‘The Line in the Sand’ Author Interview: Dr Claire Smith

The following is an interview with Dr. Claire Smith, one of the authors of a newly published book, The Line in the Sand.

This book is a joint initiative of the Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League. It’s available for download here.

ACL Podcast Author interview.

Listen here:

or Download the file (right-click to Save As).

Transcript: Read more

Questions Women Asked — reviewed by Claire Smith

“Simonetta Carr’s new book, Questions Women Asked: Historical Issues, Timeless Answers covers a topic close to my heart: the contribution of women to the history of the church.

Even better, she seeks to do so using the women’s own voices—their letters, their books, their poems, their hymns, and their prayers. …“

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Dr Claire Smith takes a look at an encouraging new book.

My Year in Books – Claire Smith

“For someone who spends much of their time sitting at a desk reading and writing, I am generally amazed at how few books I read cover to cover, and that I read for no other reason than I am interested to read them! ‘My Year in Books’ tends to be determined by the projects I’m working on that given year.

This year, for example, I was asked to review three books on the Bible’s teaching about men and women. Unfortunately, I could not recommend any of them, as I explain in the reviews I’ve written. But they did alert me to three trends in the ongoing discussion about the relationship and roles of men and women in marriage and ministry. …”

– Dr Claire Smith writes at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

Claire Smith interviewed on The Lydia Project

On the latest edition of The Lydia Project podcast, Tori Walker speaks with Claire Smith.

In the 30 minute conversation, Claire shares how she came to Christ.

She also speaks about how important it is for Bible-believing Christians to serve on committees, about the Gospel Coalition Australia, culture wars, and – most encouragingly – how good it is to know Christ.

Take the time to listen.

Claire Smith interviewed about God’s Good Design: What the Bible Really Says about Men and Women

“It is an especially sensitive subject in our culture, but Christians still must come to grips with the biblical teaching regarding the roles of men and women in the church and in the home – perhaps especially so since it is such a sensitive subject.

Claire Smith’s book, God’s Good Design: What the Bible Really Says about Men and Women, is a refreshingly clear study of the subject, and we are happy to see it now available in its second edition. …”

– Fred Zaspel, editor at Books At a Glance, speaks with Claire Smith.

(The book is available from Matthias Media.)

Teaching and Learning in the Bible: An Interview with Claire Smith

“Claire Smith is a graduate of Moore Theological College and a well-known speaker and writer.

In 2012 she recently published a detailed and internationally recognised academic monograph on teaching and learning in New Testament churches—the result of her doctoral studies [Pauline Communities as ‘Scholastic Communities’: A Study of the Vocabulary of ‘Teaching’ in 1 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Mohr Siebeck, 2012)].

We thought we’d chat to her to see what we can discover about teaching and learning in Christian life and ministry today. …”

– You can read the full interview with Claire at The Australian Church Record.

Teaching and learning in the Bible: An interview with Dr Claire Smith

“I think there are two errors to avoid when we consider what ‘teaching’ is in church.

We can conclude that ‘teaching’ is everything – and on that basis, read 1 Timothy 2 and the injunction that women are not to teach and have authority over men (2:12) and conclude that a woman can’t say anything to a man lest he learn something from her!

Or we can claim that what Paul was talking about was a very narrow, particular form of ‘teaching’ directed at special circumstances at the time the letter was written, and therefore his instruction no longer applies to us…”

– Equal But Different has published on their website an interview with Dr. Claire Smith, on the theme of Teaching and Learning in the Bible. The interview first appeared in Magnolia magazine.

Key issues in scholarship on 1 Timothy 2:8–15

“In the last few decades, there’s been an enormous amount of scholarship on the meaning and significance of 1 Timothy 2:8–15. The sheer range of interpretations can be bewildering, leading us to throw our arms in the air and declare that it’s all too hard, so we should all just do what is right in our own eyes.

This video is designed to help us to regain some clarity and perspective on the passage by giving a broad overview of the main issues. …”

– Lionel Windsor presented this seminar at the recent Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference at Moore College.

