Introducing Vine Journal
“We’re launching Vine Journal because we’re convinced that the Christian community needs long form arguments and essays – like we all need at least one substantial meal a day, like a house needs solid foundations, like a church community needs its regular sermons.
Short, light, snackable content is enjoyable and often nutritious – but there are some subjects and ideas and arguments that we need to chew over, and that just can’t be adequately covered in a Facebook update, a video clip or a short blog post of 600 words.…”
– Tony Payne introduces Vine Journal from Matthias Media.
The Land of the long weekend
“I am part of the pastoral team of an 800 member Christian Church, we are all being radicalised, every meeting, every week, to engage our society with the message of God’s love. We eschew bullets and bombs and take up a message of love, delivered as we are able with acts of kindness.
Here is the radical Christian message, God your Creator, who made you, loves you, He gave His Son to die for your sin, He raised that Son from the dead to prove to you He is Lord, lose control of your life to Him and you will find true abundant life!…”
– Another great post from Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook.
Don’t hang all religions with Islam’s radicalisation problem
“Only two days after the appalling slaughter of Curtis Cheng as he peacefully went about his work, a commentator on ABC News 24 was heard to say:
‘We have to empower people in schools, people in mosques, people in churches to be able to see the beginnings of radicalisation.’
This, perhaps throwaway, comment was evidence of a more widespread response to the threat of religiously-motivated terrorism. In NSW, the government has moved to audit school prayer groups of whatever faith, in order to prevent extremism. Voluntary religious activities must be monitored, and parental permission obtained before high school students participate.
Can you see what has happened here?…”
– Michael Jensen writes at ABC’s The Drum.
What does the Bible say about Mary?
From Moore College’s Priscilla and Aquila Centre:
“What does the Bible say about Mary, mother of Jesus? Is she the second Eve? Find out at the last Priscilla & Aquila Centre Evening Seminar this year. Peter Jensen, Former Archbishop of Sydney, will look into this topic.
When: Wednesday 21st October 2015 7:00 – 9:00pm
Where: 15 King Street, Newtown
Pre-registration is necessary, register online here.”
Knowing Christ
Mark Jones, who has just written a book entitled “Knowing Christ”, speaks with J.I. Packer (who wrote the foreword for the book).
Read the foreword and watch the interview here.
Abortion-by-phone is ‘commerce, not care’
“The Anglican Bishop of North Sydney, Chris Edwards, says the proposal that Australian women would be able to access abortions by phone and mail smacks of a program driven by commercial concerns rather than by genuine care for people…”
– see SydneyAnglicans.net for more.
Perspective on the New Perspective (2) – The Moral Centre
“In our last post we used used Romans 4:5 as a test-case to highlight a key difference between the New Perspective and Reformed theology.
We saw that for N. T. Wright and James Dunn the ‘ungodly’ are those who are outside the covenant community and ‘justification’ means to be brought into the covenant. In this post I want to talk about some of the difficulties with this new interpretation…”
– Dr Peter Orr’s second post (first one here) on the New Perspective is worth your time to read, and is a powerful reminder of God’s glory as revealed in the gospel.
Discrimination and Opposition to Same Sex Marriage in Tasmania
“There are press reports… that the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart is being sued under s 17 of Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 for causing “offence” or “humiliation”.
This was alleged to have been done by the Archbishop causing to be sent to Roman Catholic schools in his diocese, a booklet outlining the church views on marriage, and in particular expressing the well-known opposition of the church to the introduction of same sex marriage…”
– Neil Foster writes at Law and Religion Australia with some context for what’s happening in Tasmania.
Book review — Raised Forever: Jesus’ Resurrection and ours
“…I love those moments where people get it; where they see clearly what the Bible has to say.
And because of that I love those means by which they get it. And because of that I love Rory Shiner’s raised forever.”
– David Ould is enthusiastic about Rory Shiner’s Raised Forever: Jesus’ Resurrection and ours.
(Photo: Rory Shiner, via Matthias Media.)
