Bishop of Bendigo announces plans to retire
Posted on April 9, 2017
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“The Anglican Bishop of Bendigo Andrew Curnow AM has announced he will resign from the position by the end of 2017.
The decision will bring to an end his role as the leader of the diocese for almost 15 years – the longest serving diocesan bishop in Australia. …”
Photo: Diocese of Bendigo.
Australian Presbyterians — Taking God Seriously
Posted on April 9, 2017
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Presbyterian Moderator-General John Wilson outlines some of the ways Presbyterians in Australia plan to celebrate Reformation 500 – with evangelism!
See the video here. (3’42”)
2017 Gospel Coalition Conference — expositions
Posted on April 7, 2017
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From Justin Taylor:
“Here are the videos from the expository plenaries at the Gospel Coalition National Conference (April 3-5, 2017) in Indianapolis, with the theme of ‘No Other Gospel’.”
(Photo: Dr. Peter Adam, who, in his characteristic way, thanks Don Carson for his numerous visits to Australia.)
The unexpected lesson from my flooded Lismore house
Posted on April 7, 2017
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“Our house is built on the side of a hill, and as I look up the hill from beneath the floorboards, I see water – lots of water – cascading down. And then it hits me: If I want to stop the flooding of our downstairs room, I need to tackle the water problem further ‘upstream’. …”
– Akos Balogh uses the floods in northern NSW to illustrate an important lesson in communication and relationships. (h/t Gary Ware.)
The Hypergrace of Joseph Prince: A Review of ‘Destined to Reign’
Posted on April 6, 2017
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Joseph Prince is a charismatic pastor of a very large church in Singapore. He has written a number of popular books, but it is his emphasis on what is called ‘hypergrace’ that is raising quite a deal of discussion in Asia. His key book is entitled Destined to Reign: The secret to effortless success, wholeness and victorious living …
This review seeks to engage with his theology of hypergrace (though the term is not used in that book).
– While the book was published back in 2007, it is still influential. At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Bishop Paul Barker takes a look.
The Rainbow Ringwraiths
Posted on April 6, 2017
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“Totalitarians and fascists have always sought to demonise their opponents, in part by marking them out from the ‘normal’ majority. They are clearly identified one way or another as recalcitrants, and treated accordingly. Simply consider how Jews fared as the Nazi regime occupied various European countries: being forced to wear a yellow badge in the form of a Star of David.
Millions of our young men gave their lives to fight these totalist regimes and to preserve our cherished freedoms. But a new totalitarianism is descending upon the West, and it comes in the form of the militant and totalitarian rainbow activists. …”
– Bill Muehlenberg at CultureWatch has more on the ‘voluntary’ wearing of rings to promote same-sex marriage.
GAFCON Chairman’s April 2017 letter
Posted on April 5, 2017
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“In our time, God is still active through his Word, the Scriptures. The Anglican Communion is a wonderful gift of God, but we see its witness degraded and confused by false teaching.
What is more, the Communion’s traditional leadership responds by accommodating it. There is no hope in that direction, but at the same time, we see a new future unfolding. This is the Gafcon vision and it is being demonstrated very clearly in North America. …”
– Archbishop Nicholas Okoh has published his GAFCON Chairman’s letter for April 2017.
‘A ring to bind them to their master’s will’
Posted on April 5, 2017
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“Bosses at big companies like Qantas and Google have ‘suggested’ their employees wear black rings with a gap to show they support same-sex marriage. Or show that they have a future at their company, perhaps, because it’s not quite clear how this push for ‘tolerance’ quite works now. …”
– Andrew Bolt reports on a concerning move — Herald Sun.
More:
Firms ring in campaign for marriage equality — The Australian.
“Qantas staff and cabin crew would wear them, he said, while Google Australia has also provided rings for its 1300 staff to wear. ‘Our goal is to build momentum around the issue of marriage equality and spark those conversations about acceptance,’ Mr McDonagh said.
The move is likely to fire up the debate about the role of corporations as lobbyists for contentious social causes, which has attracted criticism from some conservative politicians and religious leaders in light of the recent public hounding of brewer Coopers into pledging support for Australian Marriage Equality.”
Airbnb calls for marriage equality — AdNews.
“Launched with support from some of Australia’s biggest brands including Qantas, Google, ANZ bank and eBay, and in collaboration with The Equality Campaign, ‘Until We All Belong’ marks the most public corporate declaration for marriage equality in Australia to date.”
Image: AdNews.
Know Why You Believe — free audiobook
Posted on April 4, 2017
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An audiobook of Paul Little’s classic 1967 work, Know Why You Believe, is this month’s free download from Christian Audio.
