Fact-Checking a popular story of Christian origins
“The latest book by bestselling author and controversial Australian feminist Clementine Ford is I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage (Allen & Unwin, 2023).
She wants this book to not only dissuade people from getting married but also ‘to end marriages’, because of the harm they bring to women.
This article isn’t about her main thesis, but the striking way she begins her case against marriage. The very first step Ford takes is to outline the history of Christianity and so discount the moral authority of the church. …”
– Robert Martin at Northcote Baptist Church in Melbourne does a spot of fact-checking for The Gospel Coalition Australia. This could be helpful if you have friends who are reading the book.
Related:
Who will champion marriage? – Marriage Foundation via Anglican Mainstream. The linked story includes some interesting charts.
Is Article 20 a Roadblock to “Prayers of Love and Faith” in the Church of England?
Quick answer: “Yes”.
Longer answer at Anglican Futures.
Related:
“Prayers of Love and Faith” – Church of England.
‘Crunch Point’ on Religious Freedom: Catholic Schools and Hospitals May Close, Warns Anthony Fisher
“The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, has warned the church will be forced to consider closing religious schools if the government strips them of the ability to preference the employment of teachers supportive of Christian teachings.
Archbishop Fisher, one of the nation’s most senior Catholic leaders, declared more radical actions could be needed in response to the infringement of religious liberties, and raised the prospect of withdrawing educational services as happened in the landmark 1962 Goulburn school strike. …”
– Story from The Australian (paywall).
Image: Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.
An Easy Life But Hard for Faith: Lessons From New Zealand
“I am a Kenyan living in New Zealand with my family, serving as a pastor of a local church. Having lived here close to eight years, I’ve imagined what lessons the church in Africa could glean from the church in New Zealand.
To this end I aim to briefly capture the church in New Zealand’s context; highlight some of the trends that have led to the current state of things; and finally draw out a few thoughts the African church should reflect on. …”
– Mark Ambundo writes in The Gospel Coalition Africa Edition.
‘Episcopal Church unveils new Pride shield in celebration of LGBTQ+ inclusion’
We haven’t linked to news of The Episcopal Church in the USA in recent times. Here’s the latest:
“In affirmation and celebration of The Episcopal Church’s LGBTQ+ members, the Office of Communication is pleased to unveil a new Pride shield available online for churchwide use. …”
– From The Episcopal Church.
Resisting Physician-Assisted Death is a Gospel Imperative
“Physician-assisted death is held up as a solution to the problem of suffering; at bottom, it’s a solution to despair. And the solution is to end the person who’s in despair.
We know a better way. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition US, Dr Ewan Goligher turns to an increasingly urgent subject.
Related:
Assisted dying debate terrifying for disabled people, says actress Liz Carr – BBC News.
“I love my job” – Canadian abortionist and Medical Assistance In Death (MAID) doctor – Not the Bee.
Image from a St. Helen’s Bishopsgate video.
How should we respond to the world as we now find it?
The Anglican Diocese of the Living Word’s Missions Conference and Synod was held in Pennsylvania over the last few days.
Dr. Carl Trueman was the invited speaker.
In his first talk, he focussed on the underlying things that shape the way we think today. Starting at 5:35.
In his second talk, Dr. Trueman speaks of the three things the church has to do in our present context. That address starts at 34:12.
(Prior to his address, Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison is interviewed from 18:18.)
The previous night, the Rev. Yoel Ben David gave his testimony of conversion from Judaism.
At the start of the Conference, Bishop Julian Dobbs gave this address. This, alone, is well worth hearing.
The videos are available with thanks to Anglican TV.
Absolute Banality, a Rejection of Roman Catholic Doctrine, and Abandonment of the Gospel
“Now, we as Evangelical Protestants don’t believe that the pope holds the keys of the kingdom, we believe the church does. But nonetheless, the Roman Catholic Church believes that the pope does. But this pope appears to have little interest in holding the keys of doctrinal accountability or even of moral clarity.
But the religious world, the theological world, was pretty much set abuzz on Sunday night because the interview that Pope Francis did with 60 Minutes, the venerable CBS program. …”
– In his The Briefing for Tuesday 21 May 2024, Dr Albert Mohler comments on the International Criminal Court, and then (Part IV) turns to consider Pope Francis’ interview on CBS last weekend.
This link should jump to the relevant part of the interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Why isn’t the House of Bishops prepared to engage?
