Giving thanks for Campus Bible Study — 50 years on
Posted on April 2, 2025
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Today we review the 50 year impact of The University of New South Wales’ Campus Bible Study on Christian ministries across Australia and around the world – in raising up gospel workers, sending missionaries, planting churches and in Christian publishing.
Former Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen led the ministry for thirty years till 2005. Since then Paul Grimmond and Carl Matthei have been senior chaplains.
Alan Stewart started studying at the University of New South Wales just two years after Phillip Jensen arrived as Anglican Chaplain. Alan was saved by Jesus in 1979 and went on to assist in the ministry, before becoming CEO of Anglican Youthworks, Bishop of Wollongong, head of Church Planting for Sydney Anglicans and then national director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.
Tony Payne and Tracey Gowing started as undergraduates a few years after Alan. Tony went on to run the influential Christian publishing house Matthias Media, while Tracey led the Christian ministry at Cumberland College Christian Group before returning to UNSW as a senior staff member at Campus Bible Study.”
What and Who are Humans?
Posted on April 1, 2025
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From Phillip Jensen:
“As we look at Genesis 1, we come to a great climax in the creation of humans in God’s Image.
More bottles of ink have been spilled over this phrase than possibly any phrase in the Bible. What is the image of God? In what way are we in the image of God? What are humans and who are we?
The questions go on and on. Yet this teaching of Genesis 1 has stood the test of time in identifying God’s universal identity and value of humans.”
– Listen to the latest Two Ways News podcast with Phillip and Peter Jensen.
100 Ministry stories — Peter Jensen interviews Lloyd Bennett
Posted on March 31, 2025
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From Moore Theological College:
“Former Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, sits down with Lloyd Bennett – pastor, chaplain, and Moore College graduate.
Lloyd shares how he came to know Christ, his journey into ministry, and the ways God used his time at Moore to shape a lifetime of faithful service. From classrooms to chaplaincy, his story is one of God’s grace and guidance every step of the way.”
– This is a most encouraging interview. Watch or listen here.
Nexus 2025: Post-conference reflections on personal and team-based evangelism
Posted on March 31, 2025
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“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, said Jesus.
It’s so often like that, isn’t it?
What you bring to a thing is very often what you end up getting out of it. The questions and attitudes you have at the outset usually determine how you hear, what you hear, and what you come away with.
So in the following reflections on the Nexus Conference that was held a couple of weeks ago, I must ask the reader to bear with the questions I turned up with. They have been on my mind for some little while, and they no doubt determined why I found the conference to be a vastly encouraging and stimulating day. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Kirsten McKinlay shares her reflections on Nexus 2025.
Thanks to the Nexus team, you can hear the talks yourself!
Taking the gospel to communities consumed by the here and now
Posted on March 31, 2025
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“When I’m at the beach, a phrase I often hear is, ‘Where else would you rather be?’
For a lot of people, living by the beach is their idea of paradise. There is a strong secular hedonism that is pervasive in the culture around suburban coastal contexts. Gripped by lifestyle and materialism, you get a clear idea of where people’s hearts are, and what their idea of heaven might be …”
– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Rich Wenden has some suggestions on connecting with “communities consumed by the here and now”.
Being an Influencer
Posted on March 30, 2025
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“ ‘Trev, go home. One day I want to be able to say, see that guy who is a well-known engineer, he used to spend time at my slot car track and work for me part-time. I don’t want them to say, see that bum over there, I knew him once.’
I spent much of my time as a teenager at a local pinball parlour and slot car track. The man who owned the establishment took an interest in me and employed me part-time. One night when I wasn’t working but just hanging around, he sent me home with these words.
After I was rather miraculously converted from atheism to Christianity in my 30s, I began to remember many points in my life, like this one, when the words and actions of others influenced me in tiny incremental ways towards the ‘good’. …”
– In the latest edition of CASE News from New College, Trevor Cairney reminds us of that the Lord can use weak vessels like us to bring good to others.
Photo: Trevor Cairney at the 2024 ACL Synod Dinner.
