Peter does it again!

Next time, make sure you have a ride home.

Proposed Confessional Statement for All Saints'
(This proposed statement is drawn from the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students - part 1, the Evangelical Fellowship of the Anglican Communion - part 2, and American Anglican Council - part 3).

Part 1

We rejoice in the central truths of Christianity as revealed in Scripture, including:

• The unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Godhead
• The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgment.
• The divine inspiration and entire trustworthiness of Holy Scripture, as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct
• The universal sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall, rendering them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
• Redemption from the guilt, penalty, dominion and pollution of sin, solely through the sacrificial death (as our representative and substitute) of the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God.
• The bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of God the Father.
• The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the work of regeneration..
• The justification of the sinner by the grace of God through faith alone.
• The indwelling work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
• The one, holy, universal Church which is the body of Christ and to which all true believers belong.
• The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Part 2

Further, as Anglican Christians, we accept the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion as a general exposition of the Reformed Faith, and desire to lay emphasis on two other doctrines which follow:

• The Ministry and the Sacraments: We acknowledge Jesus Christ as our only and sufficient mediator between God and man, and His death as the only sacrifice for our sins. We therefore believe that the distinctive functions of the ordained ministry are pastoral, not sacerdotal; that while the Holy Communion service is a proper occasion for the offering of praise and thanksgiving, and of ourselves and our gifts, these are responsive sacrifices offered by all the worshipers as members of the priesthood of all believers; and that the Lord’s Supper itself, and particularly the action with the bread and wine in which the minister alone engages, is a sacrament administered to man, not a sacrifice offered to God. We affirm, further, that all ceremonial used in worship should be a true expression of these Biblical doctrines.

• The Church: We believe that the Church is the Israel of God, redeemed by His Son, and indwelt by His Spirit, whose calling is to worship God and to witness to Him in the world. Although we hold that the spiritual unity of the Church already exists and has never been destroyed, since the one Spirit animates the one Body, we welcome all efforts to effect full communion between the churches, provided that Biblical truth is not thereby compromised.
  

Part 3

Finally, we also hold to these contemporary applications of the Gospel:

• The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ: While religions and philosophies of the world are not without elements of truth, Jesus Christ alone is the full revelation of God. In and through the Gospel, Jesus judges and corrects all views and doctrines. All persons everywhere need to learn of him, come to know and believe in him, and receive forgiveness and new life in him, as there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

• Marriage, Family, and the Single Life: God has instituted marriage to be a life-long union of husband and wife, intended for their mutual joy, help, and comfort, and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation and nurture of children. Divorce is always contrary to God’s original intention, though in a fallen world it is sometimes a tragic necessity. The roles of father and mother, exercised in a variety of ways, are God-given and profoundly important since they are the chief providers of moral instruction and godly living. The single life, either by call or by circumstance, is honored by God. It is therefore important for unmarried persons to embrace and be embraced by the Christian family.

• Human Sexuality: Sexuality is inherent in God’s creation of every human person in his image as male and female. All Christians are called to chastity: Husbands and wives by exclusive sexual fidelity to one another and single persons by abstinence from sexual intercourse. God intends and enables all people to live within these boundaries, with the help and in the fellowship ofthe Church.

Great Conference this Fall In Washington DC
If you have never heard of Phillip Jensen or Tony Payne, here is your chance. Phillip is dean of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and is an excellent teacher and biblical expositor. Tony edits the Briefing and is an author of a number of books. Along with Mark Dever, this will doubtless be the kind of conference many pastors/laity will enjoy!

Putting ever so simply

Diocese of the Yukon Resolution

Be it resolved that the Synod of the Diocese of Yukon, in response to the St. Michael Report, affirms the following:

a) that the biblical understanding of marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others;

b) that the blessing of same-sex unions is an important doctrinal matter which runs counter to Scripture and the current doctrine and Canon of Marriage within the Anglican Church of Canada;

c) that there is hope for healing and transformation of all sexual brokenness and sin through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.