Bill Shorten to introduce private members bill to legalise ‘same-sex marriage’
“Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has confirmed Labor will move a bill to legalise same-sex marriage next week. …
In a statement, Mr Shorten said the time had come for Parliament to debate marriage equality and that he found it unacceptable current laws excluded some individuals.”
– Report from ABC News. (Photo: billshorten.com.au)
Update: The Australian Christian Lobby has issued this media release –
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s same-sex marriage bill fails to consider the consequences of changing the definition of marriage in law, according the Australian Christian Lobby.
“It is disappointing that Australia’s alternative prime minister is legislating a family structure which requires a child to miss out on their mum or dad.
“Many Australians are watching with great concern as florists, photographers and cake makers in other countries are being legally punished simply because they prefer not to participate in a same-sex wedding.
“I wonder if Mr Shorten has considered the consequences of changing the definition of marriage,” Mr Shelton said.
“We urge parliamentarians to vote against the bill.”
Praying for Nungalinya College
Nungalinya, the Combined Churches Training College for Indigenous Australians in Darwin, has posted their 2014 Annual Report online.
Grab the 3.6MB PDF file here. Fuel for prayer.
Charles Simeon and his enduring influence on Australia
This year’s Moore College Library Day looks at the influence of Charles Simeon. It’s on Saturday 23rd May. Read the details and register for the day.
Katherine Christian Convention this weekend
The Katherine Christian Convention is on this weekend, Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th May. It’s a significant gathering in the Top End.
Please uphold in prayer the attendees, the organisers, and the speaker, as many are travelling long distances.
Nungalinya College seeks funding for iPads
Nungalinya College in Darwin is seeking funds to purchase 20 iPads to help indigenous students in their studies.
Learn more about the project, and how you can contribute, here.
Calls for the Liberal Party to ‘hold the line on same-sex marriage’
The Australian Christian Lobby (not related to the ACL – we just have the same initials) is supporting a campaign to encourage the Liberal Party to oppose same-sex marriage,
“as libertarian Senator David Leyonhjelm seeks to bring yet another bill to redefine marriage before the Parliament on Thursday. Mr Shelton urged Liberal members to hold the line on voting as one if the issue came up at Tuesday’s party room meeting.”
See also: preservingmarriage.acl.org.au.
National Day of Prayer for Defence
“Each year, the Military Christian Fellowship of Australia hosts a National Day of Prayer for Defence.
This year’s National Day of Prayer for Defence ison Saturday 28 March 2015.
All who have a heart to pray for Defence are welcome to join us in Canberra at the Duntroon Chapel, or remotely in the regions…”
– from Defence Anglicans.
NSW Liberal and Labor leaders speak at pre-election event
Over at Bible Society Australia, John Sandeman summarises answers to questions put to NSW Premier Mike Baird and Opposition Leader Luke Foley at an event organised by the Australian Christian Lobby.
Australia’s Christian Heritage
Weekend reading, new in our Resources section:
Associate Professor Stuart Piggin gave this address at a gathering on 3rd February 2015 to commemorate the First Christian Service in Australia.
Held in Richard Johnson Square, Sydney, the gathering was close to the site of the first service, conducted by the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the Colony, on 3rd February 1788.
“We are at the site of:
• the First Christian service on Australian soil,
• the first sermon preached,
• the first church and
• the first schoolhouse
The preacher at that service, held under a ‘great tree’, beginning at 10 o’clock on 3 February 1788, a hot midsummer’s day, was the Rev Richard Johnson, Australia’s
• first minister,
• first educator,
• first carer for orphans,
• first carer for aboriginal children …”
Click here to open the PDF file of Dr. Piggin’s address in a new window.
Photos: Ramon Williams, Worldwide Photos.
TV code of practice poses danger to children
“The President of the NSW Council of Churches has voiced concern that proposed changes to the free-to-air TV code of practice would be harmful to children and would most likely lead to a significant increase in alcohol and gambling advertising during prime time family viewing.
Council President, the Reverend Dr Ross Clifford, said the changes to the code of practice would mean that violence, sexual content, and advertisements for alcohol, gambling and M-rated movies and DVDs would be screened during popular programs that children watched. …
The closing date for public comment is Friday 3 April 2015. To read the revised code in full and make a submission, go to http://www.freetv.com.au/content_common/pg-code-of-practice.seo.”
– Read the full media release here.
Google reveals Australians want to know who Jesus is
At Communicate Jesus, Steve Kryger has spotted something very interesting in the Google searches made by Australians in 2014.
How can your church use this information?
‘Don’t scratch NSW lottery moratorium’ — NSW Council of Churches
“The NSW Council of Churches has urged state politicians to extend a moratorium restricting the sale of lottery tickets to newsagents and convenience stores …”
A Media Release from the NSW Council of Churches.
Richard Johnson — the background
“In the summer of 1784, the Newtons took their orphaned niece Eliza to bathe at the seaside for her health.
John Thornton had invited Newton to accompany him to Lymington and the Isle of Wight. A stranger, Charles Etty, invited Newton to stay at his home near Lymington en route.
In December 1783, Richard Johnson had been licenced as curate to St John’s, Boldre, a village in the New Forest only 3 miles from Etty’s home.
It is conceivable that Newton and Johnson may have met there in the late summer of 1784. Certainly they subsequently knew the same group of friends in the Lymington area.
And it was only a few months later, on 25 March 1785, that Newton reported to William Bull:
“Yesterday I put Mr. Johnson in my pulpit,
(who I think gives us an earnest of a judicious good preacher).’…”
– Marylynn Rouse at The John Newton Project has been researching how John Newton came to know Richard Johnson and came to recommend him to be Chaplain on the First Fleet.
It’s a fascinating work-in-progress with more to come – read it here.
Related: St John’s Boldre is having “Australia Day Matins” on Sunday 1st February.
Photo courtesy Google Maps.
Thanksgiving Service for former SMBC Principal Arthur Deane
The Rev. Arthur Deane, former Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College 1965-1974, went to be with the Lord on Friday 2nd January 2015.
There’ll be a Thanksgiving Service at 2:30pm on Sunday 11th January at the college.
It’s not Rocket Science
Steven Kryger at Communicate Jesus makes a disturbing discovery…
“Over the last week, I’ve reviewed the websites of 100 Australian churches. These churches are located in every state and territory of Australia, and across denominations.
As I reviewed each website, I put myself in the place of someone who is thinking about going to church this Christmas. And the one question every visitor wants to know is this: “What time is the service?”
I was staggered to find that most churches don’t provide this information. In fact:
58% of these websites have no information about Christmas services…”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…