One thousand people got baptised in Perth on Good Friday. Why?

Steve McAlpine wants us to notice what is happening –

“Most Easter holidays the Swan River would be filled with the sounds of jet-skis and power-boats. This Good Friday, the sound of singing and prayer. There, against the backdrop of those aforementioned skyscrapers, Jesus was proclaimed, no doubt to many a curious onlooker.

Now this does not mean that across the Western world the Sunday roads are blocked as people race off to worship God.

The churches may not be full, the Quiet Revival data may be flawed, but if you’ve been watching this thing for three decades and only seen a trickle of gospel interest, then suddenly BOOM!, you know for sure that something is happening. This is not wish-fulfilment. …”

– Read it all here.

How to really change a church? – with Archie Poulos and Kirsty Bucknell

This week from The Pastor’s Heart, plenty of food for thought –

“Tinkering or transformation?

How do you change a church, like really change, not just tweak a program or update a roster, but challenge the whole model?

Kodak missed the shift to digital photography. We’ve seen huge changes in industries impacting newspapers, landline telephones, taxis, bank branches, travel agents, street directories, encyclopedias. For each the world moved on.

But have churches missed a revolution too, and if so, what is it?

Archie Poulos from Moore College’s Centre for Ministry Development says we’ve been tinkering around the edges, changing tactics without changing the operating model, especially when our structures were built for a village world while many relationships today are affinity based.

Kirsty Bucknell outlines a change framework to help us bring people with us.”

– Watch here.

The Arrogance of the Moral

From Phillip Jensen –

“Christians in Western society have had a large say in public morality. When appointed the Dean at our cathedral, I was told by several people that my role was to be the moral conscience of society. I thought I was supposed to preach the gospel, but what is the relationship of the gospel to public morality and of the church to the rest of society? 1 Corinthians 5 raises these issues for us; I hope you enjoy our discussion.”

– Hear Peter and Phillip Jensen”s discussion – at Two Ways News.

Did Josephus really write about Jesus?

Published last year, two fascinating interviews from Tyndale House –

“Peter Williams interviews Dr Tom C. Schmidt about his new book, ‘Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One they Call Christ’.

In this episode they tackle the question of whether Josephus’s writing about Jesus was edited by Christians to sound more like the biblical account, or whether it could in fact have been written by Josephus.

In next week’s episode they will discuss whether Josephus could have known people who were present at Jesus’s trial.”

– Part 1 – and Part 2. Just fascinating – especially Part 2.

Related:

Tom Schmidt: How well connected were Josephus and Jesus? – audio interview with Tony Watkins.

An Archaeological discovery may shed light on the Gospel of Luke.

Three Reflections for Good Friday – from Bishop Mark Calder

Three Reflections for Good Friday – from Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder – on

1. The courtroom scene: Romans 3:21–26

2. The cross scene: 1 Peter 2:21–24

3. The heart of God scene: 1 John 4:9–11.

– Watch here.

Australian Church Record’s Easter 2026 Journal

From The Australian Church Record –

“In this Easter edition of the ACR Journal, we focus our attention on our gatherings and liturgy. Those who are familiar with the Prayer Book will know that we’ve titled this Easter edition in the words of Psalm 95, which is a core part of the liturgy for the daily service of morning prayer. The Psalm has a focus on hearing (‘Today, if you hear his voice’) and it warns its hearers against hardening their hearts in light of hearing the word of God. …”

– Read about – and download – the latest Journal.

Evidence for the resurrection of Jesus — papers

Associate Professor Neil Foster writes –

“Following my previous post [about a breakfast seminar run by the Newcastle Christian Lawyers Fellowship this morning], here is the paper I am presenting on evaluation of the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus applying principles of the law of evidence applied in the courts …

In that paper I mention a brilliant paper on the same broad area by former Justice of Appeal Ken Handley; for those who haven’t seen it, here it is for download …”

– Download both papers from Law and Religion Australia.

Getting Authority and Care Right – Peter Orr on Today’s Pastor

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“ ‘Authority’ and ‘care’-  the two big words New Testament lecturer Peter Orr says belong together at the heart of real shepherding.

Lecturer at Sydney’s Moore Theological College, Peter Orr, has told the Nexus Conference, that one of the great confusions of our moment is confusion about the role of the pastor.

He asks whether in circles like ours, with a strong and right emphasis on every-member ministry, we accidentally downplayed the distinctiveness of the pastor?

What does it mean to say that a pastor has real authority, but that it is derived, limited and for care? How to avoid harshness, being too soft and lazy.”

– Watch here.

No conflict, no drama

“George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying: ‘No conflict, no drama.’

Conflict drives our stories. The hero engages in single combat with the villain. Two suitors vie for the attention of an attractive and intelligent woman. The detective’s wits are pitted against the cunning of the criminal. Scripture, likewise, is full of stories, drama, and conflict. Whether it’s God vs idols, Jesus vs the Pharisees, Paul vs the false teachers, or the Spirit vs the flesh, the Bible is replete with military, emotional, ideological, relational, and intellectual conflict, often all at once!