‘Reserve Bank governor Sir Harold Knight offered distinguished service in war and peace’
“Sir Harold Murray Knight KBE, DSC was an Australian economist, best known as the third governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, serving from 1975 to 1982. …
Though his career in central banking featured prominently in his life and demanded much of his time, “it was not what motivated him or gave his life meaning,” his son, Dr Andrew Knight, said. His strong, personal Christian faith drove his core values and led him to devote decades of leadership to the Scripture Union, the Crusader Union, the Bible Society and the Anglican Church.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald has published this obituary of Sir Harold Knight.
(Image: Portrait of Sir Harold Knight by Bill Leak from the RBA Collection via SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Archbishop Welby, What will you do about it?
“I’m not fond of litigation. I take our witness to the world very seriously, and the damage to that witness from Christians suing each other is serious. And even though my former profession as a criminal prosecutor put me in the position of litigating daily in the courts, I would much prefer followers of Jesus Christ being able to follow 1 Corinthians 6 and work out their disagreements within the Church, through church or secular sponsored arbitration services and negotiated settlements.
I cannot, however, let the injustice pass that occurred in the oral arguments before the South Carolina Supreme Court, between the Diocese of South Carolina (Bishop Mark Lawrence) and The Episcopal Church (TEC.)…”
– The American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey is disturbed by the latest legal action in South Carolina, and wonders what the Archbishop of Canterbury will say to the TEC Presiding Bishop at the Primates’ gathering in January.
The Pope’s speech to US Congress: ‘Nothing explicitly Christian’
“I just finished listening to the Pope’s speech to Congress from earlier today. There is no question that the occasion was historic – the first time ever that a Pope has delivered such an address. …
Nevertheless, even though the speech was historic, it was also a disappointment – not so much for what he did say but for what he didn’t say…”
– Denny Burk has some reflections.
Multi-Ethnic Churches: 9Marks Journal
The latest 9Marks Journal is now available for free download. The theme of this issue is Multi-ethnic Churches.
From Editor Jonathan Leeman:
“Satan has always loved to exploit the lines of ethnic division. Think of how the Egyptians in Exodus hold the Jews in contempt. Or how the brand new Jerusalem church, price sticker still on the backseat window, divides in Acts 6 between Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking Jews.
So churches today too often mimic their host culture’s ethnic rivalries, whether in South Africa, India, or America. Or at least, too often they forget they possess a resource for overcoming racial or ethnic strife that the world does not have: the gospel.”
How to be Moral without being a Moralist
“Nobody likes a wowser. But then again, it’s strange how modern life is full of things we’re not allowed to do, eat, drink or say (no sugar, no carbon, no sexism, no GM foods, and of course no religious people telling us what to do).
What do you think Jesus would say about all this?
Is it possible to be genuinely moral and seek to do what is good and right, without becoming a legalistic scold (like his most bitter opponents, the Pharisees)?…”
– Moore College’s Peter Bolt is speaking at two Centre for Christian Living events – one at Wollongong 0n Thursday 22nd October, and the other at the College on Wednesday 28th October. (Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)
Also coming up at Moore College:
Ray Galea is leading this year’s third Advancing Your Preaching Workshop on Tuesday 6th October.
Free eBook: Are We Together?
“Pope Francis is the first Pope to visit the United States since 2008. His visit has provoked many Christians to ask sincere questions concerning Roman Catholicism. In light of this, Reformation Trust is making the ebook editions of R.C. Sproul’s Are We Together? free until the end of September.”
– From Ligonier Ministries.
Chapters are: 1 Scripture, 2 Justification, 3 The Church, 4 The Sacraments, 5 The Papacy, Mary.
Also until the end of September is a free download of 5 lectures by R.C. Sproul on Roman Catholicism: 1 Scripture and Tradition, 2 Papal Infallibility, 3 The Church and Salvation, 4 Sacraments, 5 The Virgin Mary.
(To download these resources, you need to sign up for an account – however there is no charge for them this month.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…