Anglican Church education program to fight immorality

From Uganda-

Former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, has challenged theological teachers to make sure that what they teach impacts on the morals of the community in order to have a loving world.

Jensen is in the country with a number of Anglican bishops and professors to review how the teaching of theology in the different institutions can be improved to ensure that there is an impact to lives of people.

The review meeting being attended by Bishops and professors from across the globe is taking place at Uganda Christian University Mukono (UCU) and is set to end on Sunday.

More here-


http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1447117/anglican-church-education-program-fight-immorality

Where are we now? The aftermath of the January meeting of primates

From Anglican Ink-

In January this year, the Primates of the Anglican Communion were summoned by the Archbishop of Canterbury to a meeting.  So serious is the crisis in the Communion about the authority of God’s word that almost every Primate attended.

As I have said previously, the result was the mildest possible rebuke over the greatest offence for the greatest offenders, with the hope that there may be repentance.

It is now perfectly clear that the meeting failed in its intention. Far from being rebuked, the leaders of the Episcopal Church said that they intend to continue in their present course and indeed to export their ideas vigorously to the rest of the world.

It seems, from what the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion is communicating, that repentance was never required – which makes the disciplinary measures rather strange.

More here-

http://www.anglican.ink/article/where-are-we-now-aftermath-january-meeting-primates

Church ethos of 'easy forgiveness' failed to stop child sex abuse, says Peter Jensen

From The Guardian-

There was an attitude of forgive-and-forget in the Anglican church that failed to halt abuse by child sex predators, former Sydney archbishop Peter Jensen has said.

Giving evidence to a royal commission hearing on Friday, the now-retired Jensen said even in 2002 senior clergy failed to respond appropriately when faced with reports of abuse.

“There is an ethos in the church of what we may call easy forgiveness ... and I think that’s what was expressed back then,” he said.

Some of the clergy were from a generation when the impact of abuse was not understood, he said.


More here-

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/05/church-ethos-of-easy-forgiveness-failed-to-stop-child-sex-abuse-says-peter-jensen

Archbishop Peter Jensen to retire at 70

From ABC Australia-

Archbishop Peter Jensen is a man of strong convictions and his faith has surely helped him through some of the more controversial times of the past 12 years at the head of the Anglican Church in Sydney.

Under the rules of the Sydney diocese, Jensen must retire at the age of 70 and will step down on his July 11, his birthday.

But it was American evangelist Billy Graham's visit to Sydney in 1959 that set Jensen on his path to clergy. When Graham challenged his audience in Sydney to give their life to Jesus Christ, Jensen accepted.

"That moment was a defining moment. I decided, yes! That's what I wanted to do. And so I joined the hundreds of others, went down the front, committed my life to Jesus Christ and never regretted it," Jensen told 702 ABC Sydney Drive's Richard Glover.

More here-

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/07/01/3793510.htm

God's way smarter than Sinatra's, says Jensen

From Australia-

THE popularity of I Did It My Way as a funeral song shows a ''vulgar egotism'' exists in society, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, says.

In his last presidential speech before retirement, Dr Jensen said society's shift towards ''deadly individualism'' had been driven by material wealth and technological mastery.
The cost of individualism, and the shift to self-love, had consequences for the quality of our community, family life and how we treat death. That was evident in the choice of ''our swan song of this generation'', Frank Sinatra's classic I Did It My Way, Dr Jensen said in his speech, titled ''Last Words''.

''It seems that we do not need each other as once we did. Nor do we need God. To think that a person is so proud of the phrase 'I did it my way' that they would use it as a summary of their life's achievement reveals an astounding moral ineptitude, a sort of vulgar egotism.''

Read more:

 http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/gods-way-smarter-than-sinatras-says-jensen-20121008-279nb.html#ixzz28nbObYXz

How to kill off religion

From Australia-

WITH an ever dwindling number of churchgoers gracing the front door of their local parish, you'd think the major Christian faiths would be aiming to attract believers rather than repel them.

