A Surprising Power

“With the current geo-political upheavals many fear what the future holds. The uncertainty today is exacerbated by the angry divisions within societies. Vindictiveness has replaced respectful and serious conversation. And we can feel utterly powerless when it comes to talking about our faith.

In Perelandra or Voyage to Venus, the second in CS Lewis’ science-fiction trilogy, Ransom, the main character, feels powerless in confronting an evil force at work on the untainted planet Venus. The crafty subtle evil power reflects the temptations in Genesis chapter 3. Despite being a learned scholar in philology, Ransom constantly finds himself defeated in his arguments. What can he do?

This raises an important question for us, for today people have little knowledge of the Jesus of the Gospels. …”

– John Mason writes with encouragement in this week’s Word on Wednesday at Anglican Connection.

The Quiet Power of a Courageous Word

“Sometimes it is the simplest of matters that bear the greatest fruit. A simple deed, a simple gift, a simple word can make all the difference. They can even begin a cascade that changes lives and changes the world.

Charlotte Elliot, a satirist and skeptic, had become bedridden and embittered. One day a pastor from Geneva, Switzerland, passed through her town and was asked to meet with her. …”

– Tim Challies shares this encouraging story of how the Lord brings people to trust in Jesus.

Undated public domain  photo of Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871).

Church of England Newspaper suspends publication

The Church of England Newspaper’s Editor, Andrew Carey, has announced that there will be no further published editions of the CEN until further notice. Instead, a weekly newsletter (by email?) will be sent out “for the foreseeable future” –

“In 1828, a group of young evangelical clergy set up a newspaper called The Record. One of its earliest subscribers and supporters was a young John Henry Newman. The Newspaper formed what became known as the ‘Recordite’ faction in the C of E opposing Tractarianism. It was in the 1950s that the Record merged with The Church of England Family Newspaper to become CEN. …”

– Announcement here.

Phil Colgan: A theology of statistics

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“It is an uncomfortable but important question: What place should numbers have in our thinking about ministry success?

We all want to be faithful. But what happens when the numbers are down? Do we need to change something? Or should we just be faithful?

And should we be counting at all?

This is the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. A tension between preaching the word and evaluating what’s actually working.

Phil Colgan has been the long term senior pastor of St George North Anglican in Sydney and presented on a Theology of Numbers* at the recent Nexus Conference.”

– Watch here.   (* not the Book of Numbers.)

Four Keys to Understanding Catholic Worldview

Here’s the latest podcast from Certainty for Eternity’s Mark Gilbert & Rayne Orange:

“In this episode of Certainty for Eternity, Rayne and Mark start to look at how Catholics and Protestants see the world differently. Not just in small rituals, but in their entire worldview. From how we understand belonging, authority, and truth, to how we experience Jesus – this conversation helps you make sense of Catholic theology and how to connect meaningfully with Catholic friends and family.”

– Watch here.

Marriage in the World Today — At the crossroads of Christian and non-Christian dispute

From Phillip Jensen:

“One of the great points of conflict between Christians and the world is the topic of marriage.

Though it is part of God’s creation of the world, seen in Genesis 1 and 2, the effect of sin makes it strangely foreign to today’s society. There’s nothing new in this, as Christians were called to be different or holy in this area of life in the New Testament itself.

However, today’s discussion is about how different Christians are to be in an area of life where even non-Christian commentators are beginning to see the failure of Western civilisation.”

– Hear Phillip and Peter Jensen discuss at Two Ways News.

New Primate elected

From SydneyAnglicans.net –

“Canberra and Goulburn Bishop Dr Mark Short has been elected as the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The election is significant as the position, regarded as ‘first among equals’ in Australian bishops, had traditionally gone to a ‘metropolitan’ bishop from one of the major cities…”

– This report by Russell Powell includes a congratulory statement from Archbishop Kanishka Raffel.

Is there a place for the old-fashioned Evangelistic rally?

