Peter FitzSimons doesn’t understand the Manly 7

“The rainbow message doesn’t represent inclusion, it’s about capitulation. It represents doing away with traditional sexual ethics and embracing a new and unforgiving ‘truth’. …”

– Murray Campbell writes an incisive article on the latest push in this culture war.

Helping Grandparents win grandchildren to Christ — with Ian Barnett

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“How can Christian grandparents be more intentional about their faith and leave a lasting legacy of faith in their grandkids and peers?

How do we as pastors, minister to those older than us encouraging them and How can they minister to their grandkids, whether or not their kids are Christian?

Ian Barnett is the former senior pastor of Figtree Anglican Church in Wollongong, and is the founder of the Australian National Grandparent Conference, which is happening in September.”

– Watch or listen here.

Moore College Sunday 2022

Moore College Sunday 2022 is coming up.

The College has posted videos and graphics you can use to encourage your church to pray.

Moore Q&A #9 – Finishing Well

In the latest Q&A video from Moore College, Lionel Windsor, Jane Tooher, Dan Wu, and Chase Kuhn discuss what the Bible says about finishing well.

Single Minded 2022

The Single Minded Conference for 2022 is coming up soon –

“We live in a world which says our bodies exist for pleasure and self-expression, and that this must be pursued at all costs. But the Bible tells us that our bodies have been made for holiness and self-control, and that rejecting this comes at great cost.

Such conflicting messages can leave us feeling that the world says nothing but “Yes!” to our bodies, while God says nothing but “No!”.

But is that true? Is ‘No’ really all that God has to say about our bodies?

Join us for Single Minded 2022 as Sam Allberry helps us explore what it means for us to have been created with bodies, what it looks like to have a body that belongs to the Lord in a world of confusion, and how God’s word helps us to live this out in our everyday lives.”

– Learn more, and Register, at the link.

Sharpening our evangelistic preaching — with Ross Ciano

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“How do we proclaim Him clearly as we should? What mistakes do we make? How can we improve? How do you best approach different kinds of evangelistic talks? How can you be creative about presenting sin?”

– Ross Ciano from Marrickville Anglican is Dominic Steele’s guest this week.

Revelations!

David Cook shares several observations from the UK while he and Maxine are on a trip there –

“A vast untapped resource seems to be being tapped very effectively here.

Figtree Anglican run an annual Grandparents’ Day and the Armidale Anglican Diocese began a Next Phase conference this year, but mobilising retirees for productive Kingdom service has gone to another level here.

Conferences on ‘Faith in the second half’, deal with issues like transition to retirement, from caring to being cared for and from life to death as well how to serve well in the church and to succeeding generations in our older years, seems to be meeting a real need (faithinlaterlife.org). …”

– Read his observations at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Related:

Next Phase Conference in Armidale.

Meditations from Psalm 19 by John Yates III

At Anglican Connection in the USA, John Mason writes,

“Last year the Anglican Connection held an online conference addressing the theme, ‘The Unchanging God in a World of Change’. As the Bible provides timeless answers to questions about life various speakers brought us reflections on the Scriptures to help us learn of God and the world in which we live.

Dr. John Yates, Senior Minister of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Raleigh, NC, gave us two meditations on Psalm 19.”

– Read his two reflections here and here.

Many will remember that Dr Yates spoke at the NSW CMS Summer School at Katoomba in 2015. While at Katoomba he recorded this interview with David Ould.

Freedom and joy

“I have recently been reading the account of a Christian minister who, upon arriving in his new parish some time in the nineteenth century, found that there was little joy in that church and a tremendous lack of assurance. The people he spoke to could not be sure that they were the objects of God’s love in Christ.

Whenever he preached, whatever he preached, they seemed to hear only a demand that they should be what they were called to be. Even the invitation to put their trust in Jesus was heard to be simply one more thing they must do. The Christian life was, for them, burdensome, punctuated by doubts about whether they were really Christian at all. Freedom, confidence and joy seemed a million miles away from their experience.

