John Chapman on What’s really important
Posted on July 18, 2023
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John Chapman wrote this article for ACL News in 2001. While set in that particular moment in time, and directed initially to ACL members, these words speak to us all today —
“There never was a time when gospelling was more important. Freedom of speech and freedom to assemble, unknown in many countries of the world, we take for granted. Do not assume that this will last. It is a great privilege and carries with it a great responsibility.”
With the Gospel, there is never time to relax.
I have just returned from the funeral of a friend who was also a clergyman. He is, in every way, Mr. Valiant-for-Truth. He preached with clarity and passion about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He urged people to ‘turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the coming wrath’.
He could be trusted to do this whenever you heard him. However, he also worked hard for the defence of that gospel. He was determined that he would take whatever steps were necessary to see that the gospel was available when another generation came along.
As I thought about his life and witness, I thought about the ACL. Its members are dedicated to see that, to the best of their ability, the gospel will be known and passed on to generations yet to come.
Much of the League’s work could be described as ‘behind the scenes’ work. They help us by finding committed Christians, who know and understand the gospel, to serve on the many councils and committees which comprise the working groups in our Diocesan life.
Have you ever noticed, as you have read the messages which the Glorified Christ gives to the Seven Churches in the Revelation, that by the close of the Apostolic Age many of them have lost or forgotten the gospel message? Some are on the brink of extinction. Some are warned by the Risen Christ that if they do not repent they will be abandoned by Him! It is an easy thing to ‘let the gospel slip through our fingers’.
We are in a period of change. Peter Jensen has become our Archbishop. The ACL has a new President, Zac Veron. This is a time to recommit ourselves to the preaching and preservation of the gospel.
From a denominational point of view we may be happy and have a feeling that ‘all is well’. However it is to the world around us that we need to look.
We need, as never before, to be trying with every means at our disposal to get the gospel out to our city and country. At a time when God has brought the nations to us, our opportunities seem limitless.
There never was a time when gospelling was more important. Freedom of speech and freedom to assemble, unknown in many countries of the world, we take for granted. Do not assume that this will last. It is a great privilege and carries with it a great responsibility.
Nothing matters more than that a person should come to know Christ!
– John C Chapman.
Published in ACL News, October–November 2001.
John Chapman, 1930-2012, was one of Australia’s best-known and loved evangelists.
He was also a long-serving member of the ACL’s Council.
Top photo courtesy of Matthias Media.
Confirmed: The C of E’s Net Zero mania
Posted on July 18, 2023
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“Confirmation services in the Church of England are about to become politicised after the General Synod voted to include a liturgical response to ‘the climate emergency’.
The July sessions in York saw the bitter divisions in the C of E laid bare, particularly over sexual morality and in the row over the sacking by the Archbishops’ Council of two members of the Church’s Independent Safeguarding Board. It was on the last morning of the five-day hate-in that the Synod voted overwhelmingly for the ‘Responding to the Climate Emergency’ motion moved by the suffragan Bishop of Reading, Olivia Graham, on behalf of Oxford Diocese. …”
– Opinion-piece by Julian Mann at The Conservative Woman.
Direct link to the end of the debate on video.
“John Chapman led a diocese to go evangelical, and outrage lingers still”
Posted on July 17, 2023
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“The Anglicans of Armidale elected an evangelical bishop in 1964, a move led by John Chapman, best known as Sydney Anglican’s evangelist.
The Professor of History at the University of New England, Thomas Fudge, gave a public lecture on the evangelical takeover of the diocese – making his disapproval plain by wearing a Cope, an ecclesiastical garment disapproved of by many evangelicals. …”
– John Sandeman reports on unhappiness which still lingers.
It’s true that not everyone loved John Chapman, but many many thousands did, and praise God for him and his clear preaching of Christ.
Related:
Chappo’s contribution to the Anglican Diocese of Armidale – Tim Stevens.
“Through God working through the diligence of a humble Christian man called John Chapman, many people in the Diocese of Armidale came to know the Lord.”
Phillip Jensen on Chappo, March 2013. – The Briefing, Matthias Media.
The preaching of John Chapman – Simon Manchester, The Briefing.
John Chapman – a personal reflection from Mark Thompson.
John Charles Chapman (Chappo) – by David Cook.
Dick Lucas gives thanks for Chappo.
In the 1990s, John Chapman wrote this about the need for groups like the Anglican Church League:
“It has been interesting to me to see how the churches in the New Testament, who were founded by the apostles, so soon fell into such error that the apostles say that they have lost the gospel itself (see 2 Corinthians 11:4).
There is in the Pastoral epistles a strong call to guard and preserve the gospel. The ACL was founded and exists to do that. The way they seek to do it is to help us by finding people who are committed to this cause who will serve us on the committees and boards of the various agencies of this vast Diocese.
