Vocal NSW church leaders join anti-abortion campaigners

Posted on August 21, 2019 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars Comments Off on Vocal NSW church leaders join anti-abortion campaigners

“Triumphant anti-abortion campaigners rallied outside the New South Wales Parliament last night, boasting they have the people power to ensure legislation to decriminalise abortion in the state gets voted down.

Their hopes have been buoyed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to delay an upper house vote on the bill until next month.

Leaders of Sydney’s Catholic and Anglican churches and the Australian Christian Lobby urged the crowd to pressure MPs to vote the legislation down.”

– Story from ABC Radio’s AM.

Freedom19 Conference

Posted on August 21, 2019 
Filed under Australia, Resources Comments Off on Freedom19 Conference

Freedom for Faith’s Freedom19 Conference is planned for Wednesday 4th September at NSW Parliament House in Sydney.

Details and booking here.

Norwich Cathedral: Bishop delivers sermon from helter-skelter

Posted on August 20, 2019 
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“The bishop had climbed to the top of the helter-skelter before edging halfway down the slide, where he stopped to deliver his sermon.

He then received a loud cheer as he whooshed to the bottom. …”

– Story from BBC News. Photo: Bill Smith / Norwich Cathedral.

‘Choose Life’ written in sky over Sydney as NSW Parliament goes into abortion tailspin

Posted on August 20, 2019 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars Comments Off on ‘Choose Life’ written in sky over Sydney as NSW Parliament goes into abortion tailspin

“NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has made an 11th-hour decision to delay a vote in parliament on a bill that would decriminalise abortion, appearing to cave in to the concerns of Liberal colleagues. …”

– Report from ABC News.

Churches, Same-sex ministries and the law

Posted on August 20, 2019 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Churches, Same-sex ministries and the law

Neil Foster, at Law and Religion Australia, writes:

“I am delivering a seminar paper on the topic “Churches, Same-sex ministries and the law: discrimination and religious freedom” on August 20. For those who are interested, there is a copy of the paper here…”

Our King, Abortion and Us

Posted on August 20, 2019 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Our King, Abortion and Us

“Maybe you have had an abortion. If you haven’t, it’s very likely you know a woman who has and quietly carries the experience around with her every day. She has quite possibly told no one about it. We can easily be oblivious to the sadness that lies behind the faces of those around us, including our Christian sisters. Then of course you’ll also know men, families, friends and health workers who have experienced abortion up close and quietly carry the burden of it too. Abortion is more common than we often realise.

So, it’s important to talk about abortion thoughtfully as Christian women. There are many ways in which God’s Spirit can take up this issue and use it to probe, convict and comfort every one of us through His Word.

In these three short articles, we will let God’s Word talk us through abortion and show us something of ourselves, our King and His Kingdom love at work.  …”

– Earlier this year Equal But Different published three articles by Robyn Bain.

Article 1, Choosing Abortion.

Article 2, Abortion and the Gospel: Love, Guilt & Life Derailed.

Article 3, Kingdom Love at Work.

Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’?

Posted on August 20, 2019 
Filed under Australian dioceses, Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’?

“Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’? Has the National Party been commandeered by the Progressive Left? What does the National Party stand for any more?

G.K. Chesterton said: ‘When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.’ Equally, it could be said that when a political party loses its reason for existence and its moral fabric it will inevitably allow anything. …”

– The Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, doesn’t beat about the bush in his latest “In Focus” article.

A family shares all of life

Posted on August 20, 2019 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on A family shares all of life

“In Galatians 6, Paul shows us how the grace of God operates in the life of the church family as we live for others, bearing one another’s burdens. Although it can seem difficult and so is often neglected, this is an important part of Christian fellowship. Is this how your church family helps one another? …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Ben George writes to encourage Christians to genuinely support each other.

Albert Mohler on the Abortion votes in NSW and New Zealand

Posted on August 19, 2019 
Filed under Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Albert Mohler on the Abortion votes in NSW and New Zealand

On his daily programme, “The Briefing” for 19th August 2019, Albert Mohler looks at the moves in Australia and New Zealand to ‘decriminalise’ abortion and ‘modernise’ the law.

He looks closely at the language used, and the logic behind the statements.

Contacting members of the NSW Upper House

Posted on August 19, 2019 
Filed under Culture wars, Resources Comments Off on Contacting members of the NSW Upper House

With the NSW Upper House expected to begin to debate the abortion bill this week, readers may care to avail themselves of the Australian Christian Lobby’s portal to e-mail all Members of the Legislative Council.

The page links also includes some suggestions for point you could make.

Of course, you can also contact members individually.

Related:

“Archbishop Glenn Davies has told a State Parliamentary inquiry that the catchcry of new legislation has been ‘decriminalisation’ but skates over the details that it radically extends abortion in New South Wales.

Abortion is not unlawful in New South Wales under certain circumstances because of a precedent set by the ruling of a District Court Judge in 1971.

The new legislation, which allows for abortions up to birth without effective safeguards, has had minor amendments in the state’s Legislative Assembly and now goes to the Upper House for scrutiny and then a vote.

After two weeks of media appearances and joint appeals with other religious leaders, Dr Davies was able to speak directly to the Upper House MPs who form the Social Issues Committee of the Legislative Council. …

The Archbishop also lodged a submission by the Social Issues Committee of the Diocese, which argued against the legislation on several grounds, including its impact on women. …”

Martyn Iles, Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, will address the Stand for Life pro-life rally at Martin Place, Sydney on Tuesday August 20.

Thousands of people are expected to attend to show their opposition to the extreme NSW abortion bill that will be debated in the NSW Upper House this week. The Australian Christian Lobby is co-hosting the event with other pro-life organisations.

It follows polling released by ACL today which indicates strong opposition to the bill.

Mr Iles will be joined by MPs including Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers leader Robert Borsak and Tania Mihailuk MLA from the ALP as well as faith and community leaders.

Stand for Life

When: 6pm-9pm Tuesday August 20, 2019

Where: Martin Place (Macquarie Street side)

Moore College Open Week 2nd — 6th September

Posted on August 19, 2019 
Filed under Resources, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on Moore College Open Week 2nd — 6th September

It’s Moore College Open Week 2nd — 6th September 2019.

Details at the link.

Simon Manchester made Honorary Clerical Canon

Posted on August 19, 2019 
Filed under People, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on Simon Manchester made Honorary Clerical Canon

“The rector of North Sydney, the Rev Simon Manchester, has been given a rare honour as he prepares to step down from his parish ministry at the end of this year.

Archbishop Glenn Davies has announced that Mr Manchester will join a select list of leaders who have been made honorary clerical Canons of St Andrew’s Cathedral. …”

– Good news from SydneyAnglicans.net.

(Simon is speaking at the 2020 CMS Summer School at Katoomba.)

Betrayal of the Gospel of Life

Posted on August 17, 2019 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on Betrayal of the Gospel of Life

“There are so many things that can be said about the passage of the abortion-till-birth bill through the Lower House last week.

We could talk about the ramming through of a Labor-Greens policy under the banner of a Berejiklian-Greenwich government.

We could talk about the ‘lipstick on a pig’ amendments that did nothing to make this evil bill any better.

Or we could talk about the chilling, cackling laughter from MPs that was heard throughout the Parliamentary chamber after the bill passed.

For anyone who heard it, the sound could only be described as demonic.

But I won’t explore those in any detail this week. Instead, I want to talk about two other aspects of last week’s debate that really struck me. …

It wasn’t only the MPs that were betraying the Gospel of Life (and the Gospel more generally) last week. Disgracefully, certain Christian leaders did too…”

– Monica Doumit, Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, writes this opinion-piece for The Catholic Weekly.

A voice from the womb

Posted on August 17, 2019 
Filed under Culture wars Comments Off on A voice from the womb

“You don’t know me. In fact, I have not been named yet, though I expect that names will have been considered. I say, ‘names’, because my brother and I have been forming a unique bond while being prepared for a grand entry. I believe that those in the outside world have studied and know and understand the mystery of the unique bond twins share.

We are, of course, not very familiar with the outside world other than our experience of sounds, touch and a measure of light. While you may not remember the womb, I have to say that our inside experience is like a first class motel. We have our own pool they call the ‘Amniotic’ and there’s food and drink on tap while we swim. The perfect conditions for retreat, exercise and general good health.

Neither of us are religious yet, but the design of our accommodation speaks volumes of the genius of the one who made it. …”

– A very sobering must-read story from Rick Lewers, the Bishop of Armidale.

Cathedral gimmicks illustrate spiritually blind Britain and mute Church

Posted on August 16, 2019 
Filed under Church of England, Opinion Comments Off on Cathedral gimmicks illustrate spiritually blind Britain and mute Church

“No doubt buoyed by the old cliche that there is no such thing as bad publicity, the Church of England continues to include in its own Daily Media Digest several reports and opinion pieces in a number of media outlets about the installation of a golf course and helter skelter in Rochester and Norwich cathedrals.

While some have defended the gimmicks as harmless ways of raising money and attracting to an experience of the sacred those who would never normally darken the doors, there have been criticisms (for example here and here) from those pointing out that this trivialises the Christian faith and is a sign of lack of confidence in the gospel…”

– Andrew Symes writes at Anglican Mainstream.

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