Societas 2016

societas-2016-2 This year’s Societas (the magazine of Moore College’s students) is now ready for your enjoyment and edification.

Download it (a 10MB PDF file) from the College website, or read it online.

Printed copies are also available.

It’s a great way to get a feel for what is happening at Moore College, and is a good resource for prayer.

Also from the College: Moore breaks boundaries of geography with its newest course.

“After 75 years of supporting lay ministry, Moore College is pleased to announce its first fully-accredited online course for laypeople, the Diploma of Biblical Theology (DBT). In development over the past few years the College will launch the DBT in Semester 1, 2017. …”

The Ashers “Gay Cake” appeal — one of these things is not like the others

“When our children were watching Sesame Street one of the regular clips featured the song “one of these things is not like the others“, training children to look carefully and make distinctions where things are different. In a case involving Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street, the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal has shown that it is not very good at making distinctions between things that are different. …“

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster considers the latest ‘gay cake’ court case, this one in Northern Ireland.

Related: Many links on stories related to the case – at Anglican Mainstream.

Church Society Conference 2016

Looking for some encouraging listening? From Church Society:

“The 2016 Church Society Conference was held in June at Oak Hill College, London, with the title of ‘Be Faithful! Remaining steadfast in the Church of England Today’.

The Prophetic Preaching of John Owen by Revd Dr Martyn Cowan (St. Antholin Lecture).

Faithful Teachers in an Age of Confusion by Revd Dr Mike Ovey.

Faithful Stewards in a Fickle World by Revd Dr Mark Pickles.

J.C. Ryle: A Faithful Anglican by Revd Dr Lee Gatiss.”

(Photo of Mike Ovey courtesy GAFCON.)

Legal implications of same sex marriage for Christian life and ministry

“I was privileged today to present a paper on issues from a Christian perspective raised by the possible introduction of same sex marriage – at a seminar on the topic held at the Lower Mountains Anglican Parish centre at Glenbrook. …”

– Neil Foster from Law and Religion Australia provides a link to the paper he gave.

Suggestions from a Scottish Sabbath

Kirsten McKinlay, who has recently come to Sydney from Scotland, reflects on what is different about Sundays in Sydney – and how we might be missing out.

“… I do miss that rest was standard on a Sunday in Scotland. It turns out that it’s much harder to cease from my work when it isn’t the cultural norm, and no one else is doing it! Whether a biblical mandate or not, it’s possible that Sydney Christians have missed out by neglecting the Sabbath.

Whether we see it as obligatory or not, it is good to have a set pattern of expecting our work to stop on a certain day, because our restless hearts won’t always feel like stopping. Having this rhythm of rest can be a useful check on our pride—when we think the world depends on us—and stops life from becoming overwhelming.”

– Read it all at GoThereFor.com.

The Open Letter from Evangelicals to C of E Bishops: a commentary

“On Wednesday 12^th October a letter was sent to the College of Bishops, signed by nearly a hundred evangelical leaders, making it clear that “further changes to practice or doctrine” on sexual ethics would result in serious damage to the Church of England. The letter isn’t titled. There was no sophisticated media strategy involved in getting it out, other than asking signatories to make it more widely known.

There was initially some confusion about whether it was meant to be kept ‘in house’ among the evangelical constituency, or publicised in the wider media. The organisers, led by John Dunnett of CPAS and some of the committee of the Evangelical Group on General Synod, then let it be known that it is a public letter.

The issue is considered to be of sufficient urgency that it can’t just be a private communication with Bishops, but must also be a signal to the wider church. …”

– Andrew Syme at Anglican Mainstream, provides some commentary about that letter.

Discipleship Training in the Gospels — Preaching Matters

The latest “Preaching Matters” from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate has just been released with a video from William Taylor:

“What is a Gospel, and what are the Gospel authors trying to do? Can you give us some examples of how the Gospels train us? How does the authors’ structure in the Gospels help us understand what true discipleship involves? What difference will this make to the structures and strategies in our churches?

In this month’s Preaching Matters, William describes the radical differences that follow in the way we do evangelism, preach, and disciple others.”

He asks some provocative questions about the way we do evangelism.

Watch it here.

The old Absolution switcharoo

absolution-aapb-hc1 “Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
who in his great mercy
has promised forgiveness of sins
to all those who with heartfelt repentance and true faith turn to him:
have mercy on you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and bring you to everlasting life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In my earlier years as an evangelical, I would rankle when I heard the absolution delivered in this way. ‘Priestcraft!’ my mind would shout. ‘Say us! Are you not also a sinner needing forgiveness, O vicar? …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Tom Woolford has a point worth considering.

(Image: The Absolution from the AAPB, Lord’s Supper, First Order.)

‘Accusations laid bare: In defence of the Archbishop’

From The Australian Church Record:

“The editor of the Australian Church Record has penned a important response to a recent article by Julia Baird concerning a group of Anglican church leaders who have accused Archbishop Glenn Davies of silencing supporters of same-sex marriage.

The ACR response can be downloaded by clicking on ‘Download Special Issue’ from australianchurchrecord.net.”

Direct link to the special issue – PDF file.

In other media news this week, David Ould has received an apology from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Australian Church Record, Spring 2016

The latest issue of The Australian Church Record (Spring 2016) is now online.

From the article ‘One Man and One Woman’ by Kanishka Raffel –

“The Scriptures delight in human friendship and community. Our hyper-sexualised culture has almost forgotten about intimate non-sexual friendships. Relationships are essential for human flourishing, but marriage is not. But God’s plan and purpose in marriage … reflects his plan to bless individuals, families and society, and to display his faithfulness and love for his people in Christ.”

From the article ‘Church-Planting and Gospel Confidence’ by Simon Flinders –

“Paul’s primary strategy in seeking to make disciples was to proclaim the gospel, rather than to establish a church. That’s not to say he had no interest in the establishment of churches. Clearly he did. But it does tell us that establishing a church was not his first order of business.”

Download it from the ACR website. Direct link to the PDF file.

Chappo’s legacy lives on with Preaching Clinics

“John Chapman was a much loved and great evangelist and preacher not only in Sydney but around the world. He was also a champion of engaging expository preaching and the need to train preachers well. He regularly used to say ‘There is nothing in the world like good preaching. Mind you, there is nothing in the world like the opposite either!’ …

The Chapman Preaching Clinics are part of an integrated program to help preachers keep improving from the day they commence preaching until the end of their ministry.” – News from Moore College.

(Illustration from a Department of Evangelism videocassette cover, 1986.)

A world without God

“Wow. How did this one get past the censors? It was incredible. And moving beyond words.

What am I talking about? Sally Phillips most extraordinary documentary, A World without Down’s Syndrome, which screened on the BBC this week.

Sally is well known as the TV comedy actress from TV shows like Miranda and the Bridget Jones films. She is also a Christian and her oldest son Olly has Down’s syndrome. …

I’m not ashamed to admit I wept – not just a wee cry, but sobbed. I don’t know when I last saw something so moving, profound and world revealing.”

– David Roberston (Minister of St. Peter’s Free Church in Dundee) writes at The Wee Flea. The documentary is available here.

No Fool

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

– Jim Elliot.

Today, 8th October 2016, marks the 89th anniversary of Jim Elliot’s birth.

Findings from the New Atlantis Report on Sexuality and Gender

“I would like to draw your attention to one of the most important research events in recent history, and that is the publication in the Fall 2016 issue of the New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society, of a special report on sexuality and gender, subtitled, ‘Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences.’…

In this huge issue of the New Atlantis, Mayer and McHugh go right at what they considered to be the scientific basis behind the claims of the modern sexual and gender revolutionaries. The point of this research, however, and of the two authors, is not so much to make a moral point, but a scientific point. And in order to do so, they’ve looked at the major scientific claims of those who had presented the research on LGBT issues, and in particular issues of gender and sexuality.”

– Albert Mohler outlines some of the key findings of this landmark publication.

And for the relevant issue of New Atlantis, see: New Atlantis Number 50.