God’s multidimensional wisdom
“Do you think that God, the one who created all things, is boring? If you do, it might be because your view of God is one-dimensional. …”
– Encouragement which should lead to praise – from Ephesians 3:9-11 – via Dr Lionel Windsor.
Book Review: Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry
“This is a deeply personal story of a life that leads to God. In among the muck; the violence, abuse, sadness, depression, and struggle Jackie’s story is also a story of hope, transformation, love, encouragement, inspiration, and challenge.
From the very beginning of her book Jackie tells the story of her life in two particular parts. The story of who she was and the story of who she is becoming. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Jon Coombs in Melbourne has a review of ‘Gay Girl, Good God’.
Pray for Sri Lanka: Gospel Coalition Australia speaks with Kanishka Raffel
“We know people here who have lost family members. People are distressed and even those not directly affected by the deaths and injuries are deeply concerned about the wider political implications of these attacks. …”
– Dean of Sydney Kanishka Raffel speaks with The Gospel Coalition Australia.
(Photo: SydneyAnglicans.net)
Book Review: Why I Love the Apostle Paul, by John Piper
“If you visit Desiring God online you’ll find over 110 books written by or with attributions from John Piper. Humorously, in a 1999 message Piper confessed, ‘I only have one thing to say. I say to people, “You want to buy a Piper book? Just get one, you don’t need the rest. I say the same thing in every book.”’ For decades John Piper and Desiring God have promoted a single message: ‘God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.’
In many respects, Piper continues to say the same thing in this book. At the same time, this book also stands out among Piper’s other writings and deserves a pastor’s attention. Here are a few reasons why. …”
– A brief book review by Nathan Loudin at 9Marks.
“The Christian Life” — Dr. Joel Beeke speaking in Sydney, Friday 12 July
Reformers Bookshop and Reformation Heritage Books are hosting an evening with Dr. Joel Beeke – in Stanmore, from 6:30pm, on Friday July 12, 2019.
Dr. Beeke will be giving two talks –
Calvin’s Life: Practical Lessons
The Puritan Life: Joyful or Joyless
It’s a free event, but registration is required. Details at Reformers’ blog.
Five Ways to Pray for Sri Lanka — Ajith Fernando
“While it may seem foolish to spend time praying when there is a crisis around us, this is the most powerful thing God’s people can do in a national crisis (2 Kings 19). We need to mobilize individual and corporate prayer among Christians. …”
– At Desiring God, Ajith Fernando shares five ways to pray for Sri Lanka.
The prisoner lifts his eyes
“Are you a victim?
A few years ago, we discovered someone had stolen the number plate from the front of our car. When we called the police, they told us they were running an official campaign focusing on vehicle-related crime, and so they had certain procedures they had to follow. They sent an officer to meet with us in our home.
When the officer arrived, he asked us to show him the scene of the crime (the street outside). He sat down at our dining table to interview us about the details of the incident (it didn’t take long).
At the end of the interview, with an admirably straight face, he fulfilled his official responsibilities by asking us if we would like to access their program for victim support. …”
– Encouragement from chapter 3 of the Letter to the Ephesians – via Dr. Lionel Windsor. (You can also listen at that link.)
Israel Folau and Three Myths of a Changing Society
“As Australians celebrate Easter, I want to assert, as a Christian, that because of his love, Jesus died and rose again to bear the sin and judgement of we sinners who deserve his condemnation. So, with all Christians, in obedience to our Saviour, I would call on all to repent and find forgiveness while they may.
However, I write this article not as a Christian but as an Australian citizen and lifetime rugby supporter, who happens to be a Christian, seeking what I see as the good of society. Furthermore, I am writing simply on the basis of public media information, without knowing the full details of Israel Folau’s employment.
As a Christian, I don’t expect the Government or anybody to defend me, or my preaching of the gospel. They crucified my Lord and I am not to be surprised by any hostility towards his people. But as an Australian rugby supporter, I do think it is in the best interest of everybody to identify the issues behind this present imbroglio and do something about them, in order to protect our society and the game of rugby. …”
– Phillip Jensen, former Dean of Sydney, has published this opinion-piece on his website.
