Mental health and the Pastor – with Keith and Sarah Condie

On The Pastor’s Heart this week:

“How is God’s power at work in human weakness?  What does it mean to say ‘True health is about being in right relationship with God?’

How do we affirm human worth and recognise the complexity of functioning?  What is the connection between our inner and outer life?

How do we distinguish between sickness and sin?

What difference does a Christian community make?  And how can God’s compassion and care be expressed in the midst of difficulty?  …

Sarah and Keith Condie are directors at the Mental Health & Pastoral Care Institute, which is part of Mary Andrew’s College in Sydney.”

– Watch or listen here.

On the Giving of Gifts

“Back in the 90s the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman came out. The ideas in that book are something I still hear people talk about today.

The premise is that people express and receive love in five key different ways. They include words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch.

I remember first reading this list and being a little bit repulsed by the receiving gifts one. It seemed to me such a selfish, materially focused way of wanting to be loved. Yet as I read the book and reflected on the ways that I have most felt loved, I was shocked to discover that receiving gifts actually was my primary love language. Yikes!

I think many of us feel a hint of this same repulsion at the gift giving that goes on at Christmas …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Jocelyn Loane explains why she is seeking to embrace gift giving this Christmas.

Remembering Bishop John Rodgers

“The Rt. Rev. Dr. John H. Rodgers, Jr., much beloved and respected Anglican theologian, seminary dean, bishop, father and grandfather died at UPMC Passavant Hospital, Pittsburgh on November 23, 2022 from natural causes. He was 92 years old. …”

– Dr. Stephen Noll gives thanks for Bishop John Rodgers – one the founders of the Anglican Mission in America.

How to Change Your Church

“Pastors often ask me, ‘How do we get our churches to change?’ Too many ministers have alienated their churches trying to bring change. Some have even been fired.

Still, as shepherds, we must lead our churches to change, even though such change will often be difficult. Here’s a few suggestions about how to bring change: teach, stay and love. …”

– In this brief article at 9Marks from 2010, Mark Dever writes about long-term change in a church. Much encouragement.

Baptists haven’t sold their soul, they are following God’s heart

“No, Baptists have not sold their soul over same-sex marriage. What they have chosen is faithfulness to God and upholding gospel unity.

New South Wales Baptists have reaffirmed the Bible’s teaching on marriage and are following Jesus’ teaching on human sexuality. They have also reaffirmed the importance of the Baptist doctrine basis by requiring accredited pastors and churches to affirm these statements. …”

– At the time, we missed this development from the week before last. Murray Campbell in Melbourne looks at news from NSW.

Eight Billion in Need of the Saviour

“So before we sip on the Chardonnay and celebrate the establishment of a 21st century Babel we might like to consider the accumulated debt of eight billion people before the Kingdom of God. The kind of debt a proud humanity embraces with celebration is the kind of debt that makes any meeting with God, the biggest concern of humanity. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Bishop Rick Lewers reminds us we have better news than simply celebrating another population milestone.

The Bishop of Southwark’s Presidential Address – An intial response

“The Presidential Address given by Bishop Christopher Chessun to the Southwark Diocesan Synod last Saturday has now been published online.

In his address the bishop sets out his view of what the outcome of the LLF process should be both for the Diocese of Southwark and for the wider Church of England. The purpose of this paper is to give an initial response to what the bishop has said, explaining why it is problematic from the perspective of traditional Anglican theology. …

If the Church of England were to adopt either or both of the bishop’s suggestions this would mean that it had ceased to uphold Christian orthodoxy with regard to sexual ethics.”

– Dr Martin Davie takes a look at the Presidential Address (PDF thanks to Anglican Mainstream,) given by the Bishop Southwark.

Interview – Bible Reading with the Colgans

“Family devotions have been constantly evolving over the years as our family has grown. When our son was born we began by reading him a children’s Bible when he went to bed at night. When all the children were younger we found bedtime was a good time to read the Bible together and it was a good routine and developed a habit or discipline of reading the Bible and praying together. …”

– The Australian Church Record asks Victoria and Phil Colgan about family Bible reading in their household.

