Moore College School of Theology 2016
This year’s Moore College School of Theology is planned for Thursday 15th September.
“Come with us on a journey from sin and death to redemption and new life, in a series of master classes on the value of theology for the life of the church at the 2016 Moore College School of Theology.”
Some Kindle deals worth checking
Tim Challies writes, “Today’s Kindle deals [12 September 2016] include a bunch by Matthias Media! I don’t think I’ve ever seen deals from them before. …
The Trellis and the Vine and The Vine Project by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne; How To Walk Into Church by Tony Payne; The Archer and the Arrow by Philip Jensen & Paul Grimmond.”
These deals generally don’t last long. (Some seem to have disappeared already, so be quick.)
Leon Morris: ‘The New Testament Scholar from Down Under’
At The Gospel Coalition, Thomas Schreiner introduces a new generation to Leon Morris, with reference to a biography published earlier this year by The Rev. Neil Bach.
“Leon Lamb Morris (1914–2006) stood out in his generation as one of the great evangelical scholars. He wrote 50 books and traveled extensively, speaking all around the world. His book The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, which has sold more than 50,000 copies, was his signature achievement. …”
Related:
Leon Morris and the Cross of Christ: Celebrating the Centenary of Australia’s Foremost Biblical Scholar – Lecture by Neil Bach at Ridley College, March 2014.
Remembering Leon Morris on the Centenary of his birth – links to several articles.
Victorian challenge to religious freedom of faith-based organisations
Here’s an important post from Law and Religion Australia’s Neil Foster:
“On 30 August 2016 the Victorian Attorney-General introduced into the Victorian lower house the Equal Opportunity Amendment (Religious Exceptions) Bill 2016.
The Bill proposes to “amend the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 to modify the religious exceptions in relation to the employment of a person by religious bodies and schools”.
I would like to suggest that, if enacted, it will fundamentally impair the religious freedom of faith-based organisations. In fact, it might also be found to be constitutionally invalid and of no effect. …
The effect of the amendments … is to seriously undercut the religious freedom of many religious schools and charitable organisations, and indeed to undermine the very reason for their existence.”
Thinking about The End — Preaching Matters
In the latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor discusses what 2 Peter 3, and other passages, teach about The End.
How does our understanding of The End influence the way we live today?
What does the New Testament’s teaching about The End say to us about where our affections should lie and where we should invest ourselves?
The church and its mission: visible and invisible
“What is the church for?
In chapter three of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul reveals his understanding of the purpose of the Church. He doesn’t look at this in sociological terms, from a human perspective, but from a supernatural, spiritual viewpoint.
The primary purpose of the church is to be like a ‘broadcasting tower’, a means of making known to invisible spiritual powers the wisdom of God – wisdom which is described in most familiar translations as ‘manifold’ but which literally means something like ‘multi-faceted’ or ‘variegated’ (Ephesians 3:10).
Ephesians is a contextual theology, explaining the Gospel to people living in a culture very aware of, even fearful of and obsessed by, spiritual powers. Paul, following the rest of the teaching of the Bible and the life of Jesus himself, recognises the existence of these invisible forces, which include angels and demonic spirits…
So it’s not just the church’s traditional position on sexuality which looks totally “weird and odd” (to use Archbishop Justin’s language). The whole project of the Christian faith and the Church is defined in the Bible in ways that are unintelligible to those on the outside, especially with a secular worldview. …”
– At Anglican Mainstream, Andrew Symes reminds us why the church is here.
What is distinctive about Preaching?
“People read their Bibles at home. People go to Bible studies. Children and young people are taught the Bible. So members of churches are hearing the words of God all the time. What is different about the Sunday sermon? What is distinctive about the Sunday sermon is that is addressed to the church?
It is the one time in the week when…
- God’s people hear God’s words collectively, as a body.
- God addresses the corporate life, the shared common life, of his people.
- The people of God gather around the word of God, and
- God is present among his people to speak to them about their common life.