It’s time to break free from the Algorithm-Driven Life
“A recent story from Wired helpfully explains the latest batch of changes Facebook has made to its algorithm – the algorithm that sorts through the billions of available articles, photographs, and videos to determine the few we will actually see as we scroll our news feeds. …
Before we go any farther, we need to consider the fact that what we see on Facebook – and Twitter and Instagram and Google News and Apple News and … – is determined by algorithms, formulas carefully coded to spread some content and to suppress others. We rarely have access to complete collections of information anymore. Rather, algorithms pre-sort it for us.”
– Tim Challies looks at the benefits and dangers of algorithms, and he suggests a solution.
Related:
Subscribe to the Anglican Church League’s RSS feed. (Your browser may ask you which news reader you want to use.)
Jesus and the Moon Landing — Easter Message 2019
“The leader of Australia’s largest Anglican Diocese, the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has recalled the Moon Landing and its 50th anniversary, in his Easter Message this year.
Celebrations are being prepared for July when NASA will lead the anniversary of Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 team landing on the surface of the Moon in 1969. …”
– Read the media release and watch the video from Archbishop Davies.
Great for sharing – and you could embed the video on your website.
There’s also a media release.
Looking for a church this Easter?
In support of Billy Vunipola
“Dear Sir,
I am not a Rugby fan, but I wish to protest at your treatment of Billy Vunipola. Mr Vunipola has done nothing wrong, other than express his Christian beliefs in support of another Christian believer. …”
– Anglican Mainstream has published this Letter from a South Yorkshire Rector to the Rugby Football Union and the Saracens Rugby Club.
Background:
Billy Vunipola: England number eight given formal warning by RFU – BBC News.
“The 26-year-old number eight liked the post by Folau and called for people to ‘live their lives how God intended’. Vunipola, who has also been warned by his club Saracens, has been ‘reminded of his responsibilities’ by the RFU. …”
See also:
Israel Folau to challenge Rugby Australia’s breach notice over social media post – ABC News.
When talking about hell… – Murray Campbell.
Reflections on the Israel Folau affair
“Celebrity rugby player Israel Folau is in a complicated legal position. He shared a ‘meme’ on social media site Instagram recently, the text of which was: ‘Warning: Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators: Hell Awaits You – Repent! Only Jesus Saves.’
To this he added his own personal comment: ‘Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him.’ …
His remarks were not well-received by many members of the public, and in particular by the peak bodies in rugby. …”
– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster offers some comments on the latest news relating to Israel Folau.
ACR Journal Winter 2019 now out
The Australian Church Record’s ACR Journal for Winter 2019 is just out.
“This issue is packed with articles about ministry: being ordained to the ministry, training for ministry, ministry in the Bathurst diocese, and ministry across the Southern Hemisphere.
As well as these ministry insights, Nathan Walter recounts what exactly was decided concerning the remarriage of divorced people at last year’s Synod.”
The 2019 Federal Election and Religious Freedom issues
Freedom for Faith Executive Director Michael Kellahan writes,
“The long awaited election has been called for 18 May. …
All the parties voice a commitment to religious freedom. What we need to know though is how this stated commitment will find expression at law. We have written to the parties asking a series of specific questions which will help you understand their positions heading into the election. We will publish a table of their responses.”
This article from Freedom for Faith board member Professor Patrick Parkinson discusses the key religious freedom issues. “Religious Freedom after Ruddock”:
“With the federal election campaign just around the corner, it would be understandable if people of faith were confused about the stance the major political parties take on religious issues, particularly given the differing responses of these parties to the Ruddock Report on religious freedom, which was completed in May 2018.”
Religious Free Speech after Ruddock
Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia writes:
“I am presenting a paper at the ‘Religious Freedom After Ruddock’ conference being held at the University of Queensland on Saturday April 6.
The paper is “‘Religious Free Speech After Ruddock: Implications for Blasphemy and Religious Vilification Laws’.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…