The terrible scourge of Female Genital Mutilation and what Christians are doing about it

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“The terrible scourge of Female Genital Mutilation and what Christians are doing about it.

Plus how the Tanzanian Church has been built through the labors and prayers  of Australian Christians, and why prosperity gospel preachers are as wicked as witch doctors!

We are joined by Bishop Mwita Akiri from Tarime in rural Tanzania, Judith Calf who served as a missionary in theological education in Tanzania for 20 years, and Tim Swan who leads the Anglican Aid Ministry here in Australia.”

– Watch or listen here.

Singleness book wins Christian book of the year

From SydneyAnglicans.net:

“The SparkLit Australian Christian Book of the Year for 2024 has been won by Sydney Anglican the Rev Dr Dani Treweek for her book The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church. …”

– Read here.

Related:

Singleness in the Church Today: An Interview With Dani Treweek – Jacob York speaks with Dani Treweek for The Gospel Coalition Australia.

The book is available now from The Wandering Bookseller.

Epic Reading of the Gospel of John coming to St. Andrew’s Cathedral

From the Cathedral:

“On Saturday 7th September, at 3:30pm, St Andrew’s Cathedral will host an ‘Epic Reading’ of the entire Gospel of John, in our atmospheric Chapter House, off Bathurst Street, Sydney.

The expert reader will be Melbourne actor and author, Simon Camilleri, well known already for illuminating various books of the Bible by his public readings.

Thirty years ago, reading the Gospel of John was part of what changed Simon’s life.

In the same way that you can’t really understand the Lord of the Rings by watching a few short YouTube clips of the movie, Simon says some things can only be appreciated by seeing and hearing the whole. …”

– Read it all here – and see a video of Simon Camilleri with a sample.

And the Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant, invites you to be there:

Freedom for Faith 2024 Conference

Videos of the talks given at the Freedom for Faith 2024 Conference, held earlier this month, have now been made available at the Freedom for Faith website.

Do check them out.

Growing Up in the Pastoral Spotlight: Insights into the lives and wellbeing of Ministry Kids – with Valerie Ling

From The Pastor’s heart:

“What impact does growing up in a pastoral family have on ministry kids?

Valerie Ling from the Sydney Centre for Effective Living joins us to unpack the ‘Ministry Kids Wellbeing Survey,’ revealing what Australian ministry children, say about their upbringing.

They tell of heightened responsibilities and an acute awareness of adult realities plus concerns about  feeling different from their peers.

We explore the broader impacts of pastoral life on children, and explore displacement, constant mobility, difficulties in forming lasting friendships and achieving a sense of belonging.

Comparisons are made with the experiences of diplomats and defence ministry kids, emphasizing the common struggles and the critical role parents play in providing stability.

Plus we talk the importance of empathy and creating safe spaces for doubts.”

– Watch or listen here.

How Long, O Lord…?

“In April 2017, The Spectator (UK) carried an article by Douglas Murray who asked, ‘Who Will Protect Nigeria’s Northern Christians?’ Murray pointed out that the Fulani (militia) are watching everything closely from the surrounding mountains. Every week, their progress across the northern states of Plateau and Kaduna continues. Every week, more massacres – another village burned, its church razed, its inhabitants slaughtered, raped or chased away…

‘For the outside world, what is happening to the Christians of northern Nigeria is both beyond our imagination and beneath our interest…’ …”

– In his Word on Wednesday at The Anglican Connection, John Mason draws us back to Palm 13.

Societas 2024

The latest issue of Societas, the wonderful magazine produced annually by the students at Moore Theological College, is now available.

If you can’t get hold of a printed copy via your church, you can read it online here.

Related:

Book Recommendations (mentioned in Societas)

Blow up your Church Newsletter

“Rewind to 2019 and our church email newsletter looked like most. It was a highlight reel of upcoming events and advertisements, suffering from abysmal open rates and even more abysmal click-through rates. If it hit the inbox of 1000 people, fewer than 10 would click on anything. And those who read it were our most insidery insiders who love being in the know.…”

– Patrick Miller (via Tim Challis) has some worthwhile thoughts on your church newsletter.

A Short History of Linking Jesus and Dionysus

“Controversy was stirred by a tableau vivant (‘living picture’) in the Paris Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that performed (or parodied) da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The scene was enacted by a cast of drag queens and a peculiar near-naked man painted head to toe in blue. Enough has been said about the event itself; I want to talk about that man in blue.

The Opening Ceremony’s creative director has since explained that this man represented none other than the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. It raised the question, what was this scene? A mockery of the sacred, or a celebration of the pagan?

I find myself oddly well placed to talk about this.

Two years ago, I completed my doctorate at Cambridge University. My thesis? A contrast between the Gospel of John and the portrayal of Dionysus’s opponents in Euripides’ tragedy, The Bacchae. For three years I immersed myself in this play and took as many classes as I could on Dionysus. And now I discover that my thesis on Greek poetry has real-world application! It’s every doctoral student’s dream come true!…’

– Moore College’s Tom Habib writes at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

It just might be something you could use in conversation.

