An informative article which is relevant to the on-going interfaith work.

“...Human beings have never lacked for things to fight over, but for the last two millennia, they have fought the most over ideas involving the divine. Politics, technology, military capacity, and diseases have all played decisive roles in shaping history, yet it is impossible to understand the rise and fall of empires, the clash of civilizations, and the evolving balance of power without appreciating the unique fervor that religion inspires, and the speed with which new religions can spread...”

Read it all here

Today, ‘Generous Love: the truth of the Gospel and the call to dialogue‘ - an Anglican theology of inter faith relations - was launched at the Anglican Communion Office in London. It is a report from the Anglican Communion Network for Inter Faith Concerns.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams gave a public lecture on 6th December 2007 in Singapore, speaking on the topic “Religious Diversity & Social Unity.” The lecture was jointly hosted by Diocese of Singapore and MUIS (The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). The Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, chaired the lecture. Many diplomats, MPs, community and religious leaders were present amongst the 800 participants at Ritz-Carlton.

There was a lively Q & A session after that.
Lecture: audio & text
Q&A: audio & text

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams gave a public lecture on 6th December 2007 in Singapore, speaking on the topic “Religious Diversity & Social Unity.” The lecture was jointly hosted by Diocese of Singapore and MUIS (The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). The Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, chaired the lecture. Many diplomats, MPs, community and religious leaders were present amongst the 800 participants at Ritz-Carlton.

During a 40-minute address, he made the point that having strong religious convictions does not mean the end of social unity. In fact, the more conviction that people have in their religion - regardless of their faith - the less they can justify violence. The spiritual leader of the Anglican Church also defended the role that religion can play in public life.

Lecture: audio
Q&A: audio & text

On September 11, 2007, the 50 millionth Bible rolled off the Press at Amity Printing Company in Nanjing. 

In the year 2005, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) extended its mission outreach to Congo, one of the African war-torn countries. This was in a swift response to the Macedonian call by the Anglican Church of Congo to come over to help develop and build self-supporting churches in the two provinces in the Republic – Kasia East and West…

Some latest mission activities in Madagascar - with photos. 

After the Archbishop of Canterbury’s public lecture ‘Public Religion and the Common Good’ at St Andrew’s Cathedral (Singapore, 12th May), there was a Q & A Session. The transcript is posted here for your reading.  

Archbishop Rowan Williams gave this public lecture in Singapore at the St Andrew’s Cathedral on 12th May 2007.

(After the lecture, there was a Q & A Session. The transcript is posted here.)

The town of Antalaha has been badly damaged and the Church + School which has just been repaired has suffered bad damage. And so it goes for all my 125 church communities in the Diocese as excessive damage to houses and Churches and civil infrastrucrure have been caused due to the 150 km gusts wind and strong rains. Andapa, Sambava, Vohemar, Daraina, Ambanja, Anaborano Ifasy, Mardimaka Ambanja , Diego Suarez etc.and other towns are among the list of affected places.

LIKE the biblical mustard seed bursting with growth potential, the Anglican Church here has been a mover and shaker in helping the destitute, debilitated and disabled since it took root as a church mission in 1856. 

Recently Bishop MacDonald kindly sent me his essay “The Gospel comes to North America”.  I am grateful for this opportunity of conversation, and for his kind permission to include his paper with this response. 

Amazingly, the churches of the West remain perplexed that their cultural framework is neither easy nor self-evident for the People of the Land.  Much of the Western mission to the People of the Land treats them, as a number of commentators have noticed, as insufficiently developed Euro-American suburbanites.  They must join the church of a European Diaspora in order to achieve spiritual legitimacy.

The Ramsden Sermon delivered before the University of Cambridge by Dr Brian Stanley, Director of the Henry Martyn Centre for the study of mission and world Christianity, Cambridge, is now online on Fulcrum.

A senior Roman Catholic scholar launched an attack on a ‘sensationalist’ response to what is being loosely called ‘witchcraft’ in Britain, when he addressed an international symposium at Westminster Central Hall (Monday 22 May), hosted by Jesus House for All Nations, flagship church of the African-derived pentecostal Redeemed Christian Church of God denomination.

More at Fulcrum

“The Rev Canon Martyn Minns of Truro Parish in Virginia, USA was also elected Bishop in the Church of Nigeria for the missionary initiative of the Church of Nigeria called Convocation of Anglican Churches in North America (CANA).”

At the heart of economic empowerment (for Global South) is a transformed mind – from hopelessness to possibilities, receiving to giving, plunder to investment, a low self-image to confidence, corruption to responsible wealth-creation, governed by a desire to live a life to the glory of God.

In an important step that will strengthen future leadership in the Anglican Province of Rwanda, classes have begun as part of the new Kigali Anglican Theological College, Rwanda’s first seminary. 

‘Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.’ Romans 12:15

Some Mission Initiatives reported at Anglican Mission in America:

Epiphany in Cambodia
Hope Crusade in Rwanda

At the northern tip of southern Sudan, on the border between the Arab Islamic North and the black, Christian and Traditionalist South, more than 4,000 people gathered in the town of Renk for the dedication and consecration of the Cathedral of St. Matthew of the Diocese of Renk…

The Anglican Communion Network (ACN) and the Diocese of Singapore have taken the next step in their mission partnership which began last spring…

Ed: A special appeal for a peaceful election in Uganda. For prayer.

Archbishop Rowan’s address at the Islamic University, Islamabad can be helpful to those seeking to explain the meaning of the Christian faith to a similar audience

Growing a church in a time of war is never easy but for the Most Rev’d Fidèle Diropka, Archbishop in the Anglican Province of the Congo, it has sometimes seemed impossible. His country has been devastated by years of brutal warfare, many of his churches have been destroyed, clergy have been killed and parishioners scattered…