Yet it would seem Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen is determined to alienate as many people as possible.

Fresh from infuriating every sensible woman in the nation, he's now focused on insulting as many gay men as possible.

At this rate there won't be anyone left to offend.

First up, of course, was the Anglican Church's grand unveiling of new wedding vows which require a woman to "submit" to her husband.

In the wake of a subsequent outcry from prospective bride and grooms who feared they had accidentally booked their wedding ceremony in the wrong century, Dr Jensen sought to assure everyone there was nothing sexist about it.

Men and women are different and must therefore commit to different vows, he insisted, before criticising the "destructive individualism and libertarianism" of "secular views of marriage."

More here-

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/how-to-kill-off-religion/story-e6frezz0-1226472851921

Archbishop offends smokers: Labor senator From:

From Australia-

A LABOR senator and marriage equality advocates have taken aim at Sydney's Anglican archbishop, describing as offensive his comments about the health risks of homosexuality.


Peter Jensen, during a TV appearance, backed the views of Australian Christian Lobby head Jim Wallace who suggested a homosexual lifestyle was more hazardous to health than smoking.

"As far as I can see the lifespan of practising gays is significantly shorter than the ordinary so-called heterosexual man," Dr Jensen told ABC's Q&A program on Monday night.

Federal Labor backbencher Trish Crossin told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday the remarks were offensive.

"Particularly for people who have smoked, who have developed cancer as a result of that, and (for) loved ones who have lost families," she said.

Senator Crossin is the co-sponsor of a private bill to legalise same-sex marriage, which could be voted on next week.

"What we want to do is force the coalition to have a conscience vote on this, like they do with every other piece of legislation," she said.

Marriage equality advocates called on Dr Jensen to apologise for his "cruel" comments on homosexuality.

More here-

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/archbishop-offends-smokers-labor-senator/story-e6frf7kf-1226471683907

Same-sex marriage will lead to polygamy, says Jensen

From Australia-

ALLOWING same-sex couples to marry could lead to the acceptance of polygamy and incest, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has warned.

Writing in the church's newspaper, Southern Cross, Dr Jensen said the push for same-sex unions to be enshrined in the Marriage Act was not a drive for the extension of rights but the redefinition of ''one of the indispensable foundations of community''.

''Ensuring public honour of same-sex relationships by calling them marriages is an abuse of marriage itself,'' he said.

Read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/samesex-marriage-will-lead-to-polygamy-says-jensen-20110610-1fx29.html#ixzz1OycX6eXe

Church tells women's march to find new spot

From Australia-

FOR ALMOST 40 years the International Women's Day march has set off from Sydney Square, between the Town Hall and St Andrew's cathedral in the city.

But this year the march organisers received a rude shock. Unknown to them the square is mostly owned by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. And the church has put the International Women's Day Collective on notice.

Yes, women can rally in the square one more time - on Saturday, March 11 - before heading down George Street. But in future years they must start the march somewhere else, ''on public land''.

Advertisement: Story continues below
''It's just amazing,'' said Anne Barber, one of the organisers. ''It's a traditional meeting point and somehow the church has right of veto.''

The Sydney diocese, under Archbishop Peter Jensen, prescribes that women must submit to the ''headship'' of men in the church and in their marriage. It also opposes ordination of women.

But a spokesman for the diocese, Russell Powell, said the women were not being singled out. A new policy on all rallies in the square was being considered by the board of the Glebe Administration Board, which is the church's business arm.

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/church-tells-womens-march-to-find-new-spot-20110116-19slu.html

Church needs new vision, says Jensen

From Australia-

AUSTRALIA'S Anglican Church is merely papering over the cracks of serious internal fractures and is running out of time, the Sydney Archbishop, Peter Jensen said.

Dr Jensen said the triennial General Synod (national parliament), which ended in Melbourne yesterday, was a missed opportunity.

