Friday 1 February 2008

The Anglicans in Melbourne and abortion

The Anglicans in Melbourne are in a bad way. David Ould comments on the absolutely awful report on abortion that recently came out from the Anglican Dio down there, along with some of the nasty political processes behind it.

You could write to the Archbishop of Melbourne, Philip Freier, about this, as my friend Jereth in Melbourne has done. They could do with your prayers, too. Jereth tells me you can write to

The Rev. Dr. Philip Freier,
C/- The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne,
The Anglican Centre,
209 Flinders Lane,
Melbourne 3000.


Pray for the Presbyterians down there too. They are the only Victorian denomination of any size that actively support evangelical ministry and church planting.

I worked in Melbourne as an Anglican for 10 years and the state of things down there continues to be a concern, with a few good things happening in some churches, and in the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students on campuses down there.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Gordo and readers, Melbourne evangelicals have organised a response. You can see the guts of it here:

http://thecuratesegg.blogspot.com/

Gordon Cheng said...

Thanks w-h, I just added a post about it.

Oh, and apropos of nothing, here is wikipedia on the curate's egg!

David Ould said...

thanks for the link, Gordo. Let's see if we can get something done about this.

Anonymous said...

Yes, please pray for us. That is what we need most.

1. Pray that more evangelicals will sign this petition. Judging by the response at St. Judes, only about 20-30% of evangelicals are really concerned about this. Some evangelical churches, for one reason or another, are not publicising the issue.
2. Pray that our leaders will take a firm stand. Part of the reason for the weak response, IMO, is that evangelical leadership has neglected to teach a correct biblical position on abortion over time.
3. Pray for Philip Freier, that he will not ignore the dozens of letters he receives, and the hundreds of signatures on the petition. Pray that he will have the humility to confess that his actions have been unfair, and have upset many who are under his pastoral oversight.
4. Pray earnestly that this event will serve as a wake up call for the evangelical wing of the diocese -- that it will repent of the laxity and complacency which have contributed to this liberal surge.
5. Pray for the many Anglicans such as myself, who are feeling hurt, bitter, angry, disillusioned, alienated, etc. because of this. Ask God to help us keep trusting in his sovereign power.
6. Finally, please implore the Lord of hosts to enter this situation and win glory for himself, and for Jesus Christ.

Anonymous said...

Please note how quickly things have changed. In 2004, former Archbishop Peter Watson spoke out strongly against abortion:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/05/1091557991339.html

In 1989, the Australian synod likewise took a stance against abortion.

"72/89 Abortion

That this Synod notes with concern the growing acceptance of abortion on demand and calls upon the Federal and State legislatures to uphold the rights of the unborn child, provide and support adequate programs of human relations education, pregnancy support and care of single parent families.

[The Bishop of Willochra, 25-8-89]"

The position of the Melbourne diocese in 2007 is an anomaly and an aberration. (Or else it is an indication of a rapid downward spiral into rank apostasy... God forbid!)