The inaugural Freedom for Faith Conference
“Sharing the message of freedom in a threatening public square”
The very first Freedom for Faith Conference will be held at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney on Friday 12th August 2016.
This important conference is being run by Freedom for Faith – a Christian legal think tank that exists to see religious freedom protected and promoted in Australia.
Twelve marks of excellent pastoral ministry
“John MacArthur has had a long, faithful, fruitful ministry unblemished by great scandal. For decades he has maintained a tight focus on teaching the Bible verse by verse and book by book.
In 2006 he taught through 1 Timothy 4 and there he saw Paul providing his young protégé with ‘a rich summary of all of the apostle’s inspired instruction for those who serve the church as ministers, as pastors. And it all begins with the statement, a noble minister, an excellent minister, a good servant of Christ Jesus.’
What are the marks of such a man? MacArthur reveals twelve of them…”
– An excellent summary, and full of godly encouragement, from Tim Challies. (Photo: John MacArthur.)
Mike Ovey on Faithful Teachers in an Age of Confusion
Mike Ovey spoke at this year’s Church Society Conference on the major threats to the gospel in the Church of England.
Sober, challenging, rebuking, and very helpful.
The talk and Q&A (34MB mp3), is linked from this page.
Gospel DNA one-day forum: last chance to register this week
“A one-day forum wants to examine the very core of our ministry and lay bare whether we are being as effective in godly leadership as we could be.
To be held at Brighton-Le-Sand’s Novotel Hotel on July 20, ‘Gospel DNA – Replicating Effective Ministry’ will feature several prominent experts and practitioners sharing ways to cultivate a culture of discipleship, focus and direction…”
– See the Moore College’s Centre for Ministry Development for details and registration!
Samson and Delilah (the Israelite Woman)
“In the book of Judges, we encounter the mighty Israelite judge, Samson. He is perhaps best known for his herculean strength. Yet, he is also known for his weakness for women—especially Philistine women. His relationship with Delilah, often portrayed as a sneaky seductress, was his undoing. She coaxed him into divulging the secret of his strength: his long braids of hair. Though they were the symbol of his devotion to God, they were also his ‘Achilles’ heel.’
But was Delilah a Philistine?”
– At With Meagre Powers, Dr George Athas at Moore College shares some shares some fascinating insights from a careful reading of the Biblical text.
The Hunting of Andrea Leadsom
“It’s the hunting season again.
With the Tory party in the throes of choosing a new leader its time for our PC secularists to start trawling the web in order to find dark and hidden secrets of the various candidates. Have they ever lied in the past? Cheated on their taxes? Kicked the cat? Gone fox hunting?
But the big sin – the one that guarantees the Twitterati and Facebook pages go ballistic – is ‘are they Christian?’. Like, really Christian. Not David Cameron’s ‘my faith is like the patchy reception of Magic FM in the Chilterns’. Instead, a Christian who actually reads the Bible (!), goes to church (!) and even prays!!!
If so, they must be hunted down and burnt at the secular stake…”
– Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, David Robertson, comments at The Wee Flea.
Moore’s treasures unveiled
“A campaign has begun to preserve a major collection of Australian Christian history at the library of Moore College, including two of the first books ever printed by press, the first book distributed in Australia, an ancient Hebrew parchment, a first edition of the King James Bible and rare photos of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The historic, and eclectic, group of ‘treasures’ is to be housed and exhibited in the college’s new library, due for completion in 2017, and the college is raising funds to display and preserve the irreplaceable collection.
‘Some of Australia’s priceless national heritage is found in the Moore College library – not surprising, since the college is one of the oldest tertiary educational institutions in the country and it became the repository of special books and artefacts from the earliest days,’ said Moore’s former principal Dr Peter Jensen, who is backing the effort to conserve the treasures.
One of the most historic items of Australiana is ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies’ by the chaplain of the First Fleet, the Rev Richard Johnson. It was printed in England in 1794 with editing by the slave trader-turned evangelist John Newton. Johnson used it in his work in Sydney, making it the first book conceived and distributed in Australia…”
– Read the full story by Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Richard Johnson’s ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island’ (with some editorial input from John Newton) was republished in PDF format for the ACL website several years ago. It is a wonderfully direct gospel tract.
Photo credit: Moore College.
Assisted Suicide: A Quadriplegic’s Perspective
“Culture is so easily influenced by the entertainment industry. This is why I am sounding an alarm about a very dangerous message in a film released this summer. The movie? Me Before You.…”
– The wonderful Joni Eareckson Tada has a few things to say about a tragic movie. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Religious schools and discrimination in Victoria
“Recently a Greens MP in Victoria, Sue Pennicuik, has introduced a Bill into the Victorian Parliament to reduce the ability of religious schools to deal with potential admissions, or their current student body, on the basis of the school’s religious beliefs. The Equal Opportunity Amendment (Equality for Students) Bill 2016 had its second reading in the Legislative Council on 22 June 2016.
