Submissions to Religious Freedom Review closing Wednesday 14 February!

Michael Kellahan, from Freedom for Faith, posted the above video last week.

From the Religious Freedom Review Expert Panel’s web page:

“The Expert Panel welcomes submissions from the public addressing the matters set out in the terms of reference until 14 February 2018. You can make a submission below by filling out the form and/or uploading a file.” (emphasis added)

Considering making a submission to the Panel? Time is running out!

Here are some relevant links:

Submission to Religious Freedom Review – Assoc. Professor Neil Foster shares the submission sent in his personal capacity.

My submission to the expert panel on religious freedom – Dr Lionel Windsor.

Be heard on religious freedom – Bishop Michael Stead.

Please Speak Up For Religious Freedom – Australian Christian Lobby.

Growing godly kids #1

“Many Christian parents hope and pray that their children will grow in faith but don’t often know what practical steps they can take to help this.

Over the next few articles we’re going to discuss some little steps we can all take to deliberately disciple the children in our families and churches by training them to pray, read the Bible and be active in the life of the church. …”

– The Australian Church Record has published the first of another series of helpful articles by Pete Tong.

Martin Bucer and the Reform of Worship

“If Martin Bucer (1491-1551) is not an unsung hero of the Reformation, he is certainly an undersung hero. This particularly is the case when it comes to public worship.

Bucer’s fingerprints are all over Calvin’s Form of Church Prayers (1542) as well as the Book of Common Prayer (1552, 1559, 1662).

Calvin acknowledges that most of his Form was borrowed from Bucer, while Bucer’s 50-page response to King Edward VI’s first Book of Common Prayer (1549), entitled Censura, led to major alterations in a solidly if incompletely Reformed direction.…”

– At Reformation21, Terry Johnson provides a bunch of reasons to give thanks for Martin Bucer. Bucer’s influence on Sydney Anglicans is not insignificant.

See also:

Remembering Martin Bucer – Steve Tong at The Australian Church Record –

“In 1556 the Catholic Queen Mary exhumed Bucer’s remains from Great St Mary’s, chained his bones to a stake in the town marketplace, and burnt them along with all his available works. This unceremonious treatment was overturned by Queen Elizabeth I in a formal act of rehabilitation on 22 July 1560 and a brass plaque was placed on the location of Bucer’s original grave.

Unlike the very public memorial to Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer in Oxford, Bucer’s brass plaque is hidden from everyday sight. So it is with Bucer’s legacy for Anglican evangelicals.”

My submission to the expert panel on religious freedom — Lionel Windsor

“The Expert Panel on Religious Freedom in Australia is taking submissions until 14 February 2018. Here’s my submission …”

– Dr Lionel Windsor, lecturer at Moore College, and one of the ACL’s clerical vice-presidents, has shared his submission – at Forget the Channel.

Please don’t forget the deadline for submissions.

Related: Assoc. Prof. Neil Foster’s submission.

Is there a place for women on a theological college faculty?

“In recent days a conversation has taken place among complementarians and a few others about whether it is appropriate for a woman to serve on a theological college faculty (or in American terms, as a seminary professor).

The catalyst was a response by John Piper to a question on his ‘Ask Pastor John’ podcast. John Piper, a highly respected evangelical leader in America with deep complementarian convictions, responded with basically a five point argument …

I share many, if not most, of Piper’s complementarian convictions.…

However, while I respect Piper’s convictions, I do not agree with his conclusions. Why is that? I have four reasons. …”

– Principal of Moore Theological College in Sydney, Dr. Mark Thompson, writes at Theological Theology.

T.C. Hammond: Sin Against the Holy Ghost

“In our former comment on this Article we indicated that we would deal more specifically with the sin against the Holy Ghost which receives special mention. There are two questions that arise for consideration—

The first question is historical. The second question is exegetical. …”

– T.C. Hammond continues to consider Article 16 of The Thirty-Nine Articles and the teaching of Scripture – in this article from the vaults of The Australian Church Record.

Jordan Peterson: an antidote to chaos?

“If you use the internet enough to have found this blogpost, you will almost certainly have seen references to That Interview between Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson and Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman.

