Bishop Nazir-Ali on the situation in Egypt
“There is considerable anguish and hand-wringing amongst the armchair orientalists and strategists over the situation in Egypt. Those who thought that the “Arab Spring” was a harbinger of secular, Western-style democracy can now see it is nothing of the kind…”
– Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali writes in The (UK) Telegraph.
Why Expository Preaching Matters
“If preaching is central to Christian worship, what kind of preaching are we talking about? The sheer weightlessness of much contemporary preaching is a severe indictment of our superficial Christianity. When the pulpit ministry lacks substance, the church is severed from the word of God, and its health and faithfulness are immediately diminished.”
– Albert Mohler continues to write about the key place of expository preaching. Encouraging and challenging.
Mediocrity Is Not ‘OK’
Colin Adams at Unashamed Workman links to this encouraging article by Ajith Fernando. (Dr. Fernando has been a guest at several CMS Summer Schools in recent years.) –
“I was once at a meeting of preachers, and they were discussing the problem of having inadequate time to prepare their sermons.
One person said that given all the things he had to do, it was impossible for him to give much time for preparation, and therefore he usually went to preach without much preparation. I was shocked by what I heard, but I did not say a word. This happened more than a year ago, and I have suffered much since then. Thoughts have been rolling over and over again in my mind as to what I should have said that day. I have finally decided to put my thoughts on paper …”
– Read it here.
The Antidote to Anaemic Worship
“In far too many churches, the Bible is nearly silent. The public reading of Scripture has been dropped from many services, and the sermon has been sidelined…”
– Even though Albert Mohler writes in an American context, this is a good reminder.
Who am I to Judge? The Pope, the Press, and the Predicament
“The Pope did not signal in any way a revolution in Catholic moral teaching. The judgment on homosexuality within the Catholic tradition is consistent and very clear. At the same time, the Pope was trying to differentiate between homosexuality and persons struggling with homosexual inclinations.
When the Pope spoke of a gay Catholic who ‘seeks the Lord’ he was speaking of a gay person who is seeking to live in faithfulness to Catholic moral teaching. …”
– Albert Mohler looks at what the Pope really said.
In what are we united?
“Organizational unity instead of Gospel unity is death. The failure of Christian ministries, be they church or para-church, commences when they lose their direction and become organizations that demand organizational unity over theological unity in the service of the gospel.
We all can see how churches have lost their way over time, but the para-churches can just as easily lose their way.…”
– Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, writes in his weekly column.
What is an Archbishop?
Phillip Jensen continues his brief series on the coming Archbishop’s election, and asks; “What is an Archbishop?”
“When it comes to electing an Archbishop the natural questions are ‘What does the role involve?’ and therefore ‘What are the characteristics or competencies that we are looking for in a candidate?’ However, the answers to these questions are quite different to most people’s expectations as they are not the most appropriate questions to ask.”
Remembering the St. James’ Massacre
“Man’s evil trumped by God’s good – always!
Today (July 25) marks the 20th anniversary of the 1993 massacre at St James Kenilworth in suburban Cape Town. A commemorative service will be held at St James today to mark the occasion.”
– David Mansfield writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Standing our ground
“In a democracy, what happens when a view, previously supported by the majority becomes a minority view? Do you change your position – to retain ‘credibility’, or ‘influence’, or just simply not to be classed as a ‘nutter’, or stand your ground?…”
– Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden reflect on the passing of the same-sex marriage bill in the UK.
Oak Hill Commentary magazine — Summer 2013
The latest issue of Oak Hill’s magazine is available for download.
The Archbishop’s Election: A Political Process
“As people have spoken of my involvement in the election of our next Archbishop I thought it may be helpful for friends, especially those on synod, to understand how I view the election of Sydney’s Archbishop. …”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes the first of several articles designed to help Synod members think through the issues behind the election of a new Archbishop.
Related:
“The ACL confirms its longstanding practice of not promoting a preferred candidate for the Archbishop’s election.” – February 2013.
Prayer suggestions (PDF file).
Archbishop-in-waiting – profile from Southern Cross, July 2013.
Packer: Playing the Numbers Game
“I have found that churches, pastors, seminaries, and parachurch agencies throughout North America are mostly playing the numbers game—that is, defining success in terms of numbers of heads counted or added to those that were there before…”
– J. I Packer, via Justin Taylor.
The Archbishop of Canterbury on a coming royal birth
“When this baby is old, it will be the 22nd Century. Yet he or she will be able to tell children about a great grandmother… who served in the Second World War.
By then, the 1940s will be as far away as the Crimean War and the charge of the Light Brigade is today.”
– Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby reflects on the hope a new baby brings. In Mail Online.
Retirements and Beginnings
“As I write this article I am preparing to give what will most likely be my last Mid Year Conference Talk. It is a sad moment for me.
This has been a week of retirements. On Thursday my brother Peter officially retired as the Archbishop of Sydney. With him the Chancellor of the Diocese Acting Judge Peter Johns has also retired…”
– Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, reflects on the changing of the guard.
‘The New Theist’
“When, during a conversation in a swank hotel lobby in Manhattan, I mentioned to Richard Dawkins that I was working on a story about William Lane Craig, the muscles in his face clenched. …”
– from a story on William Lane Craig in The Chronical Review. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Related: Dr. William Lane Craig and Prof. Lawrence Krauss will be debating in Sydney on Tuesday 13th August.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…