150 at meeting in Oxford Diocese to consider Alliance Agenda

“Contrary to the views of some, there are far more than a minority of clergy and congregations in Oxford Diocese who hold to a clearly biblical view of the Christian doctrine of marriage and the limitations of sexual relations to a man and woman in lifelong marriage. The attendance bore out the editorial in this week’s Church of England Newspaper that ‘the episcopate is liberal, the flock is not’.

Over 150 clergy and senior lay people gathered at St Andrew’s Church Oxford to hear Rev Dr Andrew Goddard give a masterly and detailed narrative of the current state of the debate on sexuality in the Church of England and why we are where we are at the moment. The slides of his talk are attached.

Rev John Dunnett spoke on behalf of ‘the Alliance’ of orthodox Anglicans who are firmly requesting a parallel province, a de facto structure, not a formal one,  for those who adhere to the classical Church of England doctrine.  When he is asked about a ‘third province’ he responds ‘you mean for those with liberal views’.…”

– Report at Anglican Mainstream.

The Increasing Value of Christian Testimonies

“Traditionally, apologetics has been concerned with defending and commending the truth claims of the Christian faith. In the 1990s Christian apologist Alister McGrath, in response to changing social attitudes, suggested that apologetics should not just be interested in establishing the truth of the Christian faith, but also its relevance. People wanted to know whether the Christian message had any impact on their lives.

Today, the world has moved on again and we find ourselves needing to address a new situation: the view that Christianity is harmful. We now need to commend the Christian faith in terms of its truth, relevance and its goodness. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Stephen Liggins has a helpful suggestion for our own personal interactions – and for church gatherings.

Some of our favourite Christmas resources

From Kirsten McKinlay at The Australian Church Record:

“Some of the ACR team share their favourite resources that have helped keep their eyes on Jesus in the busy Christmas season…”

– See them here.

Statement from Lambeth Palace about the Archbishop of Canterbury

“Today (November 20), Lambeth Palace have issued a statement that following his resignation announcement, the Archbishop of Canterbury intends to complete his official duties by the upcoming Feast of Epiphany (6th January).

It reads: ‘Following the announcement last week of his resignation as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin intends to complete his official duties by the upcoming Feast of Epiphany (6th January). Archbishop Justin intends very little public-facing activity between now and Epiphany, but plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments. At Epiphany, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official functions will be delegated to the Archbishop of York – more details will be provided on this in due course. The date on which Archbishop Justin formally ceases to hold office will be set in agreement with the Privy Council.’ ”

– From The Anglican Communion News Service.

The Anglicans Behind the Bonhoeffer Movie

“When Gafcon emerged to ignite the global Anglican realignment, Emmanuel and Camille Kampouris enthusiastically joined. Recognizing the unique courage of leaders like Peter Akinola, Bob Duncan, and Peter Jensen, they supported the movement every way they could, with Emmanuel taking on a key leadership role.

Around the same time, they also began working on a second passion project, an idea for a movie on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. …”

– From The Anglican Church in North America.

Commitment to Christ

Bishop Keith Sinclair opened Church Society’s 2024 Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference in August. His topic? “Commitment to Christ”.

– Listen here. Most encouraging.

What is the JAEC?

“Established by John Richardson in 2011, Church Society has hosted this conference since 2014. It is specifically for those who are ‘junior’, that is anyone considering ministry in the Church of England, lay or ordained, through training, curacy and the first few years of incumbency or the equivalent. The conference aims to help anyone in that category be more effective as an Anglican Evangelical, making the most of every opportunity to reach the lost for Jesus, build up the church through his word, and send workers into God’s harvest field.”

Photo: Church Society.

Make the Most of Sunday Mornings — Two Simple Changes

“Ah, Sunday. That majestic morning when my children awake to the aroma of eggs and bacon and fresh-squeezed orange juice. When they bound down the stairs, Bibles in hand and a song in their hearts. When I lead them in family worship over breakfast, and my wife plays the piano as we prepare our hearts for meeting with the people of God.

The only downside when we finish is that we still have time to kill. Oh well. At least we’ll be super early to church — again!

If you’re smirking, it’s because you know this is not reality. …“

– At Desiring God, Matt Smethurst has a couple of suggestions to help you (and others) at church – because, as he says, “Christianity is not a spectator sport”.

