The Calvin @ 500 Conference
“The first day of the Calvin @ 5oo Conference at Moore has been a roaring success. It began with an audio interview between Colin Bale, Head of Church History at Moore, and Bruce Gordon, author of the new Calvin biography about which I have blogged previously…”
– Mark Thompson writes about the Calvin@500 Conference which was held at Moore College on Wednesday and Thursday.
Jesus. All About Life posters
The Bible Society has published online the Jesus. All About Life advertising now placed in bus shelters around NSW.
See them here. (3.2MB PDF file.)
High Noon in Fort Worth
Christian lawyer A S Haley, who blogs at Anglican Curmudgeon, spells out the steps taken by TEC against any diocese that attempts to leave. (h/t Anglican Mainstream.)
See also the Fort Worth website for the latest on the court case.
Be challenged: CMS Summer School 2010
CMS have released a 2 minute video clip to advertise January’s Summer School (Saturday 2nd – Friday 8th January 2010).
Mike Raiter, now Principal of the Bible College of Victoria, is the main speaker at Summer School 2010. As he says, Summer School can be a dangerous place.
Watch the video to find out why – at YouTube or Vimeo. (If you are a registered Vimeo user, you can also download the 9MB WMV file for use in church – or you can request a DVD from Matthew Moffitt at missioned@cms.org.au.)
Archbishop Nicholas Okoh elected Primate of Nigeria
Archbishop Nicholas Orogodo Okoh has been elected as the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). His election was announced after the Episcopal Synod held in Umuahia, Abia State on 15th September, 2009. The 56 year old Archbishop Okoh is currently the Archbishop of Bendel Province and Bishop of Asaba.
And from a GAFCON press release –
“Archbishop Dr Peter Jensen, general secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) welcomed the news. ‘Nicholas Okoh was present at the foundation of GAFCON and has played a leading part in the movement. Archbishop Okoh has made a significant contribution as the Chairman of the Theological Resource group. He is an able and committed Christian leader and we warmly welcome his appointment.’”
(Photo: Church of Nigeria.)
Which church should I join?
“I’ve gotten into several conversations with friends lately about which church they should join, or how they should advise their friends to evaluate a church…”
– Mark Dever passes on some wisdom from Richard Bewes.
Large TEC congregation considers leaving
“One of the largest congregations in The Episcopal Church, St. Andrew’s Church of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., may by December become one of the largest congregations to renounce its Episcopal ties. …
‘Since 2003 I have felt compromised by continued association with a denomination that I consider to be apostate,’ Fr. Wood told The Living Church.”
– report from The Living Church. (Image: St. Andrew’s website.)
Top Commentaries
“Over the course of several months, Keith Mathison [of Ligonier Ministries] put together a list of his top 5 commentaries for each book of the Bible…”
– Tim Challies compiled this index page.
Paul Helm at PTC
British philosopher and theologian Paul Helm is giving guest lectures at the Presbyterian Theological Centre in Burwood next week. (He’s also speaking at the Moore College Calvin@500 Conference.)
On Tuesday 15th September, 3:00pm – 5:00pm he’ll be speaking on aspects of the age of reason; the enlightenment ; and the appropriation by Luther and Calvin of 16th century philosophy.
Paul Helm is Professor in History and Philosophy at Kings College, University of London, and holds the J.I. Packer Chair in Theology and Philosophy, Regent College, Canada.
Details: PTC website. Location map.
Mark Thompson on Calvin@500
Academic Dean of Moore College, and ACL President, Dr Mark Thompson, exhorts you to come to the Calvin@500 Conference, 16-17 September 2009.
Brochure and registration info from Moore College (PDF – direct link).
Back to Church Sunday
While Anglican Churches in Sydney are involved in Connect09 and Jesus. All About Life, other Anglicans are also seeking to reach out. Nineteen Australian diocese are holding Back to Church Sunday next Sunday.
“On September 13th 2009 thousands of people across Australia will be inviting someone special back to church with them. People lose touch with church for all sorts of reasons but millions would come back with an invitation.”
See the Back to Church Sunday website for details. (See also, e.g., Canberra & Goulburn, Melbourne, Newcastle, Grafton.)
Restitution call puts Dr Adam in spotlight
“The Revd Dr Peter Adam exchanged the lecture room for the uncomfortable glare of the media spotlight last month with his suggestions for restitution that ought to be made to indigenous Australians for the wrongs done to them since European settlement, especially that non-Aboriginal people should leave Australia if asked by the original Australians. …
Reaction to Dr Adam’s speech was swift and, in many prominent quarters, negative. Broadcaster Neil Mitchell on 3AW said it was a reason no one should step inside a church again…”
– Anglican Media Melbourne reports on reactions to Dr Peter Adam’s John Saunders Lecture, ‘Australia – whose land?’.
New College Lectures 2009 this week
Bioethics And Future Hope: This year’s New College Lectures offer a Christian perspective on the impact of technology on contemporary medical practices.
John Wyatt, Professor of Ethics and Perinatology, University College London, will consider the bioethical issues faced every day as we make decisions about creating, preserving and protecting life.
“Our understanding of the future changes the way we think about our ethical responsibilities in the present. The lectures will outline three different conceptions of the future and their implications for bioethics. The secular perspective derived from the Enlightenment sees the future as a human construct, an artefact created by human ingenuity. In contrast, the neoplatonic future offers the hope of an escape from the material world into the timeless realm of the spirit. The biblical view of the future provides a third radical perspective. …”
The lectures are set for September 8, 9 and 10 and details are available in this PDF file from the New College website.
Gospel opportunities abound
The ‘viral’ phase of the Bible Society’s Jesus. All About Life campaign begins today (September 7), with the other phases to start soon.
See details of the planned TV advertising from Dan Willis on this YouTube video.
The Connect09 Inspiring People panel discussions begin next week (September 15). See this 60 second video from John Dickson, courtesy SydneyAnglicans.net.
And for resources to help you, see Evangelism Ministries and also others they recommend.
Colossians 4.2-6 is a good reminder of our privilege and responsibility.
UCA statement on Jews and Judaism
A ‘unconfirmed minute’ of a Statement from the Uniting Church of Australia’s 12th Triennial Assembly, held in July, has now been published as a PDF file on the UCA website.
While the statement rightly rejects anti-semitism, it does not call people to place their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, nor give any reason why they should need to.
Related: UCA Working Group on Christian – Jewish Relations – but also see, for example, Romans 10:1-17, Acts 4:1-12, John 14:6.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…