The Trinity -- By Cranach

THE TRINITY

By VALERIE MARSHALL Let’'s first establish that the word Trinity is not found in the Bible. The Godhead is a more appropriate term to use since the scripture mentions it [Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9] The Godhead is eternal. There have always been three, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. All three have always been divine. Each person of the Godhead has a particular function unique to Himself [Genesis 1:26 indicates that God was not alone when He announced: “Let us make man.”] A: THE FATHER: The mystery of the Godhead should remind us when we contemplate the nature of God that we reach a limit of our finite human understanding. The three persons exist within one God; they comprise one divine being, not like rooms in a house, but like notes in a chord.[John 3:16; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16] B: THE SON: [John 11:25,26; John 14:6; John 16:27,28; John 13:31; John 10:30; Philippians 17:5; Philippians 2:6.] C: THE HOLY GHOST: John 14:26; John 16:4 – 16]. INSEPARABLE TEAM: Father, Son and Holy Ghost [John 17:21]. All three were present at Christ’s baptism [Matthew 3:16,17]. All three were together at the beginning [Genesis 1:26]. The Godhead has a full divine triune nature, and the three parts are inseparable. When you encounter one, you have encountered all three. They work as a team, and cannot be separated Father, Son and Holy Ghost A: The Father made provision/salvation for mankind. B: The Son is the provision, the ultimate sacrifice. C: The Holy Ghost is the promise Christ gave, and sent by the Father as the Christians continued provision until Christ returns. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are a team inseparable, which makes them one -- THE GODHEAD.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT HELL?