When Mother loses her mind

“Over the last two weeks, several bishops in the Church of England have publicly endorsed the Bishop of Oxford’s booklet, Together in Love and Faith, which he sets out his thinking about same-sex relationships. He proposes that the Church of England should provide public services for the blessing of same-sex civil partnerships and marriages but allow a conscience clause for those who dissent. Barbara Gauthier has done a superb job chronicling all of the statements and rebuttals by Vaughan Roberts, and others.

As one of the senior Bishops in the Church of England, Steven Croft (the Bishop of Oxford) has proposed nothing less than a sea-change in the teaching of the Church of England.  It will divide the Church of England and further harden the divisions within the Anglican Communion. …”

– At The American Anglican Council, Canon Phil Ashey asks, “When Mother loses her mind, what can we do?”

Faith-Based Schools in the Northern Territory threaten to close

“The Northern Territory parliament is currently considering amending the Anti-Discrimination Act so as to end an existing provision that allows ‘religious educational institutions to discriminate against staff based on their sexuality’. This would mean people who do not share the beliefs or values of a faith-based school or institution could no longer be excluded from employment.

In response, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Darwin, Charles Gauci, has said that he will consider closely all eighteen Catholic colleges and schools in the Northern Territory. Christian schools have also thrown their support behind this response, strongly suggesting they would follow a similar course of action. …”

– AP (The Australian Presbyterian) has this on the latest from the Northern Territory.

Update:

Northern Territory parliament passes anti-discrimination law reform amid fierce backlash – ABC News.

“The CLP has vowed to overturn the legislation if elected in 2024.”

Quiz Worx Christmas video for 2022 — The Saviour of the World

The wonderful team at Quiz Worx have released their Christmas video for 2022.

“What do a Surf Lifesaver, a Firefighter and a Dr have in common? They all save lives! 

This Christmas join Aneeka, Cosec and the Quiz Worx team to discover what the Bible teaches: that Jesus is the greatest lifesaver ever because Jesus is the Saviour of the World!

This 17-minute video is ideal for use in SRE (NSW) and RI (QLD) classes and assemblies. It is recommended by the creators of Beginning with God, Connect, Big Questions and GodSpace, and supports the learning outcomes of these curricula.”

– See the promo video – and register to see and download the full video resource – here.

They also have lots of other very helpful resources on their website.

Christianity: Weird and Wonderful — Rory Shiner on ‘The World Next Door’

Recorded in August 2022, Glen Scrivener from Speak Life in the UK speaks with Rory Shiner about his new book, ‘The World Next Door: A Short Guide to the Christian Faith’, which he co-authored with Peter Orr.

It’s a fascinating interview with very helpful insights into sharing the gospel in our culture.

Watch here. The book is available from Matthias Media.

Put on your glasses

“On our recent trip to the UK we went on two Christian Heritage walking tours, one in Edinburgh and one in London. Both were excellent.

In Edinburgh we followed the path of the Reformation and the brutal treatment of the faithful Covenanters.

In London we visited John Newton’s church, St. Mary, Woolnoth, as well as many other significant evangelical centres in the square mile which makes up the city of London.

I was struck at the value of having a guide who can give so much extra background information. …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook draws attention to the importance of knowing history.

(David mentions this book.)

Canada Euthanized 10,000 People in 2021. Has Death Lost Its Sting?

“In the past five years, the number of patients dying with physician assistance in Canada has grown tenfold, from around 1,000 in 2016 to more than 10,000 in 2021—3.3 percent of all deaths in Canada that year, according to official government reporting. …”

– Published last month, this Christianity Today article shows how quickly things are changing in Canada, and the pressures facing doctors.

(link via Tim Challies.)

Southern Cross November — December 2022 out now

The November – December 2022 issue of Southern Cross magazine will be arriving in parishes shortly. Be sure to get your copy!

If you can’t wait, you can download a copy (12MB PDF file) or read it online at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s column is on page 19.

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