A Call to Pray for the Church of England General Synod

Please pray for the crucial Church of England’s General Synod meeting Monday to Thursday (6th – 9th February) this week.

A key issue facing the Synod will be the blessing of same-sex unions.

A pre-synod statement issued by the Church of England House of Bishops, while claiming to leave the Church’s doctrine of marriage intact, has recommended a decisive move towards the blessing of same-sex unions.

This is of serious concern for all those seeking to follow the teaching of Scripture.

Please pray:

for the faithful members of the English General Synod, that they might be clear, compassionate and courageous.
that the measure will be defeated.
that a clear signal that the Church of England will follow the teaching of Scripture on these matters will be made.
for the evangelical leaders within the Synod that they might commend the gospel as they contend for its truth.

Related news on the Church of England is available here on our website.

Living as God’s woman in God’s world

“Some of the biggest questions you can ever ask yourself as a human on this planet are: who am I? why am I here? what is my purpose?

We ask those questions because we are human, and we ask them as women. And how we answer them determines how we live our lives, how we see ourselves, how we relate to each other, how we treat each other, and above all, how we respond to God.

Let me begin with two affirmations:

1) that we were created for God, for God’s glory – created to bring glory to God; and

2) that it is only as we live as God intended that we are truly free.

So the questions we need to ask ourselves are:

• what do we learn about who God is?
• what do we learn about ourselves, as humans and as women?
• what do we learn about how God wants us to live in His world? …”

– At Equal But Different, Lesley Ramsay has been posting on the theme of Living as God’s woman in God’s world –

Part 1 – Living as God’s woman in God’s world: Confusion.

Part 2 – Living as God’s woman in God’s world: Old Testamen t Clarity.

Part 3 – Living as God’s woman in God’s world: New Testament Clarity.

– with the promise of more to come!

She also recommends God’s Good Design 2nd Edition by Claire Smith (Matthias Media 2019).

Southern Cross: The New Anglican Diocese

“This week over 350 Anglicans from around Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu, are gathering in Canberra for the Gafcon Australasia Conference. The conference had been postponed from previous years due to COVID but, in God’s wisdom and providence, it has come at just the right time.

The conference opened with the announcement of the establishment of the Diocese of the Southern Cross, an extra-provincial Anglican diocese in fellowship with the majority of the world’s Anglicans through the Primates’ Council of the global Gafcon network. The conference will close with the commissioning of former Sydney Archbishop, Dr Glenn Davies as the Initial Bishop for the diocese. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Dr Claire Smith explains the reasons behind the formation of the new diocese.

Annual General Meeting 2022 — Report

The Annual General Meeting of Anglican Church League was held at St Andrew’s Cathedral School on 16 June 2022. Here’s a report.

Bible reading and Prayer

ACL President the Rev Andrew Bruce shared from God’s word on Acts 14:1–20. He encouraged us that in this passage, the gospel of Christ is preached in all its saving power. Nevertheless, the preacher is (shockingly and appallingly) bashed and left for dead. We saw that as the gospel goes forward, opposition arises. We prayed for encouragement and perseverance as the gospel goes forward in our own circumstances.

Presidential Address

Rev Bruce noted that this was his last address as President, having served in this role for seven years. He reflected that during the time of his presidency, the ACL had restructured its operations to better achieve its aim of having “the right people in the right places doing the right things”. The restructuring had resulted in greater efficiency and effectiveness for the Council and greater engagement with members.

Treasurer’s Report

The treasurer spoke to the financial reports. He noted the surplus over the last couple of years is related to the lower than usual expenses due to reduced activity during the COVID pandemic.

Vice-Presidents’ Reports

Reports from two Vice-Presidents were interspersed with elections (see below for election results).

The ACL and the Sydney Diocese

ACL Vice President the Rev Canon Phil Colgan spoke on the vital work of the ACL in promoting Christ and the reformed evangelical Protestant faith through the structures of the Sydney Diocese. He noted that we see ourselves as servants of the Synod. While the COVID pandemic has meant that Sydney Synod had not been able to meet recently, there have been elections, and the ACL has nominated good candidates who have won those elections.

