Dr Colin Bale made Emeritus member of Moore College Faculty

Posted on June 6, 2021
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“At the end of this semester, Dr Colin Bale will retire from the Moore College faculty. Dr Bale was appointed to the faculty in 1999 and has served as head of the Church History department, Academic Dean, and Vice Principal. During some of that time he worked on his PhD at Sydney University in the area of Australian history, and more particularly the lessons to be learned from the gravestone inscriptions of those who fell in the First World War.

Dr Bale has made a remarkable contribution to the life and health of Moore College. In recognition of this, the Governing Board of the College has unanimously agreed to appoint him as an Emeritus Faculty member upon his retirement. With this appointment, he will join the likes of Dr Paul Barnett, Dr Peter Jensen, Dr Peter O’Brien, Dr David Peterson, and Dr Barry Webb. …”

– Read it all at the Moore College website.

Queen’s Birthday Conference 2021

Posted on June 6, 2021
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“Our society has removed all reference to, or analysis of, ‘evil’ and yet wants to engage in moral discourse! How can Christians engage with our world, when our message is all about the evil within the human heart and God’s removal of it.

The Queen’s Birthday Conference 2021 gives Christians an opportunity to think through The Removal of Evil.

The conference is a great time to hear Phillip Jensen teach God’s Word clearly, meet together and discuss the implications with each other during refreshments, pray and ask questions in the Q&A session – all of this is included in your registration for the In-person event at St Andrew’s Cathedral. (Update: In-person registration is no longer available, but you can register to watch online!)

Our MC for the afternoon is Simon Gillham, Vice Principal and Head of Department of Mission at Moore Theological College.

You can register for the Online event …”

– Details and register at phillipjensen.com/qbc2021.

Bishop of Gippsland supports Synod motion endorsing extra-marital relationships

Posted on June 4, 2021
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“The Diocese of Gippsland, at its recent synod, has voted to change its own version of Faithfulness in Service, the national church’s guidelines for standards in ministry, to remove the classical definition of chaste relationships (marriage between a man and a woman) and replace it with a more ambiguous definition of ‘committed and monogamous relationship’.

The resolution came from Bishop-in-Council and was endorsed by Bishop Richard Treloar in his Presidential Address. …”

– Report from davidould.net.

Southern Cross — June 2021

Posted on June 4, 2021
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The latest Southern Cross magazine (June 2021) from Anglican Media Sydney is now available.

While printed copies will be distributed in churches, it also can be read and downloaded online.

Plenty of encouraging reading,

Irish Church Missions — Building for the Future

Posted on June 3, 2021
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Many Sydney Anglicans will be aware of Irish Church Missions. From their website:

Irish Church Missions is an indigenous Anglican Church Planting platform established in 1849 to catalyse evangelism and church planting in Ireland. 170 years later this is still our passion and our purpose.

T. C. Hammond was Superintendent of Irish Church Missions before becoming Principal of Moore College in 1936 as well as Rector of St. Philip’s Church Hill, and there have been links between Sydney and Irish Church Missions for many years.

Irish Church Missions wants to renovate their strategically-placed building in the heart of Dublin, to unlock its potential as they work to start and strengthen evangelical churches in Dublin and all across Ireland.

Take the time to watch the encouraging 7 minute video from ICM Director David Martin.

Please pray for this opportunity, and consider if you might be able to help financially.

The Way Forward for the Southern Baptist Convention

Posted on June 3, 2021
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“Southern Baptists will soon be gathering in Nashville, and the one big question looming over the Convention will be this — how do we move forward?

This meeting comes as several issues have been building in intensity for years, while others have erupted more recently. Some of the intensity is because the issues are genuinely important. But the fact is that many Southern Baptists left the Convention meeting in Birmingham in 2019 with real concerns about the future. …”

– Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, explain why he has allowed himself to be nominated for the position of President of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He lays out the steps he would plan to take if elected.

