Helen Roseveare

“Helen Roseveare was one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve ever met. The news of her death in Northern Ireland at the age of 91, has brought many friends to reconsider our fellowship together and her impact in Sydney.

Since the time of cheap airfares, international Christian leaders have often visited Sydney and a few have even endured the long journey to visit us often. Some make a great contribution to our Christian fellowship, others have seemingly made little contribution and have been quickly forgotten. Sadly, some have done us great harm and we could wish their visits would be forgotten.

However, amongst the visitors Helen Roseveare’s contribution was as great as any. Her two visits to Katoomba conventions in 1985 and 1988, challenged and changed the lives of many people. …”

– Phillip Jensen gives thanks for Helen Roseveare, who went home to be with Christ last week.

(Photo via Justin Taylor.)

Holy Trinity Adelaide Christmas billboard

Here’s a clever and thought-provoking poster from Holy Trinity Adelaide.

The Well Good News of Christmas

Here’s a Christmas video for kids (and their parents), produced by The Bible Society in the UK.

How to Grow a Family Ministry

Pete Tong has been writing a three part series, at The Australian Church Record, on How to Grow a Family Ministry.

Part 1 – Passion and Vision.
Part 2 – Theological Convictions.
Part 3 – An integrated family ministry.

Where next on same-sex marriage?

Church Society has published online an article by Director, Lee Gatiss. It will be printed in the Winter 2017 edition of Crossway.

Entitled “Where next on same-sex marriage?”, it focusses on the situation in the Church of England, though with reference to the wider Anglican Communion

“So, we have completed more than two years of ‘facilitated’ or ‘shared conversations’ about sexuality issues in the Church of England. This was encouraged by the Pilling Report a few years ago, as the way forward on this issue. But what happens now that the conversations have ended? And what, if anything, should be done?

There are various potential options for the future of the Church on this subject. Some have listed only the different ways in which so-called ‘traditionalists’ might be hived off into a ‘safe space’, or leave the Church altogether once the liberal triumph is complete. But it is far from inevitable or desirable for that to be the outcome.

Others have seen the options as merely extremes: adopt gay marriage or stay as we are; with a third way (’pastoral accommodation’ of prayers for same-sex couples, but no change in doctrine) seen as a nice compromise in the middle. But this is tendentious: there are far more options than merely these three, and no-one is happy with the status quo.

In the article linked to below, from the forthcoming issue off our magazine Crossway, I explore in more detail 6 possible ways forward. So explore with me what those might be …”

– Read it all here.

A statement from the GAFCON UK Task Group — 8 Dec 2016

“We are grateful to God for the gracious, unsolicited affirmation of the recent activities of GAFCON UK given by Archbishop Okoh, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council.

Archbishop Okoh’s Pastoral Letter of 6th December 2016 makes clear that, despite attempts from some in the Church of England leadership both to obfuscate the real situation on the ground in the Church, and to undermine the significance of Lambeth Conference Resolution I.10, the GAFCON Primates are in no doubt either as to the breakdown of discipline in the Church of England or as to the standards for human sexuality that the majority of the Communion expect the Church of England to uphold…”

– Read it all here.

Standing above the Pack

“As I opened my computer this morning this article was on the work list for completion.

Writing is a lot of fun but it is not always easy to come up with material every week. So as the computer sparked into action and another google picture filled my screen I actually had a bit of a laugh along with a thought for what you now read. …”

– Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, shares a Christmas message.

Helen Roseveare (1925–2016)

“In the winter of 1945, the Lord seemed to meet her in a personal way during a student retreat. She gave her testimony on the final evening, and Bible teacher Graham Scroggie wrote Philippians 3:10 in her new Bible, and told her:

“Tonight you’ve entered into the first part of the verse, ‘That I may know Him.’ This is only the beginning, and there’s a long journey ahead. My prayer for you is that you will go on through the verse to know ‘the power of His resurrection‘ and also, God willing, one day perhaps, ‘the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.’…”

– At The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor gives thanks for Helen Roseveare.

Sexual Revolution, Same Old Revolution

“The sexual revolution here in the twenty-first century is not a new revolution, but a continuation of the one that has dominated humanity since our earliest days.

This revolution began when a man made a choice to declare independence from God. He wanted to be autonomous, he wanted to make his own way in the world, to answer only to himself, to shake himself free from the oversight and accountability of his Creator.

But more than that, he wanted to destroy that Creator, to escape his watchful eye, to stamp out the imprint of himself this Creator left on every human soul. For man knows he is guilty before this Creator. He can doubt it or deny it, but he can never fully shake it. To get out from under his guilt he must get out from under his Creator. To kill his guilt he must kill his Creator.”

– Read the full post from Tim Challies. (Image: Tim Challies.)

Also see:

Seven Reasons You Should Not Indulge in Pornography – Andy Naselli.

Pornography: still an issue? – Meagan Bartlett, Australian Church Record.

GAFCON Chairman’s Letter for Advent 2016

“I thank God that Archbishop Greg Venables will be re-joining the GAFCON Primates Council now that he has been elected to serve again as the Primate of the Anglican Province of South America in succession to our greatly esteemed colleague Presiding Bishop Tito Zavala. His ministry demonstrates that courage which is so central to the GAFCON story. In his previous term as Primate, despite much opposition, Archbishop Venables bravely supported orthodox Anglicans in North America and stood with the Diocese of Recife in Brazil after it had to withdraw from the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil.

We are now seeing similar courage in England as GAFCON UK, led by Canon Andy Lines, endures hostility simply for speaking the truth about the increasing breakdown of church discipline in the Church of England. There are now clergy and bishops who openly take pride in their rejection of biblical preaching and have even launched a website to encourage the violation of the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I.10 on human sexuality.

But more disturbing is the response of the Church of England at its highest level. …”

– Read Archbishop Nicholas Okoh’s full pastoral letter here.

Three controversial Victorian bills defeated

From Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia:

“A brief update on the status of some proposed Victorian legislation I have previously mentioned as being a bad idea. It is good to see that all three bills have been defeated in the Victorian Parliament.

Two of them would have interfered with the running of religious schools, as well as other religious organisations. The third would have created a range of problems in its interaction with Federal marriage law.”

– Read the full post here.

New Advanced Diploma of Bible, Mission and Ministry from Moore College

“For many years Moore College has offered both a Diploma of Bible and Missions and a Diploma of Bible and Ministry alongside its degree programs.

Now these courses have been improved, upgraded into an advanced diploma and combined in the new Diploma of Bible, Mission and Ministry, commencing in Semester 1, 2017. …”

– News from Moore College.

Opening of The Moore College Learning and Teaching Centre set for 11th February

The new building at Moore College is set to be opened at 2:30pm on Saturday 11th February 2017. Details (so you can RSVP for catering) from the College.