Advent, tyranny and freedom

“‘Free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny.’ These words come from the much-loved Advent carol, ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’. We sing it most years, and it has always moved me. The Lord Jesus comes to set me free.

Tyranny, though. Doesn’t that sound a little odd?…”

– Mike Ovey writes at the Oak Hill blog.

Indomitable Sydney? The challenge of Sydney Anglicanism

Michael Jensen from Moore College writes for the ABC’s Religion & Ethics –

“Evangelical Anglicans of the sort found in Sydney have good ground for claiming the Anglican heritage as their own and ought not to accept the view that they are in some way the illegitimate children of the Anglican family.”

– Read it all here.

Now keep calm and carry on

“The reaction of the British media to the result in the ‘women bishops vote’ (I hesitate to call it ‘bishopsgate’ for fear of offending William Taylor) is as predictable as the vote itself was surprising. The essence of most of the commentary I have read is: the church has voted for oppression of women and has made itself irrelevant…”

– Insightful comment from Carl Trueman at Reformation21.

The women bishops vote in the Church of England

Dr Mark Thompson writes on last night’s defeat of the Consecration and Ordination of Women Measure in the Church of England’s General Synod:

“If it had been passed, the dissenters would be excluded even further from the life of the Church of England over the next ten years and before long, as in many parts of The Episcopal Church, acceptance of women in the episcopate would be the litmus test for ordination.”

Full text below. Read more

American Anglican Council on the Archbishop of Canterbury announcement

Bishop David Anderson of the American Anglican Council writes:

“Archbishop Welby, in his new appointment, will have to work with the more orthodox Global South provinces, especially the GAFCON Primates who represent a huge majority of the churchgoing Anglican world. The new Archbishop will need to find a way to disengage the Anglican Communion Office and the office and work of the Archbishop from the incestuous ties with the American Episcopal Church’s money, influence and power.”

Read more

War Histories or History Wars?

From this week’s column by the Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen:

“In this last week we not only have the end of WWI to remember, but also Guy Fawkes’ failed bomb plot and Martin Luther’s courageous act that started the Reformation. The poppies may remind us of Armistice but without the bonfires and fireworks, and without any memorial to Luther – our society celebrated the absurd fun of Halloween instead.

The memory of two great acts that established the nature of our society is being lost to the tawdry commercialisation of superstition. It is why revision lessons are so important for keeping our memory fresh. …”

– Read it here.

Reactions to the US Presidential election

“Christians must now pray for our President. As the Apostle Paul instructs us …

Christians must never see political action as an end, but only as a means. We can never seek salvation through the voting booth, and we must never look for a political messiah. Nevertheless, Christians do bear a political responsibility, established in love of God and love of neighbor. We are rightly concerned about this world, but only to a limited extent. Our main concern is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

– Al Mohler.

“If we suffer political defeat like those who have no hope but politics, we do not even commend ourselves, let alone the God who hung the moon and stars. …”

– Collin Hansen (written before election day).

 

Time for a grown-up debate on what sort of children will be allowed into the world

“Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia John Anderson last night strongly criticized the level of public debate in Australia and Western society.

Speaking at the launch of Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Ethics and the beginning of human life, Mr Anderson lamented the lack of understanding of what a civilized debate requires, and observed that valuable contributors to society’s understanding of complex matters are often put off by the way debates unfold in the public sphere and by the demonisation to which contributors are frequently subjected. …”

– Ian Carmichael at Matthias Media, has news of an important book by Dr Megan Best.

There’s also audio from the book launch. The book is available from Matthias Media.

Jesus’ ‘wife’ found dead!

“On September 18, the news broke of a small fragment of papyrus purporting to record words of Jesus. It contained the striking phrase, ‘Jesus said to them, “My wife …”‘ and then the text breaks off at the right hand margin. …

However, after nearly a month of scrutiny by scholars on the blogosphere, it appears that the fragment is almost certainly a fake. Here’s how that came to light …”

– Peter Williams from Tyndale House, Cambridge, summarises where things stand concerning this alleged ‘Gospel’ – at Evangelicals Now.

Has the personal evangelism ship sailed?

“It is quite correct to say that there are only two kinds of people in the world—those who in the words of Two Ways to Live are living ‘Way A’ (rebelling against God, facing his judgement) and ‘Way B’ (submitting to and trusting in Jesus, forgiven by God).

But it is also true that within those two broad categories there is a wide spectrum of difference. …”

– Tony Payne begins discussion on a topic close to the heart of many – at The Briefing.

A Mormon President?

In January, Michael Horton spoke with Adam Christing, writer and director of a documentary about a relatively unknown aspect of the life of Joseph Smith, namely his candidacy for President of the United States.

Whatever the outcome of the US elections this week, this programme gives some useful insights into what Mormons believe. Hear it via this link.

Christianity and the Dark Side

“The coming of Halloween is a good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the Devil will seize every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity…”

– Al Mohler looks at the American institution which is increasing being imported into Australia.

The pain threshold

“Is the New Testament pattern of normal Christian witness, ‘Always be ready to invite your neighbour to an evangelistic barbecue’? ‘Go into all the world and get them to hear someone else make disciples’?”

– Chris Green, Vice Principal of Oak Hill College in London, has a point. Read it here.

Jesus Is …Beyond Fiction

“I cannot believe how often educated people pull out the claim that Jesus probably never existed. Except that it’s not PC to say so, it really deserves the title of Old Wives Tale!

Down in my neck of the woods, Gospel for the Gong has been running a ‘Jesus Is ________.’ month of mission. …”

– Sandy Grant shares some resources – as well as news of a terrific evangelistic initiative – at The Briefing.

How to wreck a church

“What is it about false teaching? First it dazzles, finding its ways into magazines and onto TV news programmes and book displays. It also deceives – drawing the unwary half a degree off course. It then distorts, for the principle of the ever-widening angle will eventually see church members ten years down the line embracing teachings that are far removed from Scripture. And, finally, it destroys.”

– Timely reminder from Richard Bewes – at Anglican Mainstream.

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