Was Pope Francis a ‘gospel man’?

“Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. … I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.” (Santa Marta, Vatican City, 29 June 2022)

These are the words contained in Pope Francis’ testament where he outlines his last wishes. His deep devotion to Mary is pervasive and profound.

On one hand, there is no surprise …

– At The Australian Church Record, Leonardo De Chirico takes a look at what Pope Francis said was most important to him.

Could it be revival? The surprising UK youth culture shift towards Jesus – with Glen Scrivener

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“For decades, the trend across Western countries seemed one-way: away from faith in Jesus Christ. But could the tide be turning?

Evangelist and author Glen Scrivener outlines signs of a ‘quiet revival’ emerging, particularly among young people in the United Kingdom (and how things are different in Australia).

Drawing on new research from the UK Bible Society and reflecting on wider cultural shifts, Glen discusses why the story of secularisation may not be as inevitable as once thought — and why a surprising number of young adults are returning to church.

We also reflect on influences like Jordan Peterson, the role of community in a hyper-individualistic culture, and the opportunities — and challenges — now facing churches in both the UK and Australia.

Is this the beginning of a new movement towards Christ?”

– Fascinating. Watch or listen here.

Reminder: Before the Throne – Diocesan Day of Prayer for the spread of the gospel – Sunday 4th May 2025

A Day of Prayer for the spread of the gospel.

2:30pm – 4:00pm, Sunday 4th May 2025,  St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney.

From Tara Sing at Anglican Media Sydney:

“We’d love to see every Sydney Anglican church represented at St Andrew’s Cathedral that afternoon, visibly demonstrating our unity in Christ as we lift up the mission of our diocese in prayer. How special it will be to experience a glimpse of heaven, as people from all cultures and generations gather to pray.”

Urgent Rally against the NSW bill on Abortion — Wednesday 7th May 2025

An important rally coming up on Wednesday 7th May outside NSW Parliament House.

Click the image for larger version.

See also:

Doctors’ conscience protection under threat – SydneyAnglicans.net, 19 March 2025.

“The New South Wales Parliament is considering a bill to force medical practitioners to facilitate abortions, against their conscience.

At present, doctors can object and not take part in referring patients for abortion. But the Greens party has put forward a bill that would scrap that protection for doctors and force them to refer women for abortion in violation of their conscience. …”

and see:

“Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney Social Issues Committee
Statement on current Abortion Law Reform proposals in NSW

The Social Issues Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, along with the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel, expresses serious concerns about the Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Health Care Access) Bill 2025, introduced by Greens MLC Dr Amanda Cohn. We have written to the Premier of NSW, the Opposition Leader, and the Leader of the Nationals urging them to oppose the Bill.

This Bill does not address abortion’s legality, already covered in existing laws, but seeks to expand abortion services at the cost of diminishing freedom of conscience and religion for NSW citizens.

If passed, Dr Cohn’s Bill would allow the Minister of Health to mandate public health organisations to provide abortion services. It would also require health practitioners who object to abortion on moral grounds to transfer patients to others who will perform the procedure. …” – issued 20 March 2025.

– Read the full statement at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Bishop Richard Condie — Hope for the hopeless — Luke 8:40-56

The Diocese of Bathurst is running HOPE25, with some special messages after Easter.

The Bishop of Tasmania, Richard Condie, begins the series by preaching from Luke 8:40-56. His topic? Hope for the Hopeless.

Very good to watch and share.

Coming sermons:

John Piper asks ChatGPT to write a Prayer

Tim Challies shares:

“This is just a short clip from the TGC conference, but I think it’s helpful.

Piper shares a prayer ChatGPT wrote and explains why it would be appalling to pray it.”

– Watch the two and a half minute video here.

Book review: ‘Scrolling Ourselves to Death’

“While I was going through Bible College, my ministry supervisor encouraged me to read Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Penguin, 1985). It quickly became a personal favourite, and I’ve lost count as to how many people I have recommended it to.

Even before the invention of the internet it was a brilliant analysis as to how media ecologies—to use a phrase coined by Postman—were changing the way we thought through and debated issues. …”

– At AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal, Mark Powell reviews Scrolling Ourselves to Death – a 21st century successor to Neil Postman’s work.

Related:

Podcast: Are We Scrolling Ourselves to Death? (Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa) – Crossway.

In Memoriam: Pope Francis — Message from the Chairman, Gafcon Primates Council

“On behalf of the Gafcon movement and the Anglican Church of Rwanda, I extend my heartfelt condolences to those closest to Pope Francis, and to the many Roman Catholics within our regions whom we know and hold in deep respect.

His life of quiet humility and steadfast service to the poor and marginalised leaves a lasting witness in our world.

We join with others around the world in giving thanks for his life and praying for comfort for all who mourn his passing.

The Most Rev’d Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman, Gafcon Primates Council
Thursday 24th April 2025.”

– from GAFCON, via e-mail.

Being a Christian Entrepreneur — An Interview with Mr Neil Smith

For the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, Charles Raven interviews Christian businessman Neil Smith.

