About Anglican Future

AnglicanFuture is dedicated to promoting revival and reformation, particularly in the Anglican church.

Revival because it is dying; reformation because under the rot there is a heritage worth preserving.

We want to see a Christian revival in Australia. People need God. Christianity is the truth about God :
"that God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to himself".

But... just as babies need families to nurture them after they are born, people who have been born again, spiritually, as God's daughters & sons, need local churches as spiritual family. So we need functional churches.

The Anglican church, among others, seems to have lost that burning desire to get people and God together. The Anglican church, among others, seems hell bent on preserving human infrastructures and traditions; while ignoring the people it should be saving, the God it should be serving, and the really godly traditions that are its true heritage. And tragically, many Anglican churches are so dysfunctional, that if a new believer went there they would die of neglect or even abuse! We want to change this.

So what is our plan of action?

At this stage twofold:
firstly to grow a network of people who feel God is calling them to aid revival and reformation in the Anglican church; secondly to support people, particularly ministers, who are trying to do this in their parishes. On this website we will be posting articles and hosting discussion as part of these aims.

So who will want to join in our crusade?

People who:

Believe that in Jesus their sins have been forgiven, they've been made children of God (by adoption and the sheer generosity of God), and have the sure and certain promise of God that they will spend eternity in heaven with him. And in response consider themselves dead to their old life and now alive to God in Christ Jesus to live a life pleasing to him.

Are Trinitarian, ie. believe that God is "Father, Son and Holy Spirit", worship the one God in three persons, and, to cut to current problems, acknowledge the greatness of the Father, the death and resurrection of the Son and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit.

Accept that anything the Bible teaches clearly, repeatedly and unambiguously is a message from God. Some things are absolutely true. Some things can be definitely known.

Accept that some things are not clear. On some things genuine Christians can and do differ. We go for the old cry "On essentials: conformity. On everything else: liberty."

Take the Bible seriously. We don't go along with cranks. Not cranks who claim to be Christians but don't believe the Bible. Not cranks who can't credit God with even the human intelligence of using figures of speech, sarcasm, jokes, poetry, imagery & narrative as well as "literal" speech to get his message across. And not cranks who try to find obscure passages to back up their own pet ideas. We go to the Bible to learn; and we use all the intelligence, diligence and study aids we can!

Believe the creeds
Believe that although there is one Church, and all who are in Christ are in his Church, there just are many different Christian denominations in Australia. We are not interested in merging denominations: we want Christians to have that love and acceptance of each other as children of God, and members of his real Church, that they can work together supportively rejoicing in the essentials they believe together and still be honest about the differences in belief that give something distinctive to their denomination or local church.

So far, I think we've just described any healthy Christian, and we're happy to support & work with all of those, but for reforming the Anglican church, there are a few more attitudes necessary!

The "39 Articles of Religion". We believe them! To priests who made the oath that they believed them with their fingers crossed we say: read Spurgeon on that [Ministers sailing under false colours] and be honest! We do concede that some articles speak to issues of their day, and some assume conditions – for instance a single national and state church - which are not what we have in Australia now, but the articles make provision alterations in conditions requiring some changes to practices.

The "Underlying theological principles and presuppositions of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer". Yes, we believe those too!

Church politics: No we are definitely not into that! We don't back the "evangelicals" trying to put the boot into the "anglo-catholics"; we don’t support the "anglo-catholics" doing likewise to the "evangelicals" and we think that elements of both have pretty much succeeded in purging the church in Melbourne of the "charismatics" and that this has harmed the church. We are members of One Body. We are not all the same. We need each other. There are indeed corrupt practices in each of the streams that need constant weeding out, but there is no place for trying to destroy each other.

Secular politics. No we are not into that either. Australia is a constitutional democracy. Roughly half the population will back the government of the day and roughly half the opposition. So backing one party or the other is no business of a church that wants to minister to the whole community. It is a matter of "liberty" ... back what party you like, but check your preferences in at the door when you go to church, and put it right out of your mind when you step into the pulpit. Part of our current problem is that too many church leaders are far more interested in secular politics than they are in preaching Jesus !

Liturgy ... Well most of the Australian church has dropped a distinctive Anglican liturgy in favour of modern Roman Catholic look-alikes ... and no wonder, the Catholics have done "modern" really well. On the other hand a lot of growing churches have chucked liturgy all together ... and no wonder, it has worked in the fast growing churches they use as role-models. Ok live and let live, but Anglicans did have a gutsy and distinctive worship for their day, maybe it can be reinvented for our day, retaining the theology of the English reformers and the sense of worship of people like Cranmer.

Church Abuse: It happened. Our leaders knew and didn't stop it. We all suspected and didn't want to know. We have to repent as a church of our sins of omission as well as commission. We have to make it up to the victims. We have to utterly rid the church of the offenders. It has to stop. It is God's reputation at stake, worldly cost or friendships can't enter into it.

Our corporate goal as a denomination : to serve God in our generation

How we see the community at large: People infinitely valuable to God : his lost sheep for whom Christ died. (the church has acted like it is only interested in their money: that attitude has got to go!)