''It's a business meeting, but we needed a vision meeting,'' he said. The church needed to bring together visionaries with fresh ideas about how to minister to people, not politicians from the various dioceses.''

He said he had proposed that the synod be replaced with such a meeting and several bishops were interested, but the idea ran out of steam.

''Synods have their place, but they don't do the vision,'' Dr Jensen said.

He said the synod was superficial, ignoring fundamental problems that had to be addressed: ''We are losing time to bring together Australian Anglicans of different ages to grapple with the problems and how to do Christian ministry.''

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/national/church-needs-new-vision-says-jensen-20100923-15ovm.html

Bishop enters battle against secular ethics classes

From Australia-

THE Bishop of North Sydney has urged Anglican priests to collect information from principals of public schools to stop the spread of the secular ethics classes the Sydney Anglicans believe may threaten religious education.

In an email seen by the Herald, Bishop Glenn Davies urged ministers to contact the principals of public schools in their parishes to ascertain the exact numbers of children enrolled in religious education. This was even though most schools were not involved in the trial, which is being piloted at just 10 schools under the guidance of the St James Ethics Centre.

''The St James Ethics Centre claims that there are large numbers of students not enrolled in SRE [special religious education],'' the email from Bishop Davies read. ''We need to gather some accurate information to challenge this claim.''

Bishop Davies added that ''there is an urgency to this request'' and asked for results by the following week.

The Herald has learnt that even rectors whose local schools are not involved in the trial have turned up at P&C meetings to protest about the secular ethics classes.

Groups of religious education teachers including Anglicans have also lobbied the principals of schools where the trial will occur, to make sure the trial did not affect their class numbers.

The NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations and the St James Ethics Centre yesterday renewed their invitation to the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, to meet to discuss the trial.

''There is absolutely no desire or intention to weaken religion or eliminate scripture from schools and to suggest otherwise is misleading,'' the centre's head, Simon Longstaff, said. ''The reality is that, prior to this trial being mounted, in some schools, 50 to 80 per cent of students were electing not to go to scripture.''

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/bishop-enters-battle-against-secular-ethics-classes-20100413-s7pp.html

Church leaders unite against the `idolatry' of atheism

From Australia-

THE creeping forces of secularism and materialism were addressed by several religious leaders during their Good Friday messages yesterday, with Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen condemning atheism as a form of self-worship.

"As we can see by the sheer passion and virulence of the atheist -- they seem to hate the Christian God -- we are not dealing here with cool philosophy up against faith without a brain," Dr Jensen told the congregation at Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral.

"Atheism is every bit of a religious commitment as Christianity itself.

"It represents the latest version of the human assault on God, born out of resentment that we do not in fact rule the world and that God calls on us to submit our lives to Him. It is a form of idolatry in which we worship ourselves."

Dr Jensen's comments came a day after Catholic Archbishop George Pell praised church-based community organisations "paid for by the Christian majority" for helping make the Australian way of life the envy of the world, but noted that atheists did not sponsor any community services.

More here-

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/church-leaders-unite-against-the-idolatry-of-atheism/story-e6frg6nf-1225849066232

Anglicans warn of lonely heart at the centre of glittering city

From Australia-

IF SYDNEY were a person, she would have a loud laugh but a lonely heart.

The city's Anglican archbishop, Peter Jensen, says ''our glittering city contains so much loneliness'', and he is so concerned he has made it the theme of his Easter message.

''You can have it all and still be miserable,'' he said. ''We are not meant to be alone.''

This year the archbishop will make it his mission to ease the loneliness of Sydneysiders by bringing them to church in a campaign that some say is placing too much pressure on overworked clergy.

Connect '09, last year's campaign to hand out a million copies of the gospel of St Luke around Sydney, has been extended and rebranded ''Connect for Life''.

Dr Jensen has also extended his own reach beyond the religious holidays like Easter, seizing on Anzac Day, which this year falls on a Sunday, to distribute a special DVD message in parishes throughout the Sydney Archdiocese.