He notes:

“Two millennia ago, the ancient world began to exchange Dionysus for Jesus. And it seems as though the world now wants to swap back. The tableau vivant at the Opening Ceremony was indeed a living picture of our world today.”

Visit the Sick!

“Friends in Christ, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus taught us via the parable of the sheep and the goats.

It reminds us that heaven and hell are on the line in our response to Jesus’ teaching. The evidence of our faith in King Jesus and his message will be revealed by how we treat others, especially brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today I want to focus on one example from this parable in Matthew 25 …”

– In his Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant has some simple, practical, encouragement.

Good to read and good to share with others in the church.

On use of the Lectionary

“Way back when I was 10 (55 years ago), I used to grab dad’s lectionary before we went to Evening Prayer on a Sunday so that I could bookmark the readings in my Bible and have them ready to find during the service.

I recall even then that there were many Sundays where the readings used were different from those in the lectionary. ‘Why don’t they use the set readings dad?‘ ’Because Mr Goodhew (our rector), likes to work through a whole book at a time.’…”

– In an “From the Bishop’s Desk” article (PDF file), Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder explains why some churches use the Lectionary, and some don’t. Which might be most helpful?

It might not be a question you are asking – but, then again, it might be! And it is an encouragement to all of us to treasure God’s word and to seek to grow to maturity in Christ.

Expressive Individualism and Church Music — with Philip Percival and Alanna Glover

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“What does Expressive Individualism mean for churches? And what specifically does it mean for church music?

Here is the expressive individualism worldview: ‘Truth comes from inside me. It’s important that I look inside to discover who I truly am’ and ‘I need to express my individuality and personal truth to the world around me to receive validation.’

That truth comes from within is the unspoken assumptions of guests who come to our churches.

And it’s a worldview that has impacts inside the church, including inside our music teams and inside the heads of the songwriters who write the songs that we sing.

Philip Percival and Alanna Glover lead the work of Emu Music, focussing on writing congregational songs and the training of church musicians and leaders.

Alanna is doing a masters research project in Expressive Individualism and Music, and Philip’s PhD is in the biblical theology of worship.”

And from the discussion, Philip Percival is asked about the playlists of songs in a number of evangelical churches –

“I can see that there’s a trend towards wanting to sing songs that are more songs of adoration.

Now, there’s nothing at all wrong with singing songs of adoration – that fits within our biblical model for singing – but that should be balanced with other songs that are teaching us, other songs that are allowing us to sit and be challenged and admonished by God’s Word. We want to be singing songs of confession and creedal songs where our singing is doing more than just giving me a voice to express my faith. …

So, are the songs that we’re singing rich in God’s Word?

Do they help us to teach and admonish one another?

Are the songs that we’re singing affectionate? Do they allow the Holy Spirit to shape our emotions and feelings and responses by the gospel?

Are our songs giving us a voice for praise and thanksgiving which is driven by the Word of Christ?”

– Watch or listen here.

Related:

Emu Music.

Faithful listening – Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant.

No, I don’t trust you — The importance of accountability, structure, and submission

“There are two people I would never trust: myself, and anyone who trusts himself/herself.

What do I mean by this, and why do I say it? …

When the parish of which I was vicar, the West Hamilton Anglican Parish, left the ACANZP ten years ago, many resisted the idea of joining up to another denomination. Why not be an independent church – pure, and freed from the shackles of a parent body? My response: ‘You’d be crazy to place that sort of trust in me or the vestry!…’”

– Vicar General Michael Hewat, reminds us of the need for accountability – in the latest e-mail update from the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand.

Faithful listening

“What to do if we find the preaching we’re fed Sunday by Sunday is biblical, yet quite standard, and maybe a bit dull? … When we hear nothing really new to us, except the old, old story of Jesus and his cross?

Are we so well fed, that these become meals we feel we can skip as we feel like it?

Here’s an old hymn (#49, Olney Hymns) by John Newton, of ‘Amazing Grace’ fame. He often wrote a new hymn each week, while ministering in the parish of Olney!

But these days I doubt anyone is singing this one! …”

– In the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant draws attention to a little-known hymn by John Newton. (Sadly, we don’t hear many new Christian songs like this one!)

The hymn may be found on page 386 of the PDF version of Olney Hymns published by Christian Classics Ethereal Library. (Click on Download, then select PDF.)

This painting of John Newton by John Russell hangs in the CMS building in Oxford. Photo © Marylynn Rouse / The John Newton Project, used with permission.

Songs for the Summer – Psalm 1

At The Anglican Connection (and writing for a North American readership), John Mason shares two reflections on Psalm 1 for his Word on Wednesday –

Part 1: Happiness, Part 2: The Path to Life.

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