Synod and our Archbishops have requested by unilaterally acting in a way that effectively shuts down all debate.
Therefore we appeal to the Archbishops of this church and the whole House of Bishops, as “guardians” of the Church’s discipline, to break their silence. As Bishops called to “promote peace and unity among all God’s people”, we ask them to “keep the Church true to its faith” by publicly dissenting from the Bishop of Dunedin’s actions. For not to do so will give tacit approval to the Bishop’s actions and will precipitate a constitutional crisis in our Church.
Revd Malcolm Falloon
Warden of the Latimer Fellowship
Vicar of Bryndwr, Christchurch
Phone: 03 351 4931
Email: mal.falloon@xtra.co.nz
Website: www.latimer.org.nz
Posted by latimer at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2006
NZ - Anglicans split over ordaining gay man
Otago Daily Times: 'The ordination of a gay man in Dunedin tomorrow by the Anglican bishop could split the church, according to those opposed.
Despite pressure from conservatives in the church, the Bishop of Dunedin, the Rt Rev George Connor, will ordain three people as deacons of the church, among them Juan Kinnear.'
www.odt.co.nz/article.php?refid=2006,11,03,1,00100,ee949c8b97e3bdefcf95d1dab1cec2bb§=0
Gay deacon a threat to church unity, say opponents
The NZ Herald:
www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10408968
New Zealand Anglicans Divide over Gay Ordination
UK: www.anglican-mainstream.net/
Posted by latimer at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)