Why the Physical Earth matters to God
“The grandeur and intricacies of the physical earth are breathtaking. God did not hold back when he made the world with its beauty, interdependence, and complexity. It is not a temporary commodity; it is a masterpiece. It is not surprising, therefore, that God is concerned about what happens to the earth. He is not going to give up on it because of the introduction of sin. He will not allow Satan to have the final word. It is God’s earth, and the Bible tells us that he intends to renew it.
Sadly, many Christians do not share God’s commitment to the physical world. …”
– Moore College graduate, and Principal of Christ College Sydney, Ian Smith, writes at the Crossway blog.
Ian has recently written Not Home Yet: How the Renewal of the Earth Fits into God’s Plan for the World. (Available from Reformers Bookshop.)
See also this Interview posted by Reformers.
Am I serving others with how I post photos?
“I have slowly watched my Instagram feed change from arty experiences of life to mostly photos of my kids.
I remember one day prior to having kids thinking, ‘Don’t they’ – meaning people exactly like myself now, parents – ‘have anything better to post?!’
I now think the answer is yes and no. …”
– At GoThereFor.com, Pip Taylor shares some wisdom on what, why, and how to share.
Vale Bishop Tony Nichols
From the Diocese of North West Australia:
“We praise God for the life of Tony Nichols, Bishop of North West Australia 1992–2003, who died yesterday, aged 81.
Tony will be remembered for his wise and godly leadership and for consolidating the Diocese’s commitment to the gospel and biblical teaching. Please pray for God’s comforting hand on Judith and the family.”
Via Facebook. (Photo: Dalkeith Anglican Church.)
‘NSW abortion bill has left us feeling betrayed’
“There are signs that maybe, just maybe, Premier Gladys Berejiklian is starting to listen and understand how much damage NSW’s extreme abortion bill has inflicted on her government.
Last week offered a ray of hope, as she softened her stance on amendments to fix some of the bill’s most brutal flaws, such as sex-selection abortions that would target girls, just for being girls. Her party is bitterly divided. …
And then, just three days ago, the Stand For Life rally in Martin Place and outside Parliament House in opposition to the bill drew a mammoth attendance of an estimated 10,000 people. … Perhaps the most breathtaking moment of the emotional evening was the live audio of a 23-week-old unborn baby’s heartbeat, amplified onstage by ultrasound.”
– Writing in The Catholic Weekly, Campion College student Bethany Marsh writes about the Stand For Life rally and what is really at stake.
After the Stand for Life rally, students from Campion College sang this haunting carol for for passers by. The carol is based on Matthew 2 and the Massacre of the Innocents.
Here’s another video of the singing at Freedom for Faith’s Facebook page.
Wycliffe Hall announces the appointment of NT Wright as their Senior Research Fellow
“Wycliffe Hall … announces that the Wycliffe Hall Council intends to appoint NT Wright … as Senior Research Fellow, as of 1 October 2019.
NT Wright is currently Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary’s College, St Andrews in Scotland.”
– News via Anglican Ink.
The Forbidden Grief
“This is the grief you were not supposed to feel.
They told you that abortion was safer, both psychologically and medically, than childbirth. Yet now this is the loneliest grief of all. There are no photos, no little reminders of past joys, no shared memories, and no grave to visit.
To the outsider there is nothing, but the reality is very different. Now even your happiest moments are shadowed by a secret sadness. People grieve greatly – and sometimes feel guilty – even after a miscarriage, but it is so much worse after an abortion. With an abortion, grief is mixed with real objective guilt.”
– Written by Peter Barnes, President of Evangelicals for Life, The Forbidden Grief is a pastoral resource for those who are grieving and struggling through past decisions regarding abortion, showing the reader where true forgiveness and restoration can be found.
To be released next week – now available for order from The Wandering Bookseller.
Gafcon Tanzania formed. Biblical Marriage Reaffirmed. Bishops not going to Lambeth.
“15th August 2019
A COMMUNIQUE FROM GAFCON TANZANIA
We, the undermentioned ten bishops of the Anglican Church of Tanzania, meeting at Holiday Inn, Dar es Salaam, on the 14th August 2019, after prayerful discussion, hereby issue this Communique. …”
– Read it all at the GAFCON website.
The gospel for criminals (Ephesians 4:28)
“I owe a huge debt to prison chaplains. My whole nation does. Richard Johnson and Samuel Marsden were foundational figures in the history of Australia. Johnson came out on the First Fleet in 1788, and Marsden followed him.
They were evangelical ministers, and they were prison chaplains. That’s because the whole colony of New South Wales was a prison. Apart from the original owners of the land which became known as New South Wales, everyone was involved in the correctional system in some way: either as a customer, or as a service provider.
As the colony was being set up, mission-minded evangelicals in England knew that this new prison needed the gospel of Jesus Christ. So they made sure that the position of chaplain was included in the colony, and they provided gospel ministers to fill it. …”
– Biblical encouragement from Dr Lionel Windsor at Moore College.
Vocal NSW church leaders join anti-abortion campaigners
“Triumphant anti-abortion campaigners rallied outside the New South Wales Parliament last night, boasting they have the people power to ensure legislation to decriminalise abortion in the state gets voted down.
Their hopes have been buoyed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to delay an upper house vote on the bill until next month.
Leaders of Sydney’s Catholic and Anglican churches and the Australian Christian Lobby urged the crowd to pressure MPs to vote the legislation down.”
– Story from ABC Radio’s AM.
Freedom19 Conference
Freedom for Faith’s Freedom19 Conference is planned for Wednesday 4th September at NSW Parliament House in Sydney.
Norwich Cathedral: Bishop delivers sermon from helter-skelter
“The bishop had climbed to the top of the helter-skelter before edging halfway down the slide, where he stopped to deliver his sermon.
He then received a loud cheer as he whooshed to the bottom. …”
– Story from BBC News. Photo: Bill Smith / Norwich Cathedral.
‘Choose Life’ written in sky over Sydney as NSW Parliament goes into abortion tailspin
“NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has made an 11th-hour decision to delay a vote in parliament on a bill that would decriminalise abortion, appearing to cave in to the concerns of Liberal colleagues. …”
– Report from ABC News.
Churches, Same-sex ministries and the law
Neil Foster, at Law and Religion Australia, writes:
“I am delivering a seminar paper on the topic “Churches, Same-sex ministries and the law: discrimination and religious freedom” on August 20. For those who are interested, there is a copy of the paper here…”
Our King, Abortion and Us
“Maybe you have had an abortion. If you haven’t, it’s very likely you know a woman who has and quietly carries the experience around with her every day. She has quite possibly told no one about it. We can easily be oblivious to the sadness that lies behind the faces of those around us, including our Christian sisters. Then of course you’ll also know men, families, friends and health workers who have experienced abortion up close and quietly carry the burden of it too. Abortion is more common than we often realise.
So, it’s important to talk about abortion thoughtfully as Christian women. There are many ways in which God’s Spirit can take up this issue and use it to probe, convict and comfort every one of us through His Word.
In these three short articles, we will let God’s Word talk us through abortion and show us something of ourselves, our King and His Kingdom love at work. …”
– Earlier this year Equal But Different published three articles by Robyn Bain.
Article 2, Abortion and the Gospel: Love, Guilt & Life Derailed.
Article 3, Kingdom Love at Work.
Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’?
“Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’? Has the National Party been commandeered by the Progressive Left? What does the National Party stand for any more?
G.K. Chesterton said: ‘When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.’ Equally, it could be said that when a political party loses its reason for existence and its moral fabric it will inevitably allow anything. …”
– The Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, doesn’t beat about the bush in his latest “In Focus” article.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…