Jordan Peterson: an antidote to chaos?

“If you use the internet enough to have found this blogpost, you will almost certainly have seen references to That Interview between Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson and Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman.

If you haven’t watched the full half-hour exchange (like 5.5m already have), go and do so now. I’ve wagered with half a dozen people who claimed not to be interested that if they watch just five full minutes of the interview, they could then close it down if they so wished and I wouldn’t nag ever them again to see it. They have all watched the whole thing from start to finish. A one-word text, five minutes in, from my initially sceptical brother: ‘Hooked.’ …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Tom Woolford considers Jordan Peterson and his message. What should Christians think?

Be heard on religious freedom

“A Federal Government review into religious freedom in Australia is currently underway, with public submissions closing on February 14. The review panel, chaired by the Hon. Philip Ruddock, has been asked to examine whether Australian law adequately protects the human right to freedom of religion. …

It is vital that all those concerned about the protection of religious freedom in Australia make their voices heard.”

– Bishop Michael Stead, Chairman of the Religious Freedom Reference Group, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

See also: Please Speak Up For Religious Freedom – Aust. Christian Lobby.

Submission to Religious Freedom Review — Assoc Prof Neil Foster

Associate Professor in Law, Neil Foster, has made his submission to the Religious Freedom Review Panel available for you to read. He writes,

“The Religious Freedom Review Panel, chaired by the Hon Philip Ruddock, has invited submissions from all Australians on the protection of religious freedom in Australia. …

Those who are interested in the area may find it helpful to see the sort of topics that I think ought to be addressed.”

– Check it out at Law and Religion Australia, and consider making your own submission.

UK education chief inspector suggests Anglican theology is extremist

“In trying to isolate the Christian Institute as an extremist organisation in her speech to the Church of England Foundation for Education Leadership on Thursday (1/2/18), the head of UK schools inspectorate, Ofsted, was actually attacking historic Anglican theology. …”

– Julian Mann writes on a disturbing trend in the UK, at Anglican Mainstream. (Also see links at the end of that article.)

Martyn Iles new Managing Director for Australian Christian Lobby

The Australian Christian Lobby has announced that Lyle Shelton is finishing as Managing Director to go into politics and to stand for office at the next election.

He said, “Now, ACL [Aust Christian Lobby] is necessarily non-party-partisan. That’s a great strength, and I agree with that. So, for that reason, I will be making a further announcement about the specifics of what I am doing in a day or two.  … But I … am not leaving the battle for the values that I hold dear…”

In this video, he speaks about his decision, and Board Chairman Jim Wallace introduces the new Managing Director, Martyn Iles.

Related: We Need Thousands To Write To Ruddock.

Transgender liturgies?

“Recent headlines reported: ‘Church of England bishops have blocked the introduction of a new prayer celebrating a transgender person’s change of sex’.

It became clear, however, that matters are regrettably rather more complicated than that. …”

– Church Society’s Tim Edwards responds to the Church of England’s House of Bishops’ advice on welcoming transgender people into church using the existing Affirmation of Baptism service.

House of Bishops seeking to change Church of England doctrine by stealth — Reform

Some background:

“In July last year the Church of England’s General Synod passed a motion brought forward by the Blackburn Diocesan Synod. This motion declared,

‘….that this Synod, recognising the need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in their parish church, call on the House of Bishops to consider whether some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person’s gender transition.’

In advance of this February’s General Synod the House of Bishops has responded to this motion in GS Misc 1178, An update on ‘Welcoming Transgender People.’”

– from Anglican theologian Martin Davie. (Read it all.)

In the document, the House of Bishops also states,

“The motion also called on the House of Bishops to consider whether the recognition of a transgender person’s new identity was a moment which should be marked in a particular way in worship. …

the House notes that the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith, found in Common Worship, is an ideal liturgical rite which trans people can use to mark this moment of personal renewal.” (emphasis added)

Read the House of Bishops document here. (PDF)

Reform comments on the what amounts to a repurposing of ‘Affirmation Baptismal Faith’ –

“Liturgy and doctrine cannot be divorced. … to use ‘Affirmation of Baptismal Faith’ in the way envisaged in this document is to change Church of England doctrine by stealth.”

– Read it all.

Michael Kellahan next guest on The Pastor’s Heart

Freedom for Faith’s Michael Kellahan is the next guest on The Pastor’s Heart – to be streamed live on Facebook tomorrow (Tuesday 30th January 2018) at 2:00pm.

From Dominic Steele:

“With submissions to the Ruddock inquiry into Freedom for Religion being given amazingly tight deadlines, Michael’s been responsible for co-ordinating a ‘heavy weight’ response to the inquiry on behalf of a series of leading Protestant churches.”

