Neither panic nor paralysis (Sandy Grant blogs from the Sydney Anglican Synod)

For better or worse, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, along with Moore Theological College, is seen as one of the most conservative and influential dioceses in the Anglican world. And many friends outside our area like to know what’s going on.

For this reason, Sola Panel will be running an extra post reporting on Synod (= our denominational ‘parliament’) for the five days we sit over the next two weeks.

Our first day of sitting was yesterday, and it featured mainly set pieces to get things rolling:

• the presidential address from our Archbishop, Peter Jensen;
• a fascinating ACL dinner break interview with Alfred Olwa, Dean of Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, Mukono, Uganda;
• the Synod service sermon from Rev Paul Harrington, Rector, Holy Trinity, Adelaide (an evangelical bastion in the heart of the Australian “city of churches”—churches which are now often literally or spiritually empty).

Here are some highlights …

The Archbishop’s Presidential address is well-reported elsewhere, and the full text of his address would repay reading (PDF here).

In the context of the ‘signs of the times’—noting the troubling world we live in: global warming and dust storms, earthquake, tsunami, a faltering war on terror, the global financial crisis—Dr Jensen dealt with three big issues:

1. The huge losses our diocesan endowment has endured, especially through the practice of gearing into the share market (falling in value from $265 million to $105 million!!!)
2. The joy of the Connect09 campaign energizing us—including the Archbishop—to reconnect with our communities and to connect them with God and his word
3. A new approach of establishing Mission Areas both to cope with the loss of diocesan leadership staff (archdeacons etc) and to localize mission efforts to reach the ‘spiritual deserts and lost tribes’.

This is the 8th or 9th presidential address I’ve heard from Peter Jensen, and the astonishing thing is that each time he has spoken for nearly 90 minutes and he holds people’s attention all the way. However, I think this was his most personal address ever, where he revealed his incredibly mixed emotions at a year that has been one of the worst and one of the best.

There’s been disbelief, doubt, disappointment and grief at the financial losses, and deep reflection upon the mistakes made—even wondering whether this was God’s chastisement upon us. He certainly saw it as a reminder against setting our hopes on the uncertainty of riches (1 Tim 6:17). In the end, he said we could not speculate accurately about what message God was sending us, but rather we should concentrate on obedience to the will of God, publicly expressed in the Scriptures.

But it’s also been a year of great joy, and the Archbishop shared opportunities he’d had and made for personal evangelism, including holding a street party for his neighbours (whom he’d previously struggled to meet) at his stately residence, Bishopscourt! 60 came and also received The Essential Jesus as a farewell gift.

The Archbishop’s key refrain in response to challenging and difficult times was this: neither panic nor paralysis, but persistent, active faith.

Alfred Olwa spoke at the annual Synod Dinner hosted by the Anglican Church League (an organization dedicated to defending and promoting the reformed, evangelical character of our diocese, which celebrated its centenary this year). Alfred is doing his PhD in Sydney. He and his wife have three children, and seven other dependents, due to the impact of HIV in his nation.

He spoke of his conversion in Uganda, during the difficult days of Idi Amin’s regime. He suggested African Christians were bolder than Australian Christians, and he demonstrated it by his efforts at evangelizing the bloke next to him on a plane to Melbourne. The gentlemen was reading a book, but Alfred asked him to put it down:

I have a story to tell more interesting than your story! And anyway, after you get off the plane, you can always start reading your book again.

And he shared the gospel with this man, who though taken aback, eventually thanked him for challenging him.

Alfred critiqued our materialism in Australia, even among Christians. He thanked Sydney for its theological leadership. He urged gospel partnerships across the cultures. And he urged us concerning the gospel: no shame, no shame!

Paul Harrington rounded out the evening with the Synod sermon from Joshua 1, with its famous refrain to “be strong and courageous”. And why? Because what God promised to Joshua, following Moses’ death, is also true of us, who follow the risen and ascended Jesus…

I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. (ESV)

Our response is never to let go of the Word of God, just as Joshua was commanded.

In encouraging us to stick with our evangelical roots and strong theology, Paul shared the jaw-dropping story of one of his Assistant Ministers. This new Minister was attending his ordination retreat in a diocese that could be characterized as liberal-catholic in ethos. The ordination sermons were on Elijah and Elisha. After the time allowed for private meditation, one of the other ordinands confessed to Paul’s Assistant that when he’d gone to reflect on the sermons, he’d tried very hard, but he could not find the book of Elijah anywhere in the Bible! This complete ignorance of the content of God’s word from one about to be ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament! And apparently not untypical.

As Paul and Alfred both said, we must not take our biblical theology for granted, not underestimate its impact around the world.

Now I personally think there’s a lot of important discussion that remains at Synod regarding our Diocese’s financial losses. But I’ll give the last word to Paul (Harrington, that is). He agreed there must be the hard questions asked about it and accountability sort of finances. But …

If money is the focus of this Synod, you have failed. […] Your confidence must be in the word of God.