Richard Johnson’s Address to the Inhabitants of New South Wales

 

This Australia Day, give thanks for the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet and first Chaplain to the Colony of New South Wales.

In 1792, Johnson wrote a tract designed to be distributed widely in the Colony. He gives his reasons for doing so:

“My Beloved,

I do not think it necessary to make an apology for putting this Address into your hands; or to enter into a long detail of the reasons which induced me to write it.

One reason may suffice. I find I cannot express my regard for you, so often, or so fully, as I wish, in any other way.

On our first arrival in this distant part of the world, and for some time afterwards, our numbers were comparatively small; and while they resided nearly upon one spot, I could not only preach to them on the Lord’s day, but also converse with them, and admonish them, more privately.

But since that period, we have gradually increased in number every year (notwithstanding the great mortality we have sometimes known) by the multitudes that have been sent hither after us. The colony already begins to spread, and will probably spread more and more every year, both by new settlements formed in different places under the crown, and by a number of individuals continually becoming settlers. Thus the extent of what I call my parish, and consequently of my parochial duty, is enlarging daily. On the other hand, my health is not so good, nor my constitution so strong, as formerly. And therefore I feel it impracticable, and impossible for me, either to preach, or to converse with you so freely, as my inclination and affection would prompt me to do.

I have therefore thought it might be proper for me, and I hope it may prove useful to you, to write such an address as I now present you with…”

Johnson’s warm pastoral tone, and his urgent call to trust Christ and to turn from sin, are clearly evident in this Address.

Download An Address to The Inhabitants of The Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island as a PDF file here.

(Photo: Richard Johnson’s Address – copy held by Moore College.)

How one Indigenous pastor is preparing for Australia Day

“As we approach another Australia Day, I pause to reflect on the blessings we enjoy as Australians, the challenges of our shared history, and the call to reconciliation. Above all, we give thanks to Almighty God, the giver of every good gift, for his provision and care for our nation. …”

– The Rev Neville Naden calls us to “turn our hearts to God in gratitude and commit to” thankfulness, reflection, and action. At SydneyAnglicans.net.

Photo: The Rev Neville Naden – with thanks to the Bush Church Aid Society.

Are the Church of England’s bishops running scared from gay wedding celebrations?

“Are the Church of England’s bishops running scared from the problems caused by the prospect of gay wedding celebrations in parish churches across the country?

That would appear to be the political reality behind the House of Bishops’ decision at its meeting on January 20 to delay the introduction of stand-alone services of same-sex blessing. …

What has changed since that gung-ho General Synod vote in February 2023 when 34 bishops voted for the introduction of services of same-sex blessing, called Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF), with only four voting against and two abstaining?”

– At Christian Today, Julian Mann surmises what might be behind the delay in going ahead with same sex weddings in the Church of England.

‘Religious groups split on changes to hate-speech laws’

“A proposal to criminalise hate speech in NSW has split religious organisations, with Australia’s peak Jewish body welcoming it as long overdue, but the Anglican and Catholic churches warning it could have unintended consequences of criminalising expressions of doctrine. …

Michael Stead, the Anglican Bishop of South Sydney, said his church was ‘deeply outraged and appalled’ by the spate of attacks against the Jewish community, but cautioned against the ‘unintended consequences‘ of such a law.”

– Report from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Image of Bishop Michael Stead courtesy of The Pastor’s Heart.

Nominating the next Archbishop of Canterbury

“Dear members of the General Synod,

As you will expect, the process for the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury is underway and I wanted to write to share the outline framework of the emerging plans surrounding this. It is a significant responsibility, and all those involved are committed to ensuring this important process is carried out with the utmost integrity and care. …”

– Stephen Knott, The Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments, has written to members of the Church of England’s General Synod to outline the process of nominating the next Archbishop of Canterbury. From the Church of England website.

Bishop of Chelmsford front-runner for Archbishop of Canterbury after Dover rules herself out

“Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Iranian-born Bishop of Chelmsford, is now emerging as the front-runner to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury after the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, ruled herself out in a television interview last week. …”

– Julian Mann writes at Anglican Mainstream.

Photo from the Diocese of Chelmsford, where you can also read the Christmas 2024 sermon from Bishop Francis-Dehqani:

“we must be willing to see through the eyes of the child who was born in that stable, whose mother had sung of the proud being scattered, the mighty being cast down and the lowly lifted high, and who grew into the man who eschewed worldly power and success not only by siding with those who are victims of poverty, exploitation and abuse but by first becoming a victim himself through death on the cross, experiencing every kind of injustice and horror. Seeing through his eyes means seeing through the eyes of victims, those who are powerless and marginalised, strangers, outsiders, and yes, those who have experienced abuse at the hands of the church.…”

Does the ideal Archbishop of Canterbury exist in the current Church of England?