By GRET RACINE Rather than only reading texts and bible dictionaries to know what biblical scholars believe about Hell, I decided to do a mini survey of some Christians and family to find a broader answer to what Hell is. I was surprised with some of the responses, although to be fair one rarely hears any fire and brimstone (hell and damnation) teaching these days, therefore perhaps people tend not to think about such unpleasant matters. Several people said they believed Hell was eternal separation from God and His mercy. Some were uncertain if God really would condemn people to damnation because God is love, there-fore would He really allow people to be eternally damned? These same people, however, do believe in the Bible’s authority. Some thought Hell would be anarchy (no law or government), therefore absolutely dreadful. One man said he didn’t really like to think about Hell and what will happen to unbelievers, but rather to concentrate on God’s love, mercy and goodness to believers. In these days of political correctness and tolerance, it seems very hard for Christians to expound the truth about Hell as we read it in the Bible unpalatable as it may seem for fear of upsetting people or of being accused, even mocked, for not being loving and kind. Talk about death and Hell takes second place to talk about what God has and can do for one. Maybe people think if they ignore it, it will all work out and everyone will be happy. Perhaps the idea of eternal punishment and suffering without any escape is beyond our understanding when we in the western world at least can usually escape from difficult situations. Some of my friends believe that even true Christians who die with unconfessed sin in their lives will go to Hell God will judge them harshly and send them to the fire. In the church and definitely in society, it seems any interest in things about judgement and Hell is just not there we are a feel good people who don’t like feeling uncomfortable or threatened by the thought of pain or suffering, especially if it means by us or those close to us. So we ignore it and hope it will go away, rather than trying to bring people to Jesus, to repent and be forgiven and assured of an eternity with God. So what do scholars and the Bible say about Hell? Collins Dictionary says Hell is the place or state of eternal punishment of the wicked after death, the abode of the spirits of the dead. One theology dictionary says Hell is the place of punishments for wicked people. It is a place of: bondage (imprisonment for the wicked in the furnace) Matt.13:42, 50 a lake of fire Rev. 20:10, 14-15, 21:8, prison Matt. 5:22-26, 18:34-35, Jude 6) retribution for evil (Luke 17:29-30, 2 Pet. 2:13, Matt. 16:27, Jude 7, Rev. 14:9-11) of darkness (Matt. 8:2, Ps.88:12) of worms (Mark 9;48, Isa. 14:11) hopelessness (Matt 25:30) physical torture (Matt. 13:42, Mk. 9:48-49, Lk. 12:47) eternal punishment (Rev. 20:10, 14:11, Matt. 25:46) separation from God and the righteous (Matt. 25:30, Luke 16:26) Harry Blamires writes that Hell is the punishment for evil (as Paul writes in Rom. 2:5-9, 12, 2 Thess. 1:8-9) and that it is easy but dangerous to picture Hell as full of really evil people or dangerous criminals, rather than ordinary, good, everyday people who have not repented of their sins. Ajith Fernando writes that Hell is a place where the unrighteous will be disciplined, even if people and possibly even Christians believe it is unjust and discriminatory. Hell is thought of in a negative way which is why he wonders if that is why many people are turning to other religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, New Age because reincarnation is a more palatable idea than Hell. He writes that Hell is a consequence of sin. Biblical language may be more figurative than literal, but Hell is a place; Gehenna (Greek) named after the valley south of Jerusalem where child sacrifices were made to Moloch during the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Kings 16:3, 2 Chron. 28:3, 33:6, Jer. 7:31-34). In Josiah’s reign it was then used as the rubbish dump for Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:10) or for burning dead paupers so the fire was never put out. It was thought to be the place of God’s fiery judgement; (Isa. 30:33, 66:24, Jer. 7:31-34). a fiery lake of burning sulphur as depicted in Revelation 19:20, 14:11, 20:10, 21:8, 20:14-15. Sheol (Hebrew, O.T.) Or Hades (Greek, N.T.) in part of the O.T. it means a place of the dead, a jail (Job 17:13-16). Elsewhere it is considered to be the intermediate state where the dead, both righteous and unrighteous, are waiting for judgement. (Dan. 12:2-3, Ps. 49:15, 73:24-26). [Interestingly in the N.T., 1 Thess. 4:13-18 and Luke 16:19-31 arguably refer to this intermediate state (soul sleep) but elsewhere, e.g. Luke 23:43, Phil. 1:22-23, 2 Cor. 5:8, Rom. 8:18-23 we read the believer at death is with Christ]. of the grave (Acts 2:27, 31) of death (1 Cor. 15:55) the underworld (Tartaros [Gk]) (2 Pet. 2:4) the abyss (Rom. 10:7, Rev. 11:7, 17:8, 20:3) Fernando writes that Hell is a place of; punishment (Heb. 10:31, 12:9 [fire], Rom. 2:5, Eph. 5:6, Col. 3:6 [God’s anger for the disobedient] 2 Thess. 