Who is really pro-woman?
Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant shares his latest Minister’s Newsletter –
“Dear Friends, here’s a claim to make you sit up and pay attention:
– Post-feminist Australia is anti-woman in a number of problematic ways.
– But Bible-shaped Christianity is pro-woman in regard to dignity and protection.
Let me unpack this… within the confines of an article that I’m trying not to turn into an essay!
Post-feminist Australia is anti-woman in a number of ways. For example, sex-selective abortion is legal in Australia. That means if you discover you’re having a baby girl, but you really wanted a boy, there is nothing stopping you seeking a ‘termination’ of a living, human, pre-born baby for no other reason than sex.
This is not hypothetical. …”
– Read (and, if you wish, take action using the links) at the Cathedral website.
The Most Neglected Element of Church?
From Tim Challies –
“There are some elements of public worship that receive a great deal of attention. These elements are taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be. In most churches, this includes the music, of course, and often the preaching. … But either way, some elements receive the lion’s share of attention.
What elements often do not receive nearly as much attention? What elements are often not taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be? …”
Related:
Wonderful help for reading the Bible in public.
Giggle v Tickle, the Federal Court Appeal — Two Steps Back
From Associate Professor Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia –
“The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has handed down its long-awaited decision in Giggle for Girls Pty Ltd v Tickle [2026] FCAFC 64 (15 May 2026). …
Sadly, it has to be said that this decision of the Full Court might now be seen as ‘two steps back’.
In short, I think this appeal decision is also legally wrong, and I look forward to it being overturned on appeal to the High Court of Australia if that goes ahead. But the decision also strongly points to the need to amend the Sex Discrimination Act 1984…”
– Read his full post which includes some possible implications of the decision.
Analysis: The Abuja “Contradiction” That Isn’t
We didn’t link to the article by Jay Thomas at First Things yesterday, it didn’t seem profitable. However, if you happen to have read it, George Conger at Anglican Ink has published a very clear and helpful rebuttal.
“Jay Thomas’s recent First Things essay ‘Anglicans and the Abuja Contradiction’ purports to expose fatal logical flaws in GAFCON’s Jerusalem Declaration.
In reality, it reveals something far more interesting: how easily appeals to ‘Anglican tradition’ can mask fundamentally un-Anglican premises. Thomas’s argument doesn’t just fail—it fails instructively, demonstrating precisely why orthodox Anglicans found GAFCON necessary in the first place.
Thomas’s thesis is straightforward: GAFCON stands guilty of rank hypocrisy.…”
– Read George’s response here.
Related:
Photo: G26 at Abuja, via SydneyAnglicans.net.
On ‘Worship Nights’
Mikey Lynch at The Gospel Coalition Australia shares some observations –
“I have observed an uptick in stand-alone ‘worship nights’ in Australia in the 2020s—that is, Christian prayer and praise communal singing events. I hear of churches and inter-church conferences hosting special ‘worship nights’; there are even once-off inter-church events, often hosted by informal parachurch groups.
These kinds of events have strong appeal among those under thirty.
In this article, I give some notes on this phenomenon, concluding with words of caution and calls for discernment. …”
– Read here.
Do I choose an old or new church?
“Many words are being written, and the occasional clickbait headline, to debate whether a revival is blowing across the land. The answer (as I’ve been saying for the last few years) is, no. As much as we pray and long for spiritual revival in Melbourne and across Australia, we are not witnessing revival. And yet, I do think there has been a nudge, a gentle opening of the curtains.
Evidence of this nudge is suggested by increased Bible sales and some churches indicating growth in Sunday attendance. There is anecdotal evidence of a slight turn from religious indifference (and animosity) toward curiosity. Dare I suggest, that even among Australia’s major newspapers, their tune toward Christianity has changed a little.
One of the quandaries facing young Aussies as they contemplate visiting a church and investigating Christianity is this: should I go for new or for old? …”
Murray Campbell at Mentone Baptist in Melbourne suggests some diagnostic questions to ask in considering what church to join –
“Do they read the Bible?
