A Spiritual Call from Antioch to Australia
The new Presbyterian Church of Australia Moderator-General, Stuart Bonnington, addressed their General Assembly in late September.
A shortened version of his encouraging address has been published by AP. It does, however, include a sobering reminder of the events of ninety years ago.
“In Acts, timeless Christian teaching is given within the unrepeatable unfolding of covenant history. However, powerful reverberations of that original grace, all focussed on the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth about Him, will be given to us according to our distinctive place in biblical-redemptive history as we labour in anticipation of His return.
If the Lord wills, the fiftieth anniversary of the most significant event in Australian Presbyterian history will be reached in June 2027. We could have been marking the death of the PCA back in 1977, but in God’s mysterious will and kindness we will look back on it as the time of our spiritual rebirth. …”
Photo with thanks to the Evangelical History Association.
Related:
Inside Sydney — by Bruce Ballantine-Jones — free e-Book download
In 2016, former ACL President Bruce Ballantine-Jones OAM published a significant history of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.-
Inside Sydney: An Insider’s view of the changes and politics in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, 1966-2013
Bruce has made an e-Book version available for free download.
It’s available on this page in our Resources section.
(Thanks to SydneyAnglicans.net for the photo of Bruce.)
The Enduring Word: From William Tyndale to the English Standard Version
From Crossway –
“This short film celebrates God’s providence throughout the history of English Bible translation—from William Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament to the English Standard Version Bible.”
It’s a 20 minute video. As part of Crossway’s celebration of 25 years of the ESV.
Giving thanks for 100+ years of The Australian Church Record
“The Australian Church Record celebrated a significant milestone at this year’s Sydney Synod, with a motion recognising 100 years since the publication adopted its present name in 1926.
Giving thanks for the ACR’s ministry as an independent theological voice for Reformed Evangelical Anglicanism, the Rev Dr Mark Earngey reflected on its long history of defending biblical truth, encouraging gospel ministry and supporting evangelical work across Australia.”
– Read Mark Earngey’s encouraging speech.
Anglican Heroes: Handley Moule — Church Society podcast
From Church Society:
“Rob Brewis tells Ros Clarke about the life, work and ongoing influence of Anglican pastor and theologian, Handley Moule.”
– Listen here.
Australian and English evangelicals: A conversation with Andrew Atherstone
From Lionel Windsor at The Australian Church Record –
“Andrew Atherstone is Professor of Modern Anglicanism at the University of Oxford. He has been in Sydney for the Annual Moore College Lectures, held in August 2026, on Anglican Evangelicalism in the Age of John Stott, Jim Packer and Dick Lucas: Surviving and Thriving in a Mixed-up Denomination.
The lectures explored the recent history of Anglican evangelicals in England and the question of whether to stay or leave in the face of liberal and heterodox bishops.
In this interview, the ACR asked Andrew particularly about the mutual influence between Australian and English evangelicals, and the contribution of some key Australian figures. …”
(Interestingly, he mentions a link to the Diocese of Bathurst.)
9/11 Twenty-Five Years On
John Mason reiterates and expands his reflections on the horrible events of 11 September 2001 –
“Twenty-five years ago Judith and I were living three short blocks south of the Twin Towers in Downtown Manhattan. I had received an invitation from Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church New York City, to set up a gospel-focused Anglican Church to complement the ministry of Redeemer Church in the city.
On Tuesday morning, September 11, we had awakened to see from our apartment clear blue skies and the sparkling waters of New York Harbor. But it was not to last. …”
– Many ACL members know John well. He’s ministered in Sydney, Canberra and New York. He founded the Anglican Connection in the USA and also served as Commissary to the Archbishop of Sydney in the USA.
Read his reflections at Anglican Connection.
Or listen to them here:
Related:
The Day the World Stood Still – Phillip Jensen spoke at St. Andrew’s Cathedral on the tenth anniversary, 11 September 2011.
Seeing God at Ground Zero: an Aussie’s testimony from 9/11 – Anthony Philips, published by The Australian Church Record, 10 September 2019.
‘No Tyndale, No Shakespeare’: How the Bible made Modern English
“The book that the famed British Library once called the most significant in the English language was nearly destroyed before it was even printed. That book was William Tyndale’s 1526 English New Testament, whose 500th anniversary is being commemorated this year.
Not only was the book banned and burned when it was smuggled into England from Germany, where Tyndale was living a fugitive life, but before that, when the first printing had reached Matthew 22, the print shop in Cologne was raided by Catholic sympathizers. Tyndale barely escaped with his unpublished manuscript in hand.
Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament from the original Greek became the foundation of all English Bible translation until the middle of the 20th century …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Leland Ryken reminds us of the monumental legacy of William Tyndale.
The Joy of William Wilberforce
Paul Barnes reminds us of a key man in recent world history, and of some who influenced him –
“In 1786 Edmund Burke, the renowned orator and politician, was sure that the abolition of the slave trade was a fantasy – that it stood no hope of being accomplished. We might find this surprising, and think it would be obvious that something as horrendous as the capturing and selling of people should be abolished. Thus, it is difficult for us to understand just how impossible the abolition of the slave trade looked.
