Five Key Distinctives of Anglican Worship

“That’s not really very Anglican.

I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard someone talk in this way about a particular church service.

What do they mean by not very Anglican?

Usually, they mean that it isn’t liturgically formal. Perhaps there are no clerical vestments on display, or the service does not have a particular form to it. Perhaps there are no responsorial prayers. Perhaps the church building does not look like a classic church, or maybe it is plainly rather than ornately decorated…”

– Dr Michael Jensen shares the heart of Anglicanism – at Crossway, who have also published his book Reformation Anglican Worship.

And another quote:

“…Anglican worship is distinct not because of its form, but because of its content. The genius of the Book of Common Prayer is not in dictating a particular style of worship but in the way it does two things: first, it makes Scripture the centerpiece of the Christian gathering, and secondly, it enfolds the worshiping community in the theology of grace.”

Preaching Mentoring

“This year, quite by accident, I have been involved in a number of preaching mentorships.

These mentorships are one on one, held on a weekly basis, and focus on preaching rather than other aspects of pastoral leadership. The sessions are held for half an hour and focus on either the next text to be preached or as a review of the last sermon preached.

Consistently, as with all Trust activities, there is no financial charge for any of our services or resources. The Trust is dependent on donors who meet all the costs of the ministry so that there is no financial pressure on those accessing any of our resources.

At the moment we are assembling a group of experienced preachers who will be available to mentor preachers via Zoom. …”

– A very practical and generous offer from David Cook at the Expository Preaching Trust.

How to reach Australia + The Queensland Presbyterian crisis

On the latest edition of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Queensland Theological College Principal Gary Millar at the Reach Australia conference on the NSW Central Coast.

As well as sharing from his keynote addresses on Holiness and Hope, Gary is asked about the problems facing Queensland Presbyterians and the College he leads.

Watch or listen here.

Does the Church of England deserve to survive?

“Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a business enterprise decided to sponsor an educational establishment.

The business made widgets, and at the time everyone thought that widgets were just the bees knees. People bought the widgets; they learned about how widgets were made; they visited widget shops and even widget museums, dedicated to understanding all about the history of widgets. …”

– British theologian Ian Paul is bemused by the silence of Church of England bishops when a Church of England clergyman is attacked for teaching Church of England doctrine.

PrayerMate celebrates ten years

PrayerMate is ten years old, and has been a blessing to so many. It may help your prayer life.

The Equality Act, other symbols of a new era, and the church’s response

“Phil Ashey of ACNA’s American Anglican Council has written with customary clarity about the implications of the Equality Act for Christian life and witness in the US.

Behind the (as many see them) apparently reasonable laws to prevent egregious and unjust discrimination are assumptions contained in the Act about belief and worldview.

It is not just actions which will now be policed (for example, refusing to bake a cake celebrating a same sex wedding,), but words. It seems that to express publicly a view derived from the bible about binary genders and a heterosexual norm might become ‘legally discriminatory’. Canon Ashey shows how the definition of ‘public space’ has been widened specifically to include churches. …”

– Andrew Symes writes at Anglican Mainstream.

Out-Thought or Out-Discipled? Mission and Ministry in 2020s Australia

“In 1901 about 96 percent of Australians identified themselves as Christian. By the 1950s this had hardly moved, with a good 89 percent nominating Christian on the census.

The big change has happened in the last half-century. It began in about 1963, and it has accelerated in the last ten years. The next census, due this August, is almost certain to mark a significant milestone: the first time fewer than fifty percent of Australians identify as Christian. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Rory Shiner helps us understand the context in which we preach the gospel to Australians today.

His article was first published in the recent ACR Journal.

Image: The Pastor’s Heart.

Religious Freedom Weekend June 11-13, 2021

Neil Foster, at Law and Religion Australia, writes,

“Let me commend this event, the ‘Religious Freedom weekend’ to be celebrated over June 11-13, 2021; details available at this website: religiousfreedomweekend.com.au.

The weekend is being sponsored by Freedom for Faith, a legal think-tank supporting religious freedom in Australia which I am proud to be associated with. This is not a conference, but simply a weekend where we are encouraging believers all over Australia, and those who just support the important human right of religious freedom, to celebrate religious freedom and consider what they can do to support this right.

There is a Resource Pack outlining some current challenges, with some suggestions for prayer for churches and other religious groups. There is a call which can be sent to Members of Parliament to support proposals to protect religious freedom, especially through laws prohibiting religious discrimination. Church leaders can also email for further resources.

I think this is a great resource and encourage all those who read this blog to support it and share it with others!”

Sydney’s almost unnoticed Archbishop-elect: The challenges facing Kanishka Raffel and the Anglican church

“Sydney’s Anglicans have just elected a new Archbishop — the current Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel. You may not have noticed. Only two decades ago, the election of an Anglican Archbishop in Sydney was not just news, it was a matter for critical commentary in the opinion pages of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Earlier this year, the retirement of the previous holder of that office, Archbishop Glenn Davies, was not even mentioned in the secular press. The death of former Archbishop Donald Robinson, Archbishop from 1982 to 1993, likewise scarcely caused a ripple.

All this tells you something about the current cultural moment into which the new Archbishop of Sydney must step. …”

– In an opinion piece for ABC Religion and Ethics, Michael Jensen concludes,

“If Sydney Anglicans can catch something of the character of Christ as it has been refracted in their new leader, and imitate him as he continues to imitate and serve his Lord, then who knows what the Spirit of the living God may do?”

Anglican Aid Update for Churches – May 2021

At last week’s Diocese of Sydney Synod, this short video from Anglican Aid was screened. It introduces their partnership with the people of Madagascar. and would be ideal to show in church or to small groups.

A downloadable version is available via the website where there’s also an update in the situation in India.

Women Pastors, Women Preachers, and the Looming Test of the Southern Baptist Convention

“In truth, the issue of women serving as pastors fuelled the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC. The question was instantly clarifying. The divide over women serving in the pastorate served as a signal of the deeper divide over the authority and interpretation of the Bible. …”

– Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler sees a fresh test coming to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Sydney’s new Anglican Archbishop faces an enormous task

“Last week, Sydney’s Anglicans elected Kanishka Raffel to serve as Archbishop of Sydney.

Kanishka is currently serving as dean in Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral. At a service there on May 28, he will be officially installed in the role, making him the spiritual leader of some half a million people who identify as Anglicans in Greater Sydney and Wollongong. …

Only about 60,000 people regularly attend Anglican churches in the Sydney diocese. … There is, however, a deep spiritual hunger in our community – a desire that has intensified during the pandemic.”

– Michael Jensen writes about the challenges facing the new Archbishop and Anglicans in Sydney – in The Sydney Morning Herald.

Image: Kanishka and Cailey Raffel were interviewed about their new roles during the Cathedral service this morning.

What Can we Learn Today from the Preaching of John Stott?

“John Stott visited Australia in January 1965, and this visit, one of many, had a profound effect on Australian preaching.

Stott gave Bible studies on 2 Corinthians at the Anglican Church Missionary Society Summer Schools in several states in Australia. Much Australian preaching at that time was on ‘a text’, that is, on an individual verse from the Bible, often without much regard to its context.

In his Bible studies John Stott was demonstrating the obvious value of preaching from passages of Scripture, and from consecutive passages of Scripture. His example had a profound impact on Australian preaching, initially transforming preaching in Anglican churches, but soon also in other churches as well. …

Under God, he was part of a revival of systematic expository preaching in the UK in the 20th Century, which was achieved through Willie Still in Aberdeen, and Martin Lloyd-Jones, John Stott and Dick Lucas in London, and has spread around the world.”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Peter Adam’s article is an encouragement for preachers and their hearers.

Image: An interview with Peter Adam at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.

Australian Church Record Journal for Autumn 2021

The latest Australian Church Record Journal (for Autumn 2021) has been posted on their website.

This issue focusses on topics relating to the election of the next Archbishop of Sydney.

(Note that the ACL does not have a preferred nominee but encourages continued prayer for the Election Synod and each of the Nominees.)

Engaging Preaching

“In his substantial biography of J.I. Packer, Leland Ryken interviews Dr. Packer regarding his literary and spoken style and rhetoric:

Did Packer consciously cultivate the stylistic and rhetorical strategies that I have explored?

I asked him that question and he said yes. He followed that affirmation with the explanation, “One of the things I am is a communicator”.

Ryken highlights Packer’s anticipation of questions in his hearers, ‘but someone will say’, or, ‘but wait a minute’, or ‘you may still be wondering’, all of which serve clarity…”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook shares encouragement for preachers.

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