Bishop Martyn Snow responds to “What kind of future awaits the faithful?”
Posted on March 30, 2025
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“I am grateful to Anglican Futures for reviewing my booklet, ‘Can we Imagine a Future Together? Intercultural Lessons for Living in Love and Faith’. The review is thoughtful and constructive, and they are kind enough to offer words of personal encouragement to me – I have indeed spent many hours on Living in Love and Faith (LLF) and heard much pain and anger!
And yet the opening analysis is that the booklet ‘offers little hope’ for faithful Anglicans.
Unsurprisingly, I take issue with this … Obviously, it all depends on what you regard as a good outcome to the LLF process! …”
– Anglican Futures has published this response by Bishop Martyn Snow to their review of his booklet ‘Can we Imagine a Future Together?’.
Bishop Snow is the lead bishop for the ‘Living and Love and Faith’ process in the Church of England. Doubtless, there will be responses to Bishop Snow’s response.
Image: Bishop Snow at the 2024 Church of England General Synod.
Peter Williams on eighty years of Tyndale House
Posted on March 29, 2025
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In the latest Tyndale House podcast, Principal Peter Williams speaks about the origins of Tyndale House in Cambridge, founded 80 years ago, in 1945.
Along the way, he mentions many people with whom our readers will be familiar.
“Dr Peter J. Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, walks us through the history of Tyndale House. Starting with the initial conversations about creating an institution for evangelical biblical scholarship that took place in the late 1930s, through to the new library building project starting in 2025.”
An encouraging and illuminating 33 minutes.
And all the people said… [inaudible mumble]
Posted on March 29, 2025
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“I probably said it at church today about 15 times. You might have said it slightly less. It’s a ‘religious’ word. You find it translated in English Bibles 50 times, each time in connection with worship. What am I talking about? It’s the little word: ‘Amen’. …
Nothing saps the spirits like reaching the end of a prayer and getting a whimper of an ‘Amen’. …”
– Simon Arscott at Gentle Reformation reminds us what “Amen” is for. (Link via Tim Challies.)
Hope for the Illawarra this weekend
Posted on March 28, 2025
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It would be good to continue to keep the churches and people of the Illawarra in your prayers – especially this weekend.
Details here and here.
Talks from the Bathurst Diocese 2025 Conference
Posted on March 28, 2025
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Videos of the talks from the Diocese of Bathurst 2025 Conference – held last weekend – are now available for your encouragement and edification.
And food for your prayers too.
Daylight Saving in NSW ends Sunday 6th April 2025
Posted on March 27, 2025
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In NSW, Daylight saving ends at 3:00am Australian Eastern Standard Time on Sunday 6 April 2025.
Might be worth reminding congregations this weekend.
Complementarian: Church Society Podcast S16E09
Posted on March 27, 2025
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From Church Society:
“Ros Clarke, Kirsten Birkett and Lee Gatiss discuss complementarian theology and practice in the Church of England today.”
– Listen here.
Chris Braga: ‘I believed therefore I spoke’
Posted on March 26, 2025
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“That’s what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:13. And yet it’s a verse hardly referred to in the last few decades in discussions over who is responsible for evangelism.
Chris Braga of Grace West Anglican Church Sydney told the Nexus Conference in Sydney that 2 Corinthians 4:13 shows that there’s a spiritual reflex that internal faith (in the death and resurrection of Jesus) will challenge fear and lead to speech.
Not because we’re commanded, but because we can’t help ourselves.
Chris Braga says implications are that proclamation is for every Christian, one’s Christian faith is always public and a command is not needed to link faith to speech.”
The Goodness of God — Two Ways News
Posted on March 25, 2025
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From Phillip Jensen:
“‘Good’ is such a strange word. We all know what we mean by it, but it is so difficult to define. So when God declares his creation to be ‘good, very good’ what is he saying? Is the world itself good or simply pleasing? And if it is good, what is it good for?
In this week’s Two Ways News, Peter and I venture into the meaning of God calling the world good and the implications that has for living in this world and the next.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…