There are some fascinating insights into the challenges of doing business as a Christian – as well as insights into what works and what doesn’t work in investment and development.

In 2016 Neil founded The Relay Trust – a charity set up to enable the training of grassroots Christian leaders in the poorest Anglican provinces of Africa – currently training about 8,000 people a month in partnership with the GSFA. (Charles Raven is The Relay Trust’s CEO.)

– Watch here. 36 minutes.

Australian Church Record Journal — Easter 2025

The latest issue of The Australian Church Record Journal is now available for you to download –

“Dear friends,

At Easter, we’re reminded of the central task of preaching the gospel—God’s message about Jesus for his glory and our salvation. But this isn’t just a seasonal call; as Paul charged Timothy, preaching is an ongoing task, in season and out (2 Tim 4:2).

In this edition of the ACR, we focus on the preaching task with:

• Survey results from Sydney Anglican rectors on Sunday preaching frequency
• Reflections by Charles Cleworth on the survey and the biblical call to preach
• Nathan Walter on the necessity of expository preaching
• James Russell’s essay on John Stott’s influence on Sydney preaching
• An interview with Alistair Begg on his preaching ministry
• Historical insights on J. C. Ryle by Andrew Atherstone
• The continuation of a discussion between Andrew Heard and Lionel Windsor
• A thought-provoking piece by Seumas Macdonald on a theology of church decline
• Plus, book reviews, interviews with Dave Jensen and Jeanette Chin, and more.

We hope this edition encourages and equips you to keep preaching the word faithfully.

God bless,
Mike Leite
Editorial Director, ACR.”

– Download your copy – and do share the link with others.

King’s Birthday Conference 2025

Two Ways Ministries’ 2025 King’s Birthday Conference is coming up at Moore College on Monday 9th June.

“From Feminism to motherhood, from animal rights to toxic masculinity, from racism to euthanasia, Australia is in an ethical turmoil on many issues. Christians often feel in the crossfire of these culture wars. Do Christian ethics apply to non-Christians?

This year at the King’s Birthday Conference, Phillip Jensen is going to look at how becoming a Christian takes us back to the universal morality of Creation.”

– See the details, and register.

The Pope and how we are right with God — Rachel Ciano and Leonardo de Chirico

From The Pastor’s Heart – a special programme:

“The death of Pope Francis marks a pivotal moment for Roman Catholics.

What does this transition mean for the future of Catholicism and how should Protestants respond?

… Francis’s final public act—granting indulgences during Easter—epitomises the theological chasm between Catholic and Protestant understandings of salvation.

His distinctive Marian devotion and frequent requests for prayers further highlight fundamental differences in how salvation is understood. …

Leonardo di Chirico is pastor of the Church Brecca di Roma and director of the Reformanda Initiative.

Rachel Ciano lectures in Christianity and History at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, and is part of the faculty at the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network, hosted by The Reformanda Initiative.”

– Watch or listen here.

The meaning of “sex” – in the UK and Australia

“A high profile decision from the UK Supreme Court this week, For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 (16 April 2025) (‘FWS’), holds that the word ‘sex’ as used in the UK anti-discrimination legislation the Equality Act 2010 (UK) (‘the EA 2010’), means biological sex, and that the term does not change its meaning in relation to those who have obtained a gender recognition certificate (‘GRC’) under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (UK) (‘the GRA 2004’).

In the circumstances of this case, this meant that where a ‘quota’ had been established for certain governance roles requiring 50% of non-executive members to be women, that quota could not be met by including those with an ‘acquired gender’ of female due to their holding a GRC.

But the ramifications of the decision go far beyond the specific quota legislation. …”

– Associate Professor in Law Neil Foster writes at Law and Religion Australia.

Obeying God or the Government? NSW Conversion Practices Law with Neil Foster, Michael Stead & Simon Swadling

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“New South Wales’ Conversion Practices Ban Act has just come into effect — along with guidelines from Anti-Discrimination NSW that many Christian leaders believe overstep the legal boundaries and impact ordinary pastoral ministry.

We are joined by legal expert Associate Professor Neil Foster, South Sydney Bishop Michael Stead, and Summer Hill Anglican Assistant Minister Simon Swadling.

Together, we unpack the implications of the new law for Christian preaching, prayer, counselling, and discipleship — especially in matters of sexuality, marriage, and gender.

We discuss:

– Watch or listen here. Quite extraordinary. Important viewing.

The Failure of Resurrection Apologetics What exactly do we believe in?

From Phillip Jensen:

“In this episode of Two Ways News, we’re looking at the resurrection both from a historical and a theological point of view.

History and argumentation have great merit, and yet a defective presupposition that leaves us unsatisfied. Yet prophetic history not only satisfies our knowledge of historical events but also explains their meaning and purpose. Jesus said that without Moses and the prophets, people will not believe even if someone rises from the dead. This has been demonstrated over the centuries and in our age today. …”

– Peter and Phillip Jensen discuss the meaning of the Resurrection.

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