Seven Rules for Online Engagement
“Christians have had their share of social media successes in over the past few years, many of them related to identifying theological error and defending theological truth. This work has been carried on through blogs, of course, but also through Facebook and YouTube and other forms of digital communication.
But for all of the success, there have also been a lot of failures. Many of the most egregious failures have been in discussing or debating controversial topics.
As we learn to engage controversy using these new platforms, we do well to consider how to we can speak with equal parts truth and love—love that is strengthened by truth and truth that is softened by love…”
– Tim Challies distils some very helpful and godly counsel on ‘gospel polemics’ published by Tim Keller.
Related: Learning to Speak Christian in an Online World at Moore College, 17th March.
Sydney University Evangelical Union ‘facing deregistration’
“A five-year tussle between the University of Sydney Union and the Evangelical Union has finally reached an impasse, with the university now unequivocally stating that the EU must remove the requirement for members to sign a faith-based declaration, and threatening them with deregistration from the clubs and societies program if they fail to comply by 31 March…“
– This report from Eternity newspaper.
See also:
Story from Honi Soit, 13 March 2016.
What we Believe, featuring a video from past President Hugh Chilton.
The Doctrinal Basis of the EU
- The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
- The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
- The universal guilt and sinfulness of man since the Fall rendering man subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
- Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin, only through the sacrificial death, as our Representative and Substitute, of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God.
- The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and His birth by the Virgin Mary.
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Jesus Christ effective to individual sinners, granting each one repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.
- The indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
- The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When God’s patience runs out
“The Anglican Homilies warn us that God’s patience is meant to lead us to repentance.
In Romans 2, the apostle Paul asks his readers if they think they will escape God’s judgment. ‘Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?’
The Homilies, which we are reading though over Lent, have the same message for those who are falling away from faith. God is patient and kind, but there are warnings and there are limits. Here’s how the Homily puts it …”
– See the excerpt from the Book of Homilies at Church Society’s blog.
(Image: Detail from Gerlach Flick’s portrait of Thomas Cranmer.)
William Taylor on preaching the early chapters of Genesis
William Taylor shares some observations on preaching through (or reading through) Genesis 1-11 – at St. Helen’s Preaching Matters.
Anglicare — ARV merger Synod delayed
“A special Synod to consider a merger of Anglicare and ARV has been delayed…”
– from March 31 to April 27. SydneyAnglicans.net has the reasons.
To go Forward we must go Back
“Since the Primates gathering in January I have been trying to assess its significance for the Anglican Communion.
I am not alone in thinking that the GAFCON movement and its Primates played an important role in the outcome. But it is possible to lose clarity in the midst of all the talk and interpretations. We need to go right back to basics to be sure of our identity, our purpose and our policies as a Communion.
We need to go back to basics to make sure that our witness is heard…”
– Dr Peter Jensen, GAFCON General Secretary, has released the first of six reflections on the fundamentals underpinning the Christian faith.
Anglican Church of Kenya will not take part in the ACC meeting in Lusaka
To the Bishops, Clergy and all the Faithful of the Anglican Church of Kenya
from the Most Rev’d Dr Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Bishop, All Saints Cathedral Diocese Nairobi
Statement on Anglican Consultative Council 16, Lusaka
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I am deeply committed to the unity and restoration of our beloved Anglican Communion. It was for this reason that I and brother Primates from GAFCON and other orthodox provinces were willing to accept the Archbishop of Canterbury’s invitation to a meeting of Primates in Canterbury earlier this year, despite the representation of Provinces with which the Anglican Church of Kenya is in a state of broken communion.
It seemed that this might be an opportunity to restore godly faith and order and, although the resolution agreed by an overwhelming majority of those present was not all we hoped for, it sent a powerful message around the world that the collective mind of the Communion was to remain faithful to the Scriptures and God’s purpose for man and woman in marriage.
In particular, the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) was required to withdraw its representatives from groups representing the Anglican Communion ecumenically and it was agreed that TEC should not participate in votes on doctrine and polity in the Communion’s institutions.
However, the Presiding Bishop of TEC has made it clear that his Church will not think again about same sex ‘marriage’ and he expects his Church to play a full part in next month’s Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting in Lusaka. This defiance of the Primates’ moral and spiritual authority has been supported by the Chairman of the ACC, Bishop Tengatenga, who has confirmed that TEC will participate fully.
There can be no true walking together with those who persistently refuse to walk in accordance with God’s Word and the Anglican Church of Kenya will not therefore be participating in the forthcoming meeting of the ACC in Lusaka.
An opportunity has been missed to use the ACC for good and it is increasingly clear that the GAFCON movement must continue to provide a focus for that godly unity so many of us desire.
via GAFCON.
High Noon in Lusaka
“We don’t yet know what will happen in Lusaka, but I can say that one way or another, it will cast the die for the future of the Anglican Communion.”
– The Anglican Church in North America’s Bishop Bill Atwood provides some context for the Anglican Consultative Council’s meeting in Lusaka in April.
Headscarves and Hashtags — Other voices in the Same-God Debate
“Many voices have weighed in on the debate as to whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Wheaton’s Professor Hawkins was only reflecting the sentiment of half the country — and perhaps a third of self-described evangelicals — when she declared that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
The ‘same God’ controversy is the kind of ‘debate’ that plays out mostly on social media and largely among Christians and secularists. So it’s really more of a political statement than a debate. But there are other voices that ought to be heard on the subject — stories of men and women who don’t have access to blogs or Facebook because they are being hunted like animals at this very moment…”
– At Desiring God, Tim Keesee adds some realism to the debate.
Islam, women’s seating and discrimination
“In a very interesting recent decision, Bevege v Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia …, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found that an Islamic group unlawfully discriminated against a female member of the audience for a seminar they were running, by requiring her to sit in a “women only” area.
In my view the decision is somewhat disturbing, and has the potential, if followed in the future, to undermine the appropriate recognition of religious freedom in NSW. The implications may extend beyond Muslim groups to a range of religious groups…”
– Assoc. Professor Neil Foster asks some thoughtful questions about a decision that’s been in the news.
Canberra – Goulburn conference to focus on discipleship
The Centre for Lay Ministry and Mission in Canberra & Goulburn diocese is running a discipleship conference in May.
Bishop Stuart Robinson writes, “We’d love to see people from all over Australia attend and learn from Mike and Sally Breen.” Details here (PDF).
Jerry Bridges 1929-2016
“Jerry Bridges entered into the joy of his Master this Sunday evening, March 6, 2016. He was 86 years old. …
One of the great legacies of Jerry Bridges is that he combined—to borrow some titles from his books—the pursuit of holiness and godliness with an emphasis on transforming grace. He believed that trusting God not only involved believing what he had done for us in the past, but that the gospel empowers daily faith and is transformative for all of life.”
– Justin Taylor has a tribute. As does Tim Challies.
GAFCON Prayer requests — March 2016
“We thank you for your continued support and prayer for the GAFCON movement. We would like to ask for your prayer over the next few weeks for a number of important areas:
1. The GAFCON Primates Council in April 2016
As the GAFCON Primates prepare to meet in Santiago de Chile please pray for the following …”
– Prayer is the wonderful privilege of all Christian believers. Here are some prayer requests from GAFCON.
Impossible to Believe: The Endgame of Secularism
“The story of the rise of secularism is a stunning intellectual and moral revolution. It defies exaggeration. We must recognize that it is far more pervasive than we might want to believe, for this intellectual revolution has changed the worldviews of even those who believe themselves to be opposed to it…”
– The third post in a four-part series on Secularisation and the Sexual Revolution from Albert Mohler.
Government to retain Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
“The Government will provide certainty to the charitable sector and community organisations by today announcing the decision to retain the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…