“Coalition condemns hate speech laws as ‘unsalvageable’”

From a Canberra Times article – mainly on political opposition to the Federal Government’s proposed “hate speech” laws –

“Religious leaders have urged the government to halt and rewrite the laws, saying it may open people up to prosecution over past remarks in its current form.

Anglican Bishop Michael Stead said the reform created a ‘minefield of definitions’ about hate and the bill included a retrospective element in relation to banned groups.

Dr Stead told a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday the bill could be expanded to claim Christian teaching caused serious harm, leading to a Christian organisation being listed as a hate group. …”

– Read the full report here.

Churchgoers vow to stop donating to collection plates if cash goes towards slavery reparations

“Six in 10 Anglican churchgoers would divert their donations elsewhere if Church [of England] funds were allocated to slavery reparations, a new study has found. …”

– Report from GBNews.

Gafcon: G26 Bursaries Needed

A prayer request from Gafcon:

“As we look ahead to the G26 Bishops Conference in Abuja, Nigeria in March, let us commit ourselves afresh to prayer for God’s financial provision. Pray that the Lord would supply the resources needed to fund additional bursaries, so that bishops are not prevented from attending because of cost.

Pray especially for bishops from the Global South, many of whom are deeply committed to biblical faithfulness but lack the means to fund their travel. Ask that no voice is missing from this historic gathering due to limited finances.

Pray that God would stir generosity among his people—individuals, churches, and partners—to give sacrificially and joyfully. Give thanks for what has already been provided, and ask that the remaining need would be met in full, for the strengthening of Christ’s Church worldwide.

Please give at www.gafcon.org/G26Bursary.”

Source: Gafcon.

Hillsong: mega church in mega property deal

“Hillsong’s sprawling campus in NorWest Sydney is being made to pay its way as a proposal for a huge $1bn development is lodged.

Some 900 units are planned for the site, plus commercial buildings are planned for the site, which benefits from being opposite the Norwest metro station.…’’

– Thanks to John Sandeman for the story.

Image: OpenStreetMap.

Archbishop of Sydney supports calls for a national inquiry into the Bondi Massacre

Here’s a Media Statement from the Archbishop of Sydney:

Media Statement
“This act of evil … deserves the most thorough investigation and response”

The terrorist attack on Jewish Australians celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, has produced an outpouring of grief, prayer and support for our fellow Australians in the Jewish community.

This act of evil is an extraordinary event in our history, which has ongoing impacts for all Australians, and therefore deserves the most thorough investigation and response.

Since the attack, the solidarity of communities of faith with the Australian Jewish community has demonstrated our unanimity that all Australians, whatever their faith or cultural background, are entitled to live free from the threat of violence. Our own Christian response is informed by the biblical commands to ‘live peaceably with all, as far as it depends on you’ and to ‘overcome evil with good’ (Romans 12:18, 21).

I commend the State and Federal governments for their actions so far, including the announcement of the Richardson Review into the performance of Australia’s federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It will be important to identify any gaps or obstacles to the effective discharge of their duties that may exist.

However, we must go further. I urge our national government to acknowledge the voice of those directly impacted – the families of the victims and the survivors of the attack – and to heed their calls for a national inquiry.

The attack at Bondi represents the culmination of a period of rising antisemitism across the nation, including the firebombing of places of worship, education and commerce, as well graffiti attacks, and destruction of property including in residential areas.

Antisemitism, with its long, tragic and unique history is a threat to all Australians because it suggests that one part of the community is less entitled to the safety and respect that should be enjoyed by all and protected by all.

A national inquiry is an appropriate and essential part of a comprehensive response and recognises the singular and ignominious place that this horrific event now holds in our national life. The lives of 15 innocent Australians demand nothing less.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
7 January 2026.

– Source: SydneyAnglicans.net

Image: Archbishop Raffel at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, 18 December 2025.

Church’s net zero crackdown forces parish to rip out new boilers

“The Church of England has ordered a parish to rip out new gas boilers because they are not ‘sustainable’.