1:8, 9 [punishment for those who don’t believe in the Gospel]. separation from God (Eph. 2:12, Rom. 6:23, Luke 13:27). suffering (for the Antichrist Rev. 14:10, 11, 20:10). (as Jesus says) weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 13:42, 50, 22:13, 8:12). regret (rebellious overthrown Lk. 16:23-30 and forced to acknowledge Jesus Phil. 2:10, 11). Milne writes that there is a division between the innocent [acquitted] and the guilty [condemned] (Dan. 12:2, Matt. 13:39-43, Jn. 5:28f) and the latter’s destination will be Hell. God’s anger will send to eternal punishment those who don’t repent, who reject His will, those who live in rebellion away from God. Hell is a place of solemnity (Jn. 3:18-20, 36). He then goes on to discuss universalism. Universalists believe that all people will be forgiven and saved by God in His mercy. They use passages like Rom. 5:8, 2 Cor. 5:19, Eph. 1:10, 1 Tim. 2:4, 4:10 to argue their case. But, Milne writes, Jesus (Parables Matt. 12:37-50, 22:11-14, 25:40-46) and Paul (1 Cor. 1:18-24, Eph. 5:4-6, Phil. 1:28) were not Universalist in their teaching. God does not find mitigating circumstances in any sin and will not excuse it. Milne writes that sin resists God’s Lordship, it rejects His purposes, it deflects from His glory. Milne, looking at Jesus and Paul’s teaching, says Hell will be eternal suffering for the sinful. (cf. Matt. 25:41, 18:9, cf. Mk. 9:44, 48, 2 Thess. 1:7-9, Jude 7, 13, Rev. 14:9-11, 20:10). McGrath writes that as opposed to the Middle Ages where the idea of Hell and fires of damnation were written about and even painted, today some believe that Hell is unchristian because it is unjust and retributive and the New Testament portrays Jesus as compassionate. He believes that most people, including academics and Christians, are not interested in the whole idea of Hell. He briefly discusses conditional immortality (synonym Annihilationism see later). Some scholars believe the sinful will go to oblivion at death or at Jesus’ judgement leaving only one kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, rather than two kingdoms, Heaven and Hell.15 Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians and Seventh Day Adventists believe in this. The book Two Views of Hell written by Edward Fudge and Robert Peterson is a good book to read. It describes both cases conditional immortality (Fudge) and the more traditional view of eternal suffering for unbelievers (Peterson). However, I agree with Augustine who believed that after judgement, there will be two distinct kingdoms, each with their own boundaries the Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of Satan. Packer writes that even for Christians, it is hard to take the reality of Hell seriously when the western world is usually optimistic and questioning if morality matters, and their idea of God is too often limited. Packer writes of Hell as being: fire and darkness (Jude 7, 13) crying and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12, 13:42, 50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30). a place of destruction (2 Thess. 1:7-9, 2 Pet. 3:7, 1 Thess. 5:3) and torment (Rev. 20:10, Lk. 16-23). He writes it is a miserable place and is meant to shock and fill one with horror even if the terminology is symbolic rather than literal. Hell will be full of God’s angry presence rather than His absence. He writes that God’s anger is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) and in that anger sinners will be condemned and have everything valuable taken away from them . . . Hell indeed (Rom. 2:6, 8-9, 12). They will be denied God’s grace and everything good. Packer says Hell is eternal (Jude 13, Rev. 20:10) and final, and is for the sinful not the righteous, for those who reject the Creator as Lord, who choose to reject Jesus as Saviour and Lord. (Jn. 3:18-21, Rom. 1:18, 24, 26, 28, 32, 2:8, 2 Thess. 2:9-11). . God gave people free will, freedom to choose, and He respects the choices they make, whether to live for themselves or Him, but the former group will go to Hell. He writes that it is only by God’s grace that Christians are saved from this eternal punishment. (Matt. 5:29-30, 13:48-50). Packer (and Milnes) reject the doctrine of Annihilationism (conditional immortality) maintaining there is no Bible passage that confirms that the sinful will become extinct at death or judgement.22 Many people who believe in this, believe eternal suffering is a contradiction of God’s love. The loving God would not want people to suffer for ever so they would pass to oblivion. There is also the thought that if a place of evil where Satan and his followers live, it would be tantamount to saying that God had not won the victory in that dark place. Some passages people use to back their argument are Rom. 6:23, James 5:20, Rev. 20:4, Matt. &;13, 10:28, 1 Thess. 1:9, John 3:16 though most of these suggest deprivation from God rather than Annihilation. So God at judgement will hear everyones’ account of their lives (Matt. 12:36, Ps. 31:18, Rom. 2:6-11) and those who have lived in sin, who have not believed in Him and the gospel will be punished in that awful place Hell. Not only will God punish them, He will rule over them. (Matt. 16:27, 25:31-46, Rom. 12:19, 1 Cor. 15:24-25, 2 Cor. 5:10). What happens to the wicked at death or judgement, be it eternal damnation or annihilation surely the horror of punishment should spur Christians on to continue sharing the news of the Gospel with others to ensure they too will spend their eternity with God rather than in Hell.

