Elon Musk, Apple co-founder, other tech experts call for pause on ‘giant AI experiments’
“Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and a host of other tech leaders and artificial intelligence experts are urging AI labs to pause development of powerful new AI systems in an open letter citing potential risks to society.
The letter asks AI developers to ‘immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.’…”
Related:
John Anderson speaks with Professor John Lennox on Artificial Intelligence.
“In 2020, Lennox published 2084 – Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity, which covers key developments in technological enhancement, bioengineering and AI. In the book, he discusses the current state of AI – its benefits, dangers and future implications. …”
“This is not futuristic speculation – this is already happening.”
The King?
“On that first Palm Sunday there were joy, acclamation, and tears. Yet, five days later the unthinkable occurred: Jesus was put to death by crucifixion. The contrast between the first Palm Sunday when crowds acclaimed Jesus as king and the day he was strung up on a cross, could not have been more stark. …”
– John Mason reflects on the twin themes of Palm Sunday and Good Friday – at The Anglican Connection.
Sin, addictions and faith based therapy
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“How do we as pastors help people with addictions? Addictions to alcohol, gambling, narcotics, gaming and sex addictions.
How much is sin? How much is addiction?
Penny Wilkinson and her husband Andrew direct the Overcomers Outreach ministry and the Overcomers Place in Sydney.”
– Watch or listen at The Pastor’s Heart. Very helpful.
Why it’s not enough to be a ‘Bible teaching Church’
“When my appointment to St Andrew’s Cathedral was announced about 18 months ago, a godly old Methodist minister wrote to me. He kindly thanked me for my ministry in Wollongong but added this note of caution: ‘Don’t let your boast be, “We are a Bible teaching church”. But rather, like St Paul… “We preach Christ, and him crucified”.’
Was my older Methodist colleague right? …”
– Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
(Also published in the current Southern Cross magazine.)
Preaching Hope on Good Friday
“The late Professor Chris O’Brien, after whom the Life House is named at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said, ‘Everyone needs hope, we live on hope’.
We normally associate hope with resurrection and so preach hope on Easter Sunday, but this year I am going to preach hope on Good Friday.
The Christian life is full of hope because hope is based on promise, and God reveals himself as the God who makes promises to his people. His promises are the basis of our hope. …”
– David Cook has this encouragement for preachers at The Expository Preaching Trust.
Photo: David Cook at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in August 2022.
A prayer for the NSW State election
From Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant:
Almighty God and Loving Heavenly Father, we humbly ask you to direct the hearts of those who seek election to our state parliament, and of us as we exercise our democratic freedoms.
May we vote unselfishly for the common good.
Protect politicians from the temptation of self-serving. Enable them to make realistic promises and help them keep their word.
Uphold those elected to serve in the new Parliament through all the heavy demands that come upon them, that they may serve with integrity.
May the decisions of our parliaments, state and federal, lead to the safety and welfare of this country, so that peace and happiness, truth and justice may be established among us. Amen.
March — April 2023 issue of Southern Cross now out
The March — April 2023 issue of Southern Cross magazine, produced by Anglican Media Sydney, is out now.
Copies will be available in churches.
As well, you can download a PDF version, or read online, at sydneyanglicans.net/about/southerncross.
Moore College welcomes back Peter Jensen to launch his latest book on The Life of Faith
“On Tuesday night Matthias Media held a book launch for Peter Jensen’s new book The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine at Moore College. The event was a resounding success, drawing an engaged and enthusiastic audience of over 80 people.
Peter’s book is the fruit of his more than thirty years of teaching Christian doctrine. Many graduates during Peter’s time as Principal of Moore College can testify to the brilliance of his teaching and the invaluable resource his lecture notes have been over the years. These are now, freshly edited, available more widely. …”
– Full report and photos at the Moore College website.
Photo: Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, Carmelina Read and Archbishop Peter Jensen with the new book. Courtesy Moore College.
How can we best support gospel growth beyond our church? — with Mikey Lynch
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“How might our church best relate to other organisations (churches, denominations and parachurches) who are also engaged in the grand cause of reaching the world for Christ?
What is the difference between a church and parachurch and how might they best interact? …
Mikey Lynch is a Director of Reach Australia and is the new editorial director for the Gospel Coalition Australia. Mikey leads the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students staff team doing ministry in Hobart at the University of Tasmania.
Matthias Media have just released his new book ‘The Vine Movement – supporting gospel growth beyond your church.’…”
And also note how you can support the coming “Heart of GAFCON” broadcasts from Kigali.
How to Organise an Epic Bible Reading
Last week we linked to an article by Simon Camilleri on Epic Bible Reading at your Church.
In a follow-up post, he shares some practical tips on getting your church involved:
“In a nutshell, I recommend that before you break up a book of the Bible for a sermon series or a Bible Study you should gather together and read through the entire book—out loud from start to finish in one session.
In this article I am going to give some tips from my own experience, for the eager and the apprehensive, on how you can run an Epic Bible Reading at your church. …”
– Read it here.
If lost people matter to God…
“…if lost people matter to God, then they should matter to us as well. After all, we were lost in our sin, till we put our trust in Christ. So as someone once said, evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.
But are we as keen to share the good news of Christ Jesus, as we are to share our best back remedy?”
– In the latest Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant shares some encouragement after reflecting on a recent Church Record post.
Things would never be the same again
“In his Pensées Blaise Pascal, the 17th century French mathematician and philosopher wrote, ‘Everyone seeks happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. They will never take the least step but to this object…’
John the Gospel writer tells us of a woman at a well in Samaria two thousand years ago who would have agreed. …”
– At The Anglican Connection, John Mason turns to John chapter 4 and the longing for happiness.
Epic Bible Reading at Your Church
“I am very glad that many evangelical churches in Australia preach through the Bible, book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Over weeks or even months, a theologically-educated preacher helps their congregation to dig deep into Scripture—grappling with each section of the book in depth before moving on to the next section.
But imagine if we watched movies this way. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Simon Camilleri has some encouragement for you.
A related question: Why do some evangelical Anglican churches only have one Bible reading in a Sunday gathering?
Complementarian Ministry in small group leadership – with Kara Hartley and Tony Payne
This week on The Pastor’s Heart:
“How do we work together in complementarian ministry as we lead small group bible studies/growth groups/community groups
Small groups are the heart beats of our churches, where we wrestle together on how God might have us live.
Most groups have a male and female leadership paired together in leadership. But how do those two people work together?…”
– Kara Hartley and Tony Payne discuss with Dominic Steele.
See also last week’s discussion, where Dominic speaks with Bishop Robert Forsyth and Assoc Professor Neil Foster:
– Supreme Court clears pastor of defamation.
The Life of Faith – Peter Jensen Book Launch
From Moore College:
“Moore College invites you to attend the launch of Peter Jensen’s latest book, ‘The Life of Faith’.
Date: 14th March 2023
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm – supper will be provided afterwards
Location: Moore Theological College, Marcus Loane Hall
This event will be a wonderful opportunity to hear from Peter Jensen himself as he discusses the themes and ideas behind his book, as well as answer any questions you may have.
About the book:
An introductory-level systematic theology from one of the evangelical world’s most influential theologians, perfect for the keen layperson but with enough depth and stimulation to be relevant and interesting for full-time gospel workers. The Life of Faith sits within the tradition of books like In Understanding Be Men by TC Hammond and Concise Theology by JI Packer, written for today’s audience.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…