“It is now fairly clear what the next stage of the Prayers of Love and Faith process will be. In July the House of Bishops will propose that stand alone services for the blessing of same-sex couples (including those who have entered into a civil same-sex marriage) will be permitted under the terms of Canon B5 and will also propose that the current discipline forbidding clergy to be in same-sex marriages will no longer be applied in at least some dioceses
It is also clear that, at the moment, the bishops are absolutely intransigent in refusing to even consider the possibility of either a provincial settlement to meet the needs of traditionalists as requested by CEEC, or even some kind of non-provincial transferred episcopal arrangements for traditionalists.
The maximum they seem prepared to offer is some kind of regionally arranged delegated episcopal oversight, which would still leave traditionalists under the ordinary jurisdiction of their diocesan bishops regardless of where that bishop stands on the sexuality issue.
What struck me as I digested this news over the weekend is that in coming to their current positions the bishops appear to have simply ignored four key statements made into three previous House of Bishops’ documents.…”
– Martin Davie points out key failures of the Church of England’s House of Bishops.
Image: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Church leaders urge bishops to offer ‘pastoral provision’ to ordinands, as an urgent priority
“Church leaders have called on bishops in the Church of England to allow ‘pastoral provision’ for those being ordained this summer and going forwards, as an urgent priority.
Church leaders, who are part of the Alliance, issued a letter to all diocesan bishops in the Church of England, following a meeting with 80 ordinands last Thursday in London…”
– Report from the Church of England Evangelical Council.
The pornographic awfulness of Eurovision
“I have been meditating recently on chapter fifteen of St Luke’s gospel which contains three well-known parables of Jesus. There is one key word, ‘lost’ which recurs five times in the chapter: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost (prodigal) son.
These parables are generally relegated to Sunday School, and the children’s bible will show a picture of the Good Shepherd (Jesus) with a little lamb over his shoulders, surrounded by happy, smiling children.
But the true meaning of the parables is much deeper and darker, speaking as it does of the utter lostness of humanity when separated from the creator. …”
– After watching the latest iteration of the Eurovision Song Contest, Dr Tom Goodfellow reflects on its emptiness. At The Conservative Woman.
LLF Working Groups – is it just the next step on the travelator?
“The Church of England finally announced the membership of the three Working Groups that will continue the work of implementing the outcomes of Living in Love and Faith. The press release says that the role of the Working Groups is to:
‘…feed into the Programme Board, helping to shape recommendations to be presented for consideration at the House and College of Bishops ahead of bringing an outline proposal to the July meeting of the General Synod.’…”
– This piece, published a few days ago at Anglican Futures, argues that the process within the Church of England has been well organised to provide the desired result.
Inside the hidden assumption in Albanese’s ‘misinformation’ bill that undermines its entire premise
“As Claire Lehman of the Quillet puts it: ‘In universities across the world, humanities departments have, over time, come to reject the notion that there is such a thing as objective truth.’
If they are right, there is no point in any debate or discussion about either the news or our opinions of the news. …”
– At Sky News Australia, Kel Richards points out the fatal flaw in all ‘misinformation’ legislation.
Inside the ‘Compelled to Resist’ movement in the Church of England – with Charlie Skrine
“Charlie Skrine, the senior minister of All Souls Langham Place London, says his church (and other evangelical churches in the UK) are in a world of pain at the moment over the growing split in the Church of England.
Mr Skrine, who is speaking at the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion Conference in Sydney, says All Souls is united in its commitment to biblical teaching on sexual ethics, but divided on what the best response should be.
He says a third of All Souls members are wanting to leave the Church of England now, a third want to stay and fight (never leave), and a further third are confused. …”
And do pray for our brothers and sisters in the Church of England as they consider what must be done.
Wanted: First Minister of Scotland. Christians need not apply
“Before announcing that she was withdrawing from the race to be Scotland’s First Minister, Kate Forbes was given a taste of the opposition she would have faced.
Writing in the Times on Tuesday, Edinburgh-based Kenny Farquharson expressed the respectable middle-class progressive liberal view that whoever becomes the next First Minister, it couldn’t be a Bible-believing Christian. …”
– At The Conservative Woman, Dr Campbell Campbell-Jack, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, comments on the war against Christian believers in Scottish public life.
See also –
David Robertson: Persecuting Kate Forbes – A Response to Kenny Farquharson.
“After the demise of Humza Yousaf as Scottish First Minister, with perverse predictability the witch-hunt amongst Scotland’s wokeratti is on again. It’s time for the ‘Anyone but Kate’ campaign. It appears as though having a Muslim First Minister is something to be celebrated. Having a Scottish Christian Presbyterian is something to be feared, sneered at and viciously mocked. …”
Photo via Scottish Parliament.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…