The International Leader of the Salvation Army, the General, may be a man or a woman: see The Salvation Army — About Us <salvationarmysouth.org/about.htm#doctrines> at 2 May 2009. See also EasonAndrew, Gender and Equality in the Early Salvation Army (2003).
Report of the Appellate Tribunal, Reference on Women Bishops, 26 September 2007, 3–4, para 12–13, <anglican.org.au/docs/ATWomenBishop270907.pdf> at 10 August 2009. For analysis of the Tribunal's decision, see PorterMuriel, ‘Women in Purple – Women Bishops in Australia’ (2008) Voices, Quarterly Essays on Religion in Australia.
4.
See MorrisLinda, ‘Mum of twins becomes first female bishop’Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 12–13 April 2008, 3.
5.
DarlingCanon Barbara was appointed an assistant Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne in April 2008: see StillJane, ‘First woman bishop appointed in Victoria’ (Press Release, 25 April 2008) <melbourne.anglican.com.au/main.php?news_id=11328&pg=news> at 17 October 2008.
Section 56 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) provides that ‘Nothing in this Act affects: (a) the ordination or appointment of priests, ministers of religion or members of any religious order, (b) the training or education of persons seeking ordination or appointment as priests, ministers of religion or members of a religious order, (c) the appointment of any other person in any capacity by a body established to propagate religion, or (d) any other act or practice of a body established to propagate religion that conforms to the doctrines of that religion or is necessary to avoid injury to the religious susceptibilities of the adherents of that religion.’ Section 56 is mirrored in s 37.(and s 38. of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), which provides that the provisions of the Act (which may otherwise prohibit gender-based discrimination) do not apply to ‘the ordination or appointment of priests, ministers of religion or members of any religious order’ (sexual harassment is not exempted).
8.
GregoryPopeVII eventually granted HenryKingIV absolution.
9.
See ThompsonMark, Authority in the Church (2008) <gafcon.org/resources/authority_in_the_church/> at 10 August 2009. ThompsonDr is Academic Dean and Head of Theology Moore Theological College, Sydney, and, repeatedly referencing ‘authority’, states that ‘the legacy of the rebellion in the Garden of Eden ensures that even those who have tasted God's extraordinary generosity and mercy too readily assert their own opinions and preferences as the measure of all things. We too bear the marks of the Fall in our thinking and in our behaviour and so a re-examination of what is in fact operating as the authority in our lives together is always necessary. It is also true that the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in the West, has witnessed a more general crisis of authority.’ Evangelical Christians understand ChristJesus to be the Word of God.
10.
See StottJohn, New Issues Facing Christians Today (1999) 14. See also NancyJean-Luc, ‘Church, State, Resistance’ in de VriesHent and SullivanLawrence (eds), Political Theologies — Public Religions in a Post-Secular World (2006) 103.
11.
See, eg, FeldmanNoah, Divided by God — America's church-state problem — and what we should do about it (2005); FrameTom, Church and State — Australia's imaginary wall (2006); and ElyRichard, Unto God and Caesar — Religious Issues in the Emerging Commonwealth 1891–1906 (1976).
12.
See Sydney Anglican Diocese Doctrine Commission, The Doctrine of the Trinity and its bearing on the relationship of men and women (1999) 19.
13.
See GilesKevin, The Trinity and Subordinationism — The Doctrine of God & the Contemporary Gender Debate (2002) 78ff.
14.
Sydney Anglican Diocese Doctrine Commission, above n 12, 16.
15.
Ibid17.
16.
Ibid 17–18. See also Confessional Statement, The Gospel Coalition <thegospelcoalition.org/about/foundation-documents/confessional/> at 17 July 2009, stating ‘The distinctive leadership role within the church given to qualified men is grounded in creation, fall, and redemption and must not be sidelined by appeals to cultural developments’.
See, eg, IannacconeLaurence, ‘Let the Women be Silent’ (1982) 7 (May–June) Sunstone, 38.
21.
Personal Communication from Rev GilesKevinDr to the author, 20 October 2008; see Gen 1:27, 28.
22.
See, eg, EricksonMillard, God in Three Persons: A Contemporary Interpretation of the Trinity (1995); and GuthrieShirley, Christian Doctrine (1994) 92–93.
23.
See, eg, 1 Cor 14:34–36.
24.
I regularly attended two Sydney Anglican Churches – St Matthias Centennial Park and St Paul's South Coogee – each at different intervals, for a combined period of about twenty years, until 2005. Archdeacon Reverend Narelle Jarrett, a gifted, thoughtful (licensed) speaker, preached from time to time at St Paul's.
25.
Consider, eg, the Opinion Piece from Catholic Archbishop Cardinal Dr George Pell, ‘Choice, not Condoms, make the difference with AIDS’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 18 April 2009 <smh.com.au/opinion/choice-not-condoms-make-the-difference-with-aids-20090417-aa4u.html> at 18 April 2009. The strong voice of Christian leaders in Australian political discourse reflects the strength of Christian ‘values’ in Australia and its acceptance as a ‘legitimate’ religion. In the most recent Australian Census in 2006, 64% of Australians said they were Christian, 19% had no religion, and only 6% said they belonged to other religions: See Australian Bureau of Statistics, 20680-Religious Affiliation (broad groups) by Sex – Australia (2006) <censusdata.abs.gov.au> at 10 August 2009.
26.
Consider, eg, Reverend Fred Nile, NSW MP, Member of Legislative Council, and National President, Christian Democratic Party (re-elected for an eight year term in 2007), who has spoken out about abortion, pornography, homosexuality and Islam.
See ‘Religious vilification laws — speak up says former Premier’, Sydney Anglican Network, 22 April 2009 <sydneyanglicans.net/media/video/carr/> at 22 April 2009.
31.
See NSW, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 12 October 2005 18400, ClarkeDavid.
