‘No need to speculate’

Posted on September 28, 2017 
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Freedom for Faith, have published this video featuring Professor Iain Benson, an expert in religious freedom.

He speaks about the Canadian experience.

Other videos are being posted on the Freedom for Faith website.

Humanity’s value and dignity

Posted on September 28, 2017 
Filed under Culture wars, Theology Comments Off on Humanity’s value and dignity

“Have you ever thought about one of the underlying assumptions behind almost every Hollywood thriller?

It is the value of human life.

Basically, because we value human life, the hero will bend over backwards to ensure that the nerve gas isn’t released into the city’s gas supply or stop the nuclear warhead from being detonated.

These movies would be pretty short if the hero simply did a cost-benefit analysis and concluded that it would be simply too expensive to save the city. No, the underlying assumption is that human life is precious. …”

— Moore College’s Dr Peter Orr reminds us why human life is valuable, when so many around us think otherwise. At SydneyAnglicans.net.

Moore College Open Day on Saturday October 28

Posted on September 28, 2017 
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The next Moore College Open Day is set for Saturday October 28.

“The day includes a sample lecture from one of our faculty, a campus tour and plenty of opportunities for questions. You are welcome to drop in at any point during the day, lunch is provided at 12 noon.”

– Details from Moore College.

Have we domesticated service?

Posted on September 28, 2017 
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“A few times every year in our church we have ‘welcome suppers’ for people who are new to our church.  During those times we talk about the things that define us and invite people to come on board.  On each occasion we open up various passages of Scripture to talk about different aspects of church life and one passage we always look at is Mark 10:42-45 …”

– Phil Colgan, Rector of St. George North, wants us to truly understand the gospel of grace. At The Australian Church Record.

The Purpose of Humanity

Posted on September 27, 2017 
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“When we know our purpose it has far reaching implications for all that we do and give ourselves to.

Purpose doesn’t determine what I can or can’t do, but it will tell me what I ought to be doing. For instance, a scalpel can have very great or terrible uses depending on whether it is acting in line with its purpose. Similarly, an athlete can forgo all kinds of luxuries, not because they are ‘wrong’ but because they do not fit with their purpose.

So then when it comes to the actions and plans of humanity, discerning the ‘purpose statement’ is of infinite importance. …”

– Sam Manchester, Head of Communications at St Helen’s Bishopsgate, addresses a question few people ask, and to which fewer heed God’s answer. At The Australian Church Record.

Hypocrisy

Posted on September 26, 2017 
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“Hypocrisy just makes us mad doesn’t it?

Politicians speaking of tightened belts, while endorsing payments for themselves. There is the hypocrisy of some media figures speaking of truth and objectivity, while at the same time advancing a personal or political agenda with inaccurate or selective reporting.

There is the hypocrisy of some doctors supposedly committed to the Hippocratic Oath, while at the same time advocating killing. It makes us mad when we see examples of Police who are supposed to be guardians, caught in corruption or carelessness… and then there are examples of hypocritical clergy, preaching and standing for morality while living out the worst kinds of immorality.

Hypocrisy rightly makes us angry. We hate hypocrites. Hypocrisy makes us cynical. Hypocrisy makes us distrustful. I hate the hypocrisy that I see in those others around me, and the damage that it does… but there is a kind that I hate even more. …”

– Dean of Armidale, Chris Brennan, offers hope for hypocrites.
(Earlier, we incorrectly attributed this to the Bishop. Our apologies.)

My self-help Bible?

Posted on September 25, 2017 
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“The self-help industry is flourishing. Isn’t that ironic?

The industry is built on the premise that all you need for happiness, success, and contentment is within you, yet it peddles self-improvement programs as the key to becoming a better you. The endless supply and demand for the latest life changing-book betrays the fact they never actually deliver the transformation we long for.

The question is, have we taken on a self-help approach to reading the Bible? …”

– Ruth Schroeter, Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Cathedral, writes in The Australian Church Record. (Photo courtesy St. Andrew’s Cathedral.)

Just who is raising objections?

Posted on September 24, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Opinion Comments Off on Just who is raising objections?

“Five bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia have asked their church lawyers whether bishops can take part in consecrating another bishop of a church which is not formally part of the Anglican Communion.

Meanwhile bishops from Uganda and Sudan have been taking steps to support a movement in South Africa to maintain biblically faithful Anglican witness. The Southern Africa Mission held an ordination service of the Church of Uganda in Trinity Anglican Church Franchhoek near Cape Town on 10 September. …”

– Anglican Mainstream reprints an article written by Chris Sugden for Evangelicals Now.

Who decides membership in the Anglican Communion? Not the Secretary General of the ACC!

Posted on September 23, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion Comments Off on Who decides membership in the Anglican Communion? Not the Secretary General of the ACC!

