The Global Anglican September 2025

From Church Society:

“In the September edition of The Global Anglican, we commemorate and celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Peter Jensen in his editorial looks at some of the lessons we can learn from the Council.

Mark Smith, in his article, Nicaea Then and Now, The Creed and Council after 1700 years, reflects on the legacy of Nicaea. It looks at the doctrinal debates that prompted the council, the proceedings of the council, and the subsequent reception of the creed at following councils and in Anglican liturgy.

Graeme Goldsworthy in his article, Is the Old Testament Trinitarian? considers the implications of the Trinity for authentic Christianity and, in doing so, addresses the role of the Old Testament in the formation and preservation of Christian truth.

Chase Kuhn then proposes a retrieval of the goodness of God being as the foundation of moral reality. Engagement of historical voices is focused on developments around Nicaea and later theologians.

Also included is our usual array of current book reviews.”

– See this link to subscribe or to purchase single issues.

Videos from Moore College’s Reformation Research Forum

Moore Theological College has been posting videos from their Reformation Research Forum held on 14 August 2025.

Topics and speakers:

1. Bullinger’s Ghost – Ed Stocks

2. No Necessity of Reformation – Jake Griesel

3. Preaching Against the Reformation – Stephen Tong

4. The Reception of the “Christianam Confessionem Anglicanam” – Mark Earngey

5. Andrew Perne – Ashley Null

They are also available on YouTube in this playlist.

Trusting God when everything is awful

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“How do you understand God’s sovereignty when your dad is murdered, your family is in poverty, you are living in the most awful slum and your extended family won’t help.

Richmond Wandera’s father was murdered when he was just eight years old, leaving his family destitute in Uganda’s Naguru slum. Initially he wanted revenge. But then he came to know Jesus Christ.

We talk theological reflections on suffering, as well as a challenge for Western comfort-seeking Christianity, and a clear critique of the Prosperity Gospel.

Richmond Wandera leads the Pastors Discipleship Network across East Africa, as well as pastoring at the church where he came to Christ and partnering with Compassion in Uganda.”

– Watch or listen.

Men and Women in the New Testament

From Phillip Jensen:

“We come back today to the subject of men and women, though this time not from Genesis, but looking at how the New Testament looks at this topic.”

– Another helpful discussion between Peter and Phillip Jensen – at Two Ways News.

Nicea — Church Society podcast

At the Church Society website:

“1700 years on from the Council of Nicea (325AD), Mark Smith talks to Lee Gatiss about its history, myths, theology and legacy.”

– Listen here.

The Theology of Charlie Kirk’s Funeral — Albert Mohler

In his The Briefing broadcast for Monday September 22 2025, Dr Albert Mohler covers aspects of the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service which may have been missed by the Australian media.

Whatever one’s political convictions may be, this is an important time for Christians to be aware of the impact on many (especially young) people of the death of Charlie Kirk, the message he preached, and of opportunities we have to share the message of hope and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

– Listen here.

Image: Albert Mohler.

Why Christianity Still Defines Us — John Anderson speaks with Greg Sheridan

On his latest video, John Anderson (former Australian Deputy Prime Minister) speaks with journalist Greg Sheridan.

“In this conversation, Greg Sheridan explores Christianity’s defining influence on Western civilisation, showing how its revolutionary impact – from the early Church through to modern times – has shaped culture, morality, and human dignity.”

– At johnanderson.net.au – or see it on YouTube to access the timestamps for the video.

Are You Really in God’s Image? — The glory to be found in body-building

From Phillip Jensen –

“One of the great statements of the Bible that is most often quoted or alluded to in public Christian debate is the ‘image of God’. But what does it refer to, and to whom does it refer?

In this episode we continue to look at the New Testament understanding of the early chapters of Genesis. And here we find there are more references to the image of God than in the Old Testament. For there is a great surprise in store for those who read Genesis 1.”

– Listen at Two Ways News podcast.

Aeration

“All the garden experts tell us every weekend that we must give close attention to our soil; dense, compact soil needs to be aerated, it needs oxygen to rejuvenate and to be productive.

Sermons are like soil, they can be dense and compact and need aeration.