Twenty resources on the Protestant Reformation
Posted on April 3, 2017
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“2017 is the 500th anniversary of an event that strangely ignited the Protestant Reformation.
If you want to learn more about the Protestant Reformation, consider these helpful resources. I combed through about 800 relevant resources in my Zotero library and selected only twenty — including some picture books and videos.”
– Thanks to Andy Naselli who has compiled this useful list.
Article 29 — Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ in the use of the Lord’s Supper
Posted on April 2, 2017
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“Sometimes it is only when you sit down and do a worked example that you understand a truth thoroughly. When I was 15 my local Roman Catholic priest asked me to choose whether to be a Roman Catholic or an Anglican. As we discussed Scripture and Salvation the worked example of just one person, Mary the mother of Jesus, was very helpful to me. If she was sinless then I should be a Catholic; if she was sinful like everybody else then I should be a Protestant.
The example of ‘the wicked… in the use of the Lord’s Supper’ does the same job with the Sacraments. …”
– At the Church Society blog, Charlie Skrine looks at Articles 29.
Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies slams same-sex marriage activists
Posted on March 31, 2017
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“The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney has branded radical same-sex marriage campaigners as a ‘barge of bullies’ who are swamping the public debate with an ‘introspective, authoritarian denial of free speech’.
Writing in The Australian today, Glenn Davies says the corporate world in Australia has been ‘press-ganged’ into supporting marriage equality and backing diversity by gay activists. ‘What kind of diversity is so monochrome that it does not allow differing expressions of opinion in the debate?’ he says. ‘This narrow-minded, freedom-restricting carping is what the same-sex marriage campaign has come to.’…”
– Story from The Australian.
Here is an excerpt from Archbishop Davies’ piece –
“There is only one upside from the recent attacks and unprecedented abuse directed at an academic and the directors of Christian organisations: people are beginning to wake up and take notice. They are starting to understand that the campaign for same-sex marriage is not sailing on a raft of rainbows but on a barge of bullies.
Last week there was the IBM executive whose position was questioned because he was a director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute. He was the subject of attack in his previous employment as well.
Then there was the Christian academic who had not even entered the same-sex marriage debate, whose university was pressured over his employment which, it was claimed, conflicted with its membership in the so-called Pride in Diversity campaign. What kind of diversity is so monochrome that it does not allow differing expressions of opinion in the debate?
Not only has this minority view tried to swamp the public debate with its introspective, authoritarian denial of free speech, it has struck at the heart of Australian democracy and the freedoms that we all cherish. …”
– Read the full article – on page 14 of the print edition of today’s Australian – or in their digital edition (paywalled).
Duncan Whitson
Posted on March 30, 2017
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ACL members will be saddened to hear of the death of Duncan Whitson yesterday evening. Nevertheless, we rejoice that he is now with the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Duncan was a long-time member of the Council of the Anglican Church League, becoming an Emeritus Vice President in 2001.
Duncan’s contributions to Council meetings were always cheerful and encouraging. He and his wife Joyce served, often behind the scenes, in working to maintain the gospel-focussed character of the Anglican Church in Sydney.
ACL Chairman Dr Robert Tong remembers Duncan as “a faithful soldier for the Lord”, and former President Dr Bruce Ballantine-Jones says he was “a true servant of the gospel”.
Duncan’s funeral will be at 12:15 pm on Thursday, 6th April at Macquarie Park Crematorium. (Photo taken at the 2005 AGM.)
Anglican Aid launches Cyclone Debbie appeal
Posted on March 30, 2017
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“Anglican Aid is launching an appeal for those who have lost their livelihoods in Cyclone Debbie. We are asking Christians in Sydney to stand in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in northern Queensland who have been affected by the cyclone.”
– Details from Anglican Aid. (Image: NASA DSCOVR / EPIC Team.)
Romans commentary from David Peterson due in August
Posted on March 30, 2017
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News from Dr. David Peterson:
“The commentary I have been working on since 2012 is finished and is due to be published on August 1st 2017. The series is called Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation. The publishers are B&H Publishing Group, Nashville Tennessee.
The series is based on the new Holman translation, simply called Christian Standard Bible (2017). But I have made a careful study of the Greek and brought this into the analysis of the text where necessary.
A particular feature of this series is the desire to relate the interpretation of each biblical book to the Bible’s story line and to explore theological themes in the light of biblical teaching more generally. I have done this for Romans in an extensive introduction, but have also demonstrated in the exegesis how Paul develops these themes. More details about the commentary and my approach to this book can be found in the folder on Romans on this website.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…