Moore and Barnies in Party Business
Moon t ()liege's Catering and St. Barnabas Church, Broadway teamed up to give
Barnies' secretary, Mary Bourne, a right-royal wedding reception after her marriage to
Greg Forster. Jock Stewart, RGCM, head chef and chief worrier at these events said
demands on Moore's Catering Service was growing in leaps and bounds. St. Barnies could
make no comment.
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Dr. Crabbe (Grace Seminary, Indiana) will
speak to the students and ex-students of
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(2) The best children's book, including
books written for younger teenagers;
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be automatically considered for
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Previous winners of the main award
have been The Shape of Belief, Lancer
Books (1983), Be our Freedom, Lord,
Lutheran Publishing House (1982), and
The Human Journey, Albatross Books
(1981).
representative of the Institute of Biblical
Counselling.
Dr. Crabbe will be in Sydney for a
period of three weeks and will conduct
seminars which are already booked out. MOW debate continued
church is in a position of influence in that
wider society, the church can start
influencing that wider society and change
the social structures.
ACR May I observe, we're now going over
old ground. Can we now ask John and
Robert to develop their line of thought.
Paul went for broke
Forsyth Can I just take something Gordon
said, because it's very important. Peter in
Galatians is a good example — a simply
trivial act really, eating kosher food. No
doubt it kept him in good with the blokes
back in Jerusalem.
Peter didn't see the point. But Paul
certainly did, and in effect said that the
Apostle had betrayed all that Paul stood
for.
In other words, when it came to a
matter of the Gospel, Paul wasn't too
"smart". He just went for broke. In fact, it
got him into a lot of trouble, probably
lost his life in fact through not being
supported by the Jerusalem church, they
hardly fully understood him. If something
is crucial to the Gospel Paul is a tiger of
a man. lie's a very brave man and in fact
a man who doesn't think long term. He
thinks Christ is coming in his own life
time actually for most of his life. I think
we've made him far too smart and far too
subtle.
I'm saying Galatians 3:28 has no tension
at all with "wives submit to your
husbands as to the Lord", "the husband is
the head of the wife". They're written by
the same man who I believe held both
equally, and regarded both as being true
to the Gospel. In exactly the same way
that the relationship of Christ and the
Church were a Gospel type thing. What
I'm saying is that if there was an
inconsistency, particularly on this issue,
Paul would have reacted very sharply.
As Marcus Barth has pointed out in his
commentary on Ephesians, the ancient
world was a very diverse world, and the
picture of the unmitigated patriarch is in
fact a creation of the scholar. Susan is
right, it's very confusing, but none-the-
less there were liberation movements
involving female priests. Nothing so odd
really, especially amongst the Gentiles to
whom Paul is writing. They could have
had a very free situation, as we
understand free. But Paul in fact reins
them back. He reins them back, I believe,
because he regards what's happening as
The synod of the diocese of Newcastle is
reported to have turned its back on
parliamentary procedures. In a series of
"conference sessions" it will consider in
depth eight topics including: the
problems of small parishes; stewardship; being contrary, not just to social
standards (and therefore dangerous for
us—"we must keep our flags hidden
until the time") but because he regarded
it as a matter of apostolic principle not
inconsistent with being one in Christ.
It's different with slavery, he seems to
accept the situation — I agree that's an
embarrassment to us all today — but his
advice within a slavery context is very
different to his advice within the man/
woman situation, as it is with the Gentile.
He wants to give slavery no divine
sanction, it's a question of submitting to
the authorities which are there. But with
men and women Paul clearly models the
asymmetrical man/woman relationship
on the asymmetry of the Christ/church,
or the Father/Son relationship. Which is
asymmetrical because God the Father is
the Head.
Sherlock I'm quite happy to get onto that
one.
Forsyth I know that I've got a desperately
difficult task, and I've really got no hope
actually because we can't help but be
heard as saying women are second class
citizens. But I believe there are two ways
forward. Either ordain women, and say
"yes you're right — unless you can do
everything men can do, officially, you're
not equal." Maybe that's one way out of
the problem. Or, the other one is to teach
the reality of true Christian relationships
where, as Charles has pointed out, unity
does not equal sameness in function or in
gifts or abilities. Thus to say in fact that
Gal. 3:28 is truly honoured in a situation
where we have different functions which
may be expressed ecclesiastically.
ACR OK, John.
Woodhouse Yes, I just want to press the
point briefly that you can't rip out what
Paul is saying about man/woman -
relationships in the congregation without
attacking his doctrine of the Trinity, and
his doctrine of creation. The very fact that
he inserts his statements about men and
women at that point, I think, is at the
heart of our particular difficulty, which is
all I want to underline.
Sherlock Well can I have a go at easing
their consciences on that point?
Forsyth Go for it.
