Mike Baird elected Premier of New South Wales
“Committed Christian and father of three, Liberal MP Mike Baird has been elected Premier of New South Wales.”
– Story from Eternity Newspaper.
and Miranda Devine at The Telegraph gives some background –
“[Mike Baird] became involved in Anglican church fellowship, where he met his wife, Kerryn, whom he married at age 21. …
His investment banking career was flourishing at Deutsche Bank when he began to wonder: ‘Is that all there is? Should I be just about accumulating money?’ So in 1994 he told Kerryn he wanted to go to Bible college and within a year they were in Vancouver at Regent College…”
(Photo: Parliament of NSW.)
The Flesh and Bones of the Resurrection
“Now the first thing to affirm is that Jesus’ resurrection really was bodily. Thomas was able to observe and touch Jesus’ hands and side (Jn. 20:27). Jesus himself declared that he was ‘flesh and bones’ and not some ghost (Luke 24:39). Jesus was even able to eat (Luke 24:43). And lets not forget that the tomb itself was empty.
In a world that has always been sceptical about the resurrection this great truth must continue to be proclaimed.”
– The Australian Church Record publishes a second article on the significance of Easter.
What actually happened on Resurrection Day? A clear and simple account
“Many detractors of the Christian message claim that the four accounts of Jesus’ resurrection contain discrepancies that are irreconcilable and so fatal to the Gospels’ authenticity and truth. Contrary to these claims, the extraordinary events of that amazing day can be told in a clear and simple account.
It was Sunday, the 5th April AD 33, and the action began around dawn with exactly three women involved…”
– Dr. Peter Bolt explores what happened on Resurrection Day.
(Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)
Easter: It Really Happened! So What?
In the lead up to Easter, The Australian Church Record is sharing some encouragement from the Scriptures every few days. From the first article –
“When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, most contemporary Christian writing has been centred on its historicity. Preaching often tends to focus on the historical details and the fact that it really happened, rather than its meaning. As a result, the average pew sitter might have a robust apologetic in response to the historical claim of the resurrection, but be somewhat cloudy when it comes to its theological significance…”
Remembering Archbishop Marcus Loane
Today marks the 5th anniversary of the death of Sir Marcus Loane, Archbishop of Sydney from 1966 to 1982 and Primate of Australian 1979 to 1982. (Thanks to Greg Blaxland for the reminder.)
Perhaps it’s a good time to pause to give thanks for him and his legacy in Sydney and beyond.
Here are a few articles from the archives –
- Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen – 14 April 2009
- Dean Phillip Jensen’s tribute – 17 April 2009.
- Archbishop Marcus Loane photo gallery.
- Remembering with gratitude Sir Marcus Loane, on the Centenary of his birth – 14 October 2011.
- Sydney Synod gives thanks for Marcus Loane – 18 October 2011.
- The Marcus I Knew and Loved – an appreciation by Greg Blaxland.
Together for the Gospel Conference 2014
Talks from the 2014 Together for the Gospel conference have now been posted at their website. The theme is The Pastor and Evangelism.
Listen to or watch the talks here.
The Final Days of Jesus: Palm Sunday
Justin Taylor introduces the first of a series of videos to be released this week on the theme of “The Final Days of Jesus”.
Professors Douglas Moo (pictured) and Andreas Köstenberger provide valuable background to the events of Holy Week.
They are an accompaniment to the book “The Final Days of Jesus”. (Availability.)
The Australian Church Record — April 2014
The latest issue of The Australian Church Record, April 2014 (No. 1913!) is now out.
From this edition –
Noah Starts a Deluge for Holy-Wood
“Russell Crowe plays a dark and troubled Noah, in a dark
and troubled film, whose special effects have earned it the description ‘Lord of the Rings meets Transformers’.”
The Danger of Mission Drift
“The danger of mission drift recently came to the fore on the international stage, with the public flip-flop of the American World Vision organisation concerning same-sex marriage. … But despite the significant hullabulloo, one of the key lessons of the sorry saga has been the danger of public Christianity drifting with the cultural tides of the day.”
Grab it from their website.
A Season of Intolerance
“As the leaders and foot soldiers of the gay agenda push forward, they intend eventually to deprive those who won’t sign on to their cause of their jobs and ability to earn a living as well as their freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It is figuratively a picture from the Bible’s book of Revelation when you will need to have the number ‘666’ stamped on your body to buy or sell or conduct everyday life. Will it really get that bad?…”
– Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, writes in his weekly newsletter.
Bullies and Censorship
“The fear of words is rational because words are powerful. But censorship is generally the response of irrational fear by powerful people.
The powerful person who is fearful is the person most to be feared. Out of fear they attack any perceived threat, as they use their power to protect themselves. They fear others and do not understand how powerful they are, or how other people perceive their power or how they are misusing their power in self-interest. Sadly, even Christians have misused power for self-protection.
Censorship is one of the tools of powerful people or groups. History is replete with tyranny-censoring criticism, for censorship is the tool of fear: fear of ideas; fear of truth; fear of words…”
– Phillip Jensen writes in his weekly newsletter for the Cathedral.
The Day Death Died — Cathedral Easter Convention 2014
This year’s Easter Convention at the Cathedral is a very worthwhile way to spend Good Friday afternoon.
Phillip Jensen and Mark Thompson are the speakers. Good Friday, 2:00 – 5:00pm. Early Bird Rate $15. ($20 after 13th April.)
See the promo video and book in here.
Christian events & conferences in Australia this year
Steve Kryger at Communicate Jesus has helpfully compiled a list of Christian events and conferences (most of them evangelical in their theology) in Australia during the remainder of 2014.
Leon Morris and the Cross of Christ — Ridley lecture
The Rev. Neil Bach, who is writing a biography of Leon Morris, delivered this lecture at Ridley College Melbourne to mark the Centenary of Morris’ birth.
See also Peter Adam’s words of thanksgiving.
News this week from the UK
“The state of things in the UK is primarily then, a theological problem and only the theological antibiotic of the gospel can provide the solution…”
– David Cook, former SMBC Principal and now Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, sends a report from the UK. (Posted 8 April 2014.)
“Church of the Triune God” — a review
“…I’m thankful for the recent Church of the Triune God: a book in celebration of the teaching and passion of Robert Doyle, a lecturer from Moore Theological College. Edited by Michael Jensen, it’s a collection of excellent essays on the themes he was so captivated by throughout his teaching career: the Trinity and the church.”
– At The Briefing, Sam Freney reviews Church of the Triune God, published by Aquila Press.
(Authors include Mark Baddeley, Mark D Thompson, John McClean, Ashley Null, Peter G Bolt, Benjamin Dean, Rory Shiner, Andrew JB Cameron, Kanishka Raffel, Chew-Chern Morgan and Greg Anderson.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…