Top Ten 2022 Articles on davidould.net

You are currently viewing Top Ten 2022 Articles on davidould.net
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

It’s that time of year again! What were the top ten articles from 2022 on davidould.net? Always a fun little exercise to see what the big themes of the past year were and what got my readers excited.

Before the list proper, an honorary mention for one article from three years ago that was actually the fifth most read article of the year. “Fulfilled. Rachel Weeping for Her Children” was one of an advent series preached at the end of 2019 where we looked at the fulfilment passages in Matthew 1-2. Possibly the least read and therefore least understood of the many different cameo moments in the infancy narrative that Matthew shows us are a fulfilment of Old Testament promise, this one seems to show up on web searches on the text (Matt. 2:17-18).

Now, onto the list. In reverse order…

10. “Supported Fully” – the Bigamous Bishop of Peru.

A fascinating story that I worked on for several months, investigating whether all the various claims I was hearing actually stacked up. Turns out that they did – the current bishop of Peru was for many years married to two women at the same time, covered it up, and then when the truth came out found that those around him who should have held him to account just swept it all under the carpet in the name of “forgiveness” – even though he had got ordained while married to one women while presenting another as his wife. That he is still in his role today speaks volumes.

9. Anglican Revisionists Keep Pushing their Agenda

A bit of an update post at the start of the year outlining where things had got to in the Anglican Church of Australia. The Primate’s call for us all to hold off until the General Synod (more of that to come) being thoroughly ignored by the revisionists.

8. Australian General Synod opens with Anti-Orthodox Media Campaign

General Synod arrived in May and the shenanigans were already starting. It was zero coincidence that several mainstream media outlets ran stories about Christian schools upholding Christian values. I can’t think who would have been pushing that agenda at exactly that moment…

7. “Creepy” Pastor John McMartin Found Guilty of Assault with an Indecent Act

This one began two years ago and isn’t over yet. McMartin will be sentenced in a few week’s time but more damning yet may be the story that comes out about those that knowingly overlooked his behaviour in the past. Watch this space.

6. General Synod Day 3 – Bishops Out of Touch?

That day at General Synod when a majority of bishops defied the overwhelming majority of both clergy and laity and couldn’t bring themselves to line up with Jesus’ teaching on marriage. But worse (if possible) was yet to come…

5. Archbishop of Perth Set to Proceed with Ordination that will “Split the Diocese”

In February the Archbishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy, chose to ordain as deacon both a man who had been living in a de facto relationship with a woman for years, a relationship that had produced children, and also another man living in a registered civil union with another man for several years. Both lifestyles were clearly in breach of Faithfulness in Service, but Goldsworthy proceeded anyway. She has since priested both men. It’s fair to say that the diocese is now utterly fractured.

4. “Hurtfulness, Hypocrisy and Hate”. Brisbane Priest writes damning open letter to Archbishop of Brisbane

Meanwhile in Brisbane, the outgoing Archbishop’s Presidential Address at synod was a thinly-veiled attack upon the orthodox. One rector, who has since left the diocese (see below), wrote an open letter in response that got a lot of interest.

3. Bishop of Newcastle Asks Key Clergy to Declare any “Interest” in GAFCON

Not to be left out, the Bishop of Newcastle Peter Stuart, responded to the GAFCON Australasia Conference (more of which below) by demanding that all those in “executive positions” declare any interest in the movement. Possibly one of the most amazing acts of over-reach in a year of increasingly authoritarian and hostile actions against the orthodox by revisionists bishops across the country. Or maybe just a competition with Brisbane to see who can get rid of those pesky conservatives as quickly as possible.

2. General Synod Wrap-Up – The Anglicans Who Don’t Want to be Anglican?

That last day of General Synod ended with a moment that crystallised the mess that we’re in. A motion on unity went down in flames when an entirely appropriate amendment was passed. What was so controversial about this amendment on a motion about Anglican unity in Australia? Well, it simply stated that the Fundamental Declarations of the constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia ought to be something we should be united around. Here’s what I wrote at the time:

And so here we see the real (dare we say the Fundamental) issue that the Anglican Church of Australia is facing. The revisionist wing of the church insists that it wants unity. It tells us that we hold so much in common. Yet almost every time this synod was asked to affirm or clarify basic constitutional matters, let alone rejoice in them, the very same wing would protest.