A significant challenge facing the Synod is that it is becoming harder to find and raise up lay people for important roles on boards and committees. This is especially important in our schools, where the key issues of gender and sexuality are at the fore. Members of the ACL have a vital role in finding excellent lay candidates for the Council to recommend.

General Synod and The Line in the Sand

ACL Vice President Dr Claire Smith spoke on the recent General Synod in May 2022. She noted that there were many reasons to be thankful to God, including the godly leadership of Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, and that many good motions were discussed graciously and passed. She commended the excellent daily email updates for ACL members written by ACL Council member the Rev Kate Haggar.

Dr Smith noted with sadness the decision of 12 out of 24 Bishops (plus two abstentions) to defy the will of the General Synod by rejecting a key motion on marriage and human sexuality. Members of the ACL will be familiar with the book The Line in the Sand, published jointly by the ACL and the Australian Church Record and available for free download, that addressed the issue in detail. Dr Smith also commended the ABC Religion & Ethics article by ACL Vice-President the Rev Canon Dr Mark Thompson, “I contend that twelve bishops did defy the will of the General Synod over human sexuality: A response to Matthew Anstey”. Thankfully, the General Synod passed other motions and statements affirming the biblical understanding of marriage.

Election results

New ACL President The Rev. Roger Cunningham

The following office-bearers were elected:

President: The Rev Roger Cunningham
Chairman: Dr Robert Tong AM
Treasurer: Mr Ned Teuben
Secretary: The Rev Mike Leite
Elections Secretary: The Rev Andrew Bruce
Membership Secretary: The Rev Mike Taylor
Communications Secretary: The Rev Dr Lionel Windsor
Minutes Secretary: The Rev Matthew Whitfield

Vice Presidents:

Mr Clive Ellis
Dr Laurie Scandrett
Dr Claire Smith
The Rev Canon Phil Colgan
The Rt Rev Dr Gary Koo
The Rev Canon Dr Mark Thompson

Councillors:

Ms Stephanie Adams
Mr Jeremy Freeman
Mr Edward Hannah
Mr Michael Latten
Mr Angus Martin
Mr Malcolm Purvis
Mr Henry Pascoe
Mr Phillip Witheridge
The Rev Dr Mark Earngey
The Rev Nigel Fortescue
The Rev Dr Raj Gupta
The Rev Kate Haggar
The Rev Canon Tom Harricks
The Rev Graeme Howells
The Rev Caitlin Orr
The Rev Gavin Parsons
The Rev Gavin Poole
The Rev Jason Ramsay
The Rev Craig Roberts
The Rev James Warren

Motions of thanks

A motion of thanks to the Rev Andrew Bruce for his faithful service as President over many years passed by acclamation.

A motion of thanks to Dr Laurie Scandrett for faithful service as Treasurer passed by acclamation.

The meeting closed in prayer, led by newly elected President the Rev Roger Cunningham.

‘The Line in the Sand’ Author Interview: Bishop Michael Stead

The following is an interview with Bishop of South Sydney Dr. Michael Stead, one of the authors of a newly published book, The Line in the Sand.

This book is a joint initiative of the Australian Church Record and the Anglican Church League. It’s available for download here.

ACL Podcast Author interview.

Listen here:

or Download the file (right-click to Save As).

Transcript: Read more

The Line in the Sand: The Appellate Tribunal Opinion and the Future of the Anglican Church in Australia

The Line in the Sand – edited by Robert Tong, Claire Smith and Mike Leite – is jointly published by The Australian Church Record and The Anglican Church League.

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia meets Sunday 8 May to Friday 13 May 2022.

What is “The line in the sand”? How does it affect the future of the Anglican Church of Australia?

“This volume of essays is published in the hope that all Australian Anglicans and especially members of General Synod will be equipped and encouraged to hold fast to the historic Christian teaching about marriage and to hold out the pure gospel of God’s grace in Christ to all people.”

Download your copy of the book at this link. (PDF and ePub formats.)

Take the time to hear (or read) these Author interviews: