Unborn babies have taken another battering in Victoria today
Posted on May 24, 2022
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Here’s a media release from The Australian Christian Lobby, 24 May 2022 –
“Commenting on Bernie Finn’s expulsion from the Victorian Liberal Party today, the Australian Christian Lobby’s (ACL) National Director, Wendy Francis, said,
“Abortions are only going to increase whilst pro-life speech is regarded as disrespectful, particularly when it applies to politicians who have the capacity to vote and change laws on life issues. Media reports indicate that Bernie Finn’s commitment to ‘pray for an end to abortion’ was the final straw for the Party who voted to expel him from their ranks today.”
Whilst, sadly, pro-life speech such as this will always sound disrespectful to those that don’t want to hear it, advocating for the child in the womb is perfectly respectful. It’s encouraging to witness a new, young, pro-life generation rising up around the globe.
“The Liberal Party of Victoria has seriously underestimated the impact this move has had on their pro-life conservative base,” Ms Francis continued. “It will be a tough journey for them to regain their confidence in the leadup to the State election in November.
“Freedom of thought, worship, speech and association are basic tenets of the Liberal Party of Australia. And yet, today, a democratically elected member has been expelled from the Liberal Party of Victoria for exercising these very rights.”
Geraldton Anglican Cathedral to celebrate Diamond Jubilee
Posted on May 24, 2022
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Geraldton Anglican Cathedral is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee Friday 22 – Sun 24 July.
“For 60 years this iconic building has been a centre for Christian ministry. People have rejoiced as the good news of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed and we’ve enjoyed warm fellowship together.
Join us to give thanks to God for these blessings and meet up with old friends.”
How this Christian is responding to the Federal Election
Posted on May 24, 2022
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“Regardless of how one may feel about the election result and who your local MP is or isn’t, there is a Scripture that remains compulsory for all Christians. And it is this,
‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
I was reminded of this timeless word by Justin Moffatt, the Senior Minister at Church Hill in Sydney. He said,
‘One of the things I like about the prayers in the Anglican Prayer Book is that we always pray for the government of the day, and we pray the same thing no matter who governs.
It moves effortlessly from one to the next, as though the problem of the world isn’t government, and the hope of the world were found elsewhere.’…”
– Murray Campbell in Melbourne points us to the Christian duty to pray for our leaders.
Also relating to the Federal election –
“The media’s obsession with crucifying Scomo” – James Macpherson, Spectator Australia.
Scott Morrison reads from the Scriptures at Horizon Church, Sutherland, 22nd May 2022.
Humility, ambition and leadership — with Paul Harrington
Posted on May 23, 2022
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“How does humility drive ambition? How can you be ambitious, having a right ambition, not for ourselves, but an ambition to magnify Jesus.
Paul Harrington leads the Trinity network of churches in Adelaide, South Australia. …”
Church of Scotland ready to approve same-sex marriage as General Assembly starts
Posted on May 22, 2022
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“The Church of Scotland’s General Assembly starts today with a vote on same-sex marriages, a call for a conversion therapy ban and the confirmation of a Declaration of Friendship with the Catholic Church in Scotland as the main points on the agenda. …”
– Report from Premier Christian News, Saturday 21 May 2022.
Earlier stories on the Church of Scotland.
Photo: Church of Scotland.
Passage of the ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying’ legislation — Media Statement
Posted on May 21, 2022
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Here is a Media Release from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney:
————-
“Public Statement
The passing of the ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying’ legislation will be a matter of regret for our whole community, not just for people of faith who objected strongly or for the doctors who raised their voices against it.
Thanks are due to those MPs who sought to ensure there would be safeguards protecting vulnerable people, medical practitioners and others who care for those who suffer. Unfortunately, most of the proposed amendments were rejected.
This legislation affects not only those who will choose what is euphemistically called ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying’ but will fundamentally affect our culture and values.
We must be vigilant to maintain an emphasis on palliative care so that people have quality to the end of their lives and are not subject to undue pressure because of a lack of resources to support them in their suffering.
