Judging the Unrighteous — Exclusion from the kingdom of heaven

From Phillip Jensen –

“If ever there is a passage of the Bible that has caused controversy and division today, it is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

There is not much doubt as to what the passage says or means, yet the application of this passage in the church and in society has led to great conflict.

In today’s episode, Peter outlines something of the background of the conflict within the Anglican Communion over the last two decades, before we turn to the real pastoral importance of this passage in the lives of the leaders.”

Peter and Phillip Jensen discuss this very sobering topic at Two Ways News.

Widows in the household of God

From the Priscilla and Aquila Annual Conference 2026 –

“A deep dive into 1 Timothy 5:3-16.

Working closely through the passage, Lionel Windsor addresses key questions and tensions – how it relates to the rest of Scripture, what it means to honour widows, and how the church is to order its life as God’s family.

The talk highlights the importance of honour, responsibility, and care, and challenges the assumptions we often bring to age, family, and independence.

We are reminded that the church is not simply a gathering of individuals, but a household shaped by God’s word – where men and women are called to honour one another and live out the implications of the gospel together.”

Fascinating and helpful.

The liturgical shape of authentic Anglicanism

Original published in The Australian Church Record’s Easter 2026 Journal, Andrew Leslie reflects on authentic Anglicanism –

“When you look beyond the Sydney Diocese at national or global Anglicanism—and you can get a glimpse of this within the Sydney Diocese too—you might imagine that the denomination is so diverse in liturgy, in theology, and in practice, that defining ‘Anglican’ could be like asking, how long is a piece of string? And you’d be right.

In the face of that reality, it might be tempting just to sit on your hands, or throw them up in the air, or perhaps even make a virtue of the increasingly fragmented, almost totally amorphous comprehensiveness of global Anglicanism—as if to be authentically Anglican amounts to little more than  ‘everyone does as they see fit in their own eyes’, to borrow from the book of Judges!

Forty or fifty years ago, people would often try to solve the riddle by saying that at least the denomination has some kind of global coherence through communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. But now even that’s no longer a given. …”

Read it all here.

Image: Archbishop Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke.

Judgement of the Unrighteous

From Phillip Jensen –

“1 Corinthians 6 opens with a very challenging issue of disputes within the congregation. The Corinthians seem to have blown up these minor disputes into lawsuits against each other.

This raises for us a plethora of issues about resolving disputes inside the church and when it is appropriate and right to take issues beyond the church into public law courts.

I’m sure you will find this issue as complex as Peter and I discovered in our conversation.”

Listen to Phillip and Peter discuss – at Two Ways News.

JUST WAR & the US, Israel, Iran and Ukraine – with John McClean, Rob Smith & Grant Dibden

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“How should Christians think about war? How does the Biblical Framework of Just War help us understand how we should react to what is happening in the Ukraine, Iran, Israel and south Lebanon.

We go back to first principles drawing on the work of Augustine of Hippo Thomas Aquinas – asking when is it right to go to war — and how must war be conducted? And how do those principles evaluate what’s happening in today’s conflicts?

Joining us are:

• John McClean, Vice Principal of Christ College Sydney,

• Rob Smith, theologian and ethicist and

• Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force.

Together we explore how Just War thinking has shaped Western military ethics and whether it is quietly being sidelined.

Plus we examine what the Just War doctrine says about individuals conduct in war, in light of the controversy surrounding Australian Soldier Ben Roberts-Smith.

And how should Christians respond when the emotional weight of real-world conflict hits close.”

Watch or listen here.

Revelation 12 and Easter

Mark Powell at AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal writes,

“It’s easy to become so familiar with the person and work of Jesus that we fail to appreciate the cosmic significance which it had. In particular, what did Christ’s person and work look like from a heavenly perspective? This is where Revelation 12 is so helpful with its ‘unveiling’ regarding the true spiritual significance of what took place in history approximately 2000 years ago.

While I’m sure not many preachers would choose this particular part of God’s Word to preach on at Easter, Revelation 12 has often been viewed by scholars as ‘the centre and the key to the entire book’. In short, as Greg Beale summarises: ‘As a result of Christ’s victory over the devil God protects the messianic community against the Devil’s wrathful harm’.

That’s a message which surely goes to the heart of what the Gospel is all about! Too many preachers shy away from the book of Revelation, so I would like to exhort us to lean into its contents as a powerful way of preaching the victory of Jesus who is the Christ. …”

Read it all here.

The Arrogance of the Moral

From Phillip Jensen –

“Christians in Western society have had a large say in public morality. When appointed the Dean at our cathedral, I was told by several people that my role was to be the moral conscience of society. I thought I was supposed to preach the gospel, but what is the relationship of the gospel to public morality and of the church to the rest of society? 1 Corinthians 5 raises these issues for us; I hope you enjoy our discussion.”