(Next issue, the debate looks at Paul's
letters to Timothy, and the doctrine
of the Trinity.)
baptism, first communion and
confirmation discipline; ecumenism;
youth unemployment; goals for a just
society; the role of the church in the
quest for peace; and sharing ministry
with one another. At last year's 010, esaii Synod the
Archbishop, Most Rev. Donald Robinson,
announced in his Presidential Address a
new initiative in the DiocesolValled
"Vision for Growth" it was to be a major
programme extending over a period of
years designed to establish churches in
the "new areas" of the city.
The programme of "Vision for Growth"
is beginning to take shape. Expectations
are that it will be launched at the next
Diocesan Synod in October. In the
meantime, the Archbishop has been
meeting with his clergy to explain what is
to happen.
Rev. Stuart Abrahams has been
appointed as the full time director of the
programme. Until recently Mr. Abrahams
was Rector of the Parish of Nowra. There,
as a result of the growth of areas in the
Parish, he worked towards the division of
the Parish from one large unweildy unit
into smaller more viable units. He has,
therefore, experience to draw on which
will help him in this new position.
The Vision for Growth programme has
been called "the Diocese's major
initiative in the next decade". In a letter to
clergy the Archbishop has written:
"There is an urgent need for planned
development and expansion of ministry
and mission its this Diocese of Sydney. As
Archbishop, I see it as one of my major
responsibilities to offer leadership in
responding to the need.
In dedicating myself to this, I am asking
all the clergy and laity of the Diocese
likewise to give themselves under God to
a new VISION FOR GROWTH.
VISION FOR GROWTH means lifting
our eyes to see and provide for the
spiritual and social needs of our
neighbours. It means expanding our
present work. It will involve exploring
alternative forma of church planting and
ministry.
However, I accept the strong
recommendation of my colleagues that
the immediate priority of VISION FOR Archbishop Donald
GROWTH is to provide ministry and
resources for development of church lite
in the ma';or growth areas in the west and
south of the Diocese.
VISION FOR GROWTH will provide the
basis for major development of Christian
ministry in the Diocese in the next
decade. I intend to give personal
leadership in this. I call upon all Anglicans
within the Diocese to consider prayerfully
what part God has for them. Very simply,
we are on the move.
The aims of the Vision for Growth
Programme have been explained as:
"The ultimate goal of the VISION FOR
GROWTH programme is, quite simply,
thousands more people won to Christ
throughout the Diocese, and nurtured as
His disciples in the fellowship of the
Church.
To achieve this ultimate goal, several
secondary aims are involved. They
include the following:
• to rationalise and consolidate areas of
church work, where necessary, and
extend it where there is a need;
• to establish active Anglican Christian
congregations where they do not at
present exist;
• to build up struggling congregations
that already exist; Allan Whitham of HMS
• to encourage a deeper sense of
fellowship between established viable
congregations and those that are less
well established;
• as a result of such sharing, to provide
these younger churches with the
ministry and property they need, so that
they may grow to spiritual maturity and
reach out sensitively to their own
communities in evangelism and service;
• to encourage such an openness to
God's Spirit that churches throughout
the Diocese may be renewed in faith,
and made more effective in their
witness to Jesus Christ, and His love and
concern for the totality of people's
lives."
Initial forward planning suggested 33
areas where there was a need for new or
expanded ministries. At this stage the list
has been cut to 19 top priority areas. This
list will be kept under review.
The programme will require a rethink
of clergy resources. The programme will
involve retraining and experimentation. It
has been stated:
"The demands of the 19 top priority
areas will not be met just by re-allocating
ity clergy to them.
The difficulties in many of them are so
acute that, for effective ministry there, some of our most able clergy will need to
be retrained. Their task will be nothing
less than the establishment of new
pastoral and evangelistic ministries in
areas that are "mission fields" in every
sense of the name.
Already, this challenge is being held
out both to current clergy and to those
entering upon studies for the ministry.
Clearly, new models of ministry will be
called for in many of these situations. The
need for this will be examined fully by the
VISION FOR GROWTH and New Areas
Committees.
Traditionally the Home Mission Society
has existed to provide support for such
development. In recent years some of
that responsibility has been transferred to
the New Areas Committee. Both will be
vitally involved in the Vision for Growth
programme. In a letter to H.M.S.
supporters the General Secretary, Rev.
Allan Whitham wrote:
"When Bishop Frederic Barker first
arrived in the Colony, he was astonished
and somewhat dismayed to discover the
size of the Diocese, the difficulties of
communication, the scarcity of clergy and
the severe shortage of adequate buildings
for worship and teaching.
Against this background, The Church
Society (now HMS) was formed in 1856. A
firm foundation was laid for its work in
that inaugural year. In essence, the work
has continued unc hanged ever since.