If you haven’t watched the full half-hour exchange (like 5.5m already have), go and do so now. I’ve wagered with half a dozen people who claimed not to be interested that if they watch just five full minutes of the interview, they could then close it down if they so wished and I wouldn’t nag ever them again to see it. They have all watched the whole thing from start to finish. A one-word text, five minutes in, from my initially sceptical brother: ‘Hooked.’ …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Tom Woolford considers Jordan Peterson and his message. What should Christians think?

Blindspots & Barriers

“Since 2011 Jane Tooher has been Director of the Priscilla & Aquila Centre (P&A): a centre whose stated mission is to benefit women and to encourage their ministries in partnership with men.

We chat to Jane about possible blindspots and barriers to effective complementary partnerships in ministry. …”

– The Australian Church Record has published this interview with Jane Tooher.

The Role of Creeds and Confessions in doing Theology

“A wise traveller makes preparations for a trip (Matt. 10:8–10). Any traveller who attempts a difficult journey without a map risks not arriving or worse.

The Christian life is a journey to the heavenly city (Heb. 11:8–15). A map is a record of the journeys of travellers who have gone before us. Strangely, however, many Christians attempt the Christian journey without the benefit of maps – in this case, the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions. …”

– Regrettably, many churches have dispensed with creeds and confessions.

In a featured article from Ligonier’s Tabletalk magazine, R. Scott Clark (Westminster Seminary California) writes about their great value.

Michael Kellahan next guest on The Pastor’s Heart

Freedom for Faith’s Michael Kellahan is the next guest on The Pastor’s Heart – to be streamed live on Facebook tomorrow (Tuesday 30th January 2018) at 2:00pm.

From Dominic Steele:

“With submissions to the Ruddock inquiry into Freedom for Religion being given amazingly tight deadlines, Michael’s been responsible for co-ordinating a ‘heavy weight’ response to the inquiry on behalf of a series of leading Protestant churches.”

Watch live, and also see or hear replays at The Pastor’s Heart on Facebook – or thepastorsheart.net.

The Art of Reading Aloud — Clifford Warne

After seeing the video from David Suchet, we were reminded of this classic audio file – The Art of Reading Aloud – by broadcaster and master storyteller Clifford Warne. At SydneyAnglicans.net.

A wonderful resource which deserves to be widely heard.

(Image: Clifford Warne and Toto on Anglican Television’s Sing Me a Rainbow, with thanks to Reason for Hope on Vimeo.)

Iowa University Christian student group reinstated by judge

“…it used to be widely accepted that a person who is heterosexual in ‘orientation’ may legitimately choose not to indulge their sexual preferences, by living in chastity outside marriage, or indeed in celibacy if so called to this option (for example, if marriage is not entered into).

That such honourable choices seem unbelievable to many in the highly sexualised world of the secular West, does not mean that they are not made all the time. Why then is it not possible to accept that an organisation may be perfectly happy to accept as a member a person of homosexual orientation, so long as that person indicates that they undertake not to act on their sexual preferences?  …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Assoc. Prof. Neil Foster provides some details from the American case, and then asks the legitimate question above.

Where can Justice and Forgiveness find satisfaction at once?

“I want to direct you to one of the most winsome and compelling testimonies I have ever heard, by a convinced and articulate Christian named Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast who was first molested by Nasser when she was 16.

In her testimony, you will hear her pain. … But if you skip to the 25:40 mark in the video you can see and hear Mrs. Denhollander address Nasser directly and speak Gospel truth into his life. …”

– The American Anglican Council’s Phil Ashey looks at the testimony so many have been talking about this week.

 

12 Rules for Life – A Christian Perspective

“I have been asked so much about my article Is Jordan Peterson the New Messiah? … that I decided to … write a full review of 12 Rules for Life, complete with quotes so that you can judge  for yourselves –  Peterson is not a preacher but there are enough quotes here to keep a preacher happy for many sermons!  of course reading the book is better.

The following is my review from a Christian perspective. I have to say it is a long time since I have been so excited about a book!”

– At his blog The Wee Flea, David Robertson reviews Jordan Peterson’s influential new book.

Related: Jordan Peterson interviewed on Channel 4 in the UK. (via Rod Dreher.)

Bargains at Matthias Media – until Thursday 1st February 2018

Worth checking out, including three great books by Chappo for only $2 each! Buy a bunch and give them away.

(For Australian orders only, and while stocks last.) At Matthias Media.

← Previous Page — Next Page →