I have been a member of ACL for more than 30 years and commend its activities.”
Photo: Chappo, probably when he was Armidale Youth Director – apparently taken during a mission at the University of New England, early 1960s.
How we got the Bible: The story of Scripture
Posted on July 17, 2023
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“Countless lives have been changed by the preaching of the word of God. Since human beings tend to look at the outside and not at the inside, we often attribute the power of this transformative teaching to the preacher. We all know on reflection, though, that the real power does not rest in humans but in God’s word itself.
Reading Scripture is the most immediate exposure to the word of God. In practice, this means picking up a physical book and opening it to a specific page, or opening up an app on our phones and scrolling to a specific location. In either case, we trust that the word has not been corrupted and that the message of the Bible we hold in our hands was not changed or lost altogether. We believe that we are reading the actual words that God spoke.
In what follows, we will think about what has gone before that moment when we open Scripture and read it. What happened to the Bible between the earliest times and the twenty-first century? How did God bring his word to us? The reverse of this question—how he brought us to his word—is part of our individual testimony. But the way in which God brought about the Bible is the story of his providence in history, played out over thousands of years. And by understanding what God had done over the ages, we will see that it is reasonable and justified to trust that the Bible in our hands is a translation of the trustworthy words of Scripture. We could talk about ten reasons why to trust the Bible. But it may be more effective if we understand the larger narrative of the history of the Bible. …”
– Dirk Jongkind, Vice Principal at Tyndale House in Cambridge, takes a long look at the story of how the Bible came to us. Very helpful and worth sharing.
Image: A 3rd Century fragment from Egypt, of Revelation chapter 1, in the Chester Beatty collection, Dublin. Photo with thanks to Kevin Murray.
How God has used GAFCON over the last 10 years
Posted on July 16, 2023
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“I’m travelling in Tanzania at the moment and am aware that many in Australia will have heard of the happenings at GAFCON in Kigali, but may not be fully aware of what led to this point and just how significant this is for our fellowship with Anglicans around the world. So let me share some of the testimony I gave to the conference about why GAFCON matters.
It was not a complete history and so I apologise for any incorrect or missing elements. But I spoke as a person who had the great privilege of attending GAFCON 2008 in Jerusalem when I was a rector in a Western Australian parish in the Diocese of Perth – a diocese self-described at that time as a liberal and progressive diocese…”
– Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel shares something of the history of GAFCON. Great cause for thanksgiving to Almighty God.
Photo: The Western Australian contingent at GAFCON 2008 in Jerusalem, with Kanishka Raffel at right. With thanks to Russell Powell.
This is the Word of the Lord
Posted on July 15, 2023
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“Thanks be to God.
With great joy in his heart, a friend of mine recently shared with me about how his son became a Christian.
The teenager had been reading through the story of Achan’s sin (Josh. 7:1-26) at youth group and upon reflection on the nature of sin, had come to trust in Jesus for salvation. I was wonderfully surprised! Wonderfully, for the boy had made the most important decision of his life by believing in Christ. Surprised, because – somewhat to my shame – my initial impulse was to be surprised that the account of Achan’s sin could have been the instrument of his salvation. I think, upon reflection, that I had forgotten something significant about God’s Word: that it is good, all of it. But perhaps it is possible to forget the other good aspects of the Holy Scriptures too?…”
– At The Australian Church Record, Mark Earngey writes with great encouragement to treasure the Word of the Lord.
The vast majority of Church of England bishops have failed miserably – so new leadership is needed
Posted on July 14, 2023
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The Rev William Taylor, Rector of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, has released a 9 and a half minute video on the continued fallout from the failed leadership of the House of Bishops. This includes new ways of ensuring leadership which is faithful to the Lord and his Word.
“The leadership of the House of Bishops of the Church of England has failed spiritually and practically. New leadership and new structures must arise to secure faithful future ministry. By setting up such legal structures, gospel ministry will be safeguarded.”
Earlier:
A new deanery chapter for the City of London – 31 March 2023.
Your preaching is primarily for believers
Posted on July 14, 2023
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“In certain circles, seeking to get unbelievers into church is seen as the highest possible goal. There is nothing better, according to some, when unbelievers come into the church and under the sound of the gospel. That, they aver, is what we ought to be about. At the risk of being deemed a contrarian, I just don’t think that is true.
What goes on inside the church is necessarily for the upbuilding of believers. The church is, after all, a gathering of believers. The world is not the church. What happens in the church is not primarily for the world. It is for believers.
This matters when it comes to our preaching.…”
– Here’s a short and encouraging article for preachers from Stephen Kneale in Oldham, Greater Manchester. (Link via Tim Challies.)
