June 2010 Australian Church Record online

The June 2010 edition (number 1899) of The Australian Church Record is now online – it’s a 1MB download.

Articles include: ‘On the Lookout for a New Archbishop? Seven Imperatives to start the Shopping List’.

Some thoughts for Trinity Sunday

“In the Church of England’s calendar, today is Trinity Sunday, but time was when the Church of England seemed to become a bit embarrassed about this.

Indeed the calendar was re-written so that Sundays after Trinity, which run from now until the run-up to Christmas became Sundays after Pentecost. Pentecost seemed much more in keeping with the new mood of the Church. Pentecost was about experience — present experience of the Spirit in the life of the Church and the believer. Trinity seemed to be about an obscure doctrine rooted in the Church’s past…”

– John Richardson writes.

‘Archbishop of Canterbury imposes first sanctions’

“Dr Rowan Williams announced that areas which had ignored ‘pleading’ for restraint would be banned from attending inter-faith dialogue events and prevented from voting on a key body on doctrine. …

But the move will also hit orthodox provinces in the developing world – known as the Global South…”

– from The (UK) Telegraph.

Related: Archbishop of Canterbury’s Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion.

Diocese of Tasmania Synod now on

The first ordinary session of the 51st  Synod of the Missionary Diocese of Tasmania is now meeting (28-30 May 2010) and members would doubtless value your prayers as they discuss how to reach Tasmanians for Christ.

Business papers are available on the diocesan website.

Christ Centred Communion – further thoughts (part V)

“…in all future Passover meal celebrations, the disciples could do nothing other than see in such meals remembrance events that focussed on the death of Jesus rather than on the Exodus event.”
– Barry Newman recaps on his earlier posts on Christ Centred Communion.

Barry’s blog is very helpful in encouraging readers to think about the meaning of Scripture.

Jews for Jesus founder dies

“Dear friends,

If you are reading this, it means that I have gone on to my reward.  As I write this, I can only think of what the Scriptures say and that is, ‘Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither have they entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.’…

I hope I can count on you to show love and respect for the Jewish people, but Jewishness never saved anybody. Judaism never saved anybody no matter how sincere. Romans 10:9 & 10 make it clear that we must believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus in order to be saved. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy way…”

– Jews for Jesus founder Moishe Rosen fell asleep in Christ last week.

See also this tribute by Ray Ortland. New York Times obituary here.

New resources at BeThinking.org

The UCCF’s BeThinking apologetics website has some new resources. Worth having a look.

Bryan Chapell on Young, Restless, & Reformed

Bryan Chapell, from Covenant Theological Seminary, was interviewed by Ligon Duncan on the phenomenon of the new Reformed movement, and the Acts29 church planting network. Helpful background on what’s happening in the US.

It’s a 64MB mp3 file. (h/t Justin Taylor.)

The Australian on the new Roman Missal

“On the cardinal’s desk sits an impressive, red-covered tome of 1266 gilt-edged pages, the new English edition of the Roman missal: one of a handful of copies in the world…”

– Two things stand out in this report from The Australian – a return to the concepts of the Latin mass, and a focus on theological clarity. What might reformed, evangelical Anglicans learn from this revision?

Why we still need Confession of Sin

It’s become trendy for churches to drop a corporate confession of sin. Kevin DeYoung writes:

“If your church does not regularly confess sin and receive God’s assurance of pardon you are missing an essential element of corporate worship. It’s in the weekly prayer of confession that we experience the gospel. It’s here that we find punk kids and Ph.D.’s humbled together, admitting the same human nature. It’s here we, like Pilgrim, can unload our burden at the foot of the cross.”

– read his full article here. Want some help? One place to start is Better Gatherings.

Anglican TV on St James Newport Beach vs. the Diocese of Los Angeles

Last week, Kevin Kallsen of Anglican TV interviewed Attorney Eric Sohlgren about the continued court case of St James Newport Beach vs. the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Helpful in understanding what’s happening to many churches which have left TEC.

Expecting what God promises

Richard Baxter:

“What keeps us under trouble is either we do not expect what God has promised [suffering], or we expect what he did not promise [an easy life]. We are grieved at crosses, losses, wrongs of our enemies, unkind dealings of our friends, sickness, or for contempt and scorn in the world. But who encouraged you to expect any better?” (Voices From the Past, 138)

– quoted by Stephen Altrogge at The Blazing Center.

Rockhampton Synod

The Diocese of Rockhampton’s Synod was held last week – and reports and the Presidential address by Bishop Godfrey Fryer, are now on their website (scroll down).

– It’s a good reminder to pray for all who name Christ as Lord in far-flung regions of Australia (cp Colossians 1:9-14.).

The Good News We Almost Forgot

“The Good News We Almost Forgot is Kevin DeYoung’s attempt to introduce the Heidelberg Catechism to a new generation. And it seems that at a time when so many people are describing themselves as “Reformed” it is worthwhile looking to the historic roots of the Reformed tradition. Though the catechism was published almost 450 years ago, it remains relevant. The gospel it professed at the time of the Reformation is the very gospel we treasure today.”

– Tim Challies reviews the book. Get it from Reformers Bookshop or Moore Books.

Related: More Catechesis, Please.

Time to end the Nanny Church?

“In our area… we have been told to come up with a deanery mission strategy. But we cannot control our budget and we cannot control our staff — the ‘quota’ we pay to diocesan central funds is set by the diocesan centre, and is increasingly beyond the reach of dwindling congregations of elderly people. But we are rated as a ‘rich’ area, so the level is set accordingly.

At the same time, however, the number of clergy we are allowed to deploy is restricted to what we are allowed by the bishops, so we cannot increase the workforce who might increase the membership…”

– John Richardson also wonders about the future of the Church of England.

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