Watch live, and also see or hear replays at The Pastor’s Heart on Facebook – or thepastorsheart.net.

Iowa University Christian student group reinstated by judge

“…it used to be widely accepted that a person who is heterosexual in ‘orientation’ may legitimately choose not to indulge their sexual preferences, by living in chastity outside marriage, or indeed in celibacy if so called to this option (for example, if marriage is not entered into).

That such honourable choices seem unbelievable to many in the highly sexualised world of the secular West, does not mean that they are not made all the time. Why then is it not possible to accept that an organisation may be perfectly happy to accept as a member a person of homosexual orientation, so long as that person indicates that they undertake not to act on their sexual preferences?  …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Assoc. Prof. Neil Foster provides some details from the American case, and then asks the legitimate question above.

Abortion, Canada, and the relentless wave of Authoritarian Secularism

“I love taking Claude (family greyhound) for an early morning walk through the streets of Parkdale and Mentone, and to listen to the Bible as we go. Today in the Psalms, I was struck by Psalm 8:2, which says,

‘Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.’

Afterward, I was catching up on the news and heard a report about a recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Organisations applying for Government funding for the Canadian Summer Jobs program, must now sign an attestation that they support abortion. …”

– Murray Campbell in Melbourne looks at the Canadian example as a foretaste of what Christians in Australia can expect.

Reclaiming religious freedom in the UK

“Barnabas Fund is seeking a new Act of Parliament in the UK to guarantee seven fundamental aspects of freedom of religion. These seven freedoms have developed in the UK by various mechanisms over the last five centuries but are now under threat. A law to protect and guarantee them is urgently needed.

Tracing the heritage of religious liberty takes us back more than 800 years to Magna Carta in 1215. …

As we will explain in a new booklet which Barnabas Fund will shortly be launching, Magna Carta’s affirmation that ‘the English Church shall be free’ was gradually worked out over the centuries into seven specific aspects of freedom of religion…”

– News from Barnabas Fund, via Anglican Mainstream.

Volunteers told to use gender-neutral words to avoid causing offence

“Volunteers for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have been told to use gender-neutral language to avoid causing offence.

The Games Shapers handbook, which has been handed to 15,000 volunteers and official staff and contractors instructs workers to avoid phrases like ‘ladies and gentlemen’ and ‘boys and girls’. …”

– Story from News.com.au.

Archbishop of Melbourne calls for ‘intentional conversations’ on same-sex marriage

Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr. Philip Freier:

“I am very conscious of the pain that members of our church who are in same sex partnerships experience at this time when the society has changed in a way that the church hasn’t. …

I propose that we have intentional conversations about this next year. It will be good to prepare for this well and I will be looking for the best way these conversations can take place safely, gracefully and productively.”

– The Melbourne Anglican has this story on an Ad Clerum sent by Archbishop Freier to Melbourne clergy just before Christmas.

Large fine for refusing to supply same sex wedding cake upheld in Oregon

“There have been a number of ‘wedding industry’ religious freedom cases arising in the United States and the UK over the last few years.

On 28 December 2017 the Oregon Court of Appeals, in Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries … upheld a $135,000 fine levied on the Kleins, wedding cake makers, for declining to make a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowmen-Cryer.

The case is another example of religious freedom (and, arguably, freedom of speech) being over-ridden in the name of ‘dignitary harm’ to same-sex couples. It is a good example of the issues being presented to the current Ruddock Inquiry into Religious Freedom being conducted in Australia at the moment. …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Assoc. Professor Neil Foster takes a look at the Oregon wedding cake case.

He writes, “Attempts to learn from overseas experience and provide a clear legislative solution to the issues were defeated in the passage of the legislation enacting same sex marriage for this country.” He encourages Australian readers to make their views known to the Ruddock Enquiry.

Why I can’t in conscience write for the Church of England Newspaper any more

“I have been contributing articles regularly for the Church of England Newspaper (CEN) for the past ten years and have found its editor Colin Blakely very congenial to write for.  He is courteous to his writers in contrast to the editors of a couple more thoroughly evangelical publications I have written for.

It is a personally wretched decision for me to have to stop writing for Colin. But his decision to become a trustee of the Ozanne Foundation, which is actively campaigning to change the received biblical teaching of the Church of England on sexual ethics, has made this necessary. …”

– The Rev. Julian Mann, Vicar of the Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge in Sheffield Diocese, explains his decision, at Anglican Mainstream. (Photo: Julian Mann with Archbishop Ben Kwashi.)

Related: Workers and Wolves – William Taylor on Romans 16:1-23.

Update: Kevin Kallsen and Gavin Ashenden discuss the Ozanne Foundation fallout at Anglican Unscripted #358 – Just Jesus, not ‘just love’ silly.

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