Christ Church Chineham, in Basingstoke, Hants, spent £18,200 last year replacing two failing gas boilers, with the new ones expected to last for at least two decades.

But the parish will now be forced to remove the system and pay for an eco-friendly replacement after a church court ruled it had not ‘adequately explored more sustainable options’ before installing them. …”

– Report from The Telegraph, via Anglican Mainstream.

Hope in 2026!

“It is that time of year when hope springs eternal.

Australian political and community leaders greeted the new year with words of hope. A common sentiment went like this: ‘There are stormy waters ahead, but there is also great hope for this great nation of ours’.

Really?

The signs are of increasing pessimism in Australia. Many of us expect to be personally worse off over time and expect the same for the nation. …”

– In a New Year message, Presbyterian Moderator-General David Burke explains that “the Christian faith has a tension between pessimism and hope”.

MPs tell incoming archbishop to halt £100 Million reparations plan

“A cross-party group of 27 Members of Parliament and peers have called on the Archbishop-designate of Canterbury, the Rt. Rev. & Rt. Hon. Sarah Mullally, to intervene and halt the Church of England’s proposed £100 million slavery reparations fund.

In a letter first reported by The Sunday Times of London (28 Dec. 2025), the parliamentarians warn that the plan—known as ‘Project Spire’—risks setting a ‘worrying precedent’ by encouraging other institutions to divert charitable resources to political or symbolic causes. …”

– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink.

Dr. Glenn Davies and the Future of Anglican Communion in relation to GAFCON

In the latest Australian Presbyterian Profiles in Christian Living, Mark Powell speaks with Glenn Davies, the Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross, about the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion and GAFCON.

While this was recorded in late October, it’s just been published.

– Watch here.

Gafcon Chairman’s Christmas Message 2025

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

At Christmas, the Church once again returns to the quiet and unsettling words of Luke’s Gospel: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

The coming of Jesus into the world did not happen because space was made for him, but because he chose to enter our broken world. The Son of God entered his own creation not amid welcome and recognition, but amid rejection, displacement, and neglect.

That truth should give us pause.

For there are times when the Church herself can begin to resemble the inn—busy, occupied, confident in her own arrangements—yet leaving no room for Jesus and his Word. Under false shepherds, the voice of the true Shepherd is sidelined. Faithful witness is crowded out. Obedience is treated as disruption. And those who seek to hold fast to the gospel are told, in effect, that there is no room.

Yet Christmas proclaims this unshakable hope: Jesus is not hindered by closed doors. God’s purposes are not thwarted by human refusal. The child laid in the manger is the Lord of history, and his Kingdom will not fail.

This year, many across our Anglican family have known uncertainty, pressure, and grief. Some have borne the cost of faithfulness quietly and at great personal cost. Christmas reminds us that such suffering does not place us outside God’s purposes, but often directly within them.

The witness of the Church has always been forged not through comfort, but through conviction.

That truth was given renewed expression in this year’s Martyrs’ Day Statement, which clearly and soberly reaffirmed our shared confession, fellowship, and mission under the authority of Holy Scripture. It reminded us that the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) has always been guarded and proclaimed at a cost—and that we are called, in our generation, to do no less.

Throughout this past year, we have seen bishops, clergy, and lay leaders stand together in gospel unity, resolved to make room for Jesus where others have not—to guard his gospel, to proclaim his truth, and to remain faithful even when it would be easier to yield.

As we now look toward the historic gathering in Abuja next March, we do so with humility, prayer, and hope. G26 is a summons to make room for Jesus afresh in the life of his Church, to listen again to his Word, and to walk together in obedience and courage.

And so, as you celebrate the birth of our Lord with your families and churches, may your hearts be strengthened by this sure hope: “Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Lord enters in.”

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Yours in Christ,

The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman, Gafcon Primates Council
Saturday, 20th December 2025.

McNeills visit Abuja for G26 Preparation

A Gafcon point for thanksgiving and prayer –

“We give thanks to God for a fruitful week-long visit to Abuja, Nigeria, by Gafcon Global Operations Manager, The Revd Canon Jodie McNeill, and his wife, Mrs Mandy McNeill, Events and Partnership Coordinator.