Hear Peter and Phillip Jensen”s discussion – at Two Ways News.

Getting Authority and Care Right – Peter Orr on Today’s Pastor

From The Pastor’s Heart

“ ‘Authority’ and ‘care’-  the two big words New Testament lecturer Peter Orr says belong together at the heart of real shepherding.

Lecturer at Sydney’s Moore Theological College, Peter Orr, has told the Nexus Conference, that one of the great confusions of our moment is confusion about the role of the pastor.

He asks whether in circles like ours, with a strong and right emphasis on every-member ministry, we accidentally downplayed the distinctiveness of the pastor?

What does it mean to say that a pastor has real authority, but that it is derived, limited and for care? How to avoid harshness, being too soft and lazy.”

Watch here.

Radical Kinship – Plenary sessions from the 2026 P&A Annual Conference

Simon Flinders (Archdeacon to the Archbishop of Sydney) spoke at the recent Priscilla and Aquila Centre Annual Conference at Moore College. The theme was Radical Kinship – Men and Women in God’s Family.

Videos of the Plenary Sessions have now been published by Moore College –

Plenary Session 1.
Discipleship as new love – Jesus’ invitation to radically rethink “family”.

In a culture that elevates family as the ultimate source of identity and fulfilment, Jesus offers a radically different vision. In this talk, Simon Flinders explores how discipleship to Christ reorders our deepest loves and loyalties. With clarity and care, he shows that belonging to God’s family is not secondary, but central to the gospel—and a gift that reshapes every other relationship.

Plenary Session 2.
Church as family – The apostles’ invitation to live as siblings
.

In a world where church can easily be seen as an event or institution, the New Testament presents something far richer. In this talk, Simon Flinders shows that the church is not like a family—it is family. Drawing on the language of adoption and new birth, he explores the depth of our shared identity in Christ and the practical implications for how we love, serve, and care for one another as brothers and sisters in God’s household.

True Judgements

From Phillip Jensen –

“Just as Western society is confused over the subject of identity, so we are confused over the issue of judgementalism. The modern push is to be a non-judgemental, inclusive society, but the reality is one of high condemnation and exclusion of people whose views or lifestyle differ from those in power.

Christians believe in the judgement of God, but what do these judgements involve? And what are the differences between discernment and condemnation? I hope you enjoy our consideration of 1 Corinthians chapter 4.”

Listen at Two Ways News.

Christian Identity

From Phillip Jensen –

“Today as we proceed through 1 Corinthians 3, we think of the pressing problem for modern Western culture: that of identity.

Apparently, many people struggle with the questions, ‘Who am I?’ or ‘What am I?’. This chapter answers these questions for Christians.”

Listen at Two Ways News.

The Global Anglican — Church Society Podcast

From Church Society –

“Peter Jensen and Kirsten Birkett discuss The Global Anglican theological journal, and Peter shares his thoughts on the state of global Anglicanism more broadly.”

Listen here. Recorded just before G26 met.

Taking Grandma To Be Put Down

“In 2016, Canada legalized what it calls Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)—physician-assisted death for those experiencing severe suffering. At the time, the policy was presented as a narrow and compassionate option reserved primarily for those nearing the end of life.

Less than a decade later, the numbers tell a very different story. Since legalization, over 70,000 Canadians have died through MAID, with more than 15,000 deaths in 2023 alone. That means roughly one out of every twenty deaths in Canada now occurs through assisted suicide.

What began as an exceptional measure has quickly become a normalized part of the healthcare system. And that should make us pause. …”

– At AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal, Tim Madden, writing in the US, looks at what is happening in Canada and calls for a Christian response. (It’s also well on the way in Australia.)

The Two Wisdoms

From Phillip Jensen –

“Dear friends,

We do appreciate comments and feedback, and even questions from our many subscribers.

Sadly, we haven’t got the time or resources to be able to answer each question; however, two of the comments that came in to us on the Acts 17 passage we thought would be very helpful to air in this episode of Two Ways News, before we look at the two wisdoms contrasted in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.”

Listen here. And, as always, thoughtful, helpful and informative.

Understanding Evangelism

From Phillip Jensen –

“We do appreciate comments and feedback, and even questions from our many subscribers.

Sadly, we haven’t got the time or resources to be able to answer each question, however two of the comments that came in to us on the Acts 17 passage we thought would be very helpful to air in this episode of Two Ways News, before we look at the two wisdoms contrasted in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.”

They begin by clarifying some things about anti-semitism and then go on to speak about the vital topic of evangelism.

Listen here. Most helpful.

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