Abraham Gives Alms To Melchizedek

THE MYSTERIOUS HIGH PRIEST MELCHIZEDEK

By JULIAN HANCOCK It amazes me that the editors of the Bible did not delete the various references, in both the Old and New testaments, to Melchizedek because it is quite clear (well to me anyhow) from these various references that this personage was much higher up the spiritual hierarchy than Jesus right from the beginning: See Hebrews 7:1 – 4 “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man [was], unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.” And in Hebrews 6.20 “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.” Further evidence that Jesus, only after his death and resurrection acchieved the spititual status of Melchizedek, is found in Hebrews 7:5 “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,” and continuing in Hebrews 7:16 – 22 “Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath [he was made priest]: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.” Earlier reference to Melchizedek’s spiritual status is found in Genesis 14: 18 – 20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he [was] the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.”

The ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

By VALERIE MARSHALL A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF THE FATHER The purpose of this article is to try and explain at the human level, what it means to be the only begotten Son of the Father from a Biblical perspective. The word begotten comes from the word “beget” meaning to bring into being (i). The word “Son” will be applied and referred to as Jesus Christ -- meaning the only true God and Saviour of the world (1John 5:18; Mark 8:31) -- the one who came down from heaven to take our place, ( the place of all of us sinners), under the law and keep the law perfectly for us and then to pay for all our sins with his own blood (ii). The word “Father” will be referred to as; Jehovah Elohim (The Eternal Creator) Genesis 2:4-25, and Jehovah Jireh ( The Lord Will Provide) Genesis 22:8-14 (iii). In the next explanation I will refer to the Father as Jehovah Jireh, ( Our Provider), because He provided a definite plan of salvation where all men and women would have an opportunity to benefit and gain entrance into eternal life through His Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The fact of Jesus’ being the literal Son of God in the flesh is crucial to the Atonement, which could not have been accomplished by an ordinary man. Because of the fall of Adam, all mankind are subject to physical death and are shut out from the presence of God. The human family is unable to save itself. Divine law required the sacrifice of a sinless, infinite, and eternal being -- “A GOD “ -- someone not dominated by the fall, to redeem mankind from their lost and fallen condition. Jehovah Jireh sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law (Gal 4:4) into the world for a thre fold purpose. The first purpose was to disclose to man-kind the true nature of sin and the depth of depravity to which he had fallen. The next reason was to reveal to him his powerlessness to preserve or regain an adequate knowledge of Himself. The third reason is to deliver mankind from sin, and to teach him that forgiveness and restoration are possible only on the grounds of a substitutionary sacrifice who is the Begotten Son (John 3:16) (iv). The Only Begotten Son Was brought into existence to be a part of God’s plan. He served God in God’s Master Plan of Redemption. He wasn’t only a servant to God (Jehovah Elohim) the eternal creator, He also served mankind by being obedient to God the Father’s will, and for this reason He is called: The Only Begotten Son of God. To examine how it would be to be the only begotten Son of God, we must also realize the divinity and humanity of Christ. Since Jesus was 100 per cent human and 100 per cent divine, consider these observations: As a human, Jesus felt all of the personality traits any human faces daily. He was at times lonely, happy, sad, had ups and downs -- felt estranged from what HE knew to be HIS real heritage. But as the DIVINE, HE knew what HIS mission was. He communed constantly with HIS heavenly FATHER. HE longed to be in God's presence again once HIS mission on earth was complete. There was no dualism in this life setting for Jesus, because HE was able to balance both worlds because HE IS GOD! Each day, Jesus increased as HIS humanity decreased (so to speak) in that HE was more and more about HIS Father's business but was able to still be a "natural man". As the only begotten, HE accepted the challenge that HE had to accomplish what HIS mission on earth was -- to seek and to save the lost. He knew that to shy away from that calling would be to deny HIS real heritage...HIS royalty and HIS anointing. The buzz word here is "only," for Jesus knew that the mission of existence was HIS and HIS alone. (i) The Open Bible; New King James Version; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Pg. 79 (ii) The Complete Christian Dictionary For Home And School; Copyright 1992; All Nations; Ventura, Calif, USA. (iii) Names of God; P.O. Box 42076 Atlanta Ga 30311; NAMES OF GOD (iv) Lectures in Systematic Theology; Henry Clarence Thiessen; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, Mich.