I hope the government will ensure that the scope of the bill and those to whom it is applied, does not broaden in the way it has done overseas, being extended to those who are not terminally ill and who suffer from a broad range of illness or disability.
Finally, pray for those suffering that they may be assured that everything will be done to preserve and promote their quality of life, and for medical staff whose relationship with patients has been fundamentally altered by these laws.
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel,
20 May 2022.”
Why is Canada euthanising the poor?
Posted on May 21, 2022
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“Since last year, Canadian law, in all its majesty, has allowed both the rich as well as the poor to kill themselves if they are too poor to continue living with dignity. In fact, the ever-generous Canadian state will even pay for their deaths. What it will not do is spend money to allow them to live instead of killing themselves.
As with most slippery slopes, it all began with a strongly worded denial that it exists. …
Even before Bill C-7 was enacted, reports of abuse were rife. A man with a neurodegenerative disease testified to Parliament that nurses and a medical ethicist at a hospital tried to coerce him into killing himself by threatening to bankrupt him with extra costs or by kicking him out of the hospital, and by withholding water from him for 20 days.”
– Yuan Yi Zhu in Oxford writes in The Spectator (UK online edition) about the situation in Canada – which will get worse when changes come in 2023..
Annual General Meeting 2022
Posted on May 21, 2022
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The Annual General Meeting of the Anglican Church League will be held on Thursday 16th June 2022 from 6:00pm at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, 474 Kent Street, Sydney.
Financial members may vote. (Renew here.)
Entry & room arrangements:
- Please wear a mask when entering and moving around the school
- Enter via the Foyer located on Sydney Square
- The custodians will ask you to sign in
- They will also summon the lift to take you to Level 4
- From there you’ll be directed to the room named ‘The Community Hub’.
Speech in support of General Synod Resolution on Ukraine
Posted on May 20, 2022
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The question of the blessing of same-sex relationships was the big news at General Synod, however there were Resolutions on other topics, including this one on Ukraine, which passed unanimously:
“General Synod 18 Resolution on Ukraine
That General Synod
(a) deplores the clear and flagrant breach of international law by the Russian government invading Ukraine and also the crimes against humanity and war crimes that have been and are being allegedly committed there;
(b) condemns the actions of President Vladimir Putin of Russia in initiating and continuing the war against the democratically elected government of Ukraine and the slaughter and dispossession of the people of Ukraine;
(c) expresses its support and prayers for the people of Ukraine and the extraordinary suffering that they are experiencing in so many ways and assures them of the love and sympathy of this Church for them in their plight;
(d) calls upon our Christian brothers and sisters of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Protestant churches to use their voices and influence to oppose the continued deaths, destruction, displacement and dispossession of the people, the homes and the country of their neighbour, Ukraine and their fellow Christians; and
(e) commends those priests and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Protestant churches who have called upon their Church leadership and the Russian state leadership to condemn and desist from this invasion and war.”
(Passed unanimously, special Synod prayer for Ukraine following immediately thereafter.)
The Rev Patrick Cole, House of Clergy, Canberra & Goulburn, gave this speech in support of General Synod Resolution on Ukraine, 13 May 2022.
Mr President, on 24 February Russian armed forces started an unprovoked, premeditated, and violent invasion of Ukraine. We’ve seen massive aggression; indiscriminate attacks on civilians; apparent mass murder of civilian men, women and children; and Russian threats of the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states.
Reckless destruction of human life; breaches of international law, the laws of war, and humanitarian law.
Barbarism and destruction unparalleled in Europe in kind since the Yugoslav crisis, and in scale since World War 2.
On its independence in 1991, Ukraine inherited one third of the Soviet Union nuclear arsenal. In return for giving up these weapons, and becoming a non-nuclear weapon state, in 1994 Russia, the United States and the UK agreed at treaty level “to respect the independence and territorial sovereignty of Ukraine”, and “refrain from the threat or use of force against Ukraine”. An undertaking flagrantly and unilaterally breached by Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The catastrophic results are not only a huge humanitarian disaster, but an immediate threat to the basic fabric of international order, and – unthinkably – genuinely risk full nuclear world war.
