Moving to a five-day working week for the welfare of clergy

“We have always made clear to our new clergy that their stipend is not a salary for ‘services rendered’, but rather an allowance so they don’t have to work for a living.

Set free from that burden, they are able to adopt that particular lifestyle which is ministry—that is, giving of themselves to shepherding their sheep and seeking the lost…”

– Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder shares his thoughts on the advantages of having a five-day working week for clergy.

The evangelical application problem — with Richard Coekin

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“We evangelicals, says Richard Coekin, have a problem – and it’s a preaching problem.

Richard Coekin says we are too often careless – his word– when it comes to application in preaching.

We work hard on exegesis, we labour to understand the original context and the author’s intent – but then we stop short. We leave our congregations with sound doctrine, but little direction.

Richard has just concluded 29 years as senior pastor at Dundonald Church in London and as the founding leader of the Co-Mission network across the UK capital. He now heads up Reach UK.

Richard’s new book, Apply: How to Preach the Bible for Real Life, is about to be released – and today he joins us to explore why good application is not an optional extra, but the very purpose of preaching.”

– Watch or listen here.

Kirsten Birkett on Proverbs — Church Society podcast

From Church Society:

“Kirsten Birkett discusses with Lee Gatiss her new commentary on Proverbs in the Hodder Bible Commentary series.”

– Listen here.

Why mission needs strategy: A conversation with Scott Sanders

The Australian Church Record speaks with Scott Sanders on why mission needs strategy –

“I went to college with a strong desire to plant churches in cross-cultural contexts, and that naturally drew me into the early stages of the church planting happening around 2008–2009.

Geneva Push was forming in response to the broader church planting momentum that was happening globally at the time.

I joined in June 2010, shortly after their first conference, and initially worked to build out the assessment process and coaching systems. There wasn’t much of a plan—just a bold vision to see hundreds of new churches evangelised into existence. It was an exciting, ambitious goal. …”

– Read Kirsten McKinlay’s interview of Scott Sanders here.

What God has Joined Together — The plan for sexual intimacy

From Phillip Jensen:

“As we continue to think about the creation of the man and the woman in the garden, we find marriage being introduced as the outcome of our sexual polarity.

The woman is created to the joy of the man. Consequently, the man is to leave his parents to ‘cleave’ to his wife. The old-fashioned verb to cleave has been changed in most modern translations. But the concept of sex inside the marriage cannot be changed. So Peter and I wander into a discussion about sexual intimacy in and out of marriage.”

– Listen at Two Ways News.

Wonderful help for reading the Bible in public

Many of us can give thanks for excellent public Bible reading in churches.

But how can we help church members read the Scriptures clearly and in an engaging manner?

Clifford Warne (1930 – 2003) was a much-loved Christian communicator and broadcaster.

Perhaps his greatest passion was to ensure that the Bible is communicated well.

In 1979, he and Paul White published, through the Anglican Information Office in Sydney, a small book entitled “For Reading Out Loud”.

In the introduction they state –

“Some people who think the Bible has nothing to say to them, do so not because they’ve read it, but because they’ve only heard it read.

An unprepared or careless reading of God’s Book meant to them blurring of meaning and boredom.

These are days of trained news readers on television and radio. Why should we not have skilful Bible readers in church?

For the reader, learning, using and mastering the few rules set out in this book will make the Scriptures live in a new way.

For those who listen, it can mean a new understanding of the Bible and a desire to read it for themselves.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER IN READING ALOUD IS

TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU READ
TO SOUND NATURAL and
TO MAKE THE MEANING CLEAR.

When words are spoken, the meaning is not in the words alone, but in

THE EMPHASIS
THE PHRASING and
THE EXPRESSION given to those words.”

In addition to writing on the subject, Clifford Warne gave many talks and lectures. Three, in particular, were often distributed on cassette tape.

Thanks to Russell Powell at Anglican Media Sydney, three key recordings are once again available and are wonderful resources for individuals and churches.

They are –

The art of reading the Bible aloud.

A storyteller’s secrets.

How to hold an audience.

They are all accessible from this page at SydneyAnglicans.net.

We can be thankful for excellent Bible reading in churches – Let’s help all who read do it well!

Spiritual Conflict

“In his Screwtape Letters CS Lewis observes that there are two equal and opposite errors that people fall into regarding the dark powers. One mistake is to disbelieve in their existence; the other is to believe in them to excess.

In Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 12, Paul the Apostle writes:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power… For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…

Paul takes the reality of conflict in the world to another level…”

– John Mason urges us to see what we need in the struggle against the cosmic powers of this present darkness.

Be radical and read the Bible

From Murray Campbell in Melbourne:

“A challenge if you live in Melbourne. A challenge no matter your age, and especially if you’re part of Generation Z

Be radical and read the Bible!

