GAFCON and Evangelical Ministry

Posted on June 28, 2017 
Filed under Church of England, GAFCON Comments Off on GAFCON and Evangelical Ministry

“I’m at the annual Evangelical Ministry Assembly organised by the Proclamation Trust. Around 900 men and women, mostly from Anglican, Baptist and Evangelical Free churches are here at the Barbican Centre in London; the majority are vicars, pastors and church apprentices wanting to be inspired and encouraged in their ministries.

The primary conviction of the Proclamation Trust is that when the Bible is faithfully preached, God’s voice is heard, and that intentional training is needed for preaching and evangelism, as well as experiencing the thrill, balm and challenge of hearing God’s voice for our own souls. …”

– Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes shares a little of what’s happening at this year’s EMA in London.

Meanwhile: Church of England and Methodists to consider full communion – Anglican Communion News Service.

Birth certificate alteration for a married person?

Posted on June 28, 2017 
Filed under Opinion, Resources Comments Off on Birth certificate alteration for a married person?

“A recent decision of the United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled that the Australian government is in breach of its human rights obligations, by not providing for a person who has “transitioned” from male to female, to have their birth certificate amended. The reason that this request has been refused is that the person, “G”, was married to a woman, and NSW law does not allow the birth certificate of a married person to be amended.

In my view this provision of NSW law is perfectly sensible (given that Australia does not recognise same sex marriage), and I have to say that I think the UNHRC has got this wrong. …”

– Read why at Law & Religion Australia.

Faith counts — 2016 Census figures released

Posted on June 27, 2017 
Filed under Australia Comments Off on Faith counts — 2016 Census figures released

“The latest census figures showing a rise in the number of people reporting no religious affiliation do not show Australia is losing faith, according to the Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel.

2016 Census figures, released today show the proportion of people reporting no religion increased to 30 percent in 2016 – up eight percent in five years, and nearly double the 16 per cent recorded in the 2001 census. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell reports on comments made on SBS Television by the Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel.

Six of the earliest known tunes for Amazing Grace

Posted on June 27, 2017 
Filed under History, Resources Comments Off on Six of the earliest known tunes for Amazing Grace

“People often wonder what tune Amazing Grace was first sung to.

It was not written to any particular tune, but being in the Common Metre there would have been a wide choice of suitable tunes in use at the time.

Today the most familiar tune for the hymn is New Britain, which wasn’t matched to Amazing Grace until 1829, twenty-two years after John Newton’s death.

Amazing Grace was first published in 1779 in a hymnbook by Newton and Cowper called the Olney Hymns. It also appeared soon afterwards in a A Select Collection of Hymns compiled by the Countess of Huntingdon. Then in 1787, exactly 10 years after its first publication, and while Newton was the rector of St Mary Woolnoth in the heart of the city of London, Amazing Grace appeared in a Moravian hymn book called A Collection of Hymns for the use of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren. Above the hymn is the code ‘T14’, which stands for ‘Tune 14’. So what was Tune 14?…”

– Marylynn Rouse at The John Newton Project shares some resources:

“Following our recent event in Blackfriars, London, we’re delighted to be able to share a recording of 6 of the earliest tunes for Amazing Grace, sung by the English Chamber Choir, together with the musical score from their director Guy Protheroe and background notes to the tunes and the verses from the JNP. This will make a short concert, or can be spread over several Sundays or lunch-hours.”

‘Pyne’s boast: The plan revealed’

Posted on June 27, 2017 
Filed under Australia, Culture wars, Opinion Comments Off on ‘Pyne’s boast: The plan revealed’

“Christopher Pyne bragged to his Left-wing faction that we might get same-sex marriage ‘sooner than everyone thinks’.

As he said on Friday:

One of those we’ve got to deliver before too long is marriage equality in this country… We’re going to get it. I think it might even be sooner than everyone thinks. And your friends in Canberra are working on that outcome.

Sure enough:

Two Liberal MPs have been secretly working on a plan to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia as soon as August, with a draft copy of the laws well advanced and consultation with advocates under way. …”

– from The Herald Sun. (Photo: pyneonline.com.au.)

Meet the new ‘twicer’: The irregular regular

Posted on June 26, 2017 
Filed under Encouragement, Opinion Comments Off on Meet the new ‘twicer’: The irregular regular

“I came across an interesting expression recently: the twicer. From what I understand, ‘the twicer’ used to refer to the person who went to church twice a day (think of the days of morning and evening prayer). It then began to refer to the nominal churchgoer who would attend twice a year, the ‘Christmas and Easter’ Christian.

When I heard the phrase recently, it was used to refer to the committed churchgoer. That is, to describe a regular churchgoer—who attends church just twice a month on average. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Mike Leite points to Biblical encouragement to meet more often then every-so-often.

Bishop of Los Angeles ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’

Posted on June 24, 2017 
Filed under Opinion, TEC Comments Off on Bishop of Los Angeles ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’

“The Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, has landed himself in a difficult spot. As detailed in this earlier post, he entered into a contract in 2015 to sell the property of St. James the Great in Newport Beach to a developer for a price of $15 million, without bothering to inform its parishioners beforehand. When the congregation and its vicar protested, he changed the locks and kicked them out. …”

– A S Haley, ‘The Anglican Curmudgeon” comments on the latest in the saga of the Bishop of Los Angeles and his desire to sell the property of a resistant parish.

(Photo: Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles.)

This is the day — Presbyterians remember with thanksgiving

Posted on June 23, 2017 
Filed under Encouragement, History, Other denominations Comments Off on This is the day — Presbyterians remember with thanksgiving

“10.00am, forty years ago, the words of Psalm 118 rang out in Scots’ Church Sydney: ‘This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’

Today, Friday 23rd June 2017 – it’s forty years to the day when the Presbyterian Church of Australia was refreshed. And, it’s fair to ask: What became of that bold decision to remain as a Presbyterian church? What distinctives of the Christian faith do we offer? What does PCA stand for?

Permit this man’s reminiscing …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General John Wilson considers the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s ‘refreshing’, over the last forty years.

Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation

Posted on June 23, 2017 
Filed under History, Resources Comments Off on Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation

“At the 2017 Church Society Conference, Revd Dr Peter Adam outlined Thomas Cranmer’s strategy for evangelising the nation, which could be summed up in one word: Bible.”

– from Church Society, which has posted the audio files from its 2017 Conference, held last month.

Dr. Adam’s very enlightening and highly encouraging talks can be heard here –

Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation – Part 1.

Thomas Cranmer: Evangelising the Nation – Part 2.

Also from the Conference:

Reformation Epistemology – Dr Kirsty Birkett.

Martin Luther and the Freedom of the Christian – Dr Lee Gatiss.

You might have missed — June 2017

Posted on June 22, 2017 
Filed under History, Resources Comments Off on You might have missed — June 2017

Here are some posts you might have missed from the last few weeks –

The Crisis of ’77 by Bob Thomas. (About the continuing Presbyterian Church. Today is the 40th anniversary of ‘Church Union’.)

Forty-forty vision – Presbyterian Moderator-General reflects on 40 years of ‘continuing’.

Review of Faith in a Time of Crisis – a new book from Vaughan Roberts and Peter Jensen.

Craig Roberts to be new Youthworks CEO.

Report on the ACL’s 2017 AGM.

Canon Andy Lines to be ACNA Missionary Bishop.

Bishop Richard Condie to Tasmanian Anglicans: We need to change!

Albert Mohler speaks with John Anderson

Posted on June 21, 2017 
Filed under People, Resources Comments Off on Albert Mohler speaks with John Anderson

In his latest ‘Thinking in Public’ series of conversations, Albert Mohler speaks with former Australian Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson (mp3 audio).

Well worth hearing.

 

Loose Canons? Andy Lines and the Canons of Nicaea

Posted on June 21, 2017 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Church of England, GAFCON Comments Off on Loose Canons? Andy Lines and the Canons of Nicaea

“On Friday 30th June, Andy Lines will be consecrated at a meeting of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), as a ‘missionary bishop’ for Europe. This is in response to the recent decision of the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) to modify its definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, placing it at variance with scripture and with the majority of the Anglican Communion.

In a letter to the Primates of the Communion, Archbishop Justin Welby expressed profound concern over the upcoming consecration of Canon Lines. For Welby, the Church’s continued commitment to ‘those with differing views’ (exemplified by the role of the Bishop of Maidstone in providing oversight for those who oppose the ordination of women), made the appointment of a missionary bishop unnecessary. Such an argument rests, of course, on a theological parity being drawn between disagreements over ordained ministry, and over sexual ethics – a parity that is by no means self-evident, as Lee Gatiss argued last week.

What was most intriguing, however, was what the Archbishop went on to say next: …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Mark Smith takes a look at the Canons of the Council of Nicaea, to which the Archbishop of Canterbury appeals. What do they really say?

Conserving Moore College’s treasures

Posted on June 20, 2017 
Filed under History, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on Conserving Moore College’s treasures

“In 2016 a special fundraising program was launched to invite people to partner with the Library in conserving some of the most precious items in the Rare Book and Archives collections. …

The photographic collection of the Reverend Dr Frank Cash (1887-1964) carries great historical significance as it documents in hundreds of images the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. For decades, most of these images have remained in their original form as glass plate negatives and lantern slides – fragile and inaccessible formats. Now they have all been digitised and are available on Myrrh…”

– Generous gifts have helped close the gap in funding important conservation at Moore College.

Newcastle Bishop Nomination Board to hold regional workshops

Posted on June 20, 2017 
Filed under Australian dioceses Comments Off on Newcastle Bishop Nomination Board to hold regional workshops

This week, the Newcastle Diocese Bishop Nomination Board is holding a series of regional consultation workshops (PDF), as they reflect on who could be the next Bishop of the diocese.

Doubtless, they would appreciate our prayers for wisdom in this task.

What it means to be a disciple

Posted on June 19, 2017 
Filed under Resources, Theology Comments Off on What it means to be a disciple

Tony Payne, co-author of The Vine Project, explains what it means to be a disciple and what it therefore means to make disciples – in this video posted at GoThereFor.com.

← Previous Page — Next Page →