The Sunday sermon is therefore the moment in the week when the people of God together meet the word of God and and so the role of preachers of God’s word to God’s people is one of immense worth and unique importance. In our weekly sermon God’s people gather around God and hear him speak to them through his Spirit-inspired Scriptures. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Dr. Peter Adam asks, “What is distinctive about preaching, and how does it differ from other ministries of the Word?”
Read Part 1 and Part 2. (Image via St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)
Persevering with the Desperate
Simon Manchester’s exposition on 1 Kings 19 at the recent Evangelical Ministry Assembly in London is a great encouragement to all in pastoral ministry.
(The theme of this year’s EMA was ‘Leaders who last’.)
(He also spoke on Persevering with the disobedient, Exodus 34; and Persevering with the dull, Mark 6.)
Is denying same sex marriage unconstitutional?
“An article in The Conversation on 30 August 2016, “Marriage ‘inequality’ is a threat to religious freedom – and it is probably unconstitutional” by academic Dr Luke Beck, Lecturer in Constitutional Law at Western Sydney University, suggests that, far from proposals to redefine marriage to include same sex couples being a threat to religious freedom, the current law (which does not recognize such relationships) is itself in breach of free exercise of religion principles.
Dr Beck, it has to be said, is one of Australia’s foremost legal experts on s 116 of the Constitution (I regularly cite his many articles on the topic to my students in the “Law and Religion” course I teach.) So it is with some hesitation that I have to say I disagree with his view on this issue. But disagree I do.”
– Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia lays out the reasons he is not convinced.
Archbishop preaches at Moore College Chapel
Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Glenn Davies, was the guest preacher this morning at the Moore College Chapel.
He spoke on Hebrews 12, godly disciple, and the reality of suffering in the Christian life.
Listen to the 22 minute sermon (11MB mp3 file) here.
Can we talk about Same-Sex Marriage?
“Can we talk about Same-Sex Marriage?” is the topic for the next Centre for Christian Living event at Moore College.
“There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak, says the Bible (Eccl 3:7). What time is it, then, when the subject of same-sex marriage comes up around the watercooler? Should Christians speak up on the topic—in our personal conversations, and in the public square? And if we do, how can we talk in a way that is loving, gracious and truthful?”
When: 7:30pm — 9:30pm, Wednesday 19th October.
Where: Moore College, 15 King Street, Newtown.
Speakers: Michael Kellahan and Tony Payne.
Book through the Centre for Christian Living.
‘Jesus & the Ten Gospels’ – New College Lectures with Dr Simon Gathercole
Dr Simon Gathercole is giving this year’s New College Lectures on September 20 and 22.
“Some of the most widely published challenges to the Christian faith today have come in the publicity surrounding the “apocryphal” Gospels not included in the Christian Bible.
The idea that there is nothing particularly special about the four New Testament Gospels has appeared in both the popular media and in Biblical scholarship, from references to the Gospel of Philip in the Da Vinci Code, to the publication by the Harvard Theological Review of the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” fragment.
These lectures will discuss the relevance of these Gospels outside of the Bible, comparing them with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”
– Free entry, but RSVP essential. Details from New College.
Homesick for heaven?
At The Next Level conference in Sydney, two weeks ago, Professor D A Carson spoke on Revelation 7:9-17 and the need to be ‘homesick for heaven’.
Sober, Christ-honouring, and very encouraging.
The C of E: Limits to diversity and the inevitability of separation?
“Is the Church of England basically orthodox in its beliefs, and if so, is this a good thing for the Church’s mission to the nation and in fact its very survival? …”
– At Anglican Mainstream, Andrew Symes asks what is the future of the Church of England if so many in its leadership see orthodox belief as a stumbling-block to connecting with the nation.
Reformation History Tour
From Moore College:
“In 2017, the Reverend Dr Michael Jensen, Rector of Darling Point Anglican Church, will be leading a tour of the key Reformation sites of Europe. The tour will run from 26 April to 12 May and is being organised by 316 Tours Faith Travel. The group will travel from Prague, through Germany and Switzerland, finishing in England.
Moore College MA (Theol) students can participate in this study tour as a component of the Reformation History Tour unit, lectured by Dr Ed Loane (Lecturer, Theology and Church History).”
– Interested? Details here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…