Can we love our enemies in a godless world?

“At the Sydney Writers’ Festival yesterday, the much loved social commentator and author of The Good Life and Beyond Belief Hugh Mackay opined about the teacher at the root of Western ethics: ‘Jesus never told anyone what to believe in. He only spoke about how to treat each other.’…”

– At the ABC’s The Drum, John Dickson answers Hugh Mackay’s assertion. (Hugh Mackay photo credit: ABC.)

See also: You got that one wrong, Hugh Mackay. Jesus absolutely told people what to believe in. – Bible Society Australia.

“Exemptions” in discrimination laws applying to churches

“Australia is in the midst of a Federal election campaign at the moment (thankfully, one which will end on July 2, unlike the one being endured by our friends in the United States, which seems to stretch on interminably!) But law and religion has now emerged as one of the election issues.

This time the question is not about same-sex marriage (SSM), although the various parties’ views on that topic are well-known (at the moment, the Australian Labour Party (ALP) has promised to introduce SSM within 100 days if elected, and the Liberal-National Party Coalition, currently in power, has promised to put the matter to a plebiscite after the election if they are returned.)

But the latest question has been raised by a minority, but increasingly influential, Greens Party, which has included as part of its election platform a promise to remove ‘religious exemptions to federal anti-discrimination law’…”

– Neil Foster, at Law & Religion Australia, looks at the background and some implications of election promises from The Greens and others. Very relevant.

‘The Wabukala Succession: Lessons from Past ACK Archbishops’

The Anglican Church of Kenya is due to elect a new Archbishop today (20 May 2016). Please pray for the outcome.

The Kenyan newspaper, The Star, has published an informative history:

“The curtains are closing on the seven-year tenure of the fifth Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), His Grace The Most Rev (Dr.) Eliud Wabukala.

Archbishop Wabukala was elected and thereafter enthroned on July 7, 2009. He retired on account of attaining the age limit for serving in the office…”

– Read it all here.

Earlier: Primate approaches retirement with call to trust. (Anglican Communion News Service.)

“Six bishops are standing in the election to become the seventh Archbishop of Kenya: Joseph Masamba, of Mbeere; James Kenneth Ochiel, of Southern Nyanza; Joel Waweru, of Nairobi; Lawrence Kavutsu Dena, of Malindi; Jackson Nasoore Ole Sapit, of Kericho; and Julius N Wanyoike, of Thika.”

Click the image for the Anglican Church of Kenya website, which has profiles of the candidates.

See also: Anglicans get new archbishop today – The Standard (Kenya).

“By 2pm today, one of the six bishops will be declared the archbishop-elect and await the consecration and enthronement to be conducted on July 3, when he will officially assume the reins of the Archbishop of the Province of Kenya, who also doubles as the bishop of the All Saints Cathedral diocese. Speaking to The Standard yesterday, ACK Chancellor Tom Onyango, who also doubles as the Electoral College chairman, said the new archbishop could be known as early as 1pm.”

Worship and Edification in The Book of Common Prayer

“How do we decide what to do with our services? Go trad? Or kick out all liturgy and call it a ‘youth service’? And whatever you do, you know some people won’t be happy. If we were to list all the things that churches can argue over, ‘worship’ would consistently come right at the top.

A wise older minister once observed that even the most united church has the ability to rip itself apart over the choice of hymn book in the pews. This can’t be right, but what is the answer?

David Peterson’s article takes us on a brief overview of a biblical answer to the two questions sitting right at the heart of these arguments—what is worship? And why do we gather as a church?…”

– At the Church Society’s blog, Ben Thompson highlights a 2012 article by David Peterson (pictured) in Churchman: “Worship and Edification in the Book of Common Prayer.” (PDF file)

“Amidst the confusion of contemporary practices and the diversity of opinions about why we gather, it is instructive to return to the simple models we have in The Book of Common Prayer and consider its profound teaching, both stated and implied, concerning worship and edification.

In the three hundred and fifty years since the 1662 revision, it has taken many of us less than thirty years to ‘lose the plot’ as Anglicans in the way we ‘do church.’…”

‘Don’t Drift!’ — exhortation

At the SMBC Centenary Service on April 15th, David Cook preached from Hebrews 1 and 2, with the theme of “Don’t Drift!”.

“When I was Principal here, I received an invitation … to go to a conference in Cape Town, in South Africa, and the invitation was addressed to ‘The most dangerous person in the Church’. It was a conference for the Principals of Bible Colleges and Theological Colleges. The most dangerous people in the church.

