So you’ve been told you should read some Old Books…

“In this article I will offer some suggestions that cover various eras from the early church until the late twentieth century.

I should note that these recommendations will tend more toward literature that is devotional than scholarly or purely theological. And I should note as well that there is not a person in the world who will agree with every book I’ve included and every book I’ve excluded—and that is just fine because there is always a degree of subjectivity to these things.

And now, without further ado, here are some Christian classics to consider reading. …”

– Tim Challies points to some Christian books which have stood the test of time.

Synod Briefing Podcast

Hear this year’s ACL Synod Briefing Podcast.

ACL’s President Roger Cunningham, the ACL’s Chairman Robert Tong, as well as Nicola Warwick-Mayo and Phil Colgan guide us through some of the key issues coming up at Sydney Synod this month.

The Making Of The Western Mind — John Anderson speaks with Tom Holland

“John joins Tom Holland in his London home to discuss Christianity’s role in shaping Western civilisation.

Holland prompts us to reflect on the intricate moral web our society still upholds today and consider the intertwined history of the Western imagination and Christianity.”

– A fascinating interview.

Related:

Review: War on the West, by Douglas Murray – at John Anderson.net.au

Anglican Aid launches Emergency Flood Relief for Pakistan

From Anglican Aid in Sydney:

“Anglican Aid is working with local partners to provide relief to the people of Pakistan, as floods devastate the nation. Christians on the ground report that hundreds of people have been forced to set up temporary camps on roads and highways, which are typically raised off the ground. The price of tarps has skyrocketed. Anglican Aid is working with our existing long-term partners in the region, including One2Another in Multan, and the Diocese of Hyderabad, to provide much needed relief. 

For more information, or to give, go to anglicanaid.org.au/pakistan-flood-relief.”

Elegant Orthodoxy: The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion

“A new visitor to our parish recently told me, ‘I read your Thirty-nine Articles, and I was underwhelmed. It just seems like a basic Christian statement of faith.’

A basic Christian statement of faith. Exactly.

The Anglican Church’s Thirty-nine Articles of Religion aren’t comprehensive. They don’t answer every theological or ecclesiastical question a follower of Jesus might have. But there’s an elegance in the Articles’ brevity and simplicity that both roots us in the historic church and is timely today. …”

– At the Gospel Coalition, D. J. Marotta, Rector of Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond, Virginia, introduces the Thirty-nine Articles to a wider audience.

It’s Not About You: How Biblical Theology Transforms Bible Study

Nancy Guthrie spoke at Christ College in Sydney on 18 August 2022. Her topic? – “It’s Not About You: How Biblical Theology Transforms Bible Study”.

The college has now published the video.

After introductory matters and Nancy is interviewed, her address begins at 28’34”.

A very helpful and encouraging talk and well worth your time.

She encourages us not to take our understanding of Biblical Theology for granted, or to assume an understanding of it in our churches.

How do we make church accessible to all?

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“How can we as church leaders develop and implement plans to care for people affected by disability – so that they can hear the gospel clearly and engage in Christian fellowship.

What are the theological foundations for disability ministry?

How do we in our hearts/attitudes welcome or distance those with disability?

What language should we use?

How do we include people on the autism spectrum? What are the complexities welcoming people with mental health challenges?

Louise Gosbell is Principal of Mary Andrew’s College in Sydney and has worked with the Sydney Anglican Social Issues Committee to produce a set of guidelines to help churches.”

– Watch or listen – and download the guidelines – at The Pastor’s Heart.

Open Week + Open Night — 29 August – 2 September

Moore College Open Week is on:

Open Week (29 Aug – 2 Sept):

Come and visit our Newtown campus, experience an actual lecture and meet faculty and students. You will be greeted by a student who will give you a tour, introduce you to other students and take you to class. You can drop in for a day or part of any day during this week plus share in a morning tea and lunch.

Open Night (Monday, 29 Aug) – “Into the World” (includes live-stream option):

Open Night looks at how our graduates are prepared to take the gospel into the world. Speakers include Mark Thompson, Simon Gillham, Kara Hartley and Paul Grimmond. You will have an opportunity to have your questions answered in our Q & A session. Dinner and supper are provided.

– All the details you need – including links to RSVP – are on the College website.

Living as God’s woman in God’s world

“Some of the biggest questions you can ever ask yourself  as a human on this planet are: who am I? why am I here? what is my purpose?

We ask those questions because we are human, and we ask them as women. And how we answer them determines how we live our lives, how we see ourselves, how we relate to each other, how we treat each other, and above all, how we respond to God.

Let me begin with two affirmations:

1) that we were created for God, for God’s  glory – created to bring glory to God; and

2) that it is only as we live as God intended that we are truly free.

So the questions we need to ask ourselves are:

• what do we learn about who God is?
• what do we learn about ourselves, as humans and as women?
• what do we learn about how God wants us to live in His world? …”

– At Equal But Different, Lesley Ramsay has been posting on the theme of Living as God’s woman in God’s world –

Part 1 – Living as God’s woman in God’s world: Confusion.

Part 2 – Living as God’s woman in God’s world: Old Testament Clarity.

Part 3 – Living as God’s woman in God’s world: New Testament Clarity.

– with the promise of more to come!

