Book Recommendations on Corporate Worship from Pastors
From 9Marks:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).
Is there a singer or musician in your church who is hungry to glorify God as they lead in corporate worship? Or do your members need to be taught that they’re all “part of the choir”?
9Marks asked a couple of pastors who have thought a lot about corporate worship for book recommendations on the subject.”
– See the recommendations here.
Among the comments –
“A collection of and commentary on liturgies from the 16th century, but the three introductory essays are worth the price of the book.”
“Of all the books on a biblical theology of worship, Peterson’s work is one of the most focused, thoughtful, and helpful. This will provoke your thinking on the ultimate reason the church gathers.”
Freedom Matters — latest conversation
From Freedom for Faith –
“Freedom Matters is a conversation with Bishop Michael Stead and Monica Doumit about religious freedom issues across Australia.”
– The latest episode was published last month. Well worth watching to give an idea of current and future challenges.
Michael Stead is the Bishop of South Sydney and Chair of Freedom for Faith.
Monica Doumit is the Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and FFF board member.
Related:
In this three minute video, Freedom for Faith’s Executive Director Mike Southon explains Freedom for Faith’s mission.
King’s Birthday Conference 2026 — early bird prices ending soon
The King’s Birthday Conference 2026 is coming up on Monday 8th June at Moore College.
We’ve been reminded that the standard rates below will apply until the end of this week:
Regular $25, Concession $10
and that they increase from Monday 25th May.
“Is prophecy dead? Where have all the prophets gone?
Amos said he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, and yet he was one of God’s prophets in Israel. Do we have prophets and prophecy today? Should we all prophesy or is it the task of some of us?
The issues around prophecy are many and varied; this King’s Birthday Conference will look particularly at a Biblical view of prophecy today.”
See the website for full details and registration.
Who is really pro-woman?
Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant shares his latest Minister’s Newsletter –
“Dear Friends, here’s a claim to make you sit up and pay attention:
– Post-feminist Australia is anti-woman in a number of problematic ways.
– But Bible-shaped Christianity is pro-woman in regard to dignity and protection.
Let me unpack this… within the confines of an article that I’m trying not to turn into an essay!
Post-feminist Australia is anti-woman in a number of ways. For example, sex-selective abortion is legal in Australia. That means if you discover you’re having a baby girl, but you really wanted a boy, there is nothing stopping you seeking a ‘termination’ of a living, human, pre-born baby for no other reason than sex.
This is not hypothetical. …”
– Read (and, if you wish, take action using the links) at the Cathedral website.
The Remarkable Story of Ayaan Hirsi Ali
A recommendation from AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal –
“If you’ve never heard the story of how Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim from Somalia and subsequently outspoken atheist who then became a Christian, then you’re in for a treat. Focus on the Family has recently published a short fourteen minute summary of her conversion. …”
– Read here.
The Most Neglected Element of Church?
From Tim Challies –
“There are some elements of public worship that receive a great deal of attention. These elements are taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be. In most churches, this includes the music, of course, and often the preaching. … But either way, some elements receive the lion’s share of attention.
What elements often do not receive nearly as much attention? What elements are often not taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be? …”
Related:
Wonderful help for reading the Bible in public.
Marriages in Mission
From Phillip Jensen –
“A mission church has many basic Christian morality issues to resolve.
The old culture, not built on the gospel, will have practices inconsistent with the gospel. But as with most cultures, these practices are assumed rather than thought out. The gospel revolutionises all cultures, and Paul the Apostle is dealing with the marriage cultures of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 7.
This episode of Two Ways News is a difficult unravelling of Paul’s advice on several complex issues.”
– Listen to Peter and Phillip Jensen discuss – at Two Ways News.
Faithfulness When Freedoms Diminish
“How should Christians live wisely and remain faithful to Christ in a society where religious freedom is on the wane? This is the question driving Patrick Parkinson’s new book, Unshaken Allegiance: Living wisely as Christians with diminishing religious freedoms.
Parkinson writes not as a theologian or a pastor but as a Christian legal academic, and as someone who has experienced intense religious restriction first-hand through his time in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s.…”
– At TGC Australia, Marty Robinson reviews Patrick Parkinson’s new book.
In the Library: Joel Beeke in conversation with Albert Mohler
In the latest edition of his “In the Library” videos, Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaks with Joel Beeke, Chancellor of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.
