An Unspiritual Church
“‘Spirituality’ is a term of great confusion today. Both inside and outside Christianity, people use the word in ways quite different to the Bible. This not only confuses Christians in what to expect from the Spirit of God but also confuses non-Christians about the work of God’s Spirit and the teaching of Christianity. For when Christians, in our confusion, misrepresent God’s word it is no surprise that non-Christians do not understand our message.”
– In his weekly column for the Cathedral, Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen looks at what makes a church ‘Spirit filled’ – and what doesn’t.
A Statement Concerning the Consecration of Rev Dr Sarah Macneil in the Anglican Diocese of Grafton
Here’s a Statement from ACL President, The Rev. Gavin Poole:
“On 1 March 2014 the Anglican diocese of Grafton will consecrate its new Bishop. The consecration will be hailed as ‘historic’ as she will be the first female diocesan Bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia.
The fact that the diocesan Bishop will be a woman is of concern, especially considering there has been no publicly available provision by the Grafton diocese for those who cannot in good conscience accept her episcopal ministry. The matters raised in this document however are of more grave concern. …”
Read the full text – or download it – below – Read more
GAFCON Chairman’s February 2014 pastoral letter
“When we met for GAFCON 2013 here in Nairobi last October, we drew inspiration from the living tradition of the East African Revival, a movement of the Spirit that led the churches of this region back to a new love for the Lord Jesus and a new obedience to the Scriptures as the Word of God.
The authenticity of the Revival was demonstrated in times of persecution, including Uganda under the regime of Idi Amin. Earlier this month my brother Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, gathered with thousands of people at Mucwini, Kitgum, for the 34th commemoration of the martyrdom of Archbishop Janani Luwum who was murdered at the hands of Idi Amin on 16th February 1977.”
– Archbishop Eliud Wabukala’s full letter may be read at the GAFCON website.
Canberra Anglicare restructures aged care
“After a thorough review, the Board of Anglicare (NSW South, West & ACT) is pleased to announce a new stage in the development and growth for our five residential aged care facilities…” – story from the Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn.
“An organisation affiliated with the RSL has bought five nursing homes owned by the Anglican Church in Canberra and on the NSW south coast. Anglicare, the church’s social services agency, has sold the Ginninderra Gardens and Brindabella Gardens facilities in Canberra, as well as three on the NSW south coast…” – report from The Canberra Times. Photo: Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn.
Challenges Gospel Ministers can expect
“What challenges lie ahead? The race this new generation is called to run will include several unavoidable challenges that will demand the highest level of biblical fidelity and theological courage, matched to keen cultural sensitivity and a deep love for human beings caught in the maelstrom of late modernity. …”
– Albert Mohler identifies several key challenges for all who are called to preach Christ.
I’d like an argument please
“Mortimer Adler, How to Read a Book:
You must be able to say, with reasonable certainty,
‘I understand,’
before you can say any one of the following things:
‘I agree,’ or
‘I disagree,’ or
‘I suspend judgment.’
For those who don’t do this, he says:
There is actually no point in answering critics of this sort. The only polite thing to do is to ask them to state your position for you, the position they claim to be challenging.…”
– Read the full (but brief) post by Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds.
Why are you doing what you are doing?
“A friend sent me a postcard once from his holiday destination with the inscription ‘Why are you doing what you are doing?” I asked myself that question recently while I was sitting in a lecture at the Australian Command and Staff College at Weston Creek, where I am posted as chaplain…”
– Moore College graduate Peter Friend, inaugural Chaplain at the Australian Defence College, shares why he is doing what he is doing. (Good point for prayer too.)
Scam alert
From Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in Southern Africa, Desmond Inglesby (pictured) –
“It has come to our attention that that there is a scam going around that attempts to use the identity of Bishop Desmond Inglesby and the Church of England in South Africa. …
The premise of the scam is an invitation from Presiding Bishop Desmond Inglesby to speak at a conference or seminar. It asks at the end to please begin correspondence with these people to an email address that looks like it belongs to the Presiding Bishop.”
A Trolling Tragedy
“The very recent and very tragic death of Charlotte Dawson has brought the terrors of cyber-trolling to the forefront of Australian hearts and minds yet again…”
– The Australian Church Record calls for “more virtuous social media interaction” in the wake of a terrible tragedy.
A relentlessly agreeable God?
“What would it be like to live in a world where no one ever disagrees with us? Initially it would seem idyllic, perfect even! …
What about a world where God never disagrees with us?”
– Mel Lacy at Oak Hill College in London asks the question (PDF) in the latest issue of Cross†Way.
The False Teachers: Pelagius
“Pelagius believed that man had not been entirely corrupted by Adam’s fall and that he could, by his own free will, do works that pleased God, and thus be saved.”
– In his new series on The False Teachers, Tim Challies turns to write about Pelagius.
Bathurst church building destroyed by fire
The St. Barnabas’ Anglican Church building in South Bathurst (map) was destroyed by fire last night. The congregation and Bishop Ian Palmer would value your prayers.
Report from ABC News.
Report and photos from The Western Advocate.
Monday morning update from The Western Advocate.
Photo: Troy Johnson / Twitter via ABC News.
Statement from the Global South Primates Steering Committee, Cairo, February 2014
“…we believe that we have to make every effort in order to restore our beloved Communion. Therefore we took the following decisions:
a) We request and will support the Archbishop of Canterbury to call for a Primates Meeting in 2015 in order to address the increasingly deteriorating situation facing the Anglican Communion. It is important that the agenda of this Primates Meeting be discussed and agreed upon by the Primates beforehand in order to ensure an effective meeting.
b) We decided to establish a Primatial Oversight Council, in following-through the recommendations taken at Dromantine in 2005 and Dar es Salam in 2007, to provide pastoral and primatial oversight to dissenting individuals, parishes, and dioceses in order to keep them within the Communion. …”
– Read the full statement here at Global South Anglican.
Presbyterian College opens new building, changes name
The Presbyterian Theological Centre in Burwood has opened its new building – and changed its name to Christ College. The Principals of Moore College, SMBC and Morling College were invited to be present for the opening on Friday night.
Christ College Principal, Dr. Ian Smith, explained the College’s new logo, a crown of thorns, is a reminder that the college and its graduates must avoid self-promotion and serve as Christ did.
The college website’s new URL is christcollege.edu.au.
Confidence in God and the word he has given us
“In the last few days Steve Chalke has done it again.
The 58 year old Baptist minister who pastors the Oasis Church in London is no stranger to controversy. He ignited a debate about penal substitution with his book (co-authored with Alan Mann), The Lost Message of Jesus in 2004. That book provoked a series of responses, the most substantial being Pierced for our Transgressions, edited by, amongst others, Dr Mike Ovey, the redoubtable Principal of Oak Hill College London. Then around this time last year, Chalke published in support of monogamous homosexual relationships with a two part article on ‘The Bible and Homosexuality’.
Now he has published an article questioning the truthfulness of everything in the Bible…”
– Moore College Principal Mark Thompson looks at Steve Chalke’s latest foray into controversy.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…