Bishop of Bathurst’s Newsletter — Winter 2024
If you are praying for the churches of the Diocese of Bathurst (or if you’d like to start!), the Bishop’s Newsletter for Winter 2024 is a great help.
– Download your copy (PDF file) from the Bathurst website.
Expressive Individualism and Church Music — with Philip Percival and Alanna Glover
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“What does Expressive Individualism mean for churches? And what specifically does it mean for church music?
Here is the expressive individualism worldview: ‘Truth comes from inside me. It’s important that I look inside to discover who I truly am’ and ‘I need to express my individuality and personal truth to the world around me to receive validation.’
That truth comes from within is the unspoken assumptions of guests who come to our churches.
And it’s a worldview that has impacts inside the church, including inside our music teams and inside the heads of the songwriters who write the songs that we sing.
Philip Percival and Alanna Glover lead the work of Emu Music, focussing on writing congregational songs and the training of church musicians and leaders.
Alanna is doing a masters research project in Expressive Individualism and Music, and Philip’s PhD is in the biblical theology of worship.”
And from the discussion, Philip Percival is asked about the playlists of songs in a number of evangelical churches –
“I can see that there’s a trend towards wanting to sing songs that are more songs of adoration.
Now, there’s nothing at all wrong with singing songs of adoration – that fits within our biblical model for singing – but that should be balanced with other songs that are teaching us, other songs that are allowing us to sit and be challenged and admonished by God’s Word. We want to be singing songs of confession and creedal songs where our singing is doing more than just giving me a voice to express my faith. …
So, are the songs that we’re singing rich in God’s Word?
Do they help us to teach and admonish one another?
Are the songs that we’re singing affectionate? Do they allow the Holy Spirit to shape our emotions and feelings and responses by the gospel?
Are our songs giving us a voice for praise and thanksgiving which is driven by the Word of Christ?”
Related:
Faithful listening – Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant.
No, I don’t trust you — The importance of accountability, structure, and submission
“There are two people I would never trust: myself, and anyone who trusts himself/herself.
What do I mean by this, and why do I say it? …
When the parish of which I was vicar, the West Hamilton Anglican Parish, left the ACANZP ten years ago, many resisted the idea of joining up to another denomination. Why not be an independent church – pure, and freed from the shackles of a parent body? My response: ‘You’d be crazy to place that sort of trust in me or the vestry!…’”
– Vicar General Michael Hewat, reminds us of the need for accountability – in the latest e-mail update from the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand.
Faithful listening
“What to do if we find the preaching we’re fed Sunday by Sunday is biblical, yet quite standard, and maybe a bit dull? … When we hear nothing really new to us, except the old, old story of Jesus and his cross?
Are we so well fed, that these become meals we feel we can skip as we feel like it?
Here’s an old hymn (#49, Olney Hymns) by John Newton, of ‘Amazing Grace’ fame. He often wrote a new hymn each week, while ministering in the parish of Olney!
But these days I doubt anyone is singing this one! …”
– In the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant draws attention to a little-known hymn by John Newton. (Sadly, we don’t hear many new Christian songs like this one!)
The hymn may be found on page 386 of the PDF version of Olney Hymns published by Christian Classics Ethereal Library. (Click on Download, then select PDF.)
This painting of John Newton by John Russell hangs in the CMS building in Oxford. Photo © Marylynn Rouse / The John Newton Project, used with permission.
Songs for the Summer – Psalm 1
At The Anglican Connection (and writing for a North American readership), John Mason shares two reflections on Psalm 1 for his Word on Wednesday –
Part 1: Happiness, Part 2: The Path to Life.
Hey Christian – Be Vexed by the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Be very Vexed.
“I just assume now that any public performance across the Western world that is staged by super smart, progressive creative designers will contain some element of blasphemy. And it should vex us. …”
– Stephen McAlpine has some thoughts about the Olympics opening ceremony.
Significant Commissioning Service at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate
On Wednesday 24th July 2024, a Commissioning Service took place at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London.
It was made necessary by the actions of the Church of England’s House of Bishops and the General Synod in pushing ahead to bless same-sex unions.
The next day, William Taylor, Rector of St. Helen’s, recorded this explanation of the event. In part, he said,
“This act of commissioning has been made necessary due to the tragic failure of the majority of bishops in the House of Bishops of the Church of England.
Our archbishops and most bishops have failed doctrinally.
They have failed to uphold faithful biblical doctrine, to guard the gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus and to show loyalty and love for Jesus and his people by teaching the scriptures faithfully.”
The full video includes supporting statements from many evangelical Church of England leaders.
Related:
Alternative Spiritual Oversight – CEEC.
On Reading and Studying as a Pastor
“Protestant pastors don’t read or study very much these days, and most churches don’t encourage them to do so. There are fewer pastor-readers than ever before (and surfing the web, dabbling in this oddity and that, doesn’t count!).
Church members and even officers sometimes have a hard time appreciating how much time a good message from God’s word takes to develop, and furthermore don’t see the importance of the pastor studying for anything other than preaching and devotions. There is a strong dose of anti-intellectualism in our circles and it doesn’t encourage a man to do the hard work of developing the mind and expanding his knowledge.