CANON LAW

Canon law is the body of legislation that regulates the discipline of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, as enacted by their respective ecclesiastical authorities. From the 3rd century, at first on a regional and then on a church-wide basis, assemblies of bishops approved canons, or norms, for Christian communities. Although a remarkable uniformity gradually prevailed, some variety in practice was recognised. In the East, for example, married men could be ordained to the priesthood, but in the West only single men were ordained. Eventually, other ecclesiastical rulings were deemed on a par with conciliar enactments. About AD 500, DIONYSIUS EXIGUUS collected 38 papal DECRETALS which, along with his Latin translation of canons, were widely circulated in western Europe. In the East, the Council of Trullo (or Quinisext Council; 692) officially accepted as normative the decretal letters of 12 FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, and laws of the Byzantine emperors having to do with church affairs were included with canons of councils in collections known as Nomocanons. After the Second Council of NICAEA in 787, the last ecumenical COUNCIL to be accepted in both East and West, the history of canon law diverges sharply. The recensions of ecclesiastical law made at the time of the patriarch PHOTIUS (c.880) proved to be the last for the ORTHODOX CHURCH and were transmitted to all the churches derived from Constantinople, most notably the Russian. In the West, the classical period extends from the publication of GRATIAN's Decretum, or Concordance of Discordant Canons (1140), a collection of all previous law, until the death of the great lay canonist, Joannes Andreae in 1348. Up to the Reformation, the six collections eventually known as the Corpus Iuris Canonici (Body of Canon Law) constituted the universal church law for all of Western Christendom: the Decretum of Gratian; the Decretales of GREGORY IX (1234); the Liber Sextus of BONIFACE VIII (1298); the Clementinae (1317); the Extravagantes of JOHN XXII (1325); and the Extravagantes communes (c.1500). Together with the Decreta of the Council of TRENT (1545-63) and the enactments of subsequent popes, the Corpus remained the fundamental law of the Roman Catholic church until the 20th century. The Code of Canons for the Church of England, originally issued in 1603-04 and revised in 1964-69, is also based to some extent on the Corpus. In 1917 the first Code of Canon Law became effective for the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church. About 900 pages long, the code contained 2,414 canons divided into 5 books. Comparatively little was changed until the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Between 1949 and 1957 four parts of a code for the Eastern Rite Catholic churches were also promulgated. The Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law, established by Pope John XXIII on March 28, 1963, engaged in an intensive worldwide consultation of experts in the theological disciplines as well as in the behavioural sciences. After years of preparatory work, preliminary drafts of certain sections and later of the entire projected code were circulated to bishops and Catholic universities for comment. Nearly two decades after the establishment of the commission, a final draft was submitted to Pope John Paul II, who, after making a number of revisions on his own, promulgated the new code on January 25, 1983, to take effect on November 27, 1983, the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the ecclesiastical year. In two notable respects the new code differs from the old: (1) authority has been somewhat decentralized so that in many instances the law is to be determined at the regional or local level; (2) for the first time the rights and obligations of all church members have been specified in law. The new code is made up of 1,752 canons arranged in 7 books: I, "General Norms" (203 canons), concerning the interpretation of law, custom, administrative acts, and ecclesiastical offices; II, "On the People of God" (543 canons), about the rights and obligations of the laity, the clergy, and religious communities; III, "On the Teaching Role of the Church" (87 canons), treating mission activity, preaching the word of God, Catholic educational institutions, and the communications media, particularly books; IV, "On the Sanctifying Role of the Church" (420 canons), respecting the seven sacraments, funerals, veneration of the saints, vows, church buildings, cemeteries, holy days, and fasting; V, "On Ecclesiastical Property" (57 canons), regulating its acquisition, administration, alienation, and accountability; VI, "On Ecclesiastical Sanctions" (89 canons), about violations of church law, excommunication, suspension, and interdict; VII, "On Judicial Procedures" (353 canons), about church courts, trials, matrimonial cases, recourse against administrative decrees, and the removal of pastors. A commission was organized in 1971 to prepare a codification for the Eastern Rite Catholic churches, and drafts for that code have been published. In December 1976 representatives from 14 Orthodox churches agreed on an agenda for the first Great Synod of Orthodoxy since the 8th century. Among the topics proposed for further study was the codification of the Holy Canons.

