Being on message for Jesus without projecting yourself
Nathan Campbell, who blogs at St. Eutychus, interviews David Ould about his appearances on TEN’s The Project –
“… I applied for the show the first time around with the line that normal Christians don’t get a fair play in mainstream media. I almost dared them to take me on on that basis. I felt no need to play down – in fact – quite the opposite, I felt like that was the gimmick in having me on, not just a Christian, but a minister in fact.”
– Read it here.
The Prayer
“Should I pray for a parking spot near the shopping mall entrance or close to the church door?
Should I pray about that swimming costume I’m dying to buy or the twenty-function vegetable peeler I just saw advertised on TV that would make me more like a Masterchef? …
Is not this kind of praying, and the view of spiritual reality that lies behind, it barely more than half a degree of separation from the prosperity theology that has blighted parts of the church for too long?”
– David Mansfield writes about Prayer at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Related:
A Softer Prosperity Gospel: More Common Than You Think – David Schrock at 9 Marks.
Kingdom-advancing prayer – Ray Ortlund at The Gospel Coalition quotes Tim Keller.
Bishop to attend ‘school’ for new bishops
“Bishop Ian Palmer is heading to the United Kingdom at the end of January to attend a ‘school’ for newly-appointed bishops. …”
– News from Bathurst Diocese.
New Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral Sale
“On Friday November 5, 2013 the Reverend Steve Clarke was inducted and installed as the new Dean of the Cathedral of St Paul and Rector of the parish of Sale.
Steve Clarke began his professional life as a jazz musician in Sydney. Following a ‘chance’ encounter with a traveling preacher, Steve came to faith and felt a strong calling to Christian ministry.”
– News and photo from the Diocese of Gippsland.
Answering the call
“Archbishop Glenn Davies thought he was too old to be appointed to the top job, heading up the Sydney Anglican diocese and becoming Metropolitan of NSW. …
Dr Davies, who has held the role since last June, was the special guest at the Diocese of Canberra/Goulburn’s Bishop’s Convention on Friday and Saturday. It was his first official visit to the city.”
– There’s a profile on Archbishop Glenn Davies in The Goulburn Post.
Open Letter to the Prime Minister regarding South Sudan
Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn, Stuart Robinson, has written an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott concerning South Sudan.
What did Jesus say?
“Here are three accusations commonly levelled at Christian teaching:
One, people like to drive a wedge between Jesus and rest of the Bible and Christian tradition. So we often hear it said: ‘the God of the Old Testament is harsh and judgemental; the New Testament God is kind and loving’…
Two, the importance of sexual morality is often downplayed compared with other aspects of human life. ‘Why is the church obsessed with sex?’ people complain. …
Three, the dominant narrative about religion in the media is this: ‘The church must change, or it will be irrelevant’…”
– At last week’s “Setting Love in Order” conference in the UK, Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes spoke on “Homosexual orientation and practice: what did Jesus say?”. Here’s the paper on which he based his talk.
Taking God Seriously
Here’s a challenging video clip from Dr J I Packer on Taking God Seriously.
It’s a subtle promotion for the book of the same name – the video was published almost a year after the book.
Runs for 1:52 at Vimeo. Well worth passing on the link.
About the book, Carl Trueman writes:
“Like many people, I first discovered what it meant ‘to take God seriously’ through reading J. I. Packer’s books. It is thus an honour and a delight to be asked to write a commendation for his latest work, a basic catechetical plea for sober, modest, thoughtful and orthodox theology.
In a church world dominated by Barnum and Bailey circus antics and the brash triviality borrowed from the world around in the name of ‘engagement,’ Dr. Packer remains a truly engaging and gentlemanly advocate for those old paths which are ever fresh.”
Related: Dr Packer’s most recent sermon preached at St. John’s Vancouver, 5th January 2014 – on John 4:1-45.
Australia Day Convention 2014
The 2014 Australia Day Convention at the Cathedral is coming up on Monday 27th January.
Phillip Jensen, Neil Foster and Mark Thompson are the speakers, and the early-bird rates end soon.
Living with Alcohol in the George Street Precinct
“The terrible death of Daniel Christie is the endpoint of our culture’s love affair with alcohol. Nobody will grieve for him more than his family but everybody in our society should grieve over the senseless death of another young man.
This individual episode of alcoholic violence highlights the need for reform. …
History will not be kind to the reluctant politicians who refuse to stand up for the community against the vested interests of the alcohol industry.”
– Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Phillip Jensen, tackles the topic everyone’s talking about.
Welcome to Seminary — Now what?
In his welcome address to new students at Southern Seminary in Kentucky, Albert Mohler lays down some very pertinent challenges –
1. Do not consider your years at seminary as a prelude to ministry – this is ministry.
2. Do not believe that you will be more faithful in ministry in the future than you are now.
3. Do not believe that you will love the church more in the future than you do now.
4. Do not believe that you will be more evangelistic in the future than you are now.
5. Finally, be morally strong and stay humble.
Related:
Part I – The Pastor as Theologian.
Part II – The Pastor’s Calling.
or download the full mini eBook in PDF format here.
Theology
“During my 26 years working at SMBC, a number of students, from the same era, commented independently to me, that SMBC at their particular time, was in a ‘golden era’. At the time I disregarded this as a flush of student enthusiasm. On reflection, however, I agree that it was, at that time at the College, a ‘golden era’!
Lots of things contributed to making the era what it was, at Faculty, Administration and Student level, but above all, the health of any Christian training college is determined by its strength in the area of Systematic Theology. It was our strength in systematics which made that era, golden.
Bible coverage, the study of Greek and Hebrew, practical studies are all important, but it is Systematic Theology which unites them all. To be a productive pastor, missionary or preacher, one must have an in-depth knowledge of Systematics.
Broughton Knox, Principal at Moore Theological College (1959 – 1985), my Principal, proved that; every student of that era will tell you how Dr Knox’s first year doctrine lectures were such a vital component in his/her own maturing understanding. …”
– David Cook, Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, writes about the key place of Theology – in his Moderator Comments (scroll down to the post for 31 December 2013).
An All-Consuming Passion for Jesus
An All-Consuming Passion for Jesus is another free eBook from John Piper.
Oak Hill ‘Commentary’ Winter 2013-14
The latest issue of Oak Hill’s Commentary magazine is now online.
Crossway article on The Pilling Report
“The easy thing for us to do, in the current climate, would be to respond to our culture’s normalising of homosexual practice by re-thinking the Church’s historic opposition to it. Many people, and especially the younger generation, now feel that there is nothing wrong with same-sex attraction or behaviour, so it seems obvious to many that to attract them we must soften our stance on this issue at some level.
The riskier, more radical and more difficult thing to do is to hold on to what the Holy Spirit teaches us in his word about what it means to be holy, and what kind of lifestyle is pleasing to him. Will we take that risk, and pay the cost of discipleship, for the sake of Jesus and the clarity of his gospel call to ‘Repent and believe the good news’?”
– In the latest issue of Crossway, Church Society Director Lee Gatiss responds to The Pilling Report. PDF file.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…