For the Bible tells me so: Biblical authority denied … again
Posted on September 27, 2016
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“‘Jesus loves me — this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’ This is a childish error
Evangelical Christianity has a big problem, says Andy Stanley, and that problem is a reliance on the Bible that is both unwarranted and unhelpful. In a recent message delivered at North Point Community Church and posted online, Stanley identifies the evangelical impulse to turn to the Bible in our defense and presentation of Christianity as a huge blunder that must be corrected.”
– Albert Mohler warns against diluting Biblical authority in an attempt to connect with our culture.
Rod Bower in his own words
Posted on September 26, 2016
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“Three decades on, Father Rod Bower, 54, is the one causing headaches as Australia’s most outspoken, social media savvy and incongruous priest. …”
– The Australian has this profile of Rod Bower, Archdeacon of the Central Coast in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle.
(h/t David Ould. Photo: Rod Bower via Facebook.)
Related: From October 19, 2014, Report: Bishop of Newcastle appoints Rod Bower as Archdeacon of the Central Coast. (Which includes this link.)
LGBTI threats against Mercure Hotel show ‘poison’ in public life
Posted on September 26, 2016
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“The poison in Australia’s public life has reached a point where a casual bystander now can fall victim to the tactics used to win a fight at all costs.
The latest sign of the illness came when employees at a Sydney hotel answered the telephone last week to hear threats of physical violence. Their crime? The Mercure Sydney Airport Hotel had taken a booking for a conference room for four Christian groups.
This was not an isolated threat. The phone calls kept coming. …
Threatening phone calls to a Sydney hotel may seem like a minor test of these principles, yet the affair is instructive all the same. When the campaign went too far there was a reluctance to call it out. Australian Marriage Equality refused to condemn it. The Greens have declined a request to comment. The early response from the ‘progressive’ side of politics was to deny the problem. The message is that rights are not always worth fighting for.”
– from The Australian. (via SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Inboxes. Getting all the stuff out of them. Every day.
Posted on September 26, 2016
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“This post is about a core habit that helps me to reduce everyday stress: emptying inboxes. I’m not just talking about getting my email to ‘inbox zero’ every so often. I’m talking about identifying all my inboxes in life, and daily emptying them. That means getting all the vaguely undefined and stressful “‘stuff’ out of those inboxes and into my trusted system, where they can do some good.”
– At Forget the Channel, Lionel Windsor continues his series on “sustainable sacrifice” in Christian ministry.
John Howard and the Myths of the 2004 Marriage amendments
Posted on September 24, 2016