Non Biblical Doctrines and Practices Introduced by the Roman Catholic Church

The following list indicates the approximate dates when the various doctrines, rituals, decrees, and beliefs were of the Roman Catholic Church were instituted: 1. Prayers for the dead. (A.D. 300) 2. Making the sign of the cross. (300) 3. Wax candles. (320) 4. Veneration of angels and dead saints, and use of images. (375) 5. The beginning of mass as a daily celebration. (394) 6. The worship and exaltation of Mary and use of term "Mother of God"(431) 7. Priests begin to dress differently from laity. (500) 8. Extreme unction. (526) 9. The doctrine of purgatory, instituted by Gregory I. (593) 10. The Latin Language used in worship and prayer Gregory I. (600) 11. Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints and angels. (600) 12. Title of "Pope" or "universal bishop" first given to Boniface III.(607) 13. Kissing the pope's foot, began with Pope Constantine. (709) 14. Temporal power of the popes, conferred by Pepin, King of France. (750) 15. Worship of the cross, image, and relics authorized in (786). 16. Holy water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by a priest. (850) 17. Worship of St. Joseph. (890) 18. College of Cardinals established. (927) 19. Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV. (995) 20. Fastings on Fridays and during Lent. (998) 21. The mass developed as a sacrifice and attendance made mandatory. (11th Century) 22. Celibacy of the priesthood, decreed by Pope Gregory VII. (1079) 23. The rosary, used in prayer. (1090) 24. The Inquisition, instituted by the Council of Verona. (1184) 25. Sale of Indulgences. (1190) 26. Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III. (1215) 27. Auricular (private) confession of sins to a priest, instituted by Pope Innocent III in Lateran Council. (1215) 28. Adoration of wafer (Host), decreed by Pope Honorius III. (1220) 29. Bible forbidden to laymen and placed on Index of Forbidden Books by Council of Valencia. (1229) 30. The Scapular, invented by Simon Stock, an English monk. (1251) 31. Cup forbidden to the people at communion by Council of Constance. (1414) 32. Purgatory proclaimed as a dogma by Council of Florence. (1439) 33. The doctrine of seven sacraments affirmed. (1439) 34. The Ave Maria (Hail Mary) invented and completed 50 years later. (1508) 35. Jesuit order founded by Loyola. (1534) 36. Tradition declared to be of equal authority with the Bible by Council of Trent. (1545) 37. The Apocryphal books added to the Bible by the Council of Trent. (1546) 38. Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX. (1854) 39. Syllabus of Errors, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX and ratified by the Vatican Council; condemned freedom of religion, conscience, speech, press, and scientific discoveries which are disapproved by the Roman Church; reasserted the Pope's temporal authority over all civil rulers. (1864) 40. Infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals proclaimed by the Vatican Council. (1870) 41. Public schools condemned by Pope Pius XI. (1930) 42. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into heaven shortly after her death), proclaimed by Pope XII. (1950) 43. Mary proclaimed mother of the Church by Pope Paul VI. (1965)

