Birth certificate alteration for a married person?

“A recent decision of the United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled that the Australian government is in breach of its human rights obligations, by not providing for a person who has “transitioned” from male to female, to have their birth certificate amended. The reason that this request has been refused is that the person, “G”, was married to a woman, and NSW law does not allow the birth certificate of a married person to be amended.

In my view this provision of NSW law is perfectly sensible (given that Australia does not recognise same sex marriage), and I have to say that I think the UNHRC has got this wrong. …”

– Read why at Law & Religion Australia.

Six of the earliest known tunes for Amazing Grace

“People often wonder what tune Amazing Grace was first sung to.

It was not written to any particular tune, but being in the Common Metre there would have been a wide choice of suitable tunes in use at the time.

Today the most familiar tune for the hymn is New Britain, which wasn’t matched to Amazing Grace until 1829, twenty-two years after John Newton’s death.

Amazing Grace was first published in 1779 in a hymnbook by Newton and Cowper called the Olney Hymns. It also appeared soon afterwards in a A Select Collection of Hymns compiled by the Countess of Huntingdon. Then in 1787, exactly 10 years after its first publication, and while Newton was the rector of St Mary Woolnoth in the heart of the city of London, Amazing Grace appeared in a Moravian hymn book called A Collection of Hymns for the use of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren. Above the hymn is the code ‘T14’, which stands for ‘Tune 14’. So what was Tune 14?…”

– Marylynn Rouse at The John Newton Project shares some resources:

“Following our recent event in Blackfriars, London, we’re delighted to be able to share a recording of 6 of the earliest tunes for Amazing Grace, sung by the English Chamber Choir, together with the musical score from their director Guy Protheroe and background notes to the tunes and the verses from the JNP. This will make a short concert, or can be spread over several Sundays or lunch-hours.”

Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation

“At the 2017 Church Society Conference, Revd Dr Peter Adam outlined Thomas Cranmer’s strategy for evangelising the nation, which could be summed up in one word: Bible.”

– from Church Society, which has posted the audio files from its 2017 Conference, held last month.

Dr. Adam’s very enlightening and highly encouraging talks can be heard here –

Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation – Part 1.

Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation – Part 2.

Also from the Conference:

Reformation Epistemology – Dr Kirsty Birkett.

Martin Luther and the Freedom of the Christian – Dr Lee Gatiss.

You might have missed — June 2017

Here are some posts you might have missed from the last few weeks –

The Crisis of ’77 by Bob Thomas. (About the continuing Presbyterian Church. Today is the 40th anniversary of ‘Church Union’.)

Forty-forty vision – Presbyterian Moderator-General reflects on 40 years of ‘continuing’.

Review of Faith in a Time of Crisis – a new book from Vaughan Roberts and Peter Jensen.

Craig Roberts to be new Youthworks CEO.

Report on the ACL’s 2017 AGM.

Canon Andy Lines to be ACNA Missionary Bishop.

Bishop Richard Condie to Tasmanian Anglicans: We need to change!

Albert Mohler speaks with John Anderson

In his latest ‘Thinking in Public’ series of conversations, Albert Mohler speaks with former Australian Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson (mp3 audio).

Well worth hearing.

 

What it means to be a disciple

Tony Payne, co-author of The Vine Project, explains what it means to be a disciple and what it therefore means to make disciples – in this video posted at GoThereFor.com.

Good News that is also True News

“Gospel means ‘good news’ because its message is that Jesus the Son of God has saved us from the penalty of our sin and blessed us with his life-changing Spirit.

This ‘good news’ is no less true news’ – true historically. If the gospel is not historically true, then its message is not ‘good’, but ‘bad’, misleading and a cruel mockery.

But the ‘good news’ is no less ‘true news’. …”

– Dr. Paul Barnett has made available the text of his talk, delivered at the Anglican Connection Conference in Dallas, June 12-14, 2017.

Head to Head about 1 Corinthians 11:3-16

“Chapter 11 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians … deals with what women wear on their heads. And to most of us, the issues he raises seem as foreign to us as hats at royal funerals and the experience of young Muslim women. Culturally, it is a world away.

So what do we make of 1 Corinthians 11 in this day and age? Is there anything in it for us as modern Christian women and men?”

– There’s been some unhelpful fuss lately about 1 Corinthians 11. Confused? To bring clarity, The Gospel Coalition Australia recently published this article by Dr. Claire Smith.

And, back in 2010, Kevin DeYoung wrote Why Complemegalitarian Doesn’t Work – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

My favourite Reformer is John Calvin

“Having been an active member of the Roman Catholic Church for 28 years, only leaving it 4 years before I started studying at Moore, reading Calvin’s Institutes was for me like discovering the Protestant play book for Catholic Evangelism!

Most of the arguments and answers to the questions and challenges I would put to my Protestant friends as a Catholic, I discovered when I started reading Calvin, actually came from him. …”

– The Rev. Mark Gilbert points out that Calvin’s insights are very useful in sharing the gospel with our Catholic friends.

Protection of Religious Freedom through Discrimination Balancing Clauses

Associate Professor Neil Foster presented a paper with the above title at today’s Freedom 17 Conference in Canberra.

He has made it available via his blog.

More reasons to tell your Jewish friends about Jesus

“I’m a Jewish follower of Jesus, and I came to faith one day when my uncle plainly set forth the gospel (using Two Ways To Live) as we sat at the table in his kitchen.

My testimony may give people encouragement to proclaim the good news to their Jewish friends and neighbours, but the Scriptures give far more …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Ben Pakula shares encouragement.

Queen’s Birthday Afternoon Conference 2017, Monday 12th June

Phillip Jensen and Al Stewart are speaking at the Two Ways Ministries’ Queen’s Birthday Conference on Monday. Read more

Faith in a Time of Crisis – Standing for Truth in a Changing World – Review

“The book could not have come at a more vital time. The Scottish Episcopal Church has just agreed to perform same sex weddings. It is only a matter of time before the Church of England follows, as it has historically done on other issues.” 

Read more

Charlie Skrine on teaching the Book of Micah

From St. Helen’s in London:

“What is the mark of the Spirit-filled preacher?

How much time should preachers spend on Micah’s particular situation? What is it about the false prophets that makes for such compelling contemporary parallels when preached correctly? Where can we go with our application?

Who is God? What is he like? How would your friends describe the God you believe in and preach? Is he a god angry with sin? Does he forgive bad people?

Charlie Skrine raises these questions in this month’s Preaching Matters, from the book of Micah.”

– Watch here.

Broaden your evangelism repertoire

“I am a great fan of evangelistic courses, and help run Christianity Explained each term at our church.

However, many of the popular evangelistic courses such as Christianity Explained, Simply Christianity, Alpha and Christianity Explored were written 15 to 30 years ago. They perhaps assume a slightly different world to the one we’re in now. …

In the last year or so, some new evangelistic courses and resources have come across my radar. …”

– At GoThereFor.com, Stephen Liggins reminds us that there are a number of excellent evangelistic courses available these days.

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