Phillip Jensen
Phillip Jensen | |
---|---|
Dean of Sydney | |
Church | Anglican Church of Australia |
Province | New South Wales |
Diocese | Sydney |
In office | 2003–2014 |
Predecessor | Boak Jobbins |
Successor | Kanishka Raffel |
Personal details | |
Born | Phillip David Jensen 1945 (age 78–79) |
Nationality | Australian |
Phillip David Jensen (born 1945) is an Australian
Early life and conversion
Jensen spent the early years of his life living at Bellevue Hill, a suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. His first public statement of faith came at a Billy Graham crusade in 1959. He married his wife Helen in 1969.
Education and ministry
Jensen studied theology at Moore Theological College from 1967 to 1970 and won the Hey Sharp prize for coming first in the Licenciate of Theology (ThL), the standard course of study at that time.[citation needed] In the years just after his graduation from Moore College, Jensen worked at St Matthew's Manly and with John Chapman at the Department of Evangelism (now known as Evangelism and New Churches). Jensen became Anglican chaplain to the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 1975 and Rector of St Matthias' Centennial Park in 1977.
Jensen based his university ministry around expository preaching and "walk-up evangelism". The result was a large number of conversions, large student gatherings at UNSW and the growth of St Matthias' Church from a group of 20–30 in 1977 to well over 1000 by the mid 1990s.[citation needed]
Jensen's work at UNSW included the creation of the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) which trained young men and women in practical ministry skills, preparing them for church ministry, ordained or otherwise. He also founded the Australian Christian publishing house Matthias Media to allow the publication of Christian literature by Australian authors. From 1974 to 1991 Jensen led the reinvigoration of the Katoomba Christian Convention.[1] He also authored the Two Ways To Live[2] gospel tract and founded The Briefing. He has also been involved in the establishment of some independent evangelical churches and facilitated links between them and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
In 2003 the chapter of St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney appointed Jensen as Dean of Sydney. On 6 July 2014 Jensen announced to the congregations of the cathedral that he would be resigning as the dean and leaving at the end of 2014.[3] [4]
Views
Jensen has spoken publicly against
Jensen and his brother Peter have promoted lay administration of the Lord's Supper.[13][14][15] Jensen has offered opinions on the future structure and functioning of the Anglican Communion in response to the ordination of non-celibate gay people to the episcopacy, calling on bishops to refuse to attend the Lambeth Conference.[16]
Jensen's attitude to traditional Anglican styles of cathedral worship has drawn criticism, especially from defenders of classical sacred music such as the
Shortly after Jensen's brother Peter was appointed as Archbishop of Sydney, Jensen was nominated as Dean of Sydney. Peter Jensen also appointed his own wife, Christine Jensen, to an official (unpaid) position in the diocese, leading to accusations of nepotism.[20][21]
References
- ISBN 0975083406.
- ^ Two Ways To Live website
- ^ Jensen, Phillip. "Pastoral Ministry and Changes". Sydney Anglicans. Sydney Anglican Network. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ Powell, Russell. "Dean moves to new ministry". Sydney Anglicans. Sydney Anglican Network. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^
Jo Mazzocchi (10 March 2003). "Dean attacks theistic relativism". ABC PM.
- ^ "For Heaven's sake, Phillip". Media Watch (TV program). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 October 2004.
- ^ Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent (13 October 2004). "Evangelicals call Williams a prostitute". The Guardian.
- ^ Fran Kelly (15 October 2004). "Rev Phillip Jensen generates publicity in the UK". ABC AM.
- ^ "Australian Anglican Church distances itself from Philip Jensen's comments". The world today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 October 2004.
- ^ Barney Zwartz; Gerard Noonan (15 October 2004). "Anglican turmoil over Dean Jensen's attack". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Dean Jensen Challenges Inaccuracies". Anglican Media Sydney. 19 October 2004. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007.
- ^ "The Media's Secret Agenda - Peter Jensen". Anglican Media Sydney. 26 August 2005. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007.
- ^ Allan Dowthwaite (8 October 2004). "Radical change needed on Lord's Supper to save declining church". Sydney Anglican Network.
- ^ Barney Zwartz; Kelly Burke (9 October 2004). "Church takes dim view of lay role". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Jeremy Halcrow (20 October 2008). "Sydney restates Lord's Supper position". Sydney Anglican Network.
- ^ "The Limits of Fellowship – Phillip D Jensen". Anglican Church League. 14 March 2008.
- ^ "Archbishop of Sydney 'vandalising' Anglican culture". ABC PM. 30 January 2008.
- ^ "Use of the Surplice Canon 1977 Adopting Ordinance 1977"
- ^ "Discord rages in music war". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 February 2008.
- ^ Kelly Burke (18 November 2002). "The more the holier: another Jensen leads flock". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "AM - Archbishop Jensen accused of nepotism". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 November 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2012.