At 70 minutes, it’s an interesting conversation, covering a wide range of topics – including the Dutch Reformed movement in the USA, theology, the Puritans (and the way they have been misrepresented), the importance of reading books, publishing, and more. Watch here.
Authentic Anglicanism: Stewarding our rich heritage
“I write as a lay Anglican, and also as an academic historian.
I shall firstly address a broad cultural issue which underscores why I believe the Authentic Anglicanism Report is not only timely, but also acutely necessary. I shall then offer a reflection on the enduring richness of authentic Anglicanism, which is something we ought to steward.
This richness of authentic Anglicanism is correctly summarised in the report in four elements – the primacy of Scripture, the confessional basis of our tradition, the liturgical character that ties our confessional doctrine to our lived practices, and an episcopal governance to safeguard the truth of the faith. …”
– The Australian Church Record features on their website this article by Sarah Irving-Stonebraker which was first published in their Easter 2026 Journal.
Giggle v Tickle, the Federal Court Appeal — Two Steps Back
From Associate Professor Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia –
“The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has handed down its long-awaited decision in Giggle for Girls Pty Ltd v Tickle [2026] FCAFC 64 (15 May 2026). …
Sadly, it has to be said that this decision of the Full Court might now be seen as ‘two steps back’.
In short, I think this appeal decision is also legally wrong, and I look forward to it being overturned on appeal to the High Court of Australia if that goes ahead. But the decision also strongly points to the need to amend the Sex Discrimination Act 1984…”
– Read his full post which includes some possible implications of the decision.
Expository Preaching Trust expands
“The work of the Expository Preaching Trust is expanding.
As well as Preaching clubs, workshops and conferences, we now have 50 preachers being mentored by 16 experienced preachers.
The Trust began in 2012 and we are now in need of extra help.
From 1 July Michael Leong will join us for one day per week to be the Trust’s Operations Associate. …
Michael holds the degrees of Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology from Moore.
As well as mentoring and speaking at the Trust’s conferences, Michael will oversee the promotion of our website and events and coordinate the implementation of the calendar. …”
– Read more at the Expository Preaching Trust.
Analysis: The Abuja “Contradiction” That Isn’t
We didn’t link to the article by Jay Thomas at First Things yesterday, it didn’t seem profitable. However, if you happen to have read it, George Conger at Anglican Ink has published a very clear and helpful rebuttal.
“Jay Thomas’s recent First Things essay ‘Anglicans and the Abuja Contradiction’ purports to expose fatal logical flaws in GAFCON’s Jerusalem Declaration.
In reality, it reveals something far more interesting: how easily appeals to ‘Anglican tradition’ can mask fundamentally un-Anglican premises. Thomas’s argument doesn’t just fail—it fails instructively, demonstrating precisely why orthodox Anglicans found GAFCON necessary in the first place.
Thomas’s thesis is straightforward: GAFCON stands guilty of rank hypocrisy.…”
– Read George’s response here.
Related:
Photo: G26 at Abuja, via SydneyAnglicans.net.
Should evangelicals sing Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation songs in evangelical churches? — with Mal York
This week from The Pastor’s Heart –
“Church music is one of the most formative and contested parts of local church life.
People join churches because of music. People leave churches because of music. But music is not a filler between the sermon and the prayers. The songs we sing put theology into people’s mouths and memories.
So how should we choose the songs we sing in church?
Mal York, the dean of students at Sydney’s Moore Theological College, joins us to talk about principles and pragmatics in choosing songs for church.
We discuss theological depth, singability, musical excellence, doctrinal drift, performance culture and what to do with songs from movements like Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation.”
A quote from Mal York to consider –
“Hillsong, whether we like it or not … see their songs as advertising for them. So, they see that whenever you sing a Hillsong song in your church, you are advertising their ministry. Now, some churches might be happy to advertise their ministry, but for me, I found it hard to sing those songs.” (At 13’20”.)
Sex in Marriage
From Phillip Jensen –
“When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he had to deal with many issues, some of which were raised by the Corinthians themselves. Several of the issues related to the subject of sexual morality.
Chapters 5 and 6 of 1 Corinthians conclude with the importance of serving God with our bodies, and chapter 7 opens with the issue of how to serve God with your body in the face of sexual immoralities. The answer is not in celibacy, but a right understanding of sex in marriage.
Peter and I are going to take several weeks to discuss the many issues raised in 1 Corinthians 7. This week, it’s sex in marriage, verses 1-6.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…