Legality and Validity
“Does something become legitimate by virtue of legislative enactment? Does the decision of a parliamentary majority or of a court of law suffice to settle the question of whether a course of action is appropriate, or legitimate or valid? Can Christians recognise the legal or constitutional reality of a situation without for a moment consenting to its reality in a deeper sense — something that legitimately exists in a world constituted by God’s word?
Two recent developments in Australia raise this question in stark terms for us.
The first is the conduct of same sex ‘marriage’ services in the Australian Capital Territory last weekend. …
The second development is the consecration of women as bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia.”
– Moore College Principal Mark Thompson writes an important post at Theological Theology. Challenging times ahead.
A Moral Revolution at Warp Speed
“Six months. That’s how long it took to get from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act to the decision of a Colorado judge ordering a Christian baker to make a cake for a same-sex ceremony. Just six months. …”
– Albert Mohler writes on the latest developments in the US.
Mike Ovey responds to the Pilling Report
“We humans have to live with grey. Sometimes we must weigh whether an action or life-choice is right or wrong. But so often, actions and life-choices are shades of grey rather than simply black or white. …”
– Oak Hill’s Principal, Dr Mike Ovey, responds to the Pilling Report –
Part 1 – God’s work versus God’s will?
Part 2 – Does sincerity grant a veto?
Jesus’ Improbable Plan
“Jesus and the apostles expected the nations of the world to be won for him. This is a historical statement that is historically true that will stand in the face of even the most stringent, critical analysis.
Consider how improbable such a vision must have been.
‘Make disciples of all nations’ he said but those to whom he said it were but eleven in number, simple uneducated men, without friends in high places. Their own track record had not been good; one was a betrayer, another a denier and all were deserters.
He, their leader, had been handed over by the temple hierarchs and crucified by the Romans.
Yet he expected world conquest, but not achieved by naked power but by mere words backed up by an ethical life. …”
– Bishop Paul Barnett looks at Jesus’ ‘improbable plan’.
GAFCON Chairman’s Advent Letter
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council has released this Advent Letter.
He begins by giving thanks for the meeting in Nairobi, before turning to what’s next –
“We have to come down from the mountain to face the challenges ahead.
And so we have. The Church of England has just released what is known as the Pilling Report, the conclusions of a Working Group commissioned by the House of Bishops to report and make recommendations on issues of human sexuality.
I am sorry to say that it is very flawed. If this report is accepted I have no doubt that the Church of England, the Mother Church of the Communion, will have made a fateful decision. It will have chosen the same path as The Episcopal Church of the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada with all the heartbreak and division that will bring. ”
Outsourcing Life
“‘Outsourcing’ is an ‘in’ word. It used to be only a business word but now is spreading into life itself. Today people are outsourcing their life.
For some time the business world has used the term to talk of buying goods and services from outside suppliers. Rather than using in-house employees to undertake all the tasks of the business, the company will turn to external suppliers and ’outsource’ the work. …”
– Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, writes about the most amazing ‘outsourcing’ of all.
Forget the Channel
“The 21st century saw incredible communication breakthroughs with a soaring use of social media. Social media has given us ways of communicating that is unparalleled in digital history. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, microblogging have all become household terms.
Amongst infinite possibilities, social media has opened up tremendous opportunities for Christians to speak in the world. …”
– The latest from The Australian Church Record.
The important message of Christmas
“On 3 January 2014, as a member of the SCG, I will get up at 5 am, queue up at the members gate at 6 am and then run from the gate, in what is called the “Paddington gift” to secure my seat for the day, in the Members’ Stand.
I will try to reserve the seat next to me for a friend. He will get up at about 9:30 am, wander into the ground at 10:30 for the start of play, secure in the fact that I have reserved a seat for him. I pay the member’s subscription, I get up at 5 am, queue at 6 am, race at 7 am, I do all the work, he wanders in and enjoys the fruit of my labours.”
– David Cook, Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, writes about The important message of Christmas on the PCA website. (h/t Gary Ware.)