John Blanchard, evangelist, called home

Posted on June 3, 2021
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“Well known Christian author, evangelist, and Christian apologist, John Blanchard has died. …

Blanchard’s books have long been a mainstay within evangelical circles. Several years ago, it was estimated that his booklet, Ultimate Questions had sold in excess of 14,000,000 copies. It has been translated into over 60 languages.”

– English Churchman has the news.

See also this tribute from Evangelical Magazine:

“His overwhelming burden was that the Lord would raise up a new generation of young people willing to be called into full-time Christian service.”

An online version of Ultimate Questions can be found here.

The booklet is available locally from Reformers Bookshop in a variety of languages.

Photo: Banner of Truth.

Moore College: certainly worth supporting — Peter Jensen

Posted on June 2, 2021
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Former Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, explains why Moore College is certainly worth supporting.

Oh, and they have an End-of-Year financial appeal.

Judging the Macquaries — with Peter Adam

Posted on June 1, 2021
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From The Pastor’s Heart:

“In reconciliation week we turn our attention to Colonial Australia and a new book out from John Harris, ‘Judging the Macquaries’ – with Peter Adam.

The Black Lives Matter movement is bringing the characters of powerful people in colonial times into sharp focus, particularly their attitudes and actions towards slavery and indigenous peoples.

Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie are among those being scrutinised and reassessed.

John Harris paints a more spiritually positive picture of Governor Lachlan Macquarie than had previously been understood. His wife Elizabeth Macquarie was a clear evangelical. Lachlan Macquarie’s Christian faith causes him to stand out in significant policy areas from the dominant views of the time: in his attitudes, behaviour and policies relating to both convicts and indigenous persons.”

– Watch or listen here.

Kanishka Raffel, the weeping Archbishop

Posted on June 1, 2021
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“Much as been said about Kanishka in recent weeks, his Sri Lankan heritage, his background in law, his gifts of teaching and preaching, his intellect, and his commitment to indigenous reconciliation.

There is something else I have noticed. …”

– Murray Campbell sees something we should all learn from.

And watch Kanishka’s sermon here.

Facebook apparently terminates a leading cultural commentator

Posted on May 31, 2021
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“If you live outside of Australia, you might not be familiar with the name Bill Muehlenberg. But he is undoubtedly one of the most prolific, learned, insightful, and theologically grounded cultural commentators in the world. And now it appears he has been terminated by Facebook.

As he wrote on May 27, ‘I am now persona non grata in the eyes of Facebook,’ although, he explains, ‘my actual crimes are still a mystery to me.’

What he does know is this: ‘Over 15 years’ worth of work with hundreds of thousands of posts, comments and articles completely erased – in an instant! Nearly 5000 contacts all stolen away from me! Stalin would be so very envious! Hitler would be jealous!’…”

– Michael Brown at The Christian Post highlights another apparent cancelling – this time of Bill Muehlenberg (pictured) in Melbourne.

Ordinary Time

Posted on May 31, 2021
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Ordinary:

adjective
with no special or distinctive features; normal; ”he sets out to depict ordinary people”.

Similar: usual, normal, standard, typical, stock, common, customary, habitual, accustomed, everyday, regular, routine.

example of usage:
not interesting or exceptional; commonplace.”he seemed very ordinary”

noun
what is commonplace or standard; ”their clichés were vested with enough emotion to elevate them above the ordinary”

I don’t know how may parishes in my beloved Armidale diocese observe the Church Calendar and so I know even less if there are parishes in the Sydney diocese that observe it, (my guess is about ten?). But for those of you who have a vague curiosity about it or foggy recollection of it, we are once again about to enter in what the church calendar refers to as Ordinary Time.

Taken as a unit, the season of Ordinary Time is the longest season of the liturgical year and is composed of 33 or 34 weeks (June to November).

Although it is long, and the liturgical colour is green (which I do not see the same way as everyone else thanks to being colour blind), it is far from ordinary, for it is the time where we strive to grow together as the Body of Christ and His witnesses in the world, to grow in our Love for God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The means to our growth is being grounded in the Word of God, being people of prayer, being nourished spiritually by the sacraments and being encouraged by others and encouraging each other.