As preachers, we can help our churches by bringing out these conflicts of Scripture in our preaching. Doing so aids the clarity of our preaching – it helps the Christian to know not just what Jesus is for, but also what He’s against. It also drives interest, as hearers wish to see how these conflicts will be resolved. …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, Michael Leong shares some helpful thoughts on preaching.

Radical Kinship – Plenary sessions from the 2026 P&A Annual Conference

Simon Flinders (Archdeacon to the Archbishop of Sydney) spoke at the recent Priscilla and Aquila Centre Annual Conference at Moore College. The theme was Radical Kinship – Men and Women in God’s Family.

Videos of the Plenary Sessions have now been published by Moore College –

Plenary Session 1.
Discipleship as new love – Jesus’ invitation to radically rethink “family”.

In a culture that elevates family as the ultimate source of identity and fulfilment, Jesus offers a radically different vision. In this talk, Simon Flinders explores how discipleship to Christ reorders our deepest loves and loyalties. With clarity and care, he shows that belonging to God’s family is not secondary, but central to the gospel—and a gift that reshapes every other relationship.

Plenary Session 2.
Church as family – The apostles’ invitation to live as siblings.

In a world where church can easily be seen as an event or institution, the New Testament presents something far richer. In this talk, Simon Flinders shows that the church is not like a family—it is family. Drawing on the language of adoption and new birth, he explores the depth of our shared identity in Christ and the practical implications for how we love, serve, and care for one another as brothers and sisters in God’s household.

Vaughan Roberts: Grace and Truth on Sexuality and the Global Church

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“We tackle one of the most sensitive issues facing the global church — sexuality.

Vaughan Roberts, senior minister of St Ebbe’s Oxford, speaks as both pastor and theologian. In this interview he reflects on deeply personal pastoral encounters — Christians struggling with pornography, same-sex attraction, gender incongruence, and the pain of confusing messages from churches.

In Abuaja, Nigeria, Vaughan Roberts, distributed his new book Full of Grace and Truth: The Gospel and Sexuality in the Global Church to more than 470 bishops, clergy and lay leaders of the Global Anglican Communion.

At the heart of Roberts’ argument is the argument: God is for sex. Sex is for marriage. Marriage is for life. And ultimately life is for Christ. 

Roberts’ challenge cuts in two directions. He cautions revisionist Christians not to abandon biblical truth, while also urging conservatives to move beyond moralism to the transforming beauty of the gospel.”

– Watch or listen here.

True Judgements

From Phillip Jensen –

“Just as Western society is confused over the subject of identity, so we are confused over the issue of judgementalism. The modern push is to be a non-judgemental, inclusive society, but the reality is one of high condemnation and exclusion of people whose views or lifestyle differ from those in power.

Christians believe in the judgement of God, but what do these judgements involve? And what are the differences between discernment and condemnation? I hope you enjoy our consideration of 1 Corinthians chapter 4.”

– Listen at Two Ways News.

Children in the gathering: Why the church needs its youngest members

Bex Purdue at St. Matthias Centennial Park has these words of encourgamenrt at The Australian Church Record –

“As Anglicans, we wholeheartedly believe that children are treasured members of our covenant community. Praise God that the promise of salvation extends not only to us but also to our children (Acts 2:39). One way this belief is reflected is through the baptism of our children. However, our belief that children are equal members of the body of Christ shapes much more than just our view of baptism—it shapes how we do church. So what does this look like at our weekly church gathering?

Kids’ Church and youth programs during our church gatherings are wonderful provisions from God as a way to love and serve the children (and parents!) of our church. …”

– Read it all here.

Paul Ehrlich — Author of “The Population Bomb” and Prophet of the Culture of Death

You may have heard that Paul Ehrlich, author of the influential 1968 book, “The Population Bomb” has died at the age of 93.

In his The Briefing broadcast for today, Tuesday 17 March 2026, Albert Mohler remembers Paul Ehrlich and the dark influence of his ideology.

Islam in the Public Square

From AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal –

“I have been engaging publicly with Islam for over 30 years and have a noticed a recent change in the way it is discussed in public. The Bondi shooting, the war with Iran, and the ISIS brides have changed public discourse.

Up until recently, a Muslim could commit an act of violence against a non-Muslim, say it was done in the name of Islam, and quote from the Qur’an for justification; but most Western leaders and media would respond by saying it had nothing to do with the religion and that Islam is a religion of peace. I hear this response a lot less often, if at all, now. …”

– Sam Green looks at possible responses to a growing knowledge of Islam in the West, and urges Christians to respond in a Christian way, “because we have experienced the love of God for his enemies ourselves”.

Image: Sam Green on The Pastor’s Heart in September 2024.

See also Sam Green — Engaging with Islam – December 2024.

Next Page →