WOMEN PRIESTS in the ANGLICAN CHURCH

While Sydney Anglican Diocese has the reputation of being about the most conservative in the worldwide Anglican community, the status of women in the Anglican Church at large has advanced in leaps and bounds (or dribs and drabs?) over the last decade. The pattern of progress is erratic, and the initiatives in each stage of the process have occurred in a number of countries around the world. As long ago as 1942, in the Anglican communion of Hong Kong, Florence Li Tim Oi was ordained as a priest on an emergency basis. It was not until 1971 that the first conventional ordination of women priests occurred: again in Hong Kong with Joyce Bennett and Jane Hwang. In 1976, eleven women were ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, USA, but before laws were changed to allow this. Following upon this, females were ordained as priests in various countries, in the following chronological order: 1976: Six female priests ordained in Canada. 1977: Five female priests ordained in New Zealand. 1983: One woman priest ordained in Kenya, and three in Uganda. 1990: Women ordained as priests in Ireland. 1992: Church of England ordained its first female priest. 1992: Australia ordains ten female priests. 1992: Women are ordained as priests in the Phillipines. 1998: General Assembly of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (Anglican Church in Japan) approves female ordination to the priesthood. Some Anglican national churches have allowed women to become bishops: 1989: Episcopal Church in the USA. 1990: Anglican Church of New Zealand. 1997: Anglican Church of Canada. Lambeth Conferences are held every 10 years and are an opportunity for all the national churches within the Anglican tradition to gather and resolve policy conflicts. In 1988, the most divisive topic was women's ordination. Only a few national churches ordained women to the priesthood at that time, and none had taken the next logical step and ordained women as bishops. By 1998, most provinces of the Anglican Communion now ordain women, and seven permit women to become bishops. In South Africa, for example, Bishop Duncan Buchanan of Johannesburg noted that of the two bishops in that province who strongly opposed women priests, one has retired and the other is about to retire. "On the whole it has been a huge and wonderful non-issue and I mean that in the best way. It is not that people have gone the same way, but that people have respected each other's point of view ... Those of us who have ordained women to the priesthood have done so supported by an enormously loving brethren also in the episcopate who have disagreed with us." Provinces which ordain only men are located elsewhere in Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Eleven female bishops attended the 1998 Lambeth Conference (July 18 to August 9). Eight were from the USA, two from Canada, and one from New Zealand. All but one had been ordained between 1978 and 1984. They were thus pioneers from the beginning of their ordained ministries as deacons and priests. "Nearly all can tell tales of painful marginalisation even, in a few cases, of being spat upon, shouted at, verbally abused. With each bishop however, such tales are told only rarely, and then reluctantly, and usually to illustrate how much progress has been made." The Church of England synod voted in favour of the ordination of women priests in 1992. By late 2001, about 20% of the ordained clergy are women. Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent of The Guardian, prepared an article which assessed how completely women had been integrated into the priesthood. Some female priests are complaining that they are heavily discriminated against. Some claim that they have been accused of being Witches. Some men refuse to be touched by female priests during ordination, believing them to be tainted. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN AUSTRALIA: 2000: The Australian Anglican Church issued draft legislation covering the consecration of women as bishops. "A striking feature of these proposals is that they will offer a mechanism to provide alternative episcopal ministry to clergy and parishes unable in conscience to accept the ministry of a woman bishop appointed or elected by their diocese." 2001: More than 10% of the Anglican priests in Australia are women. They hold many positions including senior clergy, archdeacons, canons, area deans, and examining chaplains. 2001 (July 23): The General Synod accepted, in principle, a bill to allow consecration of female bishops. The vote was 135 to 95. This is a "special bill" and thus must achieve a 2/3rds majority at the final vote. Then it must be considered by each diocese. At the next General Synod in 2004, it will have to be passed again by a two thirds majority. It then becomes a "canon" and goes back to the dioceses to consider and either adopt or reject. NOTE: For anyone interested in the overall question of women priests, it is highly recommended that you visit http://www.womenpriests.org where you will find a wealth of information relating to the movement for allowing women priests in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a surprisingly strong movement, backed up by arguments from a large number of Catholic theologians. Traditional arguments against the ordination of women are also available at this website.