Uniting Church President: challenge to same-sex marriage vote unsuccessful

Posted on January 12, 2019 
Filed under Culture wars, Other denominations Comments Off on Uniting Church President: challenge to same-sex marriage vote unsuccessful

In a Pastoral Letter to members of the Uniting Church of Australia, the Assembly President, Dr. Deidre Palmer explains that the numbers needed to challenge the Assembly’s same-sex marriage decision last year were insufficient:

“Seven Presbyteries chose to exercise their right to notify me as President, that, in their opinion, the matter was ‘vital to the life of the Church and there was inadequate consultation prior to the decision.’ There were five Presbyteries in Queensland, one Presbytery in the Northern Synod and one Presbytery in the Synod of NSW and the ACT. On Saturday the 5th of January 2019, the Presbytery of South Australia met, and decided that the majority of members did not support the proposal that the Fifteenth Assembly marriage decision was a ‘matter vital to the life of the Church and there was inadequate consultation prior to the decision.’

This means that the threshold for the suspension of the Assembly decision has not been reached.

As a result, the Assembly decision on marriage stands …”

– Read the full letter here.

Doubtless, members of the Uniting Church of Australia who hold to a high view of Scripture, would value your prayers for wisdom.

Business ‘as usual’ for the Anglican Communion

Posted on January 12, 2019 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Church of England Comments Off on Business ‘as usual’ for the Anglican Communion

These two stories illustrate the march of theological liberalism through the Anglican Communion:

One shows it doesn’t matter if you don’t believe the clear words of Scripture – and the other shows it does matter if you do believe the clear words of Scripture:

Anglican Ambassador to Rome denies the Resurrection of Christ – Archbishop Cranmer.

“The Anglican Centre in Rome is the Embassy of the Worldwide Anglican Communion to the Roman Catholic Church. Its Director is effectively the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ambassador to the Vatican; Justin Welby’s personal representative to the Holy See, tasked with pursuing peace and justice in the world and the promotion of Christian unity. …

The Interim Director is the Very Rev’d Dr John Shepherd, formerly Dean of St George’s Cathedral, Perth, Australia (and Chaplain of Christ Church, Oxford, 1980-1988). The Governing Body of the Anglican Centre in Rome no doubt carried out all the necessary due diligence to ensure Dr Shepherd’s impeccable record of sexual behaviour and moral probity. What a pity they didn’t delve into his theological orthodoxy.

He denies the physical resurrection of Jesus.

The Rev’d David Ould dug out the relevant sermon…”

US bishop faces “partial restriction on ministry” over same-sex marriage stance – Anglican Communion News Service.

The Bishop of Albany, William Love, has had a partial restriction placed on his ministry over his refusal to permit same sex marriages in his diocese. …

In November, Bishop William sent an eight-page letter to the Churches in his diocese, in the north of the US State of New York, saying that the resolution was “in direct conflict and contradiction to God’s intent for the sacrament of marriage as revealed through Holy Scripture.”

Today, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, announced that had placed a partial restriction on Bishop William’s ministry pending a preliminary investigation. …

he is “forbidden from participating in any manner in the Church’s disciplinary process in the Diocese of Albany in any matter regarding any member of the clergy that involves the issue of same-sex marriage” and he cannot “participate in any other matter that has or may have the effect of penalising in any way any member of the clergy or laity or worshipping congregation of his Diocese for their participation in the arrangements for or participation in a same-sex marriage in his Diocese or elsewhere.”

And some people wonder why GAFCON is needed.

See also:

Photo of Dr John Shepherd (left) via the Anglican Centre in Rome.

Interview with Gary Millar

Posted on January 11, 2019 
Filed under People Comments Off on Interview with Gary Millar

This year’s NSW & ACT CMS Summer School at Katoomba has just concluded.

Attendees were blessed by expositions on Jeremiah by Gary Millar, Principal of Queensland Theological College.

During the week, David Ould sat down with Gary and you can hear the 30 minute conversation at this link.

(The first two talks are available here as free downloads, and the rest of the Summer School material will be available for purchase in due course.)

Conversations with John Anderson — Featuring Os Guinness

Posted on January 10, 2019 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars, Resources Comments Off on Conversations with John Anderson — Featuring Os Guinness

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson has been publishing some fascinating Conversations on his website.

Recently, he spoke with Christian author and social critic Os Guinness. Watch the video of his 38-minute conversation here. (Direct link to the video here.)

And see the other conversations already published.

Why I Walked: Sometimes loving a denomination requires you to fight

Posted on January 9, 2019 
Filed under Anglican Communion, GAFCON Comments Off on Why I Walked: Sometimes loving a denomination requires you to fight

“In June 2002, the synod of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster authorized its bishop to produce a service for blessing same-sex unions, to be used in any parish of the diocese that requests it.

A number of synod members walked out to protest the decision. They declared themselves out of communion with the bishop and the synod, and they appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Anglican primates and bishops for help.

J. I. Packer, an executive editor of Christianity Today, was one of those who walked out. Many people have asked him why.”

In 2003, Christianity Today publishing this article by J I Packer.

In 2017, with permission, it was republished by GAFCON. Well worth reading.

The Bible’s guide to time travel

Posted on January 7, 2019 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on The Bible’s guide to time travel

“Time is a funny thing. It goes too fast. Then too slow. We want it to stand still and then wish it didn’t. We love losing track of it but incessantly strive to find it. There are few things more frustrating and difficult than running out of time or wasting it. We just can’t seem to get it right! Why does time so often feel out of joint? ”

– The Australian Church Record has published the first two parts of a series by Annabel Nixey.

Part 1. Trusting the original Time Lord.

Part 2. Accepting that time is broken.

“The bus pulls away just before you reach it. The priceless opportunity disappears just before you can grab it. Just when that person finally gets back on their feet, something else goes wrong. Bad, broken timing.”

Rich and Getting Richer

Posted on January 7, 2019 
Filed under Encouragement, Resources Comments Off on Rich and Getting Richer

“They used to call them financial advisers or even simply bank officers; now they are wealth managers. Having adequate money is so yesterday. We want to have wealth. We think of ourselves managing our resources to become first, rich, and then even richer. There are no votes for the party that promises that under its leadership citizens will become poorer!

Yet that is exactly what Jesus did! His milieu was opulence, glory, splendour and supreme power over everything that exists. The whole universe was under his thumb, yet he chose to make himself nothing and become the lackey of humanity. …”

– Written and published in time for Christmas, this reflection by Bishop Trevor Edwards in the diocese of Canberra & Goulburn should turn our hearts to thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

Posted on January 7, 2019 
Filed under Australia, Opinion Comments Off on Thanksgiving

“On September 28th 1863 Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74-year-old magazine editor, wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States of America, asking for an Annual Day of Thanksgiving. …

I had a deep sense of sadness when I read this, reflecting on our own nation that appears so confused and divisive. We live in a nation with a myriad number of commemoration days set aside and sometimes even a whole a week to remember certain things, but do we stop as a nation to offer thanksgiving? Someone has said ‘The worst moment for the atheist is when he/she is really thankful and has no-one to thank.’…”

–  At the Diocese of Armidale website, Bishop Rick Lewers reflects on what Australia needs as we enter a new year.

The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures

Posted on January 5, 2019 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures

ACL Council member Mike Taylor tells us the Kindle version of The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures – edited by Don Carson – is on special at a (currently) very good price.

Check it out here.

GAFCON Chairman’s Pastoral Letter for Epiphany 2019

Posted on January 4, 2019 
Filed under GAFCON Comments Off on GAFCON Chairman’s Pastoral Letter for Epiphany 2019

From Archbishop Nicholas Okoh’s Letter for Epiphany 2019:

“The choice before us as a global communion is between this revealed wisdom of God and the wisdom claimed by secular ideologies.

For a while the reality of this fork in the road can be obscured by an insistence on dialogue in its various guises such as ‘indaba’, ‘good disagreement’ and ‘walking together’, but in the absence of godly discipline, false teaching will continue to spread.

In the Church of England, just before Christmas, this process reached the point where its bishops took the unprecedented step of giving official guidance for what they described as ‘services to help transgender people mark their transition’ and it will be incorporated into ‘Common Worship’ (a range of services authorised by General Synod). …

So, much as we thank God for the rich history represented by the See of Canterbury, we cannot avoid the sad truth that insistence on full communion with Canterbury as an essential mark of belonging to the Anglican Communion now risks jeopardising the apostolic faith itself.”

– Read it all at the GAFCON website.

An Unexpected Friendship

Posted on January 4, 2019 
Filed under Encouragement Comments Off on An Unexpected Friendship

“A few weeks ago, after the funeral for President George H.W. Bush, it was reported in the news that the President had sponsored a child through Compassion International.

During a Christmas concert many years ago, when the Ministry of Compassion International was presented and the audience was asked to consider sponsoring an impoverished child, Bush raised his hand and volunteered to sponsor a 7-year-old boy in the Philippines.

Out of concern for the boy’s safety, it was decided that the president’s identity as his sponsor should be kept secret. But the president and the boy became regular pen pals for more than a decade. …”

– Of course, there are some great sermon illustrations in this story, but – more than that – it’s a story to turn our hearts to the Lord. From Reformation21. Photo: Compassion International.

Morning and Evening by C H Spurgeon free audiobook

Posted on January 3, 2019 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Morning and Evening by C H Spurgeon free audiobook

The free Audiobook from Christian Audio for January 2019 is C H Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening.

Available here.

Free digital downloads from Credo House

Posted on January 2, 2019 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Free digital downloads from Credo House

Credo House in Oklahoma City has made available (for a limited time – we’re not sure how long), free downloads of some of their audio courses. You’ll need to create a free account.

“The mission of Credo Courses is to produce the best courses using the best teachers in the world. With courses produced by scholars such as Gary Habermas, Doug Groothuis, Daniel Wallace, and Darrel Bock, Credo Courses has distributed millions of course downloads for people all over the world.”

Well worth checking out.

Eleven years ago – plans for GAFCON crystallise

Posted on December 30, 2018 
Filed under Anglican Communion, GAFCON Comments Off on Eleven years ago – plans for GAFCON crystallise


On 1st January 2019, after ten years at the helm, Dr Peter Jensen will step down as General Secretary of GAFCON and hand over his responsibilities to Archbishop Ben Kwashi, the new General Secretary.

We give thanks for Peter’s global leadership these last ten years.

Eleven years ago, Peter – then Archbishop of Sydney – wrote to explain why GAFCON was needed, and he foreshadowed the first Conference, to be held in Jerusalem:

“A Global Anglican Future Conference is planned for June 2008. The aim of the Conference is to discuss the future of mission and relationships within the churches of Anglican Communion.

Those who wish to retain biblical standards especially in the area of sexual ethics have spent much time and effort in negotiations on these issues in the last five years. They want to move on together with the gospel of Christ’s Lordship, a gospel which challenges us and changes lives. Israel is planned as a venue because it symbolises the biblical roots of our faith as Anglicans. I want those in the fellowship of our Diocese to know what this is about and why I am involved…”

– Read Peter’s full message, published in December 2007.

Continuing erosion of biblical authority in many parts of the Anglican Communion highlights GAFCON’s vital role.

Photo of Archbishops Ben Kwashi and Peter Jensen courtesy GAFCON.

Religious sanctions and contempt of court

Posted on December 30, 2018 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Religious sanctions and contempt of court

“The recent decision of the NSW Court of Appeal in Ulman v Live Group Pty Ltd [2018] NSWCA 338 (20 December 2018) raises important issues about the interaction between internal disputes within a religious community, and the ‘secular’ court system.

In this case a majority held that the threat of purely religious sanctions, to be applied if a dispute was resolved in the ordinary courts rather than in a religious tribunal, amounted to contempt of court, and imposed financial penalties on members of the tribunal.

Significant questions are raised as to whether religious groups are able to apply their own religious beliefs in disciplining members of their community, or whether these decisions will be over-ridden by the ordinary court system. …”

– Associate Professor Neil Foster highlights a recent court decision, at Law and Religion Australia.

← Previous Page — Next Page →