Senator encourages involvement in Solidarity Sunday
Senator David Fawcett spoke yesterday about the persecution of religious minorities, particularly Christians, under ISIL, and informed the Senate of Solidarity Sunday. (YouTube.)
Pray for Christians who are ‘living in Babylon’ this weekend
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, calls for prayer for persecuted Christians on the Barnabas Fund Day of Prayer, this Saturday, November 1st:
“The fires of anti-Christian persecution rage on around the world. Through most of the Middle East, and in large parts of Africa and Asia, our brothers and sisters continue to suffer discrimination, ill-treatment and violence because of their love for Christ. Research has estimated that around 200 million Christians – about 10% of the total number – are disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their faith…”
See also www.livinginbabylon.org
And the Australian Christian Lobby is calling for churches to stand in prayer with their persecuted brothers and sisters on November 2nd – Solidarity Sunday.
The heavens declare
Beautiful images of the Earth, as seen from just beyond the Moon, taken by China’s unmanned lunar mission.
The State of Theology
Ligonier Ministries surveyed 3,000 US adults about what they believe.
While the Australian context is not quite the same, it’s worth taking the time to look at the results and hearing R C Sproul discuss them.
Defence Sunday 2014
Anglican Chaplains to Australian Defence Force would appreciate your prayers – and “Defence Sunday” (November 9th, the Sunday closest Remembrance Day) would be a good time to focus on them and those to whom they minister.
Various resources are available via the Defence Anglicans website, including Remembrance Day Prayers, Bible Readings, and Resources. with audio files of the Last Post and other music.
George Whitefield College newsletter
George Whitefield College’s latest newsletter (November 2014) has just been released.
You can download it as a 2MB PDF file.
Preaching 2 Samuel – The Possibilities and The Difficulties
Past Principal of Moore College, John Woodhouse, is leading a workshop to help improve your preaching.
At Moore College on Wednesday 26th November. Details and registration here.
Dr. Ashley Null on Cranmer — article reprint
In September 2001, ACL News spoke with Dr. Ashley Null while he was visiting Moore College. The interview was mentioned in the October 2014 issue of The Australian Church Record. Here is that interview if you’d like to read it…
“Most people don’t realise that the first liturgical change Cranmer made was to insist on good solid biblical preaching in every Sunday church service.
To ensure that, he and others gathered together a set of Homilies that were to be read in course throughout the year. The first six of these sermons explain how one comes to a biblical understanding of having Jesus Christ as your Saviour by faith alone – and the gratitude that one receives from knowing God has saved you, even though you are not able to make yourself worthy of salvation.”
– Read the interview here – in our Resources section.
Australian Church Record — October 2014
The latest issue of The Australian Church Record, Number 1914, October 2014, is now out on their website (just in time for Sydney Synod). Here are some excerpts:
From ‘Faith Under Attack‘
“So Protestants should be alarmed at recent trends in scholarship presenting fine-sounding arguments for faith + something else. And Anglicans need to be alarmed at even small additions to their liturgy that confuse those praying it in this same direction.”
From ‘Faith Alone v. Faith at work‘
“The tendency of the human heart to want to boast in its own achievements is all too prevalent. But there is nothing that we do to merit our justification before God. Like our forebears, contemporary Protestantism must continue to work carefully and clearly in defining the place of faith.”
Does God really want you to be rich?
“We’ve all heard the phrase ‘worshipping the almighty dollar’. But there are some people who take the phrase literally. To them, the almighty, as in God, is the key to wealth and riches. Serve him well and material wealth will be the reward.
This philosophy is the cornerstone of an American movement called ‘prosperity theology’, and one man who preaches its message to his Australian flock is Hillsong Church leader Brian Houston…”
– in The Australian, Anthony Sharwood links to an excellent video by John Piper (pictured). You may have seen it before – watch it again.
Sitting at Jesus’ feet — Preaching Matters
In the latest Preaching Matters video from St Helen’s Bishopsgate, William Taylor emphasises the importance of ‘sitting at Jesus’ feet’. Watch it here.
Gerald Bray interviewed at Moore College
During his recent visit to Moore College, Professor Gerald Bray was interviewed and three clips are available:
1. On theological education,
2. On Moore College, and
3. Why Study at Moore?
Owen Shelley’s Autobiography and How to Tell Bible Stories
Here’s a note from Shelley and Son…
“Earlier this year Owen got very excited about a new project. He wanted to write a simple guide that would help people involved in Children’s Ministry to tell Bible Stories in a relevant and interesting way. His life’s pursuit had been to present the gospel to children through stories and hence he had very clear and well thought out ideas and strategies of how to present a clear message that would also engage the children. Read more
Mike Horton on Moore
It’s easy to take a place like Moore College for granted.
While he was in Sydney for the Annual Lectures, Mike Horton (Westminster Seminary California) spoke about the role of Moore.
Among other things, Mike gives this advice –
“If God is calling you to ministry, start at Moore – don’t end up at some point down the line – Why not get right at it?” Take a few minutes to watch the videos:
1. On the challenges facing the church and why people should study at Moore.
2. On Moore and the need for theological education.
3. Mike is asked about his ministry.
Thinking about Moore College for 2015?
Moore College would like you to think about studying next year.
Undergraduate? Postgraduate? Distance learning? See what the college has to offer and apply by November 30 to avoid extra admin fees. Details here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…