As humans knowing the compassion of Christ, our hearts are torn and outraged as the innocent suffer and are forced to flee, and as others as conscripts are forced to fight and kill.
As Christians, we know Kyiv’s role as the cradle of Orthodox mission outreach to bring the gospel of the Prince of Peace to Russia itself.
As Christians, we grieve the way President Putin has garnered support and spiritual endorsement for this invasion from Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and from some other churches.
We commend those priests and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church and of other Russian churches in Europe, the US, Canberra, and even Russia itself, as they act in costly courage in publicly condemning the war, and church leaders supporting it.
Sisters and brothers, faced with a broken world that needs Jesus, what do we do?
We pray. Pray that Jesus, the Lord of peace and justice, brings his peace and justice, and as Lord of hosts, turns back the armies and causes war to cease.
We speak. And commend that the Synod now speak to:
-
- condemn this invasion;
- confirm its support and prayers for the suffering people of Ukraine;
- call on our sisters and brothers in the Russian Orthodox and other Russian churches to use their voices to influence and stop this action by the Russian Government; and,
- commend the extraordinary bravery of those priests and laity who like John the Baptist are speaking out to rebuke a despotic ruler for the evil things done in Russia’s name.
Image with thanks to David Ould.
Religious Discrimination Bill infographic videos
Posted on May 19, 2022
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The Institute for Civil Society has produced several infographic videos which might be helpful in thinking about the need for a Religious Discrimination Bill.
For links to the videos, see this page.
NSW’s voluntary assisted dying laws delayed as MPs fail to vote after marathon sitting
Posted on May 19, 2022
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“Voluntary assisted dying is set to be legalised in NSW today, after a marathon debate in the upper house that lasted until midnight failed to produce a vote.
MPs spent more than eight hours debating nearly 100 amendments on Wednesday. …
The majority of the amendments were voted down during the debate, including the push to give aged and residential homes the power to block voluntary assisted dying taking place in their facilities.”
– Report from ABC News.
Update, 1:10pm –
“Voluntary assisted dying has been made legal in New South Wales.
The legislation passed the Lower House of parliament, after a vote to accept the amendments from the Upper House.
The Upper House spent 10 hours debating amendments before a final vote of support 23 to 15.”
(Image: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)
Anglican synod angst
Posted on May 18, 2022
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“Mrs Naylon was an observer at the Anglican synod … and described the processes as ‘eye-opening’.
She was impressed by ‘the very strong involvement of laity and clergy in decision-making processes’. …”
– This story from The Catholic Weekly shares a few impressions of General Synod from an outside observer, Margaret Naylon, Executive Officer for the Brisbane Roman Catholic Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations.
Photo: David Ould.
Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill third reading today in NSW upper house
Posted on May 18, 2022
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“Independent MP Alex Greenwich says he is hopeful his Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill will be passed by the NSW upper house by midnight tonight and is pleading with MPs to not use stalling tactics. …”
– Report from ABC News.
Election survey probes parties on faith freedom
Posted on May 18, 2022
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“A survey of political parties and candidates on their attitude to religious discrimination has revealed varying levels of support – and in some cases, no support – for measures to ensure religious freedom. …”
– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net writes about the religiousdiscriminationsurvey.au website.
Related:
The Australian Christian Lobby (not associated with the Anglican Church League – we just have the same initials) has produced a page of “various documents and videos to help you make an informed choice on Election Day”, including this page where they share the answers given to their questionnaire in each electorate as well as each candidate for the Senate.
And not forgetting the call to pray –
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
Adultery of the heart
Posted on May 17, 2022
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“Judgement is not just for the last day. God also judges now. There are contemporary consequences for misplaced sexual desire. For example, when God hands people over to their shameful lusts and sinful desires in Romans 1:24,26, one of those consequences is the increased engagement in sexually immoral physical behaviour. God gives people what they want, which is the punishment. …
We have to stop and listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 5:28, because he takes a blowtorch to our world’s hypersexualised values.”
– Marshall Ballantine-Jones writes at SydneyAnglicans.net (it’s also in the current Southern Cross magazine).
Image: SydneyAnglicans.net
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…