Last Sunday, December 17, saw the first “Prayers of Love and Faith” being offered in the Church of England. These new official prayers allow LGBTQIA couples to receive prayers of blessing in local churches as part of ordinary worship services.… Continue Reading
A working group tasked with developing an apology by the Uniting Church (UCA) to LGBTQIA+ people has advised against the national assembly of the church making a formal apology at their 2024 meeting. A draft working document by the “Apology… Continue Reading
A narrow vote of the Church of England General Synod (church parliament) this week has given the go-ahead for “experimental’ services of blessings for same-sex couples on a trial basis. This is despite the General Synod having voted at their… Continue Reading
A new association of Baptist churches, the Open Baptists , officially formed last weekend in Canberra as a body opposed to moves by the NSW/ACT Baptist Association to require pastors and churches to subscribe to a “position statement” that describes… Continue Reading
Possibly the most significant words in a communique issued this week by the Primates (national leaders) of the conservative Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) was the list of who attended. The statement, which reaffirmed the determination of the Global… Continue Reading
How do you introduce prayers to bless same-sex couples while keeping a traditional marriage doctrine intact? The latest Church of England paper proposes to do that by blessing the “good” in same-sex relationships and defining sex out of what is… Continue Reading
Churches have been contacted by the NSW/ACT Baptist Association and been told they will have to leave the denominational fellowship because of their support of same-sex marriage. Belinda Groves, a pastor and team leader at Canberra Baptist, told The Other Cheek, “Our… Continue Reading
Reporting the Pope Francis’ latest controversy, the BBC headline said, “Pope suggests Catholic Church could bless same-sex couples,” while Catholic media were more guarded with the Jesuit magazine America, a liberal publication, going with the more neutral “Same-sex blessings, women’s… Continue Reading
Freedom For Faith provides thoughtful lobbying on issues – that, as its name implies, concern religious freedom. Here FFF Executive Director Mike Southon takes us through their current agenda. The three main issues on our agenda at the moment are… Continue Reading
Scenes from the Sydney Synod Quiet: The 800-strong Sydney Anglican Synod (church parliament) fell so silent you could hear a pin drop when Darlinghurst Minister Matthew Wilcoxen spoke. He told the story of fostering for the first time – receiving… Continue Reading