She also recommends God’s Good Design 2nd Edition by Claire Smith (Matthias Media 2019).

‘Learn the Gospel’ book and videos

A new study book and videos from Matthias Media:

“Whether building a house or building a life, solid, square and true foundations are vital.

If you’re just starting out in the Christian life – or considering it – you want to get those foundations in place from the start. Even if you’ve been a Christian for a while, it’s important to occasionally check your foundations – they might have shifted or been attacked by white ants, or perhaps they weren’t laid quite as straight as you originally thought.

In this Learn Together book, we’ll thoroughly inspect our gospel foundations and make our understanding of that gospel sound and biblical.

Through reading, studying the Bible, watching some video input and discussing what we’re learning together, we’ll go deep into the gospel of Jesus Christ – understanding each of its parts, how they fit together, and what implications the gospel has for our lives.

This is Two Ways to Live grown into a study book for small groups and classes. Each of the six points are fleshed out with Bible study, discussion and video and text input.”

– The book is available from Matthias Media.

Plus you can watch or download the accompanying videos here.

Jesus Club Community opens disability-inclusive ministry for adults at Tamworth

Here’s a press release from Jesus Club Community:

Jesus Club Community, an evangelical Christian organisation, has partnered with Oxley Vale Anglican Church to open a new Bible-reading club for adults with intellectual disabilities (I.D.) in Tamworth, NSW.

Jesus Club Tamworth is in Oxley Vale, just minutes from Tamworth, with a population of over 63,000, of which 5.6% or around 3000 have some form of disability. The club is the region’s only ministry dedicated to sharing God’s good news to adults with I.D. in a meaningful way.

Simon and Margaret from Oxley Vale Anglican Church approached Jesus Club in March this year with this idea for their community. At the time, they had four people with disabilities in their congregation and they wanted to set up a dedicated Christian ministry for people with disabilities to have fun, form genuine friendships and learn the gospel in a way they could understand.

What attracted her to the Jesus Club program were its gospel-centred vision and extensive library of over 100+ Biblical-teaching resources for adults with I.D.

“I like that [Jesus Club] provide the [teaching] material… and that there are a number of programs written already, that include suggestions for songs, craft, and worksheets. We didn’t have to keep reinventing the wheel… It just makes running [a disability ministry] so much easier!” said Margaret.

The other big plus was Jesus Club’s newly developed online training program which helped their volunteers quickly train up in the ins and outs of disability ministry.

“We viewed the recommended videos over four or five sessions and read [the corresponding] parts of the orientation book… [Their training] is very comprehensive,” said Margaret.

So when Jesus Club Tamworth opened in May, the club’s volunteers felt thoroughly prepared, having trained in everything from the Jesus Club vision to information about different forms of intellectual disabilities, safe ministry and helpful practices for communicating and relating to adults with intellectual disabilities.

Their club now meets once a month, and the first report from volunteers was very encouraging:

“We were all very pleased about our first meeting. All aspects went without a hitch, with six members, six leaders, and one carer. The feedback from members was that they enjoyed the singing, the game, the dressing up and the video of the Great Banquet… Next meeting, we may have three potential new members!” said Margaret.

About Jesus Club:

Jesus Club’s purpose is to make Christ known to adults with I.D. so they can have a friendship with God forever. Since 2017, they have helped many churches grounded in the gospel to establish disability-inclusive ministries that share God’s good news with adults with I.D.

It now equips 20 churches to run the Jesus Club program and has a network that spans from Lower Mountains to Northern Beaches and Turramurra to Albury. Their new online training allows them to set up a Jesus Club anywhere in Australia.

Here’s their website.

CMS Summer School 2023 registration is now open

Registration for the NSW & ACT CMS Summer School 2023 at Katoomba is now open.

When The Noise Won’t Stop – Paul Grimmond

From Moore College:

“Do you or a fellow Christian suffer from Anxiety?

Author and Moore College Lecturer Paul Grimmond knows what it’s like.

His newest book ‘When The Noise Won’t Stop’ is packed full of research and Biblical wisdom that will help Christians who suffer from Anxiety – and those who care for them, including pastors.”

– An encouraging 3 minute video.

When The Noise Won’t Stop is available from Matthias Media.

See also this interview with Paul on The Pastor’s Heart (28 June 2022).

Temptations preachers face to give up on the Bible

“Preachers are not special. Every Christian faces temptations to sin. Preachers face the same temptations as every Christian. Like any of us, preachers are ruined through financial greed, sexual immorality, or alcohol abuse. However, there are some specific temptations preachers face concerning giving up on the Bible. …”

– In its series on preaching, The Australian Church Record has this very helpful article by Phillip Jensen.

Mark as the Backstory to the Gospel: Mark 1:1 as a Key to Mark’s Gospel

“In this article I argue that Mark 1:1, while not a purpose statement for the book, is a title and similarly helps us to correctly orientate ourselves to the Gospel. There is a growing consensus in commentaries on Mark for this reading, and I will show why there are good reasons for adopting it. I also want to explore some of the implications of understanding 1:1 this way. …”

– In the latest issue of Themelios (Vol 47, No 2), Moore College’s Peter Orr looks at what the opening of Mark’s Gospel tells us about why it was written.

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