“I am old enough to remember the late Billy Graham reassuring the thousands of people who came to hear him preach in 1979, some possibly concerned about their ride home, that ‘the buses will wait’.

Billy Graham drew huge crowds in Australia. The ABC estimated that during his first tour Down Under in 1959 around half the population of Australia heard him preach (either in person or via landline). On the 15th March 1959, 143,750 people gathered at the MCG to hear Billy urge them to come forward and commit their lives to Christ. Thousands went forward, often experiencing significant change to their lives. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Tim Thorburn asks the question, and shares what they are doing in Perth.

Photo: Bill Graham with Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane in Sydney in 1979. With thanks to Ramon Williams, Worldwide Photos.

Moving to a five-day working week for the welfare of clergy

“We have always made clear to our new clergy that their stipend is not a salary for ‘services rendered’, but rather an allowance so they don’t have to work for a living.

Set free from that burden, they are able to adopt that particular lifestyle which is ministry—that is, giving of themselves to shepherding their sheep and seeking the lost…”

– Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder shares his thoughts on the advantages of having a five-day working week for clergy.

Mark Short elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia

From John Sandeman at The Other Cheek:

“Mark Short, the Bishop of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese, is the new Primate – titular head – of the Anglican Church of Australia.

He is an alumnus of Moore Theological College, and was elected as Bishop of Canberra in 2019. Prior to that, he served as National Director of the Bush Church Aid Society from 2011.

His election means that the head of the Australian Anglicans is once more an evangelical. Short has been involved in EFAC, the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion. …”

– More here.

Read some of Mark’s addresses on the Canberra Goulburn Diocese website.

Update:

The Melbourne Anglican has this story.

New Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia to be elected

A post from the Diocese of Bathurst:

“Tomorrow, diocesan bishops from across the country, together with elected clergy and lay members of the Primatial Election Board, will gather in Sydney.

The day will begin with a service of Morning Prayer at St Andrew’s Cathedral, after which, God willing, a new Primate will be elected to succeed Archbishop Geoff Smith, who has announced his resignation effective at the end of October.

Please join us in praying for wisdom, unity, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.”

– from the Diocese of Bathurst Facebook page.

Grafton and Riverina adopt five-day week for thriving clergy

“Clergy health and safety has been behind the decisions two dioceses in NSW recently made to reduce the number of days their ministers worked.

The synods of the Anglican Dioceses of Grafton and Riverina both voted to embrace five-day working weeks for clergy in June. …”

– Story from The Melbourne Anglican.

Victorian Inquiry into Cults

“A new submission by Freedom for Faith warns that the Victorian Government’s inquiry into cults, coercive control, and high-demand groups may pose serious risks to religious freedom if not carefully scoped and defined.

While commending the inquiry’s aim to protect individuals from abuse, the submission emphasises that poorly drafted laws could stigmatise or even criminalise legitimate religious practices. …”

– Read more at Freedom for Faith (especially if you are in Victoria).

Alistair Begg gives thanks for John MacArthur

In this video, Alistair Begg gives thanks for John MacArthur.

See also:

Crossway gives thanks – with links to a number of articles by John MacArthur.

Testimony about John MacArthur from the fitness trainer who didn’t know his identity – NottheBee.

The evangelical application problem — with Richard Coekin

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“We evangelicals, says Richard Coekin, have a problem – and it’s a preaching problem.

Richard Coekin says we are too often careless – his word– when it comes to application in preaching.

We work hard on exegesis, we labour to understand the original context and the author’s intent – but then we stop short. We leave our congregations with sound doctrine, but little direction.

Richard has just concluded 29 years as senior pastor at Dundonald Church in London and as the founding leader of the Co-Mission network across the UK capital. He now heads up Reach UK.

Richard’s new book, Apply: How to Preach the Bible for Real Life, is about to be released – and today he joins us to explore why good application is not an optional extra, but the very purpose of preaching.”

– Watch or listen here.

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