2025 Summer Reading Guide

From SydneyAnglicans.net –

“Sunshine, salty air and waves crashing – we’re diving into summer! Here’s a list of books we’ve reviewed over the past year you could read on those lazy days by the water (or hot afternoons hiding inside with air conditioning!). …”

– See the reading guide here.

Reflections on Preaching at a funeral

“In 2024 I attended some evangelical Christian funeral services; an unevangelical Christian funeral service; a Greek Orthodox funeral service; a secular funeral service.

There is no doubt that the blessings of our faith are most obvious at our funeral services.

In a previous blog I have written about planning for one’s own funeral, but now I want to address the subject of the funeral sermon. …”

– Here’s some help and encouragement from David Cook at The Expository Preaching Trust.

(Photo: Funeral procession in Queen Street, Chippendale, late 19th Century.)

The Lost Coin

“In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a woman who has lost a coin and sweeps her entire house looking for it. It’s clearly not a large coin. It’s clearly not laying in the middle of the floor. It’s probably a smaller coin – somewhere in a corner.

Reflecting on that lost coin, I am left wondering about the lost souls in the world today. Particularly those whom none of us are trying to reach. …”

– 9Marks has republished this article by Mark Dever which encourages us to think about how we might reach those in minority language groups.

A very useful resource – the 5Fish app – from Global Recordings Network.

After 150 years of Christian compassion Leprosy is nearly defeated

“In November, people from nearly thirty countries gathered in New Delhi for the 150th anniversary of The Leprosy Mission. they thanked God for amazing progress in treating the disease and committed to strive for a world without leprosy by 2035. A world without leprosy is within sight. With improved preventative medication, diagnostic tests, and even vaccines, the tools and knowledge needed to end leprosy are in our grasp.

‘It was a marvellous time of celebrating the progress we’ve made, but also longing to finish the job,’ said Greg Clarke, the CEO of The Leprosy Mission Australia (TLMA).…”

– This article by Anne Lim at The Gospel Coalition Australia is a great encouragement. It’s also a reminder of the key work of Australian doctors such as Grace Warren.

Photo: Dr Grace Warren meeting Diana, Princess of Wales, Anandaban Hospital, Nepal, 1993. From Leprosy Mission Australia.

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.

A Primer on Roman Catholic Apologetics Targeting Evangelicals

“In the late 19th century, liberal theology predicted the end of apologetics as the child of an entrenched, defensive, and doctrinaire faith. It was wrong. Apologetics is alive and well, especially on the web, where initiatives aimed at comparing different interpretations of the gospel (e.g. Roman Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical) flourish.

It can be said that YouTube has become the encyclopedia where one can find apologetic comparisons and confrontations of all kinds. The field that is emerging as a growing reality is that of Roman Catholic apologetics, especially targeting evangelicals. This seems to be primarily a North American phenomenon where religious discourse has always been characterized by religious pluralism, strong passions associated with religion, and multiple changes of religious affiliation in people’s lives.

Traditionally, American evangelicals have been proactive in evangelizing Catholics with a specific intentionality. The result is that so many American evangelicals were born Catholic and became evangelicals later in life, thanks to Billy Graham’s campaigns and the many parachurch initiatives dedicated to evangelism in universities, for example.

This is no longer the case. …”

– At Vatican Files, Leonardo De Chirico alerts evangelical Christians of something relatively new.

Same words. Different worlds. Reaching Roman Catholics. – On the Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Leonardo De Chirico and Rachel Ciano on understanding our Roman Catholic friends and sharing the saving news of Jesus with them.

Image: Leonardo De Chirico spoke at the NSW & ACT CMS Summer School in January 2023.

An Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity

From Mark Powell at AP, the Australian Presbyterian national journal:

“Glenn Davies, the current bishop for the Diocese of the Southern Cross and former Archbishop of Sydney, discusses why he helped to produce an Australian creed for sexual integrity.

This document seeks to faithfully uphold the teaching of the Bible and provide a positive vision for human flourishing.”

– Learn about the Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity, and watch Mark Powell’s interview with Bishop Glenn Davies.

See The Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity.

Also mentioned:

The Alliance.

Diocese of The Southern Cross.

Presbyterians extend hand of fellowship to Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross – August 2022.

2025 Summer Prayer Diary

Tara Sing at SydneyAnglicans.net has produced a very helpful resource:

“It’s summertime and we’re getting out into the sunshine, sharing the good news of the gospel and diving deep in understanding the word of God.

With the weeks packed with camps, conferences and missions, we’ve put together an eight-day prayer diary featuring some of the great kingdom initiatives that we can bring before the Lord. …”

– Find it here.

The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels

From The Gospel Coalition, part 2 in a series of 14 talks from Don Carson about the message of the Bible:

“In this lecture, Don Carson examines Genesis 3, focusing on the Serpent’s deceit and humanity’s rebellion, which leads to shame, guilt, and broken fellowship with God.

He discusses the curses placed on Satan, Adam, and Eve, highlighting the introduction of sin and the long-term effects on creation. Carson emphasizes the need for reconciliation with God, pointing to the promise of redemption through Jesus. …”

– Listen (or read the transcript) here.

Photo: Don Carson speaking at The Next Level conference in Sydney in 2016.

I was adopted twice

“I always knew I was adopted. Growing up, my parents were open about it – they had fostered children before adopting my sister and me.

On my shelf, I kept a book titled You Are Adopted. Whenever I had questions about my identity, I would pull it off the shelf and read it, trying to make sense of my place in the world. I remember many tearful moments with my Mum and Dad, asking, ‘Why didn’t my birth parents want me? Who am I? Where do I fit in?’ …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Matt Redmond speaks of his own experience, and a book (The Forgetful Prince) he hopes will help children and adults to understand the most wonderful adoption of all.

Photo: SydneyAnglicans.net.

Why did Saul change his name to Paul? — Tyndale House Podcast

A podcast from Tyndale House in Cambridge:

“Steve Walton and Tony Watkins discuss why Saul changed to Paul in the book of Acts.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul is referred to as Saul up until chapter 13, where he begins to be referred to as Paul. Steve explains how names worked in the Roman world to shed light on this name change. He also shares about some of the research he has done in the book of Acts over several years.”

– If you are reading the Book of Acts, you’ll find this most interesting. 29 minutes on YouTube.

Taking his own medicine

“Friends in Christ, Christmas Eve is the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin at about 10pm, December 24, 1974. …

Boxing Day is the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which hit on 26 December, 2004 … It is the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century so far. …”

– Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant reflects in the Cathedral newsletter.

Image: USGS Preliminary Earthquake Report, 26 December 2004.

New edition of “The Link” from Armidale — Dec 2024-Jan 2025

The latest issue of Armidale Diocese’s magazine The Link is now available for download form their website.

On the cover is the Rev. Julie Cook, just announced as the new Diocesan Deacon for Women.

Download your copy here (PDF file) – and do pray for the continued ministry of the gospel in the Diocese of Armidale.

Church Society announces Digital Subscriptions to The Global Anglican

From Church Society:

“We are delighted to announce that our theological journal, The Global Anglican, is now available to purchase in both print and digital subscriptions.

While print journals continue to have an important place in libraries, archives and personal collections, for many people, a digital format saves space, money and delays due to international posting. Individual issues of The Global Anglican are made available in digital format some years after their initial publication, but now we have the facility to provide this as an annual subscription for the current content. …”

– Perhaps the last-minute Christmas gift you’ve been hoping for.

(As you may be aware, The Global Anglican is edited by Peter Jensen.)