About the Society
The New Cranmer Society is:
A movement within the Anglican Church in Melbourne encouraging the promotion of the Good News of Jesus and advancing the diocesan vision to “Make the Word of God Fully Known”.
President’s message.
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489 – 1556) was one of the leaders of the Reformation in England, as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to 1556.
Cranmer worked to reform the Church and the lives of Christians by the Scriptures, and to focus attention on the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the classic Creeds of the church. He was a man of the Bible, a preaching theologian and a superb liturgist, and the father of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
From 1534 he worked with others for the authorisation of an English Bible. With his fellow reformers, Cranmer was eager to promote biblical preaching and specially the doctrine of justification by faith alone through the grace of Christ.
He believed strongly in the power of God through the Scriptures and Sacraments to transform lives, and wanted every Christian to engage in daily prayer and hearing those Scriptures.
He worked to evangelise the nation through the life of the church.
Following the example of Thomas Cranmer, we encourage our leaders and institutions – particularly in the diocese of Melbourne – to uphold Biblical and orthodox teaching and practice and to be mission-minded in reaching our own world with the Good News about Jesus.
We work to encourage clergy and lay people to engage with diocesan and Anglican church structures, Synod, General Synod and Synod committees such as Archbishop in Council, to promote the ministry and mission of the diocese.
We also work to discern, promote and encourage a Biblical, Anglican, contemporary and future-focused vision of Gospel ministry and mission in our local churches and other ministries and throughout the diocese.
We also support Biblical orthodoxy in theology, ethics, and practice.
We want to bring glory to God, in worship, praise, thanksgiving and adoration, and through the lives we live, through our church, and through making God’s grace in Christ Jesus known in our world, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We welcome those who share our priorities and aims to join us and become members of the Society; and we welcome anyone who wants to hear more to attend our events, make use of our website, and join our mailing list.
Peter Adam
The New Cranmer Society adheres to the Constitution position of the Anglican Church of Australia with its historic declarations applied in their orthodox sense.
[Here is an excerpt from that Constitution]
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA
PART I
CHAPTER I. – FUNDAMENTAL DECLARATIONS
1. The Anglican Church of Australia, being a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, holds the Christian Faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the creeds known as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed.
2. This Church receives all the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.
3. This Church will ever obey the commands of Christ, teach His doctrine, administer His sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, follow and uphold His discipline and preserve the three orders of bishops, priests and deacons in the sacred ministry.
CHAPTER II. – RULING PRINCIPLES
4. This Church, being derived from the Church of England, retains and approves the doctrine and principles of the Church of England embodied in the Book of Common Prayer together with the Form and Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and in the Articles of Religion sometimes called the Thirty-nine Articles but has plenary authority at its own discretion to make statements as to the faith ritual ceremonial or discipline of this Church and to order its forms of worship and rules of discipline and to alter or revise such statements, forms and rules, provided that all such statements, forms, rules or alteration or revision thereof are consistent with the Fundamental Declarations contained herein and are made as prescribed by this Constitution. Provided, and it is hereby further declared, that the above-named Book of Common Prayer, together with the Thirtynine Articles, be regarded as the authorised standard of worship and doctrine in this Church, and no alteration in or permitted variations from the services or Articles therein contained shall contravene any principle of doctrine or worship laid down in such standard.