Brett Murphy — I have joined the Free Church of England (GAFCON)
Posted on July 14, 2023
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The Rev Brett Murphy, who recently announced he was leaving the Church of England, shares that he has joined the GAFCON-aligned Free Church of England.
Most encouraging, and a reminder that GAFCON encompasses a range of Anglican churchmanship which is committed to Biblical orthodoxy.
Diocese of the Arctic: in the Anglican Church of Canada but not of it
Posted on July 13, 2023
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“The Diocese of the Arctic is unusual.
First, its bishop, David Parsons, is a member of a species all but extinct in the Anglican Church of Canada: he is a Christian bishop.
Second, the diocese is in communion with ANiC and is open to licensing its priests.
Third, the diocese does not support the recently adopted liturgies for Gender Transition and Affirmation or any of the other LGBT+ claptrap that obsesses other ACoC clergy.
Fourth, the diocese sees itself as the Anglican Church of Canada and the rest of the organisation as – something else. By implication, not a church.
Lastly, Parsons thinks, ‘that the great and terrible day of the Lord is coming, and many bishops are going to have a stark wake up as they stand before God and are asked why they have not stood against the doctrines of demons and devils. My fear is, that day will not be a day of repentance but just justice and judgment because the day of grace will be over.’…”
– David Jenkins writes at Anglican Samizdat, referring to an interview with Bishop David Parsons published this week at VirtueOnline.
Do pray for Bishop Parsons and others who steadfastly hold to the truth of God’s word.
Synod’s Alpha and Christianity Explored snub
Posted on July 12, 2023
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“The vote in July’s General Synod against an amendment affirming the Alpha and Christianity Explored courses in prisons showed a disturbing level of hostility towards the gospel message that charismatic and conservative evangelicals are proclaiming…”
– Story by Julian Mann at Christian Today.
Image: The scene at General Synod on July 8th.
A heart for the persecuted Christian – with Dan Oli Shani
Posted on July 11, 2023
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“One in seven Christians are persecuted globally. That’s 360 million Christians who are denied access to jobs and education, are arrested, attacked, and even killed for following Jesus.
Worst effected according to the Open Doors World Watch List are Christians in North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Iran.
All that sounds so distant from the comfort of an armchair in Sydney.
Open Doors International is deeply engaged with ministry to persecuted Christians.
Open Door’s Global CEO is Dan Ole Shani from Kenya. Dan shares his pastor’s heart for the persecuted with Dominic Steele, and suggests ways forward.”
You can’t be yourself by yourself
Posted on July 11, 2023
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“Men and women cannot be fully themselves without one another.
Don’t get me wrong; I love my alone time. I am “me” when I’m by myself. But Genesis 1:27 complicates my idea of myself by saying that God created humankind in his image, as male and female. Somehow, by myself I’m not enough. It takes both men and women to fully express the divine image.
This turns out to be a hugely important truth not just for my self-understanding, but for our relating as men and women in the church (note: this is not an article about marriage!) The foundational text comes in Genesis 2…”
– Here’s a very helpful an thought-provoking article by Dr Andrew Shead at Moore College.
At SydneyAnglicans.net and also in the June-July 2023 edition of Southern Cross magazine.
“ACT government’s ‘takeover’ of Calvary Hospital ‘ideologically driven’” — Sky News
Posted on July 10, 2023
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“The ACT government’s decision to compulsorily acquire Calvary Hospital should be ‘pertinent and front of mind’ for Australian Christians, says Australian Christian Lobby CEO Michelle Pearse. …”
– Video from Sky News Australia. Image: Sky News.
Remembering Howard Guinness
Posted on July 10, 2023
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We are poorer when we forget those who have gone before us – those who laboured for Christ over many decades.
One man we should not forget is Dr Howard Wyndam Guinness 1903-1979, pioneer in student evangelism and university ministry in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere.
He was key in founding the Sydney University Evangelical Union in 1930, as well as much else. He was also responsible for launching the Crusader Union in Sydney and Melbourne.
In 1949, Archbishop Mowll invited him to return to Australia to become the Rector of St. Barnabas’ Broadway and Chaplain to the University of Sydney. Generations of students were discipled through that ministry.
Howard Guinness’ funeral was held at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, on 31st July 1979. Then Archbishop of Sydney, Sir Marcus Loane, preached, and Bishop Donald Robinson led the prayers.
You will be blessed by setting aside 25 minutes to hear this excerpt from a recording of the service – with the sermon, the hymn Now thank we all our God, and the prayers –
or download the 12MB mp3 audio file by right clicking on the book cover.
Photo: The cover of Howard Guinness’ autobiographical book Journey Among Students, published in 1978 by the Anglican Information Office, Sydney.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…