“A letter in the Church Times from a frontline parish minister deserves to be at the top of the agenda for the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) as it decides who should be the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Rev James Dudley-Smith’s list of personal and spiritual qualifications for the ideal candidate in the January 10 edition of the paper are worth citing in full …

James serves as Rector of St John’s Church in Yeovil, Somerset, and is the son of the celebrated evangelical hymn writer, Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926-2024), a former Bishop of Thetford in Norfolk.”

– Julian Mann writes at Christian Today.

Lord for the Years: A tribute to Timothy Dudley-Smith

BBC Radio 4 last week aired an edition of “Sunday Worship” with a tribute to Timothy Dudley-Smith.

It’s available on their website for a limited time.

(Image from a 2020 message from Bishop Dudley-Smith to the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Indigenous Australians and the Christian Gospel – with Michael Duckett

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“As we approach ‘Aboriginal Sunday’ (19 January) we focus on the progress of the gospel among the indigenous in Australia.

What are the cultural changes and what openness to Jesus Christ among Indigenous Australians?

Where are we seeing growth? What are the roadblocks and opportunities for the growth of the gospel among the indigenous communities? How much has to do with the soil.  How much has to do with things that we can change?

Michael Duckett leads the Anglican Indigenous Ministry at Macarthur/Campbelltown in the far south west of Sydney and Chairs the Sydney Anglican Indigenous Ministry Committee.”

– Watch or listen here. Food for your prayers!

Related:

William Cooper – Wikipedia article.

Australian College of Theology to become the Australian University of Theology

“The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is pleased that it has been registered as an Australian University by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). As a result, the ACT is changing its name to become the Australian University of Theology (AUT). The University has a specialised focus in the field of religious studies. The ACT was previously registered as a University College.

ACT Board Chair, the Reverend Dr Roger Lewis, explains, ‘A basic principle of what distinguishes an Australian University from other higher education institutions is that it undertakes research at world standard. We are delighted that ACT has been recognised for its world standard research in theology.’…”

– The latest developments in Australian theological education.

See also:

TEQSA registers Australian College of Theology as an Australian University.

Justin Welby: a professional obituary

“Monday 6 January marked the last working day of Justin Welby as Archbishop Canterbury.

His resignation was forced on him after his failure to act competently in the oversight of a devastating sexual abuse scandal. But it would be unfair to take that single act of incompetence and use it as a lens to judge his entire performance as Archbishop. Tragic though the end of his tenure was, we need to look at the other elements of the way he held office in order to assess it fairly. …”

– Gavin Ashenden – former Anglo-Catholic bishop and now member of the Roman Catholic Church – shares his personal evaluation of Justin Welby’s tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury. At Christian Today.

Photo: Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.

GSFA New Year 2025 Devotional

“In 2025, we are reminded to focus on Jesus the Truth and life. Hebrews 12:2.

Each year comes with its own challenges, but once we trust God these challenges turn into opportunities for the gospel of Christ. My prayer to you all is that; Emmanuel God with us will challenge  every challenges that may encounter us as a GSFA family, particularly preaching and teaching biblical truth. …”

– Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba, Archbishop of the Province of the Church of Uganda, shares a New Year devotional from the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches.

The new Federal privacy tort and religious freedom

Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia alerts churches to a possible legal complication:

“In the closing Parliamentary days of 2024, the Australian Federal Parliament created a new statutory privacy tort action, which may have a significant impact on churches and other religious groups. In the context of a possible disciplinary action against someone who has behaved contrary to the principles of a religious group to which they belong, it may be necessary to inform other members of the group about the person’s behaviour. In doing so the group will be in danger of breaching a right of privacy set up by the new law. The tort action (which will probably come into operation on 11 June 2025) seems to cut across important rights of religious freedom, and the exemptions under the law do not take this into account.

In this post I aim to outline some aspects of the operation of the new law, and recommend that before it commences Parliament provide specific recognition of religious freedom as an exemption to the availability of the action. …”

– Read his full post here.

Image: Associate Professor Neil Foster speaking at a Diocese of Sydney Safe Ministry conference.

Former Archbishop and his Driver freed in Nigeria

“Nigerian media report that former Archbishop Godwin Okpala and his driver have been released from captivity. The two men had disappeared December 6 as Okpala, former Archbishop of the Niger Province, was en route to a funeral.

No report made clear whether the church paid a ransom for the two men, or who had kidnapped them, though there are frequent tensions between Anglicans and radical Islamists in Nigeria. …”

– There have been many reports of kidnappings in Nigeria in recent weeks – The Living Church has this report on the highest profile example.

GSFA Chairman’s Christmas Message and Year-end Review

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.
Isaiah 9:6-7a.

My dear brothers and sisters,

At Christmas we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise. The long-awaited Messiah has come and where he is present the curse of sin is broken and the reign of God breaks in. Isaiah prophecies that ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ and while we shall not see its fulness until he returns in glory, wherever Christ is proclaimed faithfully we see the blessings of his kingdom. Men, women and children of every nation are born again to a living hope, sin and evil lose their power, and relationships are restored. …”

– Archbishop Dr Justin Badi, Chairman of the GSFA Steering Committee, shares this message and review.

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