Christianity can't be genetically or
denominationally inherited. Acceptance
of Christ has to be the personal choice of
each new generation. We neglect this
basic truth at our great peril. There are
enough resources within the current
generation of Anglicans in this Diocese to
make the necessary effort, But it is from
the next generation that our Christian
staff, voluntary workers, money and every
form of spiritual and material support will
have to come if HMS is to continue into
the 21st Century. Dr. Larry Crabbe to visit Sydney
Missionary and Bible College New Synod Format
Scottish "Yes" to murderer minister Eremos Bishop for Canberra
SELDOM HAS the church of Scotland's
general assembly excited such
widespread interest. But with last week's
agenda that was not surprising.
The highlight of the Assembly was
clearly the 'Nelson Case' and his appeal
against St. Andrew's Presbytery attracted
the largest audience. The Assembly Hall
in Edinburgh was packed, the public
gallery and the students gallery was
bulging at the seams, and in the areas of
the main hall it was standing room only
for the Commissioners. Outside the
Assembly Hall were queues of people
hoping to get inside to hear this unusual
case.
Mr. Nelson had served 9 years of a life
sentence for the for the bludgeoning to
death of his mother in the mid 1970's after
a row over his girlfriend. Mr. Nelson at 39
years of age is currently studying
theology at the University of St. Andrews.
Part of the controversy surrounding the
case has concerned whether he is truly
repentant or not. His surviving Father has
said on British TV that his son had
premeditated the murder, and was nor
really sorry for it. Others have given
different public testimony.
Both sides had their chance to put their
side of the argument and the
commissioners had the opportunity to
put questions to both parties at the 'Bar' but no debate was allowed. It was over an
hour and a half of question and answer
pleadings and petitioning and at the end
of the time a vote was called for.
It resulted in a narrow victory for Mr.
James Nelson. The decision was 622 votes
for and 425 votes against, and with the
some 1,200 people with a vote, clearly
some abstained. The result of this was
that St. Andrew's Presbytery was
instructed by the General Assembly to go
ahead and license Mr. Nelson, the ex-
murderer.
The Archbishop the Rt Rev. John
Habgood was present during the
controversial Motherhood of God debate
presented by the Women's Guild. He saw
this theological investigation 'bite the
dust' as the fathers and brethren decided
not take any more action, on this issue.
The Archbishop told the assembly that
relationships between the Church of
Scotland and the Church of England were
coming closer and at the Synod in July
there would be Church of Scotland
representative present.
The other unusual case was Mr. I
MacDonald, who, with a past record of
embezzling, was accorded the same
justice and the general assembly also
voted in favour of his licensing and so
instructed his Presbytery, of Hamilton to
carry out this task. the Right Rev. Owen Dowling, Bishop of
Canberra and Goulburn, announced on
F rid ay that the Reverend Bruce Wilson
has Diocese. beenlce asepoointed Assistant Bishop in
the
Mr. Wilson is presently Principal of the
College of Ministry in Canberra.
He is 42 and has spent most of his life in
Sydney. He was ordained in 1965 and
worked in the parishes of Beverley Hills
and Darling Point before spending 6 years
as Anglican Chaplain to the University of
New South Wales. His last parish
appointment was as Rector of Paddington
which he held for eight years.
Mr. Wilson is a graduate in Theology with
first class honours from the Australian
College of Theology and of the University
of N.S.W. with first class honours in
sociology. He also has a degree in divinity
and a Master of Arts degree from the
University of Sydney.
I le is married with two teenage children.
Mr. Wilson is well known for his two
books, "The Human Journey" which
received the Australian Christian Book of
the Year Award in 1981 and "Can God
survive in Australia?" published last year.
I ie is a co-founder of the Eremos
Institute, an organisation designed to
help Christians understand and
, ontribute to Australian Society, and to
)leepen spirituality.
...taiz,ha jajaowliag7 icil am delighted that moare colles
Lib:try Bruce Wilson has accepted my
nomination of him as the Assistant Bishop
of the Diocese. He is a person of great
talent who has already made his mark on
the Australian Church as a parish priest, a
University chaplain and through his
writings and work with training
conferences for clergy and laity in their
spirituality and ministry.
"Mr. Wilson will continue as Principal of
the College of Ministry as well as
Assistant Bishop in the Diocese, and a
Vice Principal will shortly be appointed to
the College to assist with lecturing and
administration."
It is anticipated that Mr. Wilson will tic
consecrated in St. Saviour's Cathedral,
Goulburn, during October.
INSIDE "Men and women,
identical in responsibility?",
part 2 of MOW
debate ...pages 6 & 7
Keston College
interview ...page 10
Galalians chapter 2,
"not contaminated"..page 11
USTRALIAN CHURCH RECORD. JUNE 25, 1984 — 1 A
