By Robyn Douglass Correspondent The Anglican Church of Australia's General Synod has narrowly failed to endorse a motion declaring that marriage is exclusively between men and women. At its meeting on the Gold Coast, a three-hour debate on May 11 was followed by the tightest of votes, and the response was tears, anguish and a suspension of business for the day. General … [Read more...] about Australian Bishops Block Traditional Marriage Resolution
Australia
Australia’s GAFCON Chair Looks Ahead to May Synod
By Robyn Douglass Correspondent The Australian General Synod was due to meet in 2020, but COVID has postponed that — twice. It’s now scheduled for May 8-13 on the Gold Coast in Queensland — bang in the center of the region that suffered catastrophic floods at the end of February. Arks ahoy. While the vexed question of the church’s blessing of same-sex unions has not gone … [Read more...] about Australia’s GAFCON Chair Looks Ahead to May Synod
Cornerstones: St. Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide
By Robyn Douglass Correspondent Adelaide is nicknamed the “City of Churches,” and while the South Australian capital has some fine places of worship, St Peter’s Cathedral is the standout. When the city was founded by Europeans in 1836, the governor of the colony promised the Church of England a spot in the central square. But the city fathers disputed the gift, arguing he had … [Read more...] about Cornerstones: St. Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide
Australian Church Confronts Domestic Violence
By Robyn Douglass Correspondent Australians love “mateship,” but the stereotype of tough manliness has a dark underbelly. Australia as a whole is grappling with the ugly truth of domestic violence. One in six women and one in 16 men has experienced violence by a current or previous partner. A recent report reveals that churchgoing Anglicans are just as or more likely to be … [Read more...] about Australian Church Confronts Domestic Violence
Australia’s Good Book
The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History By Meredith Lake New South, pp. 544, $39.99 As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. Review by Robyn Douglass “Bible Basher” is an Australian insult for someone who engages in enthusiastic proselytizing, or just someone who talks about Christianity a bit. There is a group of Bible Bashers who stake … [Read more...] about Australia’s Good Book
Action Against Australian Bishop Halted
By John Martin A court has ordered the Anglican Church of Australia to discontinue disciplinary proceedings against a bishop who did not take sufficient action against a notorious child abuser. The Tasmanian Supreme Court has ruled that Bishop Philip Newell, who now suffers from advanced dementia, is not fit to take part any disciplinary hearings. In 2017, a royal commission … [Read more...] about Action Against Australian Bishop Halted
50 Years in Northern Australia
Not many Anglican dioceses could round up every diocesan bishop who has ever served there. The Diocese of the Northern Territory, Australia’s youngest diocese, has had six bishops in its 50-year history, and they are all still alive. From Bishop Ken Mason to the current bishop, the Rt. Rev. Greg Anderson, they have been part of the diocese’s celebrations to mark its … [Read more...] about 50 Years in Northern Australia
Restoring a Remote Australian Church
It has been six years since a hymn rang out in Australia’s most remote parish church. All Saints Church, located on the far-eastern edge Torres Strait Island of Erub, has been crumbling away, but contractors are restoring the building to its former glory. Walter Lui, the church warden of All Saints and grandson of its first priest, recalled the beauty of traditional island … [Read more...] about Restoring a Remote Australian Church