Do they teach from the Bible?
Does the preacher’s message match what the Bible teaches?
Do they teach that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone?
Do they believe in heaven and hell?
Do they preach the sufficiency of Jesus’ death on the cross?
Do they practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper in accord with the significance given in Scripture?
Is the church’s sexual ethics in line with the Bible.
Do the people love one another? Jesus tells us ‘the world will know you are my disciples, because you love one another’.
Do they welcome visitors with kindness and grace. Is the church safe for the unbeliever and inquirer?”
Church in Wales — Weighed in the balance and found wanting
“The Governing Body of the Church in Wales faced an important test this week.
It was a test of their commitment to inclusivity and the respect of individual conscience. It was a test which revealed far more about the future for faithful Anglicans in the Church in Wales than the vote that came later.
The challenge came in the form of a procedural motion. It was merely a request that the vote on the Bill to incorporate an order of service of blessing same-sex relationships into their Book of Common Prayer should be taken by ballot, rather than the usual show of hands. For those unfamiliar with the way Governing Body does its business, a counted vote requires individuals to hold their voting card up to be counted. There is no option for electronic voting and no formal record is made of how individuals voted.
It should not have been controversial. …
Faithful Anglicans in Wales are used to putting up with being being scorned and marginalised. They will now need to come to terms with the fact that the much vaunted conscience clause is limited to an individual’s right not to ‘participate in a service.’ It does not stretch to being able to have nothing to do with such services. If asked, clergy must enable a service of blessing to take place by passing the couple on to the diocesan bishop, or ensuring that another member of their team, or a visiting clergy person, offers the service. Lawyers clarified too that clergy, or congregations, cannot refuse to allow their buildings to be used to bless what they believe God cannot bless.”
– Anglican Futures has published this opinion piece on this week’s meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales.
Related:
Evangelicals ‘need prayers’ after Church in Wales votes to make same-sex blessings permanent – Christian Today.
One thousand people got baptised in Perth on Good Friday. Why?
Steve McAlpine wants us to notice what is happening –
“Most Easter holidays the Swan River would be filled with the sounds of jet-skis and power-boats. This Good Friday, the sound of singing and prayer. There, against the backdrop of those aforementioned skyscrapers, Jesus was proclaimed, no doubt to many a curious onlooker.
Now this does not mean that across the Western world the Sunday roads are blocked as people race off to worship God.
The churches may not be full, the Quiet Revival data may be flawed, but if you’ve been watching this thing for three decades and only seen a trickle of gospel interest, then suddenly BOOM!, you know for sure that something is happening. This is not wish-fulfilment. …”
Michael Youssef on the Left-Islamist alliance
From John Sandeman at The Other Cheek –
“Egyptian-born Michael Youssef is possibly the Moore College graduate with the widest global reach. He heads Leading The Way, which has a focus on reaching Muslims in the Middle East for Christ. He is concerned about Islamist influence in the West.
Youssef is in Sydney for a short visit and spoke to The Other Cheek. …”
– Read it here.
Image: Michael Youssef on The Pastor’s Heart in 2022.
The Rights and Wrongs of Rights
“Dear Friends, Monday night was a tumultuous evening at the Cathedral and I thank God for the hundred or so who attended Evening Prayer, despite the thousands outside. I am thankful for those who attended to site security and those who ensured the PA was loud enough to hear the Bible readings and prayers, despite the cacophony.
I am sorry to those who could not find a way through the crowds but I am grateful to God we were all able to get away safely, even though only one exit remained passable with all other exits effectively blocked.
Sadly almost 1500 school students missed out on their co-curriculaar activities that afternoon, such as music lessons, or sports training, or drama classes. And I think the Red Cross Donor Centre lost upwards of 30 lifesaving blood donations as a result of people cancelling or being unable to walk in because of the protest. …”
– In the current Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral Sandy Grant recognises other people’s freedom of speech and assembly but speaks out for all who have been told to “stay away”.