Grafton appointment exposes massive differences in the Anglican Church in Australia
“I wrote last week about the appointment of Rev Dr Sarah Macneil as the new Bishop of Grafton diocese in NSW, Australia. Not only is she due to be Australia’s first female diocesan, but far more troubling she is on the record as holding what many consider to be heterodox views on human sexuality and the atonement. …”
– At his blog, David Ould continues to explore the implications of the election of a new Bishop of the Diocese of Grafton. (Related posts.)
Extinction in a generation?
“Have a read of this report from the Daily Telegraph: ‘Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, warns Christianity “a generation away from extinction” in Britain. Clergy are now gripped by a “feeling of defeat”, congregations are worn down by “heaviness” while the public simply greets both with “rolled eyes and a yawn of boredom”, he said.’
Lord Carey goes on to say how in particular ‘we’ have let down young people and that we must deploy ministers to get children and youth back into church.
There’s much here to admire. Lord Carey may no longer be Archbishop of Canterbury, but it still takes courage for such an establishment figure to point out just how bad things are. But he’s quite right: Christianity is a generation away from extinction in the United Kingdom. This is something both very old and very new. Let me explain. …”
– Oak Hill College Principal Mike Ovey writes.
Camelot and Narnia and the myths of our time
“There are still those who feel a stirring in their heart before an image of the young couple with the movie star good looks frolicking with their children on the beach at Hyannis Port or in the Oval Office. But even the most devoted of Kennedy supporters these days must admit that the story is at best a tarnished and tawdry version of the original.”
– In this opinion-piece for the ABC, Simon Smart looks at the legacies of President John Kennedy and C.S. Lewis, both of whom died 50 years ago today. (Photo: NASA.)
Evangelical Theological Society 65th Annual Meeting
“I have been spending the last couple of days in Baltimore at the 65th ETS Annual Conference. This year’s theme has been Evangelicalism, Inerrancy, and ETS. It has been a fascinating time with upwards of 2400 people in attendance. It has also been a great opportunity to meet with old friends and to make new ones and to discuss an important aspect of the evangelical doctrine of Scripture. I am very glad I’ve come. …
It has been great to see spirited, well-informed, humble and scholarly accounts of the absolute truthfulness and trustworthiness of Scripture. It was also terrific to hear testimonies from around the world (certainly not just the USA — Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Australia too) of the importance of biblical inerrancy and the necessity of giving a clear and unambiguous account of this doctrine to a fresh generation of Christian men and women.”
– Moore College Principal Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology.
Why I ran to Confessionalism
“So, in August of 2013 I ran to confessionalism. Specifically my ordination was transferred to the Presbyterian Church in America and I became the Lead Pastor of a PCA congregation.
The experience has been like finding an oasis in a desert. It has been like discovering a GPS after meandering blindly through an unknown country. Too dramatic? It does not feel that way to me. It is nearly impossible to effectively put down error and nurture unity within a church whose minimal statement of faith is only able to identify the grossest of heresies.”
– Todd Pruitt, who blogs at 1517, and co-hosts The Mortification of Spin with Carl Trueman, shares his discovery.
Related: The Thirty Nine Articles.
J. I. Packer: Fighting Heresy in Churches and Small Groups.
Grounded in the Gospel – J I Packer on The White Horse Inn.
Chappo’s splendiferous life
“As I reflect on Chappo’s life, a year after his death, my mind floods with so many splendiferous memories.”
– At SydneyAnglicans.net, David Mansfield remembers Chappo.
The Eclipse of Freedom
“Like most in my generation, I recoil from Doomsday preaching. the announcement of impending disaster, the prediction of the widespread persecution of Christians just around the corner, the naming of this or that group as the antichrist or as an enemy set upon the absolute destruction of Christianity, still makes me wince.
… The dilemma for Christian communities is not to be alarmist while at the same time identifying clear trends in the public debate and the legislative programs of governments in the West. …”
– Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…