GAFCON Lent Pastoral Letter
“A Church that is no longer able to say ‘it is written’ has placed itself in great spiritual danger, but that is where the Anglican Communion could be led according to a review just released of ‘Living Reconciliation’, a book written to promote the ‘Continuing Indaba’ project…”
– Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, writes in his Lent Pastoral Letter.
Australia’s Christian Heritage
Weekend reading, new in our Resources section:
Associate Professor Stuart Piggin gave this address at a gathering on 3rd February 2015 to commemorate the First Christian Service in Australia.
Held in Richard Johnson Square, Sydney, the gathering was close to the site of the first service, conducted by the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the Colony, on 3rd February 1788.
“We are at the site of:
• the First Christian service on Australian soil,
• the first sermon preached,
• the first church and
• the first schoolhouse
The preacher at that service, held under a ‘great tree’, beginning at 10 o’clock on 3 February 1788, a hot midsummer’s day, was the Rev Richard Johnson, Australia’s
• first minister,
• first educator,
• first carer for orphans,
• first carer for aboriginal children …”
Click here to open the PDF file of Dr. Piggin’s address in a new window.
Photos: Ramon Williams, Worldwide Photos.
Newcastle Bishopscourt sale gets green light
“A resolution to sell the Newcastle Anglican Diocesan’s historic Bishopscourt was passed by an overwhelming majority of the Diocesan Council on Thursday…”
– story and photo from The Newcastle Herald.
‘Whole church’ movement gathers momentum
“The Australian branch of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GFCA), a worldwide movement promoting reform of the Anglican Church around the biblical gospel, is set to be launched.
The GFCA was created at the landmark Global Anglican Future Conference, or GAFCON, in Jerusalem in 2008. Now the Australian body is being launched at the Anglican Future Conference in Melbourne on March 26…”
– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net previews the Anglican Future Conference 2015 to be held in Melbourne 25 – 27 March. The ACL is one of the sponsors.
See also the ACL’s related day conference in Sydney on Saturday 21 March.
Ligonier Ministries 2015 Conference
“On February 19-21, 2015, Ligonier Ministries hosted its 28th annual National Conference to call out for the Lord to revive the light of His truth in our churches and culture.
Alistair Begg, Rosaria Butterfield, Tim Challies, Kevin DeYoung, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Peter Jones, Steven Lawson, Russell Moore, Stephen Nichols, and R.C. Sproul Jr. joined R.C. Sproul in considering the theme, “After Darkness, Light.”
Together, they explored our need to be revived and restored to a high view of God, His law, His people, and His plan for the world.”
– The conference talks have now been made available for viewing, free of charge.
(Tim Challies is pictured, speaking on ‘Purity in a Digital Age’.)
TV code of practice poses danger to children
“The President of the NSW Council of Churches has voiced concern that proposed changes to the free-to-air TV code of practice would be harmful to children and would most likely lead to a significant increase in alcohol and gambling advertising during prime time family viewing.
Council President, the Reverend Dr Ross Clifford, said the changes to the code of practice would mean that violence, sexual content, and advertisements for alcohol, gambling and M-rated movies and DVDs would be screened during popular programs that children watched. …
The closing date for public comment is Friday 3 April 2015. To read the revised code in full and make a submission, go to http://www.freetv.com.au/content_common/pg-code-of-practice.seo.”
– Read the full media release here.
By the Book
The latest issue of Credo Magazine is out – with the theme of knowing the Bible.
Islamic State ‘abducts 90 Christians in Syria’
“Islamic State (IS) has abducted dozens of Assyrian Christians from villages in north-eastern Syria, activists say…”
Annual Litigation Survey for the Episcopal Church 2015
“It is a fact well known to certain Episcopalians — both those who have left the Episcopal Church (USA) and those who have remained — that ECUSA and its dioceses have followed a pattern of suing any church that chooses to leave for another Anglican jurisdiction. But the full extent of the litigation that has ensued is not well known at all, either in the wider Church, or among the provinces of the Anglican Communion. …
Your Curmudgeon proposes to do what he can to rectify this situation…”
– AS Haley (The Anglican Curmudgeon) provides an up-to-date list of litigation. It’s a long list.