“It is simply not true to say that ACNA is part of the Anglican Communion,” he [Idowu-Fearon] said. “To be part of the Communion, a province needs to be in communion with the See of Canterbury and to be a member of the Instruments of the Communion. ACNA is not in communion with the See of Canterbury—and has not sought membership of the Instruments.”  Idowu-Fearon added that “There is a long-standing process by which a province is adopted as a province of the Communion… ACNA has not gone through this process.”  <http://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/acna-not-province-anglican-communion-secretary-general-clarifies/> Accessed 13 Sep 2017.

The Secretary General’s statement that The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is not a province of the Anglican Communion is misleading at best.

It ignores the very process of recognition of the Anglican Church in North America by some GAFCON provinces as early as July 2009.

It ignores the public and published recognition of Archbishop Foley Beach as “a fellow Primate of the Anglican Communion” by those Primates of the Anglican Communion who installed him as the second Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America on October 9, 2014.

The Secretary General ignores the recognition of the Anglican Church in North America as a “partner province” of the Global South by the Primates of the Global South in their October 2016 Communique. …”

– Canon Phil Ashey, President of the American Anglican Council, challenges a declaration by the Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council.

Videos: Moore College School of Theology 2017: Celebrating the Reformation

Posted on September 23, 2017 
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Moore College has posted the videos from their 2017 School of Theology.

The theme was “Celebrating the Reformation”.

A wonderful resource.

Coalition for Marriage calls for ‘respectful and peaceful’ national conversation

Posted on September 22, 2017 
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This afternoon, the Coalition for Marriage has released this statement:

“As the ABS mailout of plebiscite ballot papers nears its conclusion, more and more Australians are speaking up and participating in the debate about marriage.

Freedom of speech is a central issue in this campaign. It is absolutely crucial that people are able to speak up and participate in a national conversation about marriage in a respectful and peaceful manner.

They need to be able to do so without fear of intimidation, bullying, sackings or violence.

Equally, it is incumbent on all those seeking to participate in the debate to do so in a respectful manner.

This weekend there will be a number of events and rallies across the country. Some of these are organised by the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns. Others are not.

We call on all Australians to participate in the process peacefully and respectfully and will continue to encourage this throughout the course of the campaign.”

Tony Abbott ‘headbutted’ in Hobart

Posted on September 22, 2017 
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“Former prime minister Tony Abbott says he was shocked when a same-sex marriage campaigner assaulted him after requesting a handshake in a ‘sign of trust and peace’. …”

– Story and image from ABC News.

Law Society faces fresh row over same-sex marriage

Posted on September 22, 2017 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars Comments Off on Law Society faces fresh row over same-sex marriage

“The Law Society is facing a fresh row over its support for same-sex marriage as members agitate for an extraordinary general meeting to censure the organisation for publicly backing a change in the law.

The society, which represents the state’s 30,000 solicitors, has come under fire over a joint statement it issued on August 19 with the NSW Bar Association and the state division of the Australian Medical Association supporting a change to the Marriage Act. …”

– Story from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Related: “Barristers, solicitors and doctors unite to support marriage equality laws.” – The Law Society of NSW, August 19, 2017.

“The President of the New South Wales Bar Association Arthur Moses SC, the President of The Law Society of NSW Pauline Wright and the President of the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Professor Brad Frankum have come together to express their support for same sex marriage legislation at the federal level. …”

Evangelistic opposition: Are we up for it?

Posted on September 22, 2017 
Filed under Encouragement, Resources Comments Off on Evangelistic opposition: Are we up for it?

“I am all for avoiding unhelpful gender-sex-role stereotyping, but one fact that continues to amaze me is the almost universal incapacity of men to see stationary objects in the refrigerator. We can spot moving objects with great skill—for example, a flying football, or a fish near the surface of the water far up-stream—but faced with the challenge of locating the margarine we stare blindly before in desperation seeking the assistance of the most proximate female, who simply glances inside the fridge and hands it over.

I have read the book of Acts a lot over the years, and love it—the outreach, the growth of the church, the missionary journeys. I have even done a PhD on it. But recently, perhaps because of my familiarity with it, I had stopped seeing (at least, stopped properly appreciating) something that had been staring me in the face, and which I was very much aware of in days gone by.

The truth that I have re-noticed is the fact that gospel proclamation, no matter how it is carried out, will result in opposition! …”

– At GoThereFor.com, Stephen Liggins points out the obvious. But have you missed it too?

Preparing for Primates’ Meeting 2017

Posted on September 21, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion, GAFCON Comments Off on Preparing for Primates’ Meeting 2017

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, speaks about his hopes for the Primates’ meeting next month, where there will be a focus on the issues facing the world, including human sexuality (didn’t the last Primates’ meeting speak clearly about that?), the environment and climate change, evangelism, refugees, conflict and persecution.

See also:

“I attended the Canterbury Primates Meeting held in January 2016 because I believed it might be possible to make a new start and change the pattern of repeated failure to preserve the integrity of Anglican faith and order. I was disappointed. The Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka the following April neutered the Primates’ action to distance The Episcopal Church of the United States (TEC) from Communion decision making.

TEC has not repented, and continues to take aggressive legal action against orthodox dioceses. For example…”

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