And he is still committed to the mission he took on in 2002, to have 10 per cent of Sydney's population in ''Bible-based churches'' within the decade, although he admits progress is lagging.

''Our starting base was 2.5 to 2.7 per cent [of the population],'' he said, while conceding Anglicans are not too good at counting.

''There is slight growth. We are nowhere near the 10 per cent.''

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/anglicans-warn-of-lonely-heart-at-the-centre-of-glittering-city-20100331-reww.html

Jensen rejects vote for lesbian

From Australia-

THE Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has urged the world Anglican communion to eject the Episcopal Church after it elected a lesbian bishop in a Los Angeles diocese.

Calling the election of Reverend Canon Mary Glasspool ''sad but not surprising'', Dr Jensen said yesterday the Episcopal Church leadership had ''chosen to walk in a way which is contrary to scripture'' and ''contrary to historic Anglicanism''.

His comments followed a quick response from the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who urged Episcopal Church leaders to refrain from provocative acts and consider the ''very serious questions'' the election raised before confirming the appointment.

The Anglican Church has been divided on openly homosexual clergy, with some saying Canon Glasspool's election makes a schism inevitable.

''I think this will confirm the view of people who say the communion is already broken, let's face up to the facts, let's not pretend,'' said the Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth.

''There is deep division here on profound principle, about which I can see no middle ground.''

Canon Glasspool has lived with her partner, the academic Becki Sander, since 1988. If her appointment is confirmed, she will be the second openly gay person to be made bishop in the liberal US wing of the Anglican Church, after Gene Robinson in New Hampshire. His 2003 election led to a moratorium on further gay bishops which was overturned by the Episcopal Church in July.

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/national/jensen-rejects-vote-for-lesbian-20091207-kffe.html

Row over Holy Communion presider

More from Australia-

Sydney Anglican Archbishop, Peter Jensen is facing a legal challenge over his church's decision to break with the national church and permit deacons or church elders to preside over Holy Communion.

The highest court of the Australian Anglican Church, the Appellate Tribunal, has been convened to decide on the contentious issue of whether church law allows others to preside over a duty exclusively performed by ordained priests and bishops, the Brisbane Times quotes a Sydney Morning Herald report saying.

The tribunal, headed by the Appeal Court judge and leading Sydney Anglican Peter Young, conducted a preliminary hearing on August 20 and is awaiting submissions from interested parties. Eight diocesan bishops 20 clergy and laity from 13 dioceses around the country outside of Sydney have applied for a legal ruling, the report said.

The question of who should preside over the central worship service for Anglicans has been a source of simmering tensions inside the church for more than 30 years, the report adds.

Evangelicals say there is no legal impediment to deacons or church elders performing a fuller worship role, while traditionalists argue it is an encroachment on the role and ministry of priests and bishops, and that it contravened the upheld standards of worship in the Anglican communion.

More here-

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=17139

Jesus saves, but shattered Anglicans regret not having that luxury

From Austrailia-

THE shaken Anglican Archbishop of Sydney admits he has wondered whether God had decided to punish his diocese.

Peter Jensen confessed yesterday to being grief-stricken by the size of the diocese's $160 million financial loss and called on his faithful not be panicked or paralysed by the money crisis but to turn to God in ''active faith''.

In an impassioned speech aimed at lifting morale at the annual synod, Dr Jensen said he had been struggling emotionally to come to terms with the losses which have triggered cuts to ministries and jobs, including senior clergy positions. He believed the loss could be a warning to the wealthiest Anglican diocese in Australia not to rely on its wealth.

The global crisis has slashed the value of the diocese's assets and forced a restructure of its regional organisations in a year it is undertaking a million-dollar mass evangelisation campaign.

Dr Jensen told the church faithful yesterday he most regretted the loss of four archdeacons, some of the church's most senior clerics, the impact of the crisis on the budget of St Andrew's Cathedral and Youth Works, the diocese's youth mission.