Yet the Bible’s picture of those who come to Jesus is one of being freed and released, of having burdens lifted, new life given, life to the full enjoyed. …”

– Moore College Principal Dr Mark Thompson shares wonderful encouragement at SydneyAnglicans.net. Also in the current Southern Cross magazine.

Happy 142nd birthday, Australian Church Record!

“On the first of July, 1880 the ACR began. Its name back then was ‘The Church of England Record’.

Its very first article explains its object and purpose – and it’s remarkable that (1880s language conventions notwithstanding) it’s still the ‘vibe’ of the ACR, 142 years on. Note the references to ritualism, liberalism, mission, children’s and youth ministry, godliness of life, personal evangelism, etc. …”

–  And you thought the Anglican Church League (founded c. 1909) was old.

Read about the ACR’s Object and Purpose as it was in 1880.

Related:

ACL Centenary Dinner Address, September 2009.

Phillip Jensen Podcast

From PhillipJensen.com and Two Ways Ministries:

“This new podcast from Phillip features sermons, talks, and other resources which proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through teaching people the Bible. We exist to equip followers of Christ to apply a Biblical knowledge to their priorities and practice to live boldly and single-mindedly for Christ.”

Much food for thought. A very worthwhile way to spend some time.

There’s a new episode every week or so.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, and on the website.

Evangelism through making Christianity Strange

“Is secularism all bad? Does it always have to mean an increasing hostility to Christianity and resistance to the gospel?

Maybe not. One possibility is that it might be (at least partly) a blessing in disguise. As Perth minister Rory Shiner put it a few years back:

People are so post-Christian that the gospel is fresh and interesting. They know so little that there’s less prejudice. And if they have an impression of Christians at all, it’s so outrageously negative that all you have to do is offer them a cup of tea and not punch them in the face, and you seem like Mother Theresa.

In The World Next Door: A Short Guide to the Christian faith, Shiner and Peter Orr (NT lecturer at Moore College) have turned this theory into a book; a book that celebrates the weirdness of Christianity; a book that aims to intrigue and surprise non-Christians as much as explain, challenge and persuade.”

– At The Australian Church Record, Andrew Moody introduces The World Next Door by Rory Shiner and Peter Orr.

The book is published by Matthias Media.

How do you find a good church?

In the latest Q&A video from Moore College, Lionel Windsor, Jane Tooher, Dan Wu, and Chase Kuhn talk about church. Good to share and to provoke discussion.

The trans culture wars vs lovingly pastoring gender incongruent church members – with Rob Smith

At The Pastor’s Heart:

“Sydney Missionary and Bible College Doctrine Lecturer Rob Smith submits his PhD this week on ‘Identity and Embodiment’ asking ‘How significant is our embodiment to our identity? How significant are our bodies to our gender identity?

There’s a new Matt Walsh Daily Wire documentary ‘What is a woman?’ that is causing a stir across the world.  We ask Rob ‘What is a woman?’ and for his review of the new Matt Walsh documentary.  Plus how do we best care pastorally for the gender incongruent church member.

Dominic Steele chairs the Sydney Anglican pastoral ministry Living Faith.  Rob is a member of the Living Faith Council. Living Faith’s ‘Developing Discipleship in Identity and Gender’ with Sam Allberry and Rob Smith is scheduled for Tuesday 2 August 2022. Register at http://www.livingfaith.online.”

– Watch or listen here. Very helpful.

What I learned from 35 years of running evangelistic courses

“In the 1980s the thinking was that, given the reduced level of biblical literacy, non-believers needed more than a one-off presentation to properly appreciate the gospel. Perhaps in the 1950s, when non-believers still had a fairly good Bible knowledge, a one-off presentation could be effective. …

Things have moved on since the 1980s.”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Stephen Liggins points to the different context in which we share the gospel today – as well as some ideas which may help.

← Previous Page — Next Page →