Anglican Church of Australia Sydney Diocese
PSU v Drew
Prophetic Perseverance
By Drew
Many friends and supporters have asked Pippa and me in recent times how & why we persist with trying to get the Anglican Church Sydney Diocese PSU and hierarchy to be ethical. So I have decided to write a post on the theological perspective on God’s call over people’s lives.
When we are “In Christ” we give ourselves to the task of bringing God glory through his Son. We submit to God’s rule over our lives and willingly accept the roles he allows us to play. These roles are not of our choosing and are therefore not the ones towards which we would always gravitate. Yet God in his wisdom ordains the tasks that utilise our life & faith experiences to fulfil his purposes.
As I understand it, the role of the prophet is two-fold; firstly and foremost it is to proclaim God’s message of salvation to those who are perishing. This is the role of every true Christian and one which is eagerly adopted, for without the words of life there is no hope. Secondly, the role of the prophet is to hold the leaders of God’s people to account. This is a significantly more difficult task and not one to which all believers rally easily. It has been an error of the church to conclude that being Christian means avoiding confrontation. This misunderstanding has seriously impacted the church, allowing its pharisaical[1] leadership to flourish.
Putting it succinctly, the reason we are able to continue fighting the unethical and ungodly behaviour of the Anglican Church Sydney Diocese is because God has called us to hold these leaders of God’s people to account. It is not the task that we volunteered for but the task God has chosen us to do. Until such time as there is evidence of repentance then we have no choice but to continue.
Despite our many offers of mediation and even several attempts to find a godly settlement, the lawyers still refuse to concede that the church has made mistakes. As we approach the end of our third year in this battle we are resolved that a public tribunal is necessary. We trust that God will provide the resources, both personal & financial to make this possible, for ultimately it is His reputation that is on trial as the leaders who represent Him continue to listen to lawyers rather than Him.
We are extremely grateful for the prayer support of many. This is a spiritual battle that requires God’s people to be alert and praying against Satan’s plans to bring God’s name into disgrace.
We also acknowledge the financial sacrifice many have made over an extended period. As much as we desire that the Diocese would act responsibly regarding the money spent in making our complaint and defence, it is yet another area they seek to persecute the weak and vulnerable. So like ourselves, we pray that those who provide the funds would continue to see this as an investment into maintaining God’s reputation in our community.
When God calls us to a task, regardless of how difficult we perceive it to be, we are honoured that despite our own weaknesses and insecurities, he considers us worthy. Therefore we must persevere in His power for His name.
Drew
10 August 2015
[1] Definition of PHARISAICAL. : marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
(1) Of or relating to the Pharisees. 2. (lowercase) practicing or advocating strict observance of external forms and ceremonies of religion or conduct without regard to the spirit; self-righteous; hypocritical. (Dictionary.com)