Moore College and Cornhill Sydney in gospel partnership

In a new video from Moore College, Principal, Mark Thompson, chats with Gavin Perkins, Director of Cornhill Sydney.

They share how their organisations work together in helping form and equip gospel workers.

Presbyterian resources on Marriage

The Gospel, Society & Culture Committee of the Presbyterian Church in NSW has a number of resources concerning Christians and Marriage – on their website, and their Facebook page.

See also their resource paper: Engaging the Marriage Debate.

Hugh Palmer interview at Moore College

Hugh Palmer, Rector of All Souls Langham Place in London, recently visited Moore College.

He shares his impressions of Moore College, and speaks of the need for a thorough theological education.

Watch this 5 minute interview.

The Bible and Same-Sex Marriage: A Response to Robyn Whitaker and Amy-Jill Levine

“Christians seeking guidance in the upcoming same-sex marriage ballot will naturally turn to the Bible. But what does the Bible actually say about marriage and sexuality?

It can be confusing when there are so many claims circulating about biblical scholarship on these matters. However, the Bible itself is clearer than often claimed. The real question is not simply what the Bible says, but rather what we do with what it says.

Last week, the ABC republished an article by Robyn Whitaker, claiming to be a ‘summary of critical biblical scholarship on the issue.’…”

– ABC’s Religion and Ethics has published this response by Dr Lionel Windsor to claims published by the ABC last week.

Archbishop Glenn Davies preaches on marriage at Moore College chapel

On Friday 25 August the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, preached in the Moore College chapel on the Bible’s teaching on marriage, focussing on Matthew chapter 19. Good to watch and share widely.

See it at the Moore College website.

Reformation Rally, Saturday 26th August

Be sure you don’t miss the Reformation Rally at St. Andrew’s Cathedral on Saturday.  Read more

The Holy Spirit and Holy Scripture

“The Church Catechism, as well as the general tone of evangelical thinking and preaching, has taught us that we believe ‘in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the elect people of God’.

That is to say, the Holy Spirit has been given an association with the holiness of the believer, or rather, with the believer’s experience of holiness, which has almost excluded other functions ascribed to Him, and which has certainly distorted the perspective of biblical teaching on the Third Person of the Trinity. …”

– Church Society has republished this article by Alec Motyer, first published in Churchman in 1964. (PDF file.)

Hard truth about soft power

“How has the Anglican Communion managed to more or less stay together and even at times give the appearance of growth despite nearly twenty years of doctrinal and ethical chaos?

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s presence in Khartoum, Sudan, for the inauguration of the 39th Province of the Anglican Communion on July 30th illustrates the point. …”

– Charles Raven, Membership Development Secretary of GAFCON, takes a look at some of the ways power is used within the Anglican Communion.

Marriage redefinition: What does Romans 1:26-27 really have to say?

“Today, an article appeared on the ABC News website by Dr Robyn Whitaker, a lecturer in biblical studies at Trinity College Theological School, Parkville, Melbourne. The article is titled: “Same-sex marriage: What does the Bible really have to say?”.

Whitaker looks briefly at six key passages in the Bible that are relevant to the question of homosexuality. She argues that these passages cannot be used straightforwardly in the same-sex marriage debates, because they do not directly address the issue of same-sex marriage. She also argues that there are only a small number of passages about homosexuality in the Bible, compared to the many passages about other topics such as love and justice.

Close to the start of her article, Whitaker claims the following…”

– At Forget the Channel, Moore College’s Dr. Lionel Windsor examines a number of claims made in the article on the ABC News website. Read it all here.

How to ‘respectfully affirm’ marriage

“The case for same sex marriage touches on easily understood and widely shared feelings and aspirations.

Conversation with gay friends and family members quickly reveals that some wish to express a long-term commitment to the person they love, and they want to celebrate that, and invite the people who matter most to them, to celebrate with them.

So, when many Christian people have heard just such hopes expressed by their gay friends and family, and Christians want to ‘respect all people’ (1 Peter 2:17 ) and ‘do good to all’ (Galatians 6:10), why do many remain opposed to changing the definition of marriage to include couples of the same sex? …”

– Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Is Jesus good news for the LGBTI community?

Sam Allberry spoke at Village Church, Annandale, last weekend to explore the question “Is Jesus good news for the LGBTI community?”. Very relevant and very helpful. Watch here.

See also:

How should Christians engage the Same-Sex Marriage debate?

“So we’ve got a voluntary ‘Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey’ (commonly known as a plebiscite) coming up in September.

The future definition of marriage is likely to be decided in the next few months. And while most Christians I know are happy to vote in the Postal Survey (plebiscite), questions are being asked about how to engage the SSM issue – and whether we should engage at all.

There’s uncertainty: should Christians ‘force their views’ onto other people, especially a vulnerable minority like LGBTI? Is opposing the redefinition of marriage contrary to what Jesus would do? Is it unloving?

These are important questions to think through.

Here are 11 things we should understand – beginning with a basic overview of political theology …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Akos Balogh helps us think through engaging in the same-sex marriage debate.

Will we still be free to have our own opinions of same-sex marriage?

“The proposed changes to the Marriage Act are far-reaching and must not be taken lightly. Those proposing a private member’s bill in favour of same-sex marriage say clergy will be afforded legal protections for counselling, officiating and speaking with respect to weddings. However, would this prevent ministers and evangelists such as Campbell Mark­ham and David Gee from being hauled before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner when one referred to same-sex marriage in a blog and the other in a street meeting in Hobart?

If same-sex marriage becomes law this will have a significant and disturbing impact on our schools. There is no doubt that teachers will be required to teach pupils about the validity of same-sex marriage. What protections will there be if they conscientiously object? …

If we must have a plebiscite, the population needs to be informed beforehand of all the legal implications that will arise from the adoption of same-sex marriage in spheres such as education, defence, health and aged care.

A private member’s bill, secretly drawn up — according to Christopher Pyne — and sprung on parliament by a few backbenchers, cannot hope to address these serious human rights issues without due process and wide consultation. …”

– In today’s The Australian, John P Wilson Moderator of the General Presbyterian Church of Australia, writes an important opinion-piece.

Archbishop Davies to Sydney Anglicans: Enrol to have your say in the postal plebiscite

Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Glenn Davies, has recorded a brief video message, and has written to Sydney Anglicans with an encouragement to participate in the postal plebiscite.

His letter may be downloaded from this link (PDF file). We have reproduced the text below:  Read more

Oak Hill’s Commentary magazine — Summer 2017

Oak Hill College’s magazine, Commentary, for Summer 2017, is now on their website. (PDF file.)

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