(Image from the Cathedral Newsletter.)
New federal hate speech laws- impact on religious freedom?
Associate Professor Neil Foster shares his opinion on the ‘“Hate Speech” laws –
“After the dreadful terrorist incident at Bondi on December 14 2025, where 15 folk from the Jewish community were murdered, the Federal government has introduced new ‘hate speech’ laws at the national level.
Whenever there is a proposal to target ‘hate speech’ there is always a potential danger that unpopular religious views will be caught up in the ban. However, it seems that the recently enacted changes will have little impact on religious freedom in Australia, except where religion is offered as a reason to justify calls for violence against others.
In this post I will try to spell out what the changes are, and why they seem to be a reasonable response to the danger of terrorist violence. …”
He does note that, “Perhaps surprisingly there is no clear definition of ‘hate group’ provided in the amendments.”
– Read it all at Law and Religion Australia.
Will the new Archbishop of Canterbury be any different?
“The election of the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury will be confirmed at St Paul’s Cathedral on the 28th January.
She inherits a Church and a Communion in crisis.
It is profoundly regrettable that the lack of decisiveness of Mullally’s predecessors will now become her problem. The failure to deal with progressive teaching at home and abroad, and the fallout that comes from decades of prioritising the reputation of the institution over and above the needs of victims of abuse, means Sarah Mullally has a very full inbox. …”
– Sadly, the writer of this opinion piece at Anglican Futures does not have high expectations.
The faith of our fathers and my hope for Australia
Andrew Hastie, Federal Member for Canning in Western Australia, shares this thoughts for Australia Day.
Regardless of one’s political persuasion, this is worth reading. It’s also worth contemplating how we might gently point people to true hope in Christ, in whatever realm of life we find ourselves.
And it’s also a reminder to pray for members of Parliament.
“Let me share a memory that gives me hope for my country, from the Sydney suburb of Ashfield, where I saw my father weave together a people from vastly different ethnic groups. And I will offer my thoughts on the kind of politics that will let us repair a fraying nation.
This hope is a gift from my father. At Bondi Beach in 2025, we saw how one man’s hatred was passed to his son. Decades earlier, in Ashfield, my father passed to me his love for others as he faithfully served his church community. His example is why I do not despair for our country and our future. …”
Photo: The front doors of Ashfield Presbyterian Church.
Have the bishops put the LLF Travelator into reverse?
“Just over two years ago, an Anglican Futures blogger adopted the concept of the ‘Travelator’ as a way of explaining how the process of changing the Church of England’s practice and teaching about sexual relationships works.
The blog explained how David Porter, the then Archbishop of Canterbury’s Strategy Consultant, ensured that the process would itself become the outcome, by legitimising the questions being asked and preventing any ‘end point’, other than the introduction of blessings and/or same-sex marriage, with the expectation that those who disagree are required to ‘walk together’/ ‘agree to disagree’.
Just like a Travelator – once the first step is taken, there is no way off.
Today, however, some are suggesting that the House of Bishops’ latest statement represents a reversal of the Travelator. If this were true it would be a cause for great rejoicing amongst orthodox Anglicans throughout the Anglican Communion.…”
– Is the LLF Travelator really going into reverse?
Anglican Futures has six reasons why it isn’t.
Young People are turning to the Bible
Murray Campbell writes:
“Search is on for meaning and for hope.
Last year reports from the UK and USA suggested that the Bible is becoming more popular than ever. Indeed, a huge resurgence in Bible sales is taking place, especially among the U25s. These whispers are growing louder, with The Guardian reporting yesterday,
‘Sales of the good book reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019 – the highest since records began – according to industry research. Last year, total sales of Bibles in the UK reached £6.3m, £3.61m up on 2019 sales.
Leading the charge is young people. Only 4% of 18- to 24-year-olds said they attended church monthly in 2018, but in 2024 that number rose to 16% – the largest increase of any age demographic.’…”
– Read here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…