Reformation sights in Oxford
Posted on December 23, 2018
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Moore College’s Lionel Windsor shares some sights from Oxford relating to the English Reformation.
“Right in front of the pillar and the picture of Cranmer was a little stand where people could pay a pound to light a candle.”
Looking for a Saviour — Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Christmas message 2018
Posted on December 22, 2018
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Here is Archbishop Glenn Davies’ Christmas message for 2018.
Short, to the point, and ideal to show in church or embed on your church website.
See also the story and text from SydneyAnglicans.net.
“The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has paid tribute to lifesavers and bushfire fighters while marking celebrations for the birth of Jesus, the saviour.
Archbishop Davies annual Christmas message was released as preparations were being made for Christmas services to be attended by thousands of people across Sydney, the Illawarra and beyond.…”
The Christmas Preacher
Posted on December 22, 2018
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“There are numerous benefits of preaching at Christmas.
- Carols services—normally attract many people who only come to church once a year. This presents us with a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel to a willing audience of unsaved people.
- The Biblical Christmas narratives allow a great opportunity to present a clear gospel sermon :
- Matthew tells us about Jesus who will save his people from their sins.
- And then the magi—or wise men—who come and worship the King.
- In Luke’s account the angels announce that a Saviour is born, who is Christ the Lord.
- Christmas services are normally happy occasions, and so give the church an opportunity to present a good face to the world. An engaging sermon, and a well-organised service—in a warm and inviting context—can make a lasting good impression on people.
But Christmas preaching comes with particular challenges too. Here are some things to keep in mind …”
– Helpful reminders from Mike Raiter. (GAFCON photo.)
Christmas message from GAFCON General Secretary Peter Jensen
Posted on December 22, 2018
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Dr Peter Jensen, soon to retire as GAFCON General Secretary, has recorded this Christmas message.
Accommodation is not Guidance
Posted on December 20, 2018
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“On Tuesday 11th December the House of Bishops published ‘Pastoral Guidance for use in conjunction with the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith in the context of gender transition.’ Whilst sharing the desire to show pastoral care, the content of the Guidance causes me deep concern and I support the request from the Bishops of the Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda for the reception of the Guidance to be reviewed. I note too the personal reservations expressed about it by the Chair of the House of Bishops’ Delegation Committee, The Rt Rev’d Julian Henderson, and commend the recent critiques produced by the Church Society and the Church of England Evangelical Council.
The Guidance represents a way of accommodating the request from the General Synod that the House of Bishops consider devising a liturgy for the welcome of transgender people. However, in doing so it has raised many more questions than it answers. These include:
- The appropriateness of this Guidance for the range of circumstances in which transgender issues might be raised with clergy;
- The theological underpinning for the unconditional affirmation of trans people
- The nature of the services within which the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith is to be set
- The pressure that might be felt by clergy to conduct services that would raise issues of conscience for them
- The wider implications of such services (eg where transitioning has been a factor in a family break up or where those who have requested such services subsequently request a marriage service)
- The relationship of this Guidance to the work currently being undertaken in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) Project.
Accordingly, I would support any move to change the status of this Guidance so that it is seen as a contribution to the LLF Project, rather than a finished product of the House of Bishops.”
– Bishop of Maidstone Rod Thomas has posted this statement on this website.
Earlier: Bishop Andy Lines on the Church of England’s guidance on liturgies to celebrate gender transition.
Update on Bishop Lee — 20 December 2018
Posted on December 20, 2018
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“The Bishop of Western Sydney, Bishop Ivan Lee has now been diagnosed with cancer in his liver.
Bishop Lee wrote an update on his health, thanking people for prayer support. …”
– SydneyAnglicans.net has published the latest update from Bishop Ivan Lee, Bishop of Western Sydney, and also a Vice-President of the Anglican Church League. Please do continue to uphold in prayer Ivan and Virginia and their family.
Ruddock Report response (part 3)
Posted on December 19, 2018
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“In my former posts (here and here), O Friend of Law and Religion, I have dealt with all that the Ruddock Report covered in recommendations 1-12 and 15, along with the official Government Response to those recommendations.
In this post I aim to cover recommendations 13-14 and 16-20. These deal with important issues of the law of blasphemy and religious free speech, along with State discrimination laws, collection of data, education on religious freedom, the role of the Australian Human Rights Commission, and the exercise of leadership in the area by the Commonwealth. …”
– Associate Professor in Law, Neil Foster, has just posted part three of his response to the Ruddock Report.