But precisely because our people are bathed in trivial information in this day and age, they need a shepherd with real knowledge, much discernment, and a nose for truth.…
Furthermore, Paul gives Timothy a sterling example of studiousness from his own practice and priorities.”
– Ligon Duncan at Reformed Theological Seminary encourages pastors to sound learning. At 9Marks.
Drag Queens Parody the Last Supper During Olympics Opening Ceremonies
“Drag queens parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s rendition of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday evening, creating international outrage. …”
– Story from National Review.
Elite sports chaplain Ashley Null: ‘The gospel is the antidote to performance-based identity’
“We’re not two minutes into our interview before Rev Canon Dr Ashley Null starts weeping gently.
It is not what I was expecting.
The danger with the relentless researching of your subject in preparation for an interview is that you’re bound to make some assumptions. My first was that Null, a Yale and Cambridge alumnus who is a leading expert on Thomas Cranmer and the theology of the English Reformation, might be intimidatingly intellectual and inaccessible to us mere mortals.
My second was that this might make for a difficult interview with an overly fastidious subject.
I was wrong on both counts. …”
– At Premier Christianity, Emma Fowle speaks with Ashley Null. Take the time to read. (Link with thanks to Anglican Mainstream.)
Related:
Chaplaincy on Track – SydneyAnglicans.net.
Photo courtesy Gafcon.
Meet Jesus: A Mid-Year Progress Update
“After a pastor prayed for his friends, one of them rang him up the next day and said: ‘I’m not really sure why I am ringing you, but I thought I would touch base’. The pastor replied: ‘I know why you are ringing me. It is because I prayed for you’. And he shared the gospel with his friend over the phone!
A student in Sydney used sausages at her frisbee team’s BBQ to draw the pictures from Two Ways to Live … and explain Jesus to her friends. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Richard Chin shares some encouragement from the AFES-initiated “Meet Jesus” mission.
Photo: Richard Chin speaking at Moore College earlier this year.
Eric Liddell: The Olympic Champion who ran God’s Race in the Internment Camp
“With the approaching of the 33rd Summer Olympics in Paris on July 26, many people especially Christians are remembering Eric Liddell (1902-1945).
Powerfully depicted in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire as the “Flying Scotsman”, Liddell demonstrated to the world a strong Christian conviction. Appreciated or criticised, he refused to run any race on any Sunday, even at the cost of gold medals. However, his missionary work in war-torn China from 1925 to 1945 is less known, and even less known is his Christ-like living in the Japanese concentration camp in China. …”
– At AP, Sonia Liang reminds us of the often-overlooked story of Eric Liddell.
Photo: Eric Liddell at the British Empire vs. USA (Relays) meeting held at Stamford Bridge, London on Saturday 19 July 1924. Public domain, via Wikipedia.
Southern Cross August – September 2024
The August – September 2024 edition of Southern Cross magazine is now available on the Sydney Diocese website.
Download your copy – or pick up one at church when printed copies are available.
What is the ecclesiological problem with a third province?
“In a letter of 2 July this year to the signatories of a letter from the Alliance group within the Church of England to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York the Bishop of Oxford wrote as follows:
‘The mind of the majority House of Bishops now seems to me to be settling on questions of pastoral reassurance after many months of uncertainty. There is a now a reluctant acceptance of the need for some regional provision of episcopal ministry to recognise divergent views on marriage and same sex relationships, supported by a House of Bishops statement, Code of Practice and Reviewer. However, the House is also clear that going beyond these arrangements to diverse jurisdictions, a third province and a church within a church undercuts the very essence of Anglican ecclesiology and represents a red line we cannot cross.’
The references in the final sentence of this quotation to ‘diverse jurisdictions,’ ‘a third province’ and ‘a church within a church’ are all different ways of referring to the same idea, the idea put forward by the Alliance and the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) that in the event that the House of Bishops and the General Synod continue down the path of permitting the blessing of same-sex sexual relationships and allowing those in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as ordained Church of England ministers, a third province of the Church of England should be created to provide a secure and permanent home for those who cannot in good conscience accept these developments.
The Bishop of Oxford rejects this idea on the grounds that it ‘undercuts the very essence of Anglican ecclesiology’ and therefore ‘represents a red line we cannot cross.’ What he does not explain in his letter, and what he has not explained elsewhere, is why the proposal for a third province goes against ‘the very essence of Anglican ecclesiology.’
It is very difficult to see why he thinks is the case. …”
– Martin Davie rules out possible arguments against ‘a third province’ in the Church of England.
Photo: Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft.
Why stay (at least for now)?
Anglican Futures is publishing a series of essays by various contributors on whether they should leave, or stay, in the Church of England:
“The debate over whether to remain in or leave the European Union divided families and our nation and still does not seem to be finally settled.
The discussions over what members of the Church of England should do, given the clear trajectory of the Prayers of Living in Love and Faith, is no less fraught. Already people on both sides of the debate have voiced their dissatisfaction and left.
The reasons for people remaining are equally diverse and in some ways divisive. …”
– In reading this and the other contributions, do uphold in prayer our brothers and sisters in England who seek the Lord’s wisdom for the best way forward.
Image: Church of England website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…