Spurgeon called aeration, ‘the windows of the sermon’ and Clifford Warne used to remind us when I was at Moore College, that explanations are like feathers, they  don’t stand up by themselves, they need support. …”

– David Cook shares some wisdom for preaching – at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Eyes Wide Open: Using Secular Wisdom to Achieve Ministry Goals

“Recently, I had the joy of spending time with some ministers in an area of Sydney where Anglican churches are growing and thriving. Several of the ministers had participated in church consultations that used an outcomes-oriented framework based on solid gospel convictions and utilising organisational systems theory. The consultations had helped the ministry teams accurately measure their present situation and make concrete plans to achieve goals for reaching the lost. This had already led to substantial gospel growth and had given these ministers renewed optimism and Christ-centred confidence in ministry.

I praise God for this. I believe there should be more of it.

The positive power and potential of frameworks like this leads me to keep sounding a note of warning. I’m not trying to dampen enthusiasm for such frameworks. I’m trying to help make their implementation theologically robust for decades to come. …”

– Lionel Windsor at Moore College provides a stand-alone text and video version of his article in the current Synod edition of The Australian Church Record. You might find it easier to read, or watch or listen.

Do check it out.

Southern Cross September-October 2025

The latest issue of Southern Cross magazine – for September-October 2025 – is now available for your encouragement.

Grab a copy at your church – or see it online here.

The Hardest Thing for Christians to Do

“What’s the hardest thing for Christians to do?

To tidy up and do things around the church? To ‘bring a plate’ for after-church fellowship? To tithe? (two or three other tithers + you = no more financial problems for your church!) To believe that Christ is coming again? To have assurance of salvation? To live in personal relationship with Christ?

No. Christians can do all these things fairly easily.

The hardest thing for Christians to do is …”

– Read on to discover what Bob Thomas, retired Presbyterian minister, sees as the hardest thing for Christians to do. At AP.

What’s the Deal with Jesus for Catholics? — Certainty4Eternity podcast

The latest podcast from Certainty4Eternity has been released –

“Who is Jesus – and how do Catholics and Protestants understand Him differently?

In this episode, Mark and Rayne unpack the most important topics of all: the person of Jesus Christ.

We explore how Catholic theology often overemphasises Jesus’ divinity (especially in the Eucharist), sometimes at the expense of His humanity, and how this shapes Catholic views of the Church, priests, Mary, and the saints. In contrast, Protestants stress that we relate to Jesus personally through His Word and Spirit.

You’ll also hear practical insights into how to lovingly open the Bible with Catholic friends, using tools like the Swedish Method of Bible reading.”

– Watch here.

On September 11, Two Australians reflect on a sickening murder in the USA

Stephen McAlpine and Murray Campbell each reflect in their own way on the murder of well-known conservative activist and debater and professing Christian Charlie Kirk –

“Reading the commentary today feels as though a black veil has descended upon  America. Here in Australia, young people especially know the name Charlie Kirk. He was followed by millions, including many Gen X and millennials across Australia. …”

–  Charlie Kirk murdered. R U OK? – Murray Campbell.

“I am sitting here on September 11 in Sydney, on a pouring wet spring morning, trying to take it in.

Yes, September 11.

I remember sitting in our lounge in Perth late that night in 2001 while Jill was feeding our baby daughter watching in horror as the Twin Towers came down.

Back then, in the aftermath of those events, the West sincerely believed that the existential problem it had was coming from the outside. We had to ensure that we were better organised and that our borders were more secure.

Now waking up to the terrible news that Charlie Kirk has been shot and killed at a university reveals the ugly truth: the existential problem of the West has come from the inside. Our borders can be as secure as we like, the people that truly hate us come from within us. We have rotted from within. …”

– Charlie Kirk is dead. And I am Sad (Sad and Angry) – Stephen McAlpine.

See also:

A Day That Will Shape a Generation: The Murder of Charlie Kirk – Albert Mohler.

Where Is King Jesus When Violence Reigns? – Collin Hansen at The Gospel Coalition.

The missing 70%

From The Pastor’s Heart this week –

“Reaching the 70% of the population who are significantly underrepresented in our churches.

We’re talking about everyday Australians — people who’ve gone straight into the workforce rather than university. That includes hairdressers, plumbers, builders, business owners, factory workers, truck drivers, IT staff, and media creatives — as well as many in marginalised communities.

Within this group, there’s huge diversity:

Yet while this group represents the majority of Australians, they make up only a small minority in our churches. Why is that? And how can we do better?

We discuss why this group is missing from many of our congregations, the cultural and learning barriers they face, and how we can shape ministry, training, and preaching to better reach them with the good news of Jesus.”

– Watch or listen here. Challenging and important to consider.

← Previous Page — Next Page →