Check out the latest on ‘Tomorrow’s Melbourne’ and how an upsurge of Bible reading in the UK could help us take the Bible more seriously here in Melbourne.”

– That’s the theme of his latest ‘Tomorrow’s Melbourne’ video.

Living and Leading in the Way of the Cross — Don Carson

From The Gospel Coalition’s Carson Center Podcast –

“In this lecture [from 1 Corinthians chapter 4], Don Carson emphasises the role of Christian leaders as servants of Christ and the importance of faithfulness, humility, and integrity in their leadership.

Carson urges Christian leaders to avoid pride, remain accountable to God, and uphold the way of the cross in their lives.

Carson stresses the importance of discipline and the need for leaders to serve as models of Christlikeness within the church and community.

He teaches the following:

– Listen here.

Photo: Don Carson at the Next Level Conference in 2016.

Church Society Podcast: George Whitefield

The latest Church Society podcast:

“Ros Clarke and Lee Gatiss talk about the controversial and brilliant George Whitefield.”

– Listen here.

Certainty4Eternity Podcast Episode 1 – Mark’s Testimony & Rayne’s Experience

Here’s a new podcast from Certainty4Eternity:

“Welcome to the first episode of Certainty4Eternity: The Podcast for Youth– a new series where Rayne Orange and Mark Gilbert dive into real, respectful conversations about Catholicism, Protestantism, and everything in between.

In this episode, we explore:

• Mark’s journey from Catholic schoolboy to Protestant minister.

• What it was like growing up Catholic in Australia

• Rayne’s experience in Catholic schools in rural Canada

• How Protestants and Catholics can have better, gospel-focused conversations

• Why understanding worldview is key to meaningful dialogue.

Whether you’re Catholic, Protestant, or just curious — this show offers a space for thoughtful, gracious discussion rooted in faith and Scripture.”

– Watch here.

Knowledge, Nakedness & Shame: Sex and Gender in and out of the garden — with Rob Smith

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“We’re digging deep into the Bible’s teaching on sex and gender – inside and outside the Garden of Eden.

We’re asking foundational questions: Was humanity created androgynous? Does Genesis allow for more than two sexes? Is sexual difference a core part of the imago Dei? What does it mean that the man and woman were naked and felt no shame?

Dr Rob Smith lectures at Sydney Missionary and Bible College and serves with Living Faith, a pastoral ministry of the Sydney Anglican Church caring for those navigating same-sex attraction or gender incongruence.

Rob is the author of a new book The Body God Gives.”

– Watch or listen here.

Parents and Children — A care greater than any legislation could mandate.

From Phillip Jensen:

“In Australia, the birth rate has dropped to below 1.5 children per woman. This is the lowest birth rate we have ever had and is clearly below the 2.1 children per mother necessary to maintain the population. How important is it to have children? Does marriage necessitate children? Is marriage itself necessary? In the special creation of woman in Chapter 2 of Genesis, the subject of parenthood is immediately raised.

Peter and I are canvassing some of the issues of parenthood in this episode of Two Ways News.”

– Listen here.

Can’t Catholics and Protestants just Agree?

“Mark Gilbert and Leonardo De Chirico have edited an incisive series of essays in The Nicene Creed: The Nature of Christian Unity and the Meaning of Gospel Words.

These essays respectfully seek to illuminate the fundamental difference between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism with the Nicene Creed as the backdrop for analysis. …

The book demonstrates that even if we nominally can agree with the Nicene Creed, the disagreements between Catholics and Protestants are significant enough for us to recognise that we are worshiping different Gods, in different ways, with fundamentally different views on what it means to relate to that God.”

– The Gospel Coalition Australia, Kamal Weerakoon reviews the new book edited by Mark Gilbert and Leonardo De Chirico.

“The book is not only polemical. It sets out the proper, Biblical, and Protestant view of the creed: Trinitarian monotheism, one God in three persons as the universal creator and redeemer; the full and eternal deity of Christ; Jesus’ true union with humanity; the completeness of his penal substitutionary atonement; his authority to judge; justification by faith alone; assurance of salvation; etc.”

Christian Songwriting: A Conversation with Greg Cooper

At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Mikey Lynch interviews Greg Cooper in Melbourne.

Many will remember Greg as a member of Garage Hymnal and his beautiful songs such as ‘Hear our Prayer’.

“This extended interview is in two parts. First, Mikey discusses general principles with Greg about congregational songwriting, personal songwriting and the place of art and beauty in the Christian life. Second, Greg breaks down the composition and recording of one song—’The Same God’—in detail, drawing out general songwriting principles along the way.’”

– Listen here.

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