Although he was certainly not the only one against the Slave Trade, William Wilberforce has rightly taken primary place as the man who achieved the impossible. But how did Wilberforce achieve the impossible in a world that looked down on his faith and what he was trying to achieve? …”
– Read the full essay at AP, the national Presbyterian journal.
Image: Painting of Wilberforce by Anton Hickel.
The Sydney Family Album 8 — Howard Mowll
In 2011, Mark Thompson, now Principal of Moore College, published a series of posts, entitled “The Sydney Family Album”, for his website, Theological Theology.
We felt they merit wider distribution, so, with Mark’s kind permission, we are re-posting them on the ACL website, at the rate of one a week.
Here’s the eighth in the series, on Howard Mowll, Archbishop of Sydney, 1934 – 1958.
It really is rather hard to overplay the contribution of Howard Mowll to the shape and character of the contemporary Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
His election as Archbishop in April 1933 was a critical moment in the diocese’s history, a decision for its evangelical heritage rather than the more eclectic theology others were advocating at the time. His tenure of the office during World War II and the equally critical post-war years set directions, embedded principles and fostered a new generation of leaders who enabled Sydney Anglicanism to remain unambiguously Protestant and evangelical while engaging seriously with the challenges of a new era.
Among so many other things gifts to the diocese, he was the driving force behind the invitation to Billy Graham to come to Sydney in 1959, though Mowll died six months before the Crusade began.
Other posts in the The Sydney Family Album series (as we add them) are in our Resources section. There is still one more to go!
Photo: Archbishop Howard Mowll, from his biography by Marcus Loane.
‘Dick Lucas’ mind was blown apart’ – with Andrew Atherstone
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“1986. London’s Westminster Central Hall. The then young Australian preacher Phillip Jensen takes the platform at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly, and detonated UK Anglican Evangelicalism
Dick Lucas, the elder statesman of UK Evangelicalism Rector of St Helen’s Bishopsgate, said his mind was “blown apart by these bold Australian exhortations.”
Chris Green says a room full of ministers in training were “revolutionised overnight.”
It’s the third in our occasional series of specials on evangelical oral history.
We are with Dr Andrew Atherstone (Wycliffe Hall Oxford) and this time we trace how a Sydney rector’s insistence on Bible teaching and the local congregation, over and above inherited Anglican structure made such an impact on the UK evangelical scene.
Jensen’s 1986 and 1988 addresses didn’t just inspire, but they gave a generation of English ministers permission to think differently about bishops, boundaries and where real spiritual authority lives.”
– Watch it at The Pastor’s Heart. And yes, Phillip Jensen’s talk did create quite a stir! Much to be thankful for.
The Pastor’s Heart page has links to Phillip’s talks at the EMA in 1986 and later.
The Sydney Family Album 5 — Frederic Barker
In 2011, Mark Thompson, now Principal of Moore College, published a series of posts, entitled “The Sydney Family Album”, for his website, Theological Theology.
We felt they merit wider distribution, so, with Mark’s kind permission, we are re-posting them on the ACL website, at the rate of one a week.
Here’s the fifth in the series, on Bishop Frederic Barker.
“Barker’s long episcopate (until his death in 1882) saw massive change in the colony. Barker was certainly up to the challenge. He was a gifted administrator and was both visionary and practical.”
Other posts in the The Sydney Family Album series (as we add them) are in our Resources section.
Artefact in Focus: The Taylor Prism
From Tyndale House in Cambridge – this page and short video by George Heath-Whyte, Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church College, Oxford.
“The ‘Taylor Prism’ has stood on display in the British Museum for 170 years. Named after Colonel R. Taylor, the British diplomat who purchased it in the 1830s, it is a masterful example of ancient Assyrian cuneiform and craftsmanship, with its six tightly-inscribed columns standing almost 40 cm tall.
Remarkable to look at, it is even more remarkable to read. …”
– Watch the video and read the accompanying story.
The Sydney Family Album 4 — William Macquarie Cowper
In 2011, Mark Thompson, now Principal of Moore College, published a series of posts, entitled “The Sydney Family Album”, for his website, Theological Theology.
We felt they merit wider distribution, so, with Mark’s kind permission, we are re-posting them on the ACL website, at the rate of one a week.
Here’s the fourth, a guest post by Peter Bolt on William Cowper.
If you’ve ever been confused about who the two William Cowpers were, this will help!
“Together, the two William Cowpers were largely responsible for the strength and vitality of Evangelicalism in Sydney.”
Other posts in the The Sydney Family Album series (as we add them) are in our Resources section.
The Sydney Family Album 3 — William Cowper
In 2011, Mark Thompson, now Principal of Moore College, published a series of posts entitled “The Sydney Family Album”, for his website, Theological Theology.
We felt they merit wider distribution, so, with Mark’s kind permission, we are re-posting them on the ACL website, at the rate of one a week.
Here’s the third, a guest post by Peter Bolt on William Cowper.
Other posts in the The Sydney Family Album series (as we add them) are in our Resources section.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…