So if you are one of those Anglican Christians who observes the church calendar, how are you going to spend the time, the ‘ordinary time’?

Here are some tips:

1. Remember that you follow the risen and ascended Lord of the Universe, the Lord Jesus! Who ascended into Heaven, not to rest, not to relax but to reign!

2. Be consistent in your time with God. This is why I find the Daily Office such a helpful thing. It gives me the rhythm and routine that I am made for and at the same time makes prayer and the word part of that rhythm and routine. (The Daily Office), is to put it simply, a time during the day where Christians prayer and read the Bible. It is based on the ancient practice of prescribed daily times of prayer. Although the Prayer Book is not in vogue or used by most parishes, the Prayer book has a daily service in the morning and evening for this very purpose. Anglican theologian and author, the late J.I. Packer says, “None of us will! ever find a better pattern for private prayer and Bible-reading anywhere than that offered by the Prayer Book’s own daily offices.”

3. Be committed to your church. Although since the Covid lockdown opportunities for online church are so much more readily available, there is no substitute for face to face fellowship and physical corporate worship. It is also easier than ever to have a laissez-fair attitude to church, since we can attend anywhere at anytime, with no checks.

4. Be open and honest with God about your sin. Do we have the determination to see ourselves before God as we are, without excuse? We must face “the things what we have done and the things that we have left undone.” How am I participating in the systems of the world and the flesh? In what ways have I given the devil place in my decisions?

5. Get practical with your faith None of us can expect to follow the Lord Jesus and simply have our own comforts baptised. Sacrifice has to cut deep. The Lord Jesus calls us all to radical discipleship and it is costly. It costs to be an agent of the Kingdom in this world. Where are we letting go of the riches we cling to in order to use our time, energy, and resources to serve, the body of Christ and also to help those in need?

6. Be a contagious Christian The Christian faith is contagious, it is to be shared and spread. Pray that God will grant you boldness and opportunities to introduce people to the Lord Jesus. I am praying that this time will open people’s eyes to the folly of the cultural idols that are in our lives and will be receptive to the Lord Jesus and the abundant life he offers.

We may be in ordinary time, but following the Lord Jesus is far from ordinary!

– Joshua Bovis is the Vicar of St John The Evangelist in Tamworth.

The Importance of Fellowship

Posted on May 30, 2021
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“In Sydney, our evangelical theology is one where we treasure the local parish and congregation. This is an absolutely right thing to do at a scriptural level but we need to recognise that there is also a bigger fellowship that occurs between like-minded people.

So, one of the things that the diocese has been, really since Bishop Barker, is a movement. That is, we are not just a group of people, nor just as a denomination, nor just people who share a common ordination, but we have been a movement of Anglican evangelicals.

Indeed, this movement is about wanting to see the glory of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. That is really what we are about as a diocese, and it has been the beating heart for a long time. …”

– In this piece which was first published in the latest ACR Journal, Autumn 2021, Archie Poulos has a challenge for parishes great and small.

No higher title than ‘child of God’

Posted on May 29, 2021
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“There was a knock at the cathedral door just moments after the afternoon rehearsal for the consecration and inauguration of Kanishka Raffel.

The door was opened by the Archbishop-elect himself. ‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ he said to person at the door, one of the many people in difficulties who take shelter around the Cathedral.

‘Do you take sugar?’ the about-to-be Archbishop said as he went off to make the coffee himself.

It seemed fitting that only four hours later, before the Governor-General, politicians and leaders of other religious denominations, he was giving a sermon urging humility before the cross of Jesus. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell has this story on last night’s service of Consecration and Inauguration.

You can watch the entire service here – or click this link to go straight to the Bible reading by Mrs Cailey Raffel and then Archbishop Raffel’s sermon.

Photos by Russell Powell (click for full images):