Moore College Open Events coming up in May
Here’s a good opportunity to learn about Moore College – especially if you are contemplating being better equipped for mission and ministry –
Open Night – Monday 2 May 7:15pm – 9:00pm.
Open Week – Monday 2 May – Friday 6 May.
Stott Bowdlerised
“Recently I bought a copy of John Stott’s brief and famous exposition of the Christian gospel, Basic Christianity, which I intended to give to a friend.
The book was first published in 1958 and has sold several million copies. It is at once simple and refined, gentle and uncompromising, and many people in the Anglophone world can trace their conversions to reading Stott’s little masterpiece. If any “spiritual classics” were published during the second half of the twentieth century, Basic Christianity surely is one. …
The Basic Christianity people are buying and reading today is a bad imitation of the original.”
– A disturbing observation from Barton Swaim at First Things. (via Tim Challies.)
Update: Here’s a response from Eerdmans.
Transgender issues under Australian Law — an overview
“The question of legal and social recognition of the rights of transgender persons is becoming a very hot topic of discussion. The recent debate in Australia on the content of the material provided for schools by the “Safe Schools Coalition” is one example. …
This post cannot deal with all the current issues. But I thought as a preliminary exercise it would be helpful to briefly review the current Australian law around the topic, to set the scene for future discussions. I will also offer a few comments on recent proposals for change to the criteria adopted for changing a person’s legal gender identity.”
– More useful legal background from Neil Foster, at Law and Religion Australia.
New book from Paul Barnett — Philippians & Philemon: Joy in the Lord
Coming soon is a new book from Paul Barnett, Philippians & Philemon: Joy in the Lord.
Details and pre-order info from CEP.
You won’t be late
“I have had punctuality bred into me, even now, if I am meeting my sisters, I know they will be at least 10 minutes early and sometimes I am even earlier.
Some people are habitually late, I am habitually early.
Oscar Wilde said that he was always late on principle, the principle being that punctuality is the thief of time. Evelyn Waugh believed punctuality to be the virtue of the bored, those who have nothing better to do than to be on time.
The writer of Hebrews says that there is an appointment we will all meet, none will be either early or late…”
– A concise reminder of the truth, from David Cook.
Back to Basics Part 5 — The power of the gospel
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That is what the Bible tells us. We are commanded to enter the kingdom of God by entrusting ourselves to Christ as our Lord and Saviour. That is, we enter and continue through repentance and faith.
The Canterbury meeting of the Primates made space for the summons to repentance to be heard once more.
Why is this so vital?…”
– GAFCON General Secretary, Dr. Peter Jensen, shares the fifth of six reflections on January’s Primates’ Meeting in Cambridge.
New 9Marks Journal — April 2016
“Church documents are a prosaic topic, to be sure. But they facilitate unity. They protect a church from being governed by the passions of the moment. And they force a congregation and its leaders to be careful, deliberate, reflective, and, hopefully, biblical. Not bad, for a boring old administrator’s job.
To put it another way, church documents are kind. It is kind to tell people what you think up front. It is kind [to] say what you will expect from them or how disagreements will be resolved…”
– The latest issue of 9Marks Journal is out. The theme is “Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions”.
Justin Mote on Applying the Bible
In the latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, Justin Mote speaks about applying the Bible – including five tips on things you can do to make application better.
Reflections on discipleship (part 1)
“How do you get someone to do something when they are afraid; they lack confidence and competence; they are uncomfortable; they have no experience; they have no vision or passion? This is the question that often plagues pastors and ministry leaders as they seek to empower people to serve…”
– At Equal but Different, Lesley Ramsay has the first in a series of encouraging posts on disciple-making.
Learning to Speak Christian in an Online World
At Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living, two weeks ago, the topic was “Learning to Speak Christian in an Online World”.
The aim of the centre is “to bring Biblical ethics to everyday issues”.
Watch Lionel Windsor’s talk. Practical and encouraging.
See also the intro by CCL Director Tony Payne and The Q&A afterwards.
Might make you want to get Lionel’s book. (Or like us on Facebook.)
Taking God at his Word — free audiobook April 2016
Christian Audio’s free book for April 2016 is Kevin DeYoung’s Taking God at his Word.
Christopher Ash at the Moore College Graduation 2016
Christopher Ash gave the Occasional Address at the 2016 Moore College Graduation.
Watch the encouraging, but challenging, video at the link.
Earlier related story from SydneyAnglicans.net.
Gospel speech: now available as an ebook
Gospel Speech: a fresh look at the relationship between every Christian and evangelism is a short biblical exploration of the way the gospel shapes the speech of every Christian as they confess Jesus Christ with their mouth.
Written by ACL Council member Dr Lionel Windsor, the book is now available in electronic format.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Reality of the Gospel
“The pattern of the Christian year is an exercise of the Church’s discipline. The annual celebrations of Christmas and Resurrection Day force the Church to ponder again the truths of Christ’s incarnation and resurrection.
Christians understand that every Lord’s Day is Resurrection Day, but this Sunday is the festival which draws all Christians face to face with the empty tomb and the truth of the resurrected Lord.
Resurrection Sunday is the central event in the church year–the climax of worship, expectation, and celebration. This celebration is also an acid test of the Church’s faithfulness and conviction…”
– Albert Mohler reminds Christians that we have a heavenly mandate to preach the Resurrection of Christ.
Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Easter Message 2016
Archbishop Glenn Davies has released his 2016 Easter message.
Watch the 90 second video on Vimeo.
And here is a story and summary from SydneyAnglicans.net –
The leader of Australia’s largest Anglican Diocese, the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has spoken of the power of the Christian symbol, the cross, and the threat to religious freedom, in his Easter Message.
“The most universal symbol of all is the cross. Even that is being targeted now in China, where authorities are removing crosses from churches. In fact, religious freedom is under threat around the world.” Dr Davies said in his annual Easter message.
“It is strange that the cross should be feared for its power, because in Jesus’ time a cross meant execution – it meant failure and death. But the great power in the symbol of the cross for us is that is is empty. Yes, Jesus died on the cross but he was raised from the dead.”
Archbishop Davies will preach at the Cathedral on Easter Day (Sunday).
In his Easter Message, Archbishop Davies stressed the resurrection of Jesus which he said “was not merely a resuscitation, because he rose not to die again but to inaugurate a new era beyond this age of death, disease and decay.”
“The resurrection of Jesus means a second chance for all of us, if we will accept it — a chance for new life, eternal life, as our sins are nailed to the cross so that we too shall rise with him.”
Dr Davies also commented on plans for a fixed date for Easter. Dr Davies spoke with the Coptic Pope, Tawadros II, about the issue in Cairo last year. Anglican Primates are close to agreeing on a fixed Sunday for Easter. Dr Davies said “I believe it will be of significant witness to the world if all Christians could unite together with a common date to celebrate this ‘empty’ cross and the inauguration of the new aeon when Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death once and for all.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…