Since November, when it became apparent the cuts would be twice as large as first anticipated, Dr Jensen said he had felt initial doubts - which he had subsequently rejected - about whether the diocese had engaged in ethically dubious practices by highly gearing its investments and uncertainty about how to address the losses.

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/national/jesus-saves-but-shattered-anglicans-regret-not-having-that-luxury-20091019-h4zn.html

Britain in battle for its soul, says Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen

From the London Times-

Britain is facing a “battle for the soul of the nation”, an archbishop warned yesterday at the inaugural meeting of a group that threatens to split the Church of England.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, called for a spiritual renewal of Church and State in his keynote speech to the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in London. Dr Jensen, arguably the most powerful evangelical in the Anglican Communion and a driving force behind the conservative revival, said: “In this country, the Christian foundations have been shaken. In this and the next generation there will be fought what may amount to the last battle for the soul of the nation.

“It will be an ideological war, a war of ideas. But great issues will hang upon the outcome: the fate of a culture and the eternal fate of souls.” He warned: “The culture of the West has adopted and promulgated anti-Christian belief and practice.

“It confronts every Christian with the choice of submission or harassment. It pretends to be the true heir of the Christian faith, and that the entire structure of Christian thought can disappear into the receding past. The conflict is over the authority of Jesus Christ. The fact that sexual ethics is where the contest is sharpest should not divert us from this basic truth.”

More here-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6653096.ece

Millions wiped out by church gambles

THE world's richest and largest Anglican diocese has lost more than $100 million on the stockmarket and is investigating ways to cut programs and ministries across Sydney.

Two years ago the Anglican diocese of Sydney was able to allocate $30 million to educate new ministers, spread the Gospel and reach out to young people. But returns from investments have plummeted so steeply that the funds available next year have been slashed to $5.6 million.

The cuts will probably jeopardise funding for places at the ministry training institution, Moore College - causing either lower student numbers or higher fees - and Youthworks, which recruits young people for mission work.

They will also eat into allocations for clergy, including the archbishop, bishops and regional offices, and some resources have already been restructured.

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has written to clergy warning that the global financial crisis has caused significant losses. He said the diocese had borrowed money to invest and used the profits to build churches in 2007.

"In the extraordinary conditions at the end of 2008, as the whole market fell, this strategy also accentuated our losses," Dr Jensen said.

"As a result, our investments have fallen by more than half and distribution of money from our investments has been cut by 50 per cent."

More here-

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/millions-wiped-out-by-church-gambles-20090609-c29m.html

Anglicans in quiet protest at Springer

Jerry Springer The Opera? I thought that was a redundancy.

IN THE first Christian protest against the Sydney production of Jerry Springer The Opera, a prominent Anglican lecturer has dubbed the show "a vile piece … which offends religious people".

In a post at sydneyanglicans.net, the Reverend Michael Jensen, the son of Sydney's Anglican Archbishop, Peter Jensen, attacked the production for lack of artistic merit and for blasphemous content.

The show, which opens at the Opera House tomorrow, features scenes set in hell and a black Jesus who admits he is "a little bit gay".

"Shock and offence can be cheap artistic tricks which compromise art as art," Mr Jensen wrote. "Our Lord is being terribly besmirched by this tawdry show."

Mr Jensen declined to speak to the Herald on the grounds that it would give the show extra publicity.

The opera was notorious in Britain, attracting more than 50,000 complaints when the BBC televised a performance in 2005. Protesters burnt their annual television licences and BBC executives fled their homes after the organisation Christian Voice published their private telephone numbers and addresses on the internet.

Sydney's Anglicans appear to be taking a more stealthy approach. In his post, Mr Jensen advises against public protests, instead dismissing the show as "not really that good".

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/anglicans-in-quiet-protest-at-springer/2009/04/19/1240079536191.html