Photo: Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin, via the Diocese of the Northern Territory.

Ministry in the Later Stage of Life

Earlier this month, Phillip Jensen spoke at a Prime Time event at Croydon Park.

He speaks to retirees (or those hoping to be): “We have the gift of a decade.”

See what he means – and what we can do with it.

How to be fun and not boring in Christmas preaching?

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“Planning Christmas Preaching.

What we are nervous about? What we want to get right? What has worked best? What hasn’t?

And how do we leverage the cultural moment?”

Dominic Steele speaks with Nigel Fortescue at Christ Church St. Ives and Pete Stedman at Norwest Anglican Church.

– Watch or listen here.

‘A wound that can’t heal’: Church calls for recognition of genocide

“The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has joined calls for the 1915–1923 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides to be recognised by the state government.

More than 3 million Armenian, Assyrian/Syriac and Greek Orthodox Christians suffered from the systematic mass murder, expulsion and forced conversion beginning on 24 April 1915.

This population continues to be one of the most persecuted, dispossessed and scattered in the world. …”

– Report from The Melbourne Anglican.

Duties of Church Membership (ii) — Church Society Podcast

“In 1954, the Church Assembly (the forerunner to General Synod) asked the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to write this short guide to the duties of church membership.

It is a simple list which could be given to every person in church, indicating what is expected of them as disciples of Christ and members of the congregation. Presumably in 1954, there were already concerns that not everyone who attended church understood these. It is certainly the case today that newcomers to church have no idea about many of them.

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Tony Cannon and Martin Lane discuss the final three items on the list: financial giving, upholding marriage and bringing children up in the Lord, asking what benefit they would bring to individuals and congregations if we were all more faithful in doing them. Forthcoming episodes will cover the other items on the list. …”

– The latest Church Society podcast.

Evangelising Adults through Song: Colin’s Calvary Road Show

“Beyoncé, Madonna, Adele, Bono, Slash, Ringo, Drake… how many artists are recognised by merely their first name? In Australian Christian circles, Colin has reached such dizzying heights. For thirty years his name has been synonymous with Christian kids’ music, and for good reason. He has perhaps evangelised more Australians than anyone else this century, recorded hundreds of theologically robust songs, many that will likely be sung for generations.

But did you know Colin also does great concerts for adults?…”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Kingsley Davidson introduces Colin  Buchanan’s The Calvary Road LP and Show.

Photo: The Gospel Coalition Aust.

Chappo – Jesus claims to be the only way to God

In July 1979, John Chapman spoke at a one-off evangelistic meeting for the Sydney University Evangelical Union. His topic was “Jesus Claims to be the Only Way to God”.

John had a heavy cold, but that didn’t stop him preaching Christ with his characteristic clarity and humour.

Hear his 40 minute talk (9.7MB mp3 file). The audio quality is poor, but this recording will bring back many memories of a dear brother.

 

It’s also a great talk to pass on – and there are many road-tested illustrations which you could use yourself!

(1980 Photo: AFES. This is a re-post.)

Preparing Your Funeral

“The emptiness of secularism is never more evident than at the funeral.

On one occasion, preaching in the Moore College Chapel, my Principal, D.B.Knox, made the point that death, whether it be 1, 2, 20 or 30 years away, was relatively close for us all.

I am now at an age where I am told it is wise to have my Will handy, together with the Powers of Attorney and Title deed to our apartment. As well, I have included some guidelines for my funeral service, after all, this will be my last opportunity to testify to God’s saving work in my life. …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook shows us what it is like to think about your own funeral. If you trust in Christ, your funeral can be markedly different from the empty ‘celebrations’ we often see.

2024 St Antholin Lecture: Evangelicals Before Evangelicalism

Church Society has posted the video of this year’s 2024 St Antholin Lecture.

“In this year’s St Antholin Lecture, Rachel Ciano from Sydney Missionary and Bible College explores the use of the term ‘evangelical’ in the early English Reformation.

This is a fascinating look at how the much-disputed word evangelical first came to be used by enemies of the Reformation, and Rachel Ciano explores what it meant and implied during this formative period in our history.

Can you guess who was the first English person to describe people as evangelical?

The lecture is followed by a time of Q & A with Dr Lee Gatiss and Dr Mark Burkill (Trustees of the St Antholin Lectures), from the livestream of the lecture on the day.”

Watch here.

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