“I’m a cultural Christian”, says Richard Dawkins

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“ ‘When you give up Christian faith, you pull the rug out from under your right to Christian morality as well. This is anything but obvious: you have to keep driving this point home, English idiots to the contrary.’ (Nietzsche)

Richard Dawkins is now a self professing, ‘cultural Christian’. …”

– What does it mean? Murray Campbell follows some threads. (Dawkins does think that Christian claims about Jesus are ‘nonsense’.)

Here’s the interview. Image: LBC.

Raising Leaders and Leading with Scripture — Archbishop Miguel Uchôa

The latest Global Anglican Podcast, Episode 3, has been released by Gafcon:

“No leader works alone. Archbishop Miguel Uchôa, Gafcon Vice Chairman and Primate of Brazil, joins Bishop Paul Donison for a candid conversation about the need to raise up godly leaders in the pews of our local churches. Scripture plays a central part.

Archbishop Uchôa shares the ways he has brought the Bible back into secular communities, and also describes how Gafcon brought support and structure to the faithful in Brazil in their time of need.”

– Listen here.

Food, glorious food for the soul

“We live in a busy age where the temptation is more and more to be disconnected as we live our lives. Look around eating establishments outside the home and it is very common to see headphones cutting off conversation, and to see eyes glued to screens even among people seated at the same table.

The same kind of thing can creep into the family mealtime. What’s more, with the kind of schedules many of us have, the mealtime can be inconvenient, rushed and detached. Many spend their meal times around screens (common or individual) with very little opportunity for the kind of fellowship that sharing a meal can and should provide. …”

– The latest Ministry Matters newsletter from CCAANZ (the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa/New Zealand) is all about food.

Bishop Jay Behan (pictured) writes on “Breaking bread together – The power of the family table”.

There’s also an article on how CCAANZ churches are using food to share the gospel.

Preaching Paul’s Letters

“As a Spurgeon fan I can recall many of his quotes at will, and one of them is, ‘No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching…’

This would be most relevant in preaching from the Old Testament, where we (should) use our Biblical theology skills, and preach Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old testament text. …

Far too often, nearly always, I hear sermons on the epistles, where the main application, is ‘Be like Paul.’ where Paul is the hero of the passage.

I’m suggesting, that this isn’t handling any passage from Paul’s epistles well…”

– Jim Mobbs writes to encourage preachers – at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Making the most of an “extensive job description”

“There are no doubt many anniversaries to be celebrated in 2024, but the one I am personally thankful for is the 30th anniversary of the appointment of the Archdeacon for Women’s Ministry.

I’m reflecting, with thanks to God, about all that has been done, who did it, and how we can continue building on this vital work.  …”

– Archdeacon Kara Hartley reflects – at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Bathurst Easter Newsletter 2024

For your prayers and encouragement. (PDF file.)

If you want to know how and why sex is dividing the church, read this book

“If you want to know how and why sex is dividing the church, read this book.

It begins by showing how sexual identity has become the beating heart of how most Westerners understand themselves and their place in our world. This helps explain why our culture has clashed with the traditional teaching of the church on sex.

Yet, not all Christians agree on how to respond to this strange new world …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Jodie McNeill highlights a new book by Mark Durie in Melbourne.

Read more – and see where you can get the book – at Mark Durie’s blog on Substack –

“The focus is on Australian churches, but the principles are the same all over. This book is about several things. It’s about what it means to be human. It’s about how churches are structured and how they can divide. It about combatting religious illiteracy. It’s about the law and freedom of religion. It’s about the future of Christianity.”

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