Freedom18 Conference – The Limits of Religious Freedom

Freedom for Faith is holding their 2018 Conference –

“Join with lawyers, politicians, academics and faith leaders at the NSW Parliament for Freedom18.  Our conference theme is ‘the limits of religious freedom’.

The debates around marriage highlighted tensions between claims of religious freedom and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation – should religious freedom be curtailed by other claims to dignity and rights? How does freedom relate to security in our secular liberal democracy? Do we live in over-regulated times that are going too far in constraining civic freedoms?

Freedom18 is a unique opportunity to network with some of Australia’s leading thinkers and practitioners. In the contested intersection of culture, public theology, and law, we want to offer a platform for the best possible conversations. …”

– Read more about the Freedom for Faith conference to be held on Wednesday May 23 at NSW Parliament House.

When Facebook falls out of Like with your blog

“Sorry Facebook, it’s not me baby, it’s you.

Lots of people have fallen out of like with Facebook over the years, but when it’s the other way around, it stings a little.

So, Facebook, I’m starting to fall out of like with you – fast falling out of like with you actually – because you’ve fallen out of like with me.

Or more to the point, you’ve fallen out of like with my blog. You’ve gone all silent on me.  Don’t even talk about me to anyone anymore. It’s as if you’re ashamed of me. …”

– Stephen McAlpine in Perth has come to a realisation about Facebook.

Defending the Resurrection

“Though age would be rapidly catching up with him, some people believe that Elvis Presley is still alive. Despite certified death certificates, a very public, photographed funeral, and no verified appearances after the date of his death, fans insist: Elvis lives.

How many people view the resurrection of Christ similarly to conspiracy theories about Elvis? Is there compelling evidence that Christ actually rose from the dead? Or, is the story repeated simply because people wish him to not be dead? The stakes are high. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christianity is empty and those who adhere to the faith “are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:14, 19). …”

– At Reformation21, William Boekestein provides good reasons for having confidence in Christ’s Resurrection.

Resurrection … you can stake your life on it

“Burying my aunt – the senior member of the Wilson clan – focussed my mind sharply.

Our family met last week in a medieval Cotswolds church, and these words rang out clearly: ‘in sure and certain hope of the resurrection from the dead’. As we laid my aunt to rest alongside her long-deceased husband, and my grandparents, I challenged myself again as to whether I believe this and … WHY?

Don’t panic, the moderator is not in any doubt. But, standing in the face of a biting Oxfordshire wind, I lowered the body into the ground and tested my beliefs afresh. Why do I believe in resurrection? It’s a good thing to ask. …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General, John P. Wilson, speaks of the centrality of the Resurrection.

The Heart at Peace — Lent Reflections from Dr Peter Jensen – Part 7

GAFCON General Secretary, Dr. Peter Jensen, speaks about how our hearts are now at peace with God.

Citing Romans 5, he reflects that while many of us doubt this, ‘the work of the Holy Spirit is to assure us of the love of God for us.’

It’s not cricket: “Crucify him”

“In the wake of one of the most controversial weeks in Australian sporting history, Shane Warne was out in the press today and bowling this delivery,

‘You shouldn’t crucify someone unless they deserve to be crucified.’ …

Warnie’s analogy couldn’t be more fitting, because this weekend happens to be Easter.”

– writes Murray Campbell in Melbourne.

Why did Jesus die?

“There are a numbers of ways we could answer the question “Why did Jesus die?”

On the historical level, we can say that Jesus was caught between the crunching gears of apocalyptic messianic expectation, Jewish temple politics, and Roman imperial intrigue.

On the theological level, there is so much more to say. …”

– At With Meagre Powers, Dr George Athas addresses the big question of Easter.

Catch up on the talks from Nexus18

All the main presentations from Monday’s Nexus18 Conference are now available for you to watch online. A wonderful resource.

Download a PDF file of the Program – and watch the talks here.

De-Conversion

“De-conversion is the reverse of conver­sion. While some creep away from the faith like a gliding glacier, the de-converted are glaciers calving off, crashing into the sea with devastating effect. Read on with holy fear. …”

– Do read on. From Reformation21.

The Final Week of Jesus

Justin Taylor writes:

“Each day this week I’ll post a video on what happened during the original Easter week of April, AD 33. …

For more information, including a day-by-day guide with the complete biblical text and commentary, you could pick up the Kindle version of The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived by Andreas J. Köstenberger and Justin Taylor.”

– at The Gospel Coalition.

The ‘so what’ of Easter: Part 2 – The death of death

“In part 1 we thought about how the resurrection shows Jesus’ work to be successful and effective in dealing with sin.

Here in part 2 we see how the resurrection also declares the death of death. Death is one of those things in our modern western world that people like to ignore – until a friend or family member dies.

For the majority of the human race who live in the rest of the world, however, death is often front and centre …”

– From Mike Leite at The Australian Church Record. (Image: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)

The ‘so what’ of Easter: Part 1

“When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, most contemporary Christian writing has been centred on its historicity. Preaching often tends to focus on the historical details and the fact that it really happened, rather than its meaning.

As a result, the average pew sitter might have a robust apologetic in response to the historical claim of the resurrection, but be somewhat cloudy when it comes to its theological significance. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Mike Leite doesn’t want us to miss the point of Easter.

J C Ryle on “Evangelical Religion”

“Since many religious disputes have arisen solely because there has been a lack of accurate definition, I am beginning this paper by explaining exactly what I mean by ‘Evangelical Religion’. …”

– This classic article by Bishop J. C. Ryle is always worth re-reading.

Making Disciples

Here’s a new series of Bible Studies from Colin Marshall – Making Disciples –  available from Matthias Media.

“How central should the work of disciple-making be in our daily lives and in our church culture? How do we get there? And what does it actually look like?

The 8 studies in Making Disciples will highlight the work of disciple-making as the very heart of the Bible’s vision for the life of God’s people. They will also:

• guide you as you explore and discuss key Bible passages
• show you what it might look like to be involved in this great work of God
• forge the deep biblical convictions that you will need in order to commit to disciple-making
• address the challenges and potential pitfalls around making disciples of Jesus
• help you see disciple-making as both an enormous privilege and an attainable goal.”

The Illuminated Heart — Lent Reflections from Dr Peter Jensen – Part 6

“In the penultimate video in the series, Dr Jensen explains how God illuminates our dark hearts through the proclamation of the gospel.” – From GAFCON.

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