That, historically, is an accurate description. If a denomination moves away from the truth, invariably, it is because its denominational College has moved from the truth…”

Audio of David’s sermon is now available (18MB mp3 file) on the SMBC Centenary web page. Encouraging.

Related: In his weekly column, David writes about Chappo and the need for evangelists.

Broken bad

“I’ve noticed something of a cultural shift in the way we evangelicals talk about the human condition: more and more, we are ‘broken’, rather than ‘sinners’ – people who act out of our ‘brokenness’, not our ‘sin’, rebellion’, ‘disobedience’ or ‘rejection’ of God.

And I’m not convinced this shift is all good…”

– At GoThereFor, Claire Smith points out a drift in language you might not have noticed.

Ministry in Exile — Nexus16

Nexus16 is coming up on Monday 23rd May at Annandale.

Speakers include Lionel Windsor, Phil Colgan, Chris Braga and Kanishka Raffel, with an extended Q&A between Dominic Steele and Phillip Jensen.

Tony Payne writes:

“Nexus 2016 is less than a week away (10am 23 May 2016), and we have to tell the caterers this Wednesday how many spit roast lunches to prepare.

So if you’ve been wavering, procrastinating, or just too busy to get to it, now is the time to act. Head over to our website to register. You’ve got till midnight Tuesday 17 May. (You can still come if you register after that time but we won’t be providing lunch for you).

We’re very encouraged not only by the numbers already registered (25% more by this stage than last year) but by the increase in groups all round Australia who have been telling us that they are planning to be part of the day via Livestream (more details here).”

Obama Administration issues decree demanding total obedience to moral revolution

In the latest episode of Albert Mohler’s The Briefing (May 16, 2016), Dr Mohler looks at the tactics and implications of the Obama Administration’s latest moves in the areas of sexuality and gender identity.

He describes it as “the dissolution of a civilisation” and the “abandonment of moral sanity”.

Listen to the episode to see why. In time, a transcript will be added to that page.

He includes link to reports in US media.

Same Sex Marriage: Don’t wait till after the Election

Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in NSW, Kevin Murray, wrote this piece in the current edition of The Pulse, the NSW Presbyterian magazine.

“Each of us should make the time to learn what each party is promising on this issue because it is one that could profoundly affect our life as a nation for many many decades.”

Full text below: Read more

Reflecting on Fifty Years of Expository Preaching in Australia (1965–2015)

“I was a new convert when I attended the CMS Victoria Summer School at Belgrave Heights in January 1965, when John Stott gave those studies in 2 Corinthians. It was the first time I had heard expository Bible preaching.

My response was, ‘That is how to preach the Bible, and that is what I want to do!’

I knew that such preaching would grow churches, and when I went to London in 1972 and visited All Soul’s Langham Place and St Helen’s Bishopsgate, I saw that it worked!”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Peter Adam remembers the impact of expository Bible preaching, as exemplified by John Stott. (Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)

Voting on July 2 — David Cook

David Cook, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, turns to the Federal election in his latest comment:

“It is rare for an election to have as a major issue, a matter of morality, as much as this forthcoming poll.

The single issue is Same Sex Marriage, the ALP has said, that if elected they will legislate in the first 100 days for SSM. The Coalition parties, if elected, promise a national plebiscite on the issue.”

Full text below: Read more

Endurance Needed: Strength for a slow reformation and the dangerous allure of speed

Several people have told us of the encouragement given by Mark Dever’s exhortations on Endurance in Pastoral ministry – at the Together for the Gospel Conference 2016.

Strong encouragement.

Watch it here – or listen at this link.

How a Minority achieved a Majority

“For years leading up to Ireland’s civil partnership legislation, a small nongovernmental organisation (NGO) – the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) – along with its many supporters and collaborators, worked quietly and methodically toward this day. …

In 2005, GLEN received a sizable long-term grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies that allowed GLEN to increase its organisational capacity and to pursue its ambitious advocacy strategy for advancing equality for gays and lesbians in Ireland.

The story of how Ireland’s landmark legislation was achieved for same-sex couples holds insights and lessons for any advocacy group trying to achieve legislative change…”

– This PDF document, available on The Atlantic Philanthropies website, charts how minority groups were able to achieve the goal of Civil Partnership in Ireland back in 2010.

We posted a link to this, and related material, last year. It’s well worth revisiting to be aware of the methods used to shift public sentiment, which resulted a vote to change the definition of marriage in 2015.