Truly amazing. Those making the most noise about being Anglican couldn’t bring themselves to vote for the very definition of Anglicanism in Australia as a unifying concept.

Which let inevitably to the event that produced the most read article of 2022…

1. GAFCON Australasia Conference Opens with Announcement of New Diocese

The Diocese of the Southern Cross was birthed in Canberra at this key conference. A number of months after the events of General Synod it was now clear that revisionists in the Anglican Church of Australia would not stop and so an alternative option was needed for faithful Anglicans who could no longer remain under the authority of heterodox bishops. As the Chair of GAFCON Australia, Bishop Richard Condie, put it:

This walking away from the scriptures and the ridiculing of those who uphold them as we have seen in some presidential addresses by bishops in Australian Synods this year, IS the crisis, it IS the emergency to which we must respond.

A weighty response to a critical moment for the Anglican Church of Australia.

No doubt there will be more in 2023. And other things besides. I’ll keep writing here as I’m able.

Thank you to all my readers and commenters for your input in 2022. What would you like to see in 2023? I have a few plans of my own but keen to hear what you think may happen and what I ought to be looking at.

Leave a Reply

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Geoff Fletcher

    Well, David, I think YOU deserve a gong for your ongoing work on this blog – your baby! You must be quite self-motivated to persist with such enthusiasm & discipline in what, I’m guessing, is a largely thankless task? You take a risk in posting on this free-access site & then compound that risk by inviting & allowing comments from all – Christian / non-Christian, Anglican / non-Anglican alike – as long as we remain within the bounds of reason & courtesy (& not hide behind anonymity!).
    Well done & thankyou.

  2. Robert Bruce

    David.

    You certainly deserve a gong, a big one, for keeping us aware of the things being done by the woke liberals in the church, and elsewhere, to break down the centuries-old Bible-based foundations of our society. It seems every time we turn around, another moral standard has fallen and we are closer to the state of Godless chaos that the wokerati would love to become the norm.

    Thank you for all the time and effort you put in on all our behalves, and please keep up the good work.

    Robert

  3. Geoff Fletcher

    And re future attention / future topics – I personally find interesting & helpful any focus on the relationship & outworking of faith-based attitude & action vs State law & civic duty. And issues of accountability.

    I note a Catholic commentator has recently said, in response to Cardinal Pell’s death, that he (Pell) fully endorsed the view that as a prince of the church he was above submission to the law of man & answerable only to God. We can all recall his dispassionate evidence (putting it kindly) to the child sexual abuse Royal Commission.

    In addition to the many issues flowing from that Royal Commission that were explored by this blog (& NB Roger Herft) I note also, in relation to faith-practice vs abiding with civil law : the bishop of Peru, John McMartin, same-sex marriage, the truncated employments of Israel Folau & Andrew Thorburn. I’m sure there was more.

    I searched casually but didn’t find any commentary in this blog, or from those who benefitted from the huge proceeds he generated, about Vanda Gould – who might get parole this coming November? And that sordid case is certainly in the public domain.

    1. Geoff Fletcher

      To the list above could also add giving some attention to the current scrutiny of former Governor-General & former ABp Peter Hollingworth??

  4. Geoff Fletcher

    Another request re future topics please : explore the consistent application & implications of the “attending is affirming” ethos, which is often put up as a justification for believers not attending the wedding of same-sex couples.
    Sticking with such weddings – would it make a difference if it were a civil marriage only (which the believer presumably considers not to be a true marriage anyway?)?
    Broadening the question to other situations – could a believer in clear conscience invite a non-believer to attend church with them?

Leave a Comment - but please pay careful attention to the house rules