The offence of the cross: Why extremists attack churches at Easter
“On Palm Sunday jihadists attacked Churches in the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Tanta killing at least 49 and injuring many others. In India Christians were targeted by Hindu extremists in at least five separate locations on the same day. …”
– Barnabas Fund points out that it is the Cross which many find so offensive.
A Legal Evaluation of the Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus
“On this Easter long weekend, as Christians around the world are remembering and celebrating the key events of the faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, readers may find a paper I wrote a little while ago helpful in evaluating the legal status of the various pieces of evidence supporting the fact of the resurrection. …”
– Our thanks to Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia for these resources.
If there is no Resurrection – you’re following a Dead Christ
“I am always sceptical of surveys but the notion that 17% of people in Britain believe in the literal biblical account of the bible is for me quite astonishing…and encouraging. The fact that one in ten non-religious people believe the Easter story in some form is interesting – to say the least.
But perhaps the most fascinating and saddest statistic is that 25% of those who identify as Christians do not believe in the resurrection and only 31% believe in the literal biblical story. What is going on?”
– At The Wee Flea, David Robertson in Dundee responds to this week’s BBC poll on the beliefs of British ‘Christians’.
Related:
You can’t be Christian if you don’t believe in the resurrection, says former Queen’s chaplain – Telegraph.
“A former chaplain to the Queen has said that the quarter of Christians who say they do not believe in the Resurrection ‘cannot be Christians’.
The Rev Dr Gavin Ashenden said in a letter to the Times that a survey which found that one in four self-proclaimed Christians do not believe in Jesus’s Resurrection ‘made the mistake of confusing British culture with Christianity’. …”
Glorifying God with infertility
“Pip and I married in 2009. We discussed trying for children after one year of marriage. We saw children as a blessing from God (Ps 127:5), and we wanted to have them while we were relatively young and bring them up knowing Jesus – a testimony to the goodness of God’s purpose for children. …”
– Mike Taylor, member of the ACL Council, shares the goodness of the Lord in the midst of questions and tears. Take the time to read it, and be encouraged.
At GoThereFor.com.
Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Easter Message 2017 — Rescuing Australia
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney 2017 Easter Message
Archbishop’s Easter Message 2017 from Sydneyanglicans.net on Vimeo.
Text below: Read more
Archbishop Davies welcomes SRE Review
“I welcome the recently released review of SRE and SEE in New South Wales. I am pleased that the report confirms Special Religious Education has overwhelming support, is working well and is an integral part of the holistic education offered by New South Wales public schools. …”
— Archbishop Glenn Davies has released this statement on the release of the NSW SRE Review.
The Australian has this story.
The Review can be read here.
Easter: For the Love of Beautiful Things
“Has our age lost a love for beautiful things? With all our environmental education my travels still find McDonald’s coffee cups and beer bottles in the most remote of places.
I was born in the late 50’s and schooled in the 60’s and 70’s when environmental care was not on the curriculum. As I drive past the polystyrene burger container, the soft drink cans and chip wrappers I find it interesting that in a bygone age we never had to be told to not throw our rubbish on the ground or out the car window. We never had to advertise with slogans like, ‘Dob in a Tosser’. …”
– Bishop of Armidale Rick Lewers shares his 2017 Easter message.
‘I am the Good Shepherd…’
“Elections remind us how much we long for a leader who will bring us justice and peace, protection and prosperity. However, on every occasion our aspirations are dashed as leaders reveal their flaws and failures and self-interest. No one proves to be the leader we long for.
There is one exception: Jesus, who said, ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep’ …”
– At The Anglican Connection, John Mason meditates on John 10.
Bishop of Bendigo announces plans to retire
“The Anglican Bishop of Bendigo Andrew Curnow AM has announced he will resign from the position by the end of 2017.
The decision will bring to an end his role as the leader of the diocese for almost 15 years – the longest serving diocesan bishop in Australia. …”
Photo: Diocese of Bendigo.
Australian Presbyterians — Taking God Seriously
Presbyterian Moderator-General John Wilson outlines some of the ways Presbyterians in Australia plan to celebrate Reformation 500 – with evangelism!
See the video here. (3’42”)
2017 Gospel Coalition Conference — expositions
From Justin Taylor:
“Here are the videos from the expository plenaries at the Gospel Coalition National Conference (April 3-5, 2017) in Indianapolis, with the theme of ‘No Other Gospel’.”
(Photo: Dr. Peter Adam, who, in his characteristic way, thanks Don Carson for his numerous visits to Australia.)
The unexpected lesson from my flooded Lismore house
“Our house is built on the side of a hill, and as I look up the hill from beneath the floorboards, I see water – lots of water – cascading down. And then it hits me: If I want to stop the flooding of our downstairs room, I need to tackle the water problem further ‘upstream’. …”
– Akos Balogh uses the floods in northern NSW to illustrate an important lesson in communication and relationships. (h/t Gary Ware.)
The Hypergrace of Joseph Prince: A Review of ‘Destined to Reign’
Joseph Prince is a charismatic pastor of a very large church in Singapore. He has written a number of popular books, but it is his emphasis on what is called ‘hypergrace’ that is raising quite a deal of discussion in Asia. His key book is entitled Destined to Reign: The secret to effortless success, wholeness and victorious living …
This review seeks to engage with his theology of hypergrace (though the term is not used in that book).
– While the book was published back in 2007, it is still influential. At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Bishop Paul Barker takes a look.
The Rainbow Ringwraiths
“Totalitarians and fascists have always sought to demonise their opponents, in part by marking them out from the ‘normal’ majority. They are clearly identified one way or another as recalcitrants, and treated accordingly. Simply consider how Jews fared as the Nazi regime occupied various European countries: being forced to wear a yellow badge in the form of a Star of David.
Millions of our young men gave their lives to fight these totalist regimes and to preserve our cherished freedoms. But a new totalitarianism is descending upon the West, and it comes in the form of the militant and totalitarian rainbow activists. …”
– Bill Muehlenberg at CultureWatch has more on the ‘voluntary’ wearing of rings to promote same-sex marriage.
GAFCON Chairman’s April 2017 letter
“In our time, God is still active through his Word, the Scriptures. The Anglican Communion is a wonderful gift of God, but we see its witness degraded and confused by false teaching.
What is more, the Communion’s traditional leadership responds by accommodating it. There is no hope in that direction, but at the same time, we see a new future unfolding. This is the Gafcon vision and it is being demonstrated very clearly in North America. …”
– Archbishop Nicholas Okoh has published his GAFCON Chairman’s letter for April 2017.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…