[David L Greentree, Sept 2005]



Home About Anglican Future Essential Theology Hot Topics Philosophical Arguments Louise's Page		About Anglican Future AnglicanFuture is dedicated to promoting revival and reformation, particularly in the Anglican church. Revival because it is dying; reformation because under the rot there is a heritage worth preserving. We want to see a Christian revival in Australia. People need God. Christianity is the truth about God : *"that God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to himself".* But... just as babies need families to nurture them after they are born, people who have been born again, spiritually, as God's daughters & sons, need local churches as spiritual family. So we need functional churches. The Anglican church, among others, seems to have lost that burning desire to get people and God together. The Anglican church, among others, seems hell bent on preserving human infrastructures and traditions; while ignoring the people it should be saving, the God it should be serving, and the really godly traditions that are its true heritage. And tragically, many Anglican churches are so dysfunctional, that if a new believer went there they would die of neglect or even abuse! We want to change this. So what is our plan of action? At this stage twofold: firstly to grow a network of people who feel God is calling them to aid revival and reformation in the Anglican church; secondly to support people, particularly ministers, who are trying to do this in their parishes. On this website we will be posting articles and hosting discussion as part of these aims. So who will want to join in our crusade? People who: Believe that in Jesus their sins have been forgiven, they've been made children of God (by adoption and the sheer generosity of God), and have the sure and certain promise of God that they will spend eternity in heaven with him. And in response consider themselves dead to their old life and now alive to God in Christ Jesus to live a life pleasing to him. Are Trinitarian, ie. believe that God is "Father, Son and Holy Spirit", worship the one God in three persons, and, to cut to current problems, acknowledge the greatness of the Father, the death and resurrection of the Son and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit. Accept that anything the Bible teaches clearly, repeatedly and unambiguously is a message from God. Some things are absolutely true. Some things can be definitely known. Accept that some things are not clear. On some things genuine Christians can and do differ. We go for the old cry "On essentials: conformity. On everything else: liberty." Take the Bible seriously. We don't go along with cranks. Not cranks who claim to be Christians but don't believe the Bible. Not cranks who can't credit God with even the human intelligence of using figures of speech, sarcasm, jokes, poetry, imagery & narrative as well as "literal" speech to get his message across. And not cranks who try to find obscure passages to back up their own pet ideas. We go to the Bible to learn; and we use all the intelligence, diligence and study aids we can! Believe the creeds Believe that although there is one Church, and all who are in Christ are in his Church, there just are many different Christian denominations in Australia. We are not interested in merging denominations: we want Christians to have that love and acceptance of each other as children of God, and members of his real Church, that they can work together supportively rejoicing in the essentials they believe together and still be honest about the differences in belief that give something distinctive to their denomination or local church. So far, I think we've just described any healthy Christian, and we're happy to support & work with all of those, but for reforming the Anglican church, there are a few more attitudes necessary! The "39 Articles of Religion". We believe them! To priests who made the oath that they believed them with their fingers crossed we say: read Spurgeon on that [Ministers sailing under false colours] and be honest! We do concede that some articles speak to issues of their day, and some assume conditions – for instance a single national and state church - which are not what we have in Australia now, but the articles make provision alterations in conditions requiring some changes to practices. The "Underlying theological principles and presuppositions of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer". Yes, we believe those too! Church politics: No we are definitely not into that! We don't back the "evangelicals" trying to put the boot into the "anglo-catholics"; we don’t support the "anglo-catholics" doing likewise to the "evangelicals" and we think that elements of both have pretty much succeeded in purging the church in Melbourne of the "charismatics" and that this has harmed the church. We are members of One Body. We are not all the same. We need each other. There are indeed corrupt practices in each of the streams that need constant weeding out, but there is no place for trying to destroy each other. Secular politics. No we are not into that either. Australia is a constitutional democracy. Roughly half the population will back the government of the day and roughly half the opposition. So backing one party or the other is no business of a church that wants to minister to the whole community. It is a matter of "liberty" ... back what party you like, but check your preferences in at the door when you go to church, and put it right out of your mind when you step into the pulpit. Part of our current problem is that too many church leaders are far more interested in secular politics than they are in preaching Jesus ! Liturgy ... Well most of the Australian church has dropped a distinctive Anglican liturgy in favour of modern Roman Catholic look-alikes ... and no wonder, the Catholics have done "modern" really well. On the other hand a lot of growing churches have chucked liturgy all together ... and no wonder, it has worked in the fast growing churches they use as role-models. Ok live and let live, but Anglicans did have a gutsy and distinctive worship for their day, maybe it can be reinvented for our day, retaining the theology of the English reformers and the sense of worship of people like Cranmer. Church Abuse: It happened. Our leaders knew and didn't stop it. We all suspected and didn't want to know. We have to repent as a church of our sins of omission as well as commission. We have to make it up to the victims. We have to utterly rid the church of the offenders. It has to stop. It is God's reputation at stake, worldly cost or friendships can't enter into it. Our corporate goal as a denomination : to serve God in our generation How we see the community at large: People infinitely valuable to God : his lost sheep for whom Christ died. (the church has acted like it is only interested in their money: that attitude has got to go!) [David L Greentree, Sept 2005]
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