During their visit, they worked closely with the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in preparation for the history-making G26 Bishops Assembly, to be held in March next year.

They were warmly welcomed by The Most Revd Dr Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, Primate of All Nigeria and member of the Gafcon Primates’ Council, together with his wife, Mama Angela. They also met with The Most Revd Dr Blessing C. Enyindah, Dean of All Nigeria and Chairman of the Gafcon G26 Planning Committee.

We give thanks for this strong partnership in the gospel and for the excellent preparations already underway. We pray for the Lord’s strength as logistics continue, and ask that He would raise up generous Christians to provide bursaries so bishops from the Global South can attend this vital gathering.

Give at www.gafcon.org/G26Bursary.”

– Source.

What are the (Church of England) bishops up to now?

“On Tuesday, 16th December, the House of Bishops of the Church of England announced that ‘more time’ was needed to finalise its ‘proposals on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process’.

While they said that the decisions they took in October had not been ‘contested’, they ‘identified some areas where further clarification is needed and agreed to continue work on a letter to the Church summarising LLF and setting out an agreed position.‘ Later in the press release it was explained that the text of the letter would ‘take the form of a statement from the House,‘ which would have a degree of authority in any future dispute.

Archbishop Stephen Cottrell also reassured the Church that the bishops ‘remain on course to bring proposals to Synod for consideration in February.’

This has led many observers to scratch their head and ask ‘What are the bishops up to now?’

Of course, unless there is a leak from the House of Bishops, the Church will need to wait until January to find out for sure. Meanwhile, this blog explores the possibilities that arise from a careful reading of the both the statements and the theological and legal advice the bishops received.…”

– Curious. Read it all at Anglican Futures.

But see this post at Church Society from 7th November 2025: Why we can’t have the Prayers of Love and Faith after all.

Image: Archbishop Stephen Cottrell speaking at the Church of England’s General Synod in February 2025.

“We will not turn away from anti-Semitism in silence”

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel –

“Sydney Anglicans speak with one voice when I say that we abhor anti-Semitism. And we will not turn away from anti-Semitism in silence.”

From Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net –

“Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has made a passionate gesture, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community as they mourn victims of the Bondi massacre.

The Archbishop represented Sydney Anglicans at an outdoor memorial on Wednesday and then spoke at the Great Synagogue to mark Hanukkah and mourning for massacre victims.

Archbishop Raffel’s speech ended with him singing a Hebrew blessing as the congregation joined in. …”

– Read the full report – along with the Archbishop’s full remarks – here.

Updated with video, courtesy of Russell Powell —

Top image: Screenshot from the video posted by SydneyAnglicans.net.

No Longer The Lucky Country for Jews

Published last Friday, just two days before the attack at Bondi, this interview is disturbingly prophetic.

“Julian Leeser joins John Anderson for an assessment of the disturbing return of anti-semitism to the Australian public sphere.

Leeser sets out the historical contours of anti-semitism and why Hamas’s October 7 attacks became a catalyst for hostility on Australian soil.”

While the discussion does critique some of the political responses to anti-semitism, the video is especially useful to help us understand how people in the Jewish community are feeling – and those feelings must have been amplified greatly in the last week. Fuel for your prayers.

– Watch here.

Not a New Communion: Anglican Reformers are always called Schismatic

Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison writes at The Gospel Coalition –

“Since Gafcon—the Global Anglican Future Conference—released its Martyrs’ Day statement on October 16, 2025, the same question has followed me from Belfast to Sydney to Dallas: Have we just witnessed the birth of a new Anglican Communion?

It’s understandable. The statement was bold—speaking of a ‘reordering of the Anglican Communion’ and introducing the phrase ‘Global Anglican Communion’ (GAC). For some, that sounded like a split. But it wasn’t a Declaration of Independence; it was a confession of Anglicanism’s ongoing dependence on the unchanging Word of God. …”

– Read it all here.

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