Bearing the cross: a letter to the Islamic State
“The Islamic State sent me a letter this week. This letter was in the form of a short film produced by the Islamic State’s Al-Hayat Media centre.
This was not addressed to me personally, but to all Christians everywhere…”
– Mark Durie reflects on the meaning of the message sent by ISIS in their murder of Coptic Christians.
Related: What ISIS really wants (The Atlantic)
What’s new in Moore College distance education
“Moore College distance education has re-imagined and re-built from the ground up the way it delivers solid Bible teaching for 21st century learners. For the first time you will be able to find everything you need online – course notes, lectures, resources, weekly quizzes, final exams, tutor groups and personal coaches…”
– Mark Fairfull at Moore College outlines the college’s distance education offerings.
Notes from another country
“I’ve been leading a small Cornhill missions team this last week. We’ve been abroad somewhere hot and somewhere increasingly difficult to be a Christian. It’s probably not appropriate for me to say where (or necessary, even) because I don’t want to put believers at risk.
But, as ever, my heart has been stirred and my faith has been challenged by being with believers from a different culture. For sure, other cultures have their blind spots – and they are painfully obvious. But, more to the point, being with Christians in another culture allows us to see our own blind spots more clearly. And it’s this I want to write about this week.”
– Adrian Reynolds briefly shares some challenging observations at Proclamation Trust:
Part 1 – Preaching.
Part 2 – Salvation.
Part 3 – Prayer.
Part 4 – Colonialism.
Part 5 – Persecution.
The Bishop who walks with the cross
“The Right Reverend Stuart Robinson will visit a number of rural centres across south western New South Wales carrying a large wood cross as Anglicans get ready to celebrate Good Friday on 3 April 2015 …
‘I meet too many people who feel overwhelmed by their pain and powerless when confronted by the suffering of the world. The Good News is that the light has overcome the darkness and life can swallow up death because Jesus died and rose again.’
– Story from the Canberra & Goulburn diocese website.
Towns on the itinerary are Holbrook, Tumbarumba, Tumut, Gundagai, Wagga Wagga, Cooma including Berridale and Snowy Mountains, Queanbeyan and Goulburn.
Photo courtesy Alex Rea at The Braidwood Times.
‘Jesus: Watch Listen Follow’ — Peter Bolt, Moore College and Creek Road
“Rev Dr Peter Bolt, Head of Department of New Testament and Greek at Moore College, has been collaborating with Creek Road Presbyterian Church in Brisbane on a sermon series “Jesus: Watch Listen Follow”.
This sermon series is on Mark’s Gospel. A video has been produced as the first episode of the series, in which Peter takes us through the opening passage of Mark’s Gospel.”
– Check it out via the Moore College website.
‘People of the cross’ murdered by IS militants
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Media Statement February 17th, 2015
The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, says Australians should be shocked, repulsed and outraged by the slaughter of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, murdered for their faith in Libya.
The men, originally from Egypt, had travelled to Libya to find work. Amid instability in the region, they were kidnapped by a group linked to IS, led to a beach and beheaded.
“The filming of this evil and barbaric act was another attempt by the so-called Islamic State to strike fear into the hearts of Christians and others throughout the region.” the Archbishop said.
“The victims were singled out as ‘people of the cross’ and died for their allegiance to Jesus as martyrs have done through the centuries.”
“We pray for the Coptic Church to stand firm as it suffers such persecution. To our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, our hearts and prayers are with you.”
“For those bent on evil and violence, we pray God would turn their hearts to seek
mercy at the feet of Jesus.”
Dr Davies supported calls from the Primate of the Middle East, Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis, for prayer that the international community would respond wisely to the attacks in the region.
The Archbishop also backed calls for diplomatic action by Australia and for special consideration to be given to the inclusion of Coptic Christians from North Africa in any humanitarian intake.
– Source: SydneyAnglicans.net
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…