The legislation is arguably an impairment of the religious freedom of parents and the schools, and ought not to be passed…”
– In his latest post at Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster discusses the latest moves in Victoria. Among other observations, he wonders of the proposed changes are constitutional. Once again, Neil has done the wider community a service by teasing out some of the key issues for us.
An Unsung Evangelistic Hero
“An unsung hero is one who does great deeds, but receives little or no recognition for them. They fly under the radar making great contributions, but rarely find their way onto news reports or into the history books. There are and have been countless unsung heroes around the globe.
Take ‘Gunner’, for example: this stray male kelpie helped save perhaps hundreds of Australian lives during the Second World War. The dog, first found injured and whimpering under a destroyed hut at the Darwin Air Force base in 1942, was discovered to have particularly acute hearing: he could detect the approach of Japanese planes 20 minutes before the arrived—and before they showed up on the radar! But have you ever heard of him?
There is an unsung hero when it comes to evangelism. Well, an almost unsung hero…”
– At GoThereFor.com, Stephen Liggins has an encouraging article that’s worth passing on.
‘A debate on marriage equality need not be hate-filled’
“In a wide-ranging speech delivered last week and published in the Guardian (“Straight politicians don’t understand what it’s like to hide their relationships in fear), Senate opposition leader Penny Wong made the case against a plebiscite on the redefinition of the marriage.
Her three claims were: that opposition to same-sex marriage is essentially homophobia; that the Australian people cannot be trusted to have a respectful discussion about such matters; and so the matter should be left to the parliament. …
The fact is that many ordinary Australians are both pro-gay people and pro-traditional marriage. They know and love people with same-sex attraction and want only the best for them. They know that such people have often suffered injustices in the past and sympathise with the complaint that something is being denied to them still. But they also believe that marriage is a unique relationship that unites people of the opposite sex as husband and wife and, more often than not, as father and mother. Such ordinary Australians are not bigots.”
– This opinion-piece by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher was published in The Guardian just before the federal election. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net. Photo: Archdiocese of Sydney.)
Pope Francis continues to sow confusion
In the latest episode of The Briefing, Albert Mohler turns to recent statements made by Pope Francis, and considers the confusion being sown among Roman Catholics and the wider public.
It is a masterly analysis, and is worth hearing. Many regard the Catholic Church as the font of Christianity, so the pronouncements of a Pope who contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and who seems to be re-writing Reformation history deserve examination.
The 17 minute audio segment is the first on this page. (Photo: The Vatican website.)
Sexual orthodoxy and admitting lawyers
“The decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in Trinity Western University v. The Law Society of Upper Canada, 2016 ONCA 518 (29 June 2016) is an interesting illustration of the strength of the current orthodoxy in society on sexual behaviour, and how those who dissent are increasingly being cast in the role of ‘heretics’ and unfit for civilised society.
(While this blog is mostly about Australian issues, those raised by this case are likely to be replicated here and elsewhere in the West, so I think it is worthy of note.)
The decision is the latest in a line of cases relating to the attempt of TWU, a private Christian university located in British Columbia, to start a law school…”
– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster comments on yet another example of increasing intolerance of Christian morality.
Why Saturday’s election is like all the others, and yet not
“Voting in elections, like pretty much everything we do, is an exercise in glorifying God by loving our neighbour.
Or as Paul puts it: ‘So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ’ (1 Cor 10:31-11:1).
The principle as it applies to voting is simple enough: we should do everything for the glory of God by seeking the advantage of many. As we eat or drink or work or drive or vote, we should not seek our own good, but the good of many others, and especially their chief good of being saved in Christ.
What does this mean for our vote this Saturday?…
… Christians will regard people’s destiny in Christ as their chief good. As we consider all the good and harm that may be attained through governmental action, we will give a special priority to those actions that provide space and opportunity for the gospel to be clearly proclaimed. As Paul said, do everything for the glory of God by seeking the good of many, so that they may be saved.
And that’s why this election is unlike any I’ve voted in over the past 36 years in Australia…”
– At Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living, Tony Payne lays out the great motivation for evangelical Christians to consider carefully how they should vote.
Related:
Same Sex Marriage: Don’t wait till after the Election.
Teaching and learning in the Bible: An interview with Dr Claire Smith
“I think there are two errors to avoid when we consider what ‘teaching’ is in church.
We can conclude that ‘teaching’ is everything – and on that basis, read 1 Timothy 2 and the injunction that women are not to teach and have authority over men (2:12) and conclude that a woman can’t say anything to a man lest he learn something from her!
Or we can claim that what Paul was talking about was a very narrow, particular form of ‘teaching’ directed at special circumstances at the time the letter was written, and therefore his instruction no longer applies to us…”
– Equal But Different has published on their website an interview with Dr. Claire Smith, on the theme of Teaching and Learning in the Bible. The interview first appeared in Magnolia magazine.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…