Epic Reading of the Gospel of John coming to St. Andrew’s Cathedral
From the Cathedral:
“On Saturday 7th September, at 3:30pm, St Andrew’s Cathedral will host an ‘Epic Reading’ of the entire Gospel of John, in our atmospheric Chapter House, off Bathurst Street, Sydney.
The expert reader will be Melbourne actor and author, Simon Camilleri, well known already for illuminating various books of the Bible by his public readings.
Thirty years ago, reading the Gospel of John was part of what changed Simon’s life.
In the same way that you can’t really understand the Lord of the Rings by watching a few short YouTube clips of the movie, Simon says some things can only be appreciated by seeing and hearing the whole. …”
– Read it all here – and see a video of Simon Camilleri with a sample.
And the Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant, invites you to be there:
The Exultant Nature of Today’s Abortion Advocacy
“A Planned Parenthood mobile clinic has been offering free abortions just a few blocks from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which concludes today.
The DNC is not officially involved, but that is a minor detail, given that abortion has the status of a creedal non-negotiable in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. The clinic is simply actualizing the central plank of the Democrats’ election campaign. Its proximity to the convention is entirely appropriate …”
– At First Things, Carl Trueman speaks of the desecration of humanity.
Image: Carl Trueman at the Diocese of the Living Word missions conference in April 2024.
Review – Darkness: The Conversion of Anglican Armidale
Presbyterian Minister Graham Barnes reviews Darkness: The Conversion of Anglican Armidale, 1960-2019, by Thomas Fudge.
“Darkness is Professor Fudge’s ‘accidental (p.1)’ book on the history of the Anglican Diocese of Armidale from 1960 to 2019, and the battles between theological liberalism and evangelicalism. The book is thirteen chapters long, 800+ pages, and for the most part theology and history are interwoven.
For Fudge, the watershed moment was the 1964 Election Synod where the evangelical Clive Kerle was elected Bishop of the Diocese. …
Not being an Anglican, and not knowing the individuals nor the events that Fudge seeks to describe, I will try limit this review more to Fudge’s theology, focusing on the earlier and later parts of his book. In truth, many of his comments, in particular about individuals, were poor to say the least.”
– Read the full review at AP.
Related:
Responses to a new book about the recent history of the Diocese of Armidale – 09 April 2024.
“John Chapman led a diocese to go evangelical, and outrage lingers still” – 17 June 2023.
Chappo’s contribution to the Anglican Diocese of Armidale – Tim Stevens, 2014.
John Chapman touched on his time in Armidale several times in this 2012 interview with Richard Chin (on Vimeo). If you only have time for one segment, you may want to jump to 1:13:27. (He recalls events around the 1959 Billy Graham Crusade.)
Freedom for Faith 2024 Conference
Videos of the talks given at the Freedom for Faith 2024 Conference, held earlier this month, have now been made available at the Freedom for Faith website.
Do check them out.
Growing Up in the Pastoral Spotlight: Insights into the lives and wellbeing of Ministry Kids – with Valerie Ling
From The Pastor’s heart:
“What impact does growing up in a pastoral family have on ministry kids?
Valerie Ling from the Sydney Centre for Effective Living joins us to unpack the ‘Ministry Kids Wellbeing Survey,’ revealing what Australian ministry children, say about their upbringing.
They tell of heightened responsibilities and an acute awareness of adult realities plus concerns about feeling different from their peers.
We explore the broader impacts of pastoral life on children, and explore displacement, constant mobility, difficulties in forming lasting friendships and achieving a sense of belonging.
Comparisons are made with the experiences of diplomats and defence ministry kids, emphasizing the common struggles and the critical role parents play in providing stability.
Plus we talk the importance of empathy and creating safe spaces for doubts.”
A Missed Opportunity: The Benefits of Bivocational Ministry
“Since February of this year, I have had the great joy and privilege of studying at Bible College. Initially, I enrolled to equip myself to serve faithfully as a layperson in a church – a role I greatly admire. However, after much consideration, I have decided to pursue chaplaincy work at the completion of my Diploma – rather than returning to my previous work or pursuing ordained church-based ministry (I’ll save this story for another day).
During this time, as I considered vocational ministry for myself, something has been bothering me… Why does Australia have so few bivocational ministry workers? Along with many others, I have been growing increasingly convinced that we should consider this more seriously. I am not saying this is a silver bullet to our problems, nor that I want to see fewer people in full-time gospel ministry. Rather, my question is: are we missing out on something good and helpful by failing to equip and support bivocational ministry workers?…”
– Cooper Rispin, who is studying at Moore College, wants to help us consider the value and appropriateness of bivocational ministry. At AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal.
(You can read about Cooper, and his fellow Moore College students, in the 2024 issue of Societas.)
Bold plan to build one new church every year
“Sydney Anglican Property’s fundraising arm, New Churches for New Communities (NCNC), has set itself an ambitious goal – but one that, according to executive director Ed Hercus, is needed to meet the challenge of modern Sydney.
‘Our goal is to be building a church a year over the next 30 years on the land that Sydney Anglican Property “banks” in the greenfield and urban infill areas’ …”
– Russell Powell has this encouraging piece at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Tried for a Tweet
“I have been a member of the Finnish Parliament for twenty-nine years. During that time, I have witnessed a dramatic change in the value system undergirding our modern society. From the protection of life to the defense of marriage, the changes we are living through are undeniable, with far-reaching implications for us all. And it’s evident that the general atmosphere toward Christianity grows increasingly hostile every day.
Only ten years ago, I could not have imagined that I would soon be summoned to my country’s Supreme Court to defend my religious convictions. …”
– Päivi Räsänen shares the story of her persecution. (Link thanks to Anglican Mainstream.)
Earlier:
The Criminalization of Christianity in Finland – January 2022.
Finnish Christian MP to appear before Supreme Court over ‘hate crime’ Bible tweet – April 2024.
Fearing God Our Creator
“When was the last time you heard a sermon about the fear of God?
My guess is that if you have, it was a long time ago. But the Scriptures teem with references to the fear of the LORD. Most famously: “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10). Or again, from the great Psalm 2: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling” (Ps 2:11).
Yet one of the most frequent commands in Scripture is “do not be afraid”. So are we to fear, or not to fear?…”
– Richard Chin begins a series of articles on the fear of God – at The Gospel Coalition Australia.
Image: Richard Chin speaking at Moore College earlier this year.
When will bishops be held to account?
“I have been the victim of religious discrimination within the Church of England. Because of a sermon delivered in 2019, I am being treated as a safeguarding risk. I don’t know why, because they have so far failed to tell me exactly what the problem is, but it appears to be because my sermon upheld the Church’s own teaching on marriage.
I was reported to secular safeguarding authorities, but they have all cleared me. Only the Church stands out against the acceptability of the Church’s own beliefs. …”
– The Rev. Dr Bernard Randall shares his story.
Background:
Chaplain who was sacked for identity politics sermon to appeal ruling – March 2023.
Image: Christian Concern.
Home Office ‘considering banning silent prayer outside abortion clinics’
“MPs voted last year to stop protests within a buffer zone of 150 metres of a clinic or hospital but legislation has not yet come into force.
The Home Office is to consider banning silent prayer outside abortion clinics, The Telegraph understands. …”
– Anglican Mainstream has links to this concerning story.
They also have many links to stories on the clamp down on expression of opinion in the UK – e.g. –
We can no longer say that Britain is a free country.
Jailing Brits for Facebook posts isn’t justice.
Armidale Diocese “The Link” for July-August 2024
Earlier we missed mentioning that the current issue of The Link – the magazine of the Diocese of Armidale – for July and August 2024 is now up on their website.
For your encouragement and prayers. (PDF file.)
How Long, O Lord…?
“In April 2017, The Spectator (UK) carried an article by Douglas Murray who asked, ‘Who Will Protect Nigeria’s Northern Christians?’ Murray pointed out that the Fulani (militia) are watching everything closely from the surrounding mountains. Every week, their progress across the northern states of Plateau and Kaduna continues. Every week, more massacres – another village burned, its church razed, its inhabitants slaughtered, raped or chased away…
‘For the outside world, what is happening to the Christians of northern Nigeria is both beyond our imagination and beneath our interest…’ …”
– In his Word on Wednesday at The Anglican Connection, John Mason draws us back to Palm 13.
NEPAL: Understanding the Bible
“In February, 145 pastors, leaders, and theology students from Nepali Anglican parishes gathered at the Anglican Training Centre in Kathmandu for a three-day training course. Supported by Anglican Aid, the course taught the church leaders to read and teach the Bible well. …”
– Encouraging news via Anglican Aid in Sydney.
Dr Rhys Bezzant to be next Principal of Ridley College, Melbourne
“The Reverend Canon Dr Rhys Bezzant has been announced as the new principal of Ridley College.
Canon Bezzant is currently dean of Missional Leadership at Ridley College, and a canon of St Paul’s Cathedral.
In its announcement, the Ridley College Board said ‘Rhys has demonstrated experience of and love for mentoring [and] equipping the next generation of men and women for God’s mission.’…”
– News from The Melbourne Anglican.
More at the Ridley College website, including a video message.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…