He concludes, in part, “… my general response is that the Report is a sensible document which takes religious freedom seriously, and hopefully the actions promised by the Government will be implemented with due speed”.
Christmas: Satan’s field day?
Posted on December 18, 2018
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“Now the title of this article might appear a little too shocking for the ‘merry’ Christmas season… but let me highlight some of the ways that the great deceiver tries to take our minds off Christ during the Christmas period, before suggesting some ways to respond. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Mike Leite encourages you to swim against the tide this Christmas.
Christmas in the Future
Posted on December 18, 2018
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“The countdown to Christmas is in full swing. …
For Christians, Christmas is the annual festival celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ—an event that split history in two. We recall the God who acted in mercy by entering this fallen and broken world to redeem it. We remember that in Christ, God is with us—Jesus, our “Immanuel.” And while we too countdown to Christmas and the year’s end that it signals, we reflect on the saving grace of our God.
We draw this significance of Jesus’ birth from the accounts in the Gospels, as well as the reflection of the New Testament writers generally. With another two thousand years of Christian reflection since, plus our favourite carols playing in the background, the importance of Christmas has been ingrained into us. Although the annual celebration is fixed immovably into our calendars, the Christmas event itself lies behind us. We have to look back over our shoulder, as it were, to see it.
But it was not always so. …”
– Moore College’s George Athas helps us put Christmas in perspective.
What should I tell my kids about Santa?
Posted on December 17, 2018
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In his “Ask Pastor John” podcast, John Piper offers an answer to the question, “What should I tell my kids about Santa?”.
“Are we misleading the children in telling them this story as a simple statement of facts?
- Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
- Santa Claus flies with reindeer.
- Santa Claus leaves gifts under the tree.
- Santa Claus is served by elves. …”
Bishop Andy Lines on the Church of England’s guidance on liturgies to celebrate gender transition
Posted on December 17, 2018
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“… The sacrament of baptism is designed to signify the new identity that is given to us in union with Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection, so we were dismayed that this guidance commends using the same service to “recognise liturgically a person’s gender transition.”
In doing this, the House of Bishops has denied the teaching of Jesus Christ, not least by rejecting his words, ‘He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,’ (Matt 19: 4) in favour of celebrating a self-created identity. …”
– Bishop Andy Lines is quoted on the GAFCON website.
See also:
Pastoral Guidance for use in conjunction with the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith in the context of gender transition (PDF file, Church of England).
Anglican bishop who hailed transgender rite as biblical calls it flawed in shambolic U-turn – Rebel Priest.
Wisdom and folly: the bishops’ guidance on transgender welcome – Ian Paul.
The latest Fuel for Prayer from GAFCON
Posted on December 15, 2018
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Here’s the latest Fuel for Prayer from GAFCON.
Ruddock Report summary and responses (Part 2)
Posted on December 14, 2018
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“Following my previous post giving comments on Recommendations 1, 5-8 and 15 of the Ruddock Report and the Government Response, I will comment here on another set of recommendations (Recs 2-4, 9-12) and the likely outcome. Comments on recommendations 13-14, and 16-20, will (hopefully) be made in Part 3! …”
– More from Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia.
The Ruddock Report has landed! (Part 1)
Posted on December 13, 2018
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“The long-awaited Religious Freedom Review: Report of the Expert Panel (chaired by the Hon Philip Ruddock) has now been released publicly, along with the formal Government Response.
After the prior leaking of its 20 recommendations there were no major surprises as to the final conclusion, but there is much interesting background to the recommendations (and in one or two cases the full Report seems to have a significant impact on how one should read the language of the recommendations.) It is also important to see the announced intentions of the LNP Government as to how they will respond.
In this first post in response to the full Report I will comment mainly on recommendations 1 & 5-8 and recommendation 15, with the other recommendations to be left for part 2 or later. …”
– Neil Foster provides his first response, at Law and Religion Australia.
Archbishop Glenn Davies’ response to the release of the Ruddock Report
Posted on December 13, 2018
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Anglican Diocese of Sydney Media Statement
13 December 2018
We are grateful the Ruddock report has finally been released and view it as the start of an urgent process to frame appropriate legislation for religious freedom. This should be a bipartisan issue since it involves the harmony of our entire community, not just the more than 60 percent of Australians who identify with religious faith.
Dr Glenn Davies
Archbishop of Sydney.
Source: SydneyAnglicans.net.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…