Defence Sunday 2014

Anglican Chaplains to Australian Defence Force would appreciate your prayers – and “Defence Sunday” (November 9th, the Sunday closest Remembrance Day) would be a good time to focus on them and those to whom they minister.

Various resources are available via the Defence Anglicans website, including Remembrance Day Prayers, Bible Readings, and Resources. with audio files of the Last Post and other music.

George Whitefield College newsletter

George Whitefield College’s latest newsletter (November 2014) has just been released.

You can download it as a 2MB PDF file.

Preaching 2 Samuel – The Possibilities and The Difficulties

Past Principal of Moore College, John Woodhouse, is leading a workshop to help improve your preaching.

At Moore College on Wednesday 26th November. Details and registration here.

Dr. Ashley Null on Cranmer — article reprint

In September 2001, ACL News spoke with Dr. Ashley Null while he was visiting Moore College. The interview was mentioned in the October 2014 issue of The Australian Church Record. Here is that interview if you’d like to read it…

“Most people don’t realise that the first liturgical change Cranmer made was to insist on good solid biblical preaching in every Sunday church service.

To ensure that, he and others gathered together a set of Homilies that were to be read in course throughout the year. The first six of these sermons explain how one comes to a biblical understanding of having Jesus Christ as your Saviour by faith alone – and the gratitude that one receives from knowing God has saved you, even though you are not able to make yourself worthy of salvation.”

– Read the interview here – in our Resources section.

Australian Church Record — October 2014

The latest issue of The Australian Church Record, Number 1914, October 2014, is now out on their website (just in time for Sydney Synod). Here are some excerpts:

From ‘Faith Under Attack‘

“So Protestants should be alarmed at recent trends in scholarship presenting fine-sounding arguments for faith + something else. And Anglicans need to be alarmed at even small additions to their liturgy that confuse those praying it in this same direction.”

From ‘Faith Alone v. Faith at work‘

“The tendency of the human heart to want to boast in its own achievements is all too prevalent. But there is nothing that we do to merit our justification before God. Like our forebears, contemporary Protestantism must continue to work carefully and clearly in defining the place of faith.”

Download your copy here.

Does God really want you to be rich?

“We’ve all heard the phrase ‘worshipping the almighty dollar’. But there are some people who take the phrase literally. To them, the almighty, as in God, is the key to wealth and riches. Serve him well and material wealth will be the reward.

This philosophy is the cornerstone of an American movement called ‘prosperity theology’, and one man who preaches its message to his Australian flock is Hillsong Church leader Brian Houston…”

– in The Australian, Anthony Sharwood links to an excellent video by John Piper (pictured). You may have seen it before – watch it again.

Sitting at Jesus’ feet — Preaching Matters

In the latest Preaching Matters video from St Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor emphasises the importance of ‘sitting at Jesus’ feet’. Watch it here.

Gerald Bray interviewed at Moore College

During his recent visit to Moore College, Professor Gerald Bray was interviewed and three clips are available:

1. On theological education,
2. On Moore College, and
3. Why Study at Moore?

Owen Shelley’s Autobiography and How to Tell Bible Stories

Here’s a note from Shelley and Son…

“Earlier this year Owen got very excited about a new project. He wanted to write a simple guide that would help people involved in Children’s Ministry to tell Bible Stories in a relevant and interesting way. His life’s pursuit had been to present the gospel to children through stories and hence he had very clear and well thought out ideas and strategies of how to present a clear message that would also engage the children. Read more

Mike Horton on Moore

It’s easy to take a place like Moore College for granted.

While he was in Sydney for the Annual Lectures, Mike Horton (Westminster Seminary California) spoke about the role of Moore.

Among other things, Mike gives this advice –

“If God is calling you to ministry, start at Moore – don’t end up at some point down the line – Why not get right at it?” Take a few minutes to watch the videos:

1. On the challenges facing the church and why people should study at Moore.
2. On Moore and the need for theological education.
3. Mike is asked about his ministry.

Thinking about Moore College for 2015?

Moore College would like you to think about studying next year.

Undergraduate? Postgraduate? Distance learning? See what the college has to offer and apply by November 30 to avoid extra admin fees. Details here.

The War of the Cross

“When ISIS changed its name in June from ‘the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL, or the Arabic acronym ISIS) to simply ‘the Islamic State’, this was a shift of enormous theological and eschatological significance. …

The Islamic State sees itself … playing a key role in the End Times in fulfilment of many prophecies, when all the enemies of Islam (particularly Christians) will be defeated.”

– Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, writes that the theology and eschatology of ISIS explains a great deal about their actions. (Photo: Barnabas Fund.)

Cranmer the evangelist

“The language of The Book of Common Prayer may be over 400 years old, but captured within it is a clear evangelistic structure, based on scripture: a recognition of personal sin, repentance, forgiveness and praise at God’s goodness.

We may not use BCP liturgies directly, but let us use the truths of scripture contained within for our own good, the good of our families, our church and our nation, and ultimately for the glory of God. This article is worth reading not just for its look at the BCP services, but also as a reminder that the structure of our services can be evangelistic, not just our preaching.”

– At Church Society’s blog, Chris Kilgour recommends Samuel Leuenberger’s 1992 Churchman article, “Archbishop Cranmer’s Immortal Bequest: The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England: An Evangelistic Liturgy” (PDF file).

Loving Muslim neighbours with the gospel

Samuel Green’s “Engaging with Islam Training Course” is an invaluable resource.

“The Engaging with Islam course is designed to give Christians a practical introduction to the history and teaching of Islam and a foundation for answering common questions.

The course can be done individually, in a small group or as part of leadership training. Anyone can lead this course as no previous knowledge of Islam is required and leader’s notes are provided. The course is a mix of preparation material, group discussion and a video presentation.”

Check it out here.