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WE BRING GOOD NEWS
JULY 2003
No 144
The Dean of St Albans will be the next Dean of Christ Church Cathedral THE Very Revd Dr Christopher Andrew Lewis, Dean of the Cathedral Abbey Church of St Alban is to be the next Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. In this unique post Dean Lewis will be both head of the College and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral. As Dean of St Albans for the
past nine years, he has been responsible for the co-ordination of the life of the Cathedral, which is a major centre of pilgrimage, and for its engagement with the secular world of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. In the wider Church, Dean Lewis has been since 2000, Chairman of the Association
of English Cathedrals at a time when cathedrals have come into much greater prominence, with increasing numbers of visitors and of worshippers. 'Jam thrilled to be offered the opportunity to take on the role of Dean at Christ Church', he says. 'It is truly a unique opportunity to combine my
commitment to both Church and Higher Education.' Christopher Lewis served in the Royal Navy for five years. He is also a former Director of the Oxford Institute for Church and Society, which is concerned with Christian attitudes to social issues. The Bishop of Oxford says:
'Christopher Lewis has been an outstanding Dean of St. Albans and Chairman of the Association of English Cathedrals. I very much welcome him as Dean.' Dean Lewis will succeed the Very Revd John Drury and will take up office on 1 October 2003.
Church H crisS? i Oxford Diocese centre of a global controversy since the announcement of the new Bishop of Reading THE announcement that Canon Dr "Jeffrey John has been nominated as Bishop elect of Reading has caused a storm of controversy that appears to threaten a split in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Dr John, currently Chancellor of Southwark Cathedral, has a strong reputation as a Biblical scholar, teacher and evangelist. But he will also be the first openly gay Bishop in the Church of England. News of the appointment was greeted with joy by some but surprise and concern from others, especially those within the evangelical tradition, who consider homosexuality to be incompatible with the teachings of the Bible. The reaction to the announcement prompted the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Richard Harries, who made the appointment, to defend his decision to the Diocesan Synod on 7 June. In this speech, Bishop Richard outlined the selection pr ess, which included interviews with a number of Oxford Diocese's lay and ordained leaders. He said 'After further consultation, reflection, and prayer, it seemed to me that Jefficy's gifts were the ones we needed in the episcopal area of Reading.' Bishop Richard explained that he had received many assurances that Dr John, although in a long-term relationship with another man, has not been sexually active for a long time and that his lifestyle as a priest is in accordance with the teachings of the Church of England, as set out in the document Issues in Human Sexuality, published in 1991.
The Bishop expressed his desire to see people from both sides of the argument meeting, discussing and praying together about the appointment. A week later, in an unprecedented move, nine diocesan Bishops of the Church of England wrote an open letter to the press explaining their concerns with the appointment, chiefly over Dr John's sexual practice and his promise, as a Bishop, to minister and teach in accordance with the current position of the wider Church. Dr John answered these concerns in an extended interview with The Times. He made it clear in that interview that he believes the present position of the Church institutionalises dishonesty, and that where invited he would argue for change. But he also made it clear that as a suffragan bishop, his duty was to uphold the teaching of the church and the discipline of his diocesan bishop. He also made it clear that he has not had his relationship blessed, and would not himself perform such blessings. 'I stand in a tradition which does respect the discipline and authority of the Church. The point of consensus has not been reached', he said. The controversy has global implications. Peter Akinola, the Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria and leader of the largest Anglican province in the world with 17.5 million members, has denounced all homosexual behaviour. He has threatened to break communion with the Church of England if the appointment goes ahead.
This appointment comes in a month that has seen the first openly gay and sexually active Bishop elected in the Episcopal Church of the USA and the first blessing of a gay relationship in the New Westminster Diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada. On 20 June, twelve conservative evangelicals from within Oxford Diocese delivered a statement to the press after meeting with the Bishop of Oxford in which they continued to express their dismay at the appointment. They are seeking to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury to continue their plea to stop the appointment. The Bishop of Oxford responded with a statement of his own, emphasizing his hope for the appointment. 'I believe that before he has been in office long he will have won the trust of people in the Reading Episcopal Area and my support for him remains unswerving', said Bishop Richard. Later that evening, eight other bishops offered their support for Dr John's appointment in an open letter saying Dr John 'will enable our attentive listening to the experience of gay Christians to be in our midst rather than at second-hand.' The Archbishop of Canterbury joined the debate on 23 June with a letter to all bishops. He appealed 'it would be a tragedy if these issues, in the Church of England and in the Communion, occupied so much energy that we lost our focus on the priorities of our mission.' Mark Leadbeater
SPOTLIGHT ON JEFFREY .JOHN Frank Blackwell photographed DrJohn at Diocesan Church House, Oxford soon after the world's media had gathered in the garden there to hear Philip Giddings' statement and Bishop Richard's response to it (pictured). The full text of the letters and statements mentioned on this page are available on wsv.oxford.anglican.org
We grow or we decline... Flexibility, creativity and self-sustainability will need to characterise the churches of the future according to a new Diocesan Strategy document launched at Diocesan Synod on 7 June.'We have to plan for growth or continue to be the victims of decline' it says. NEW DIOCESAN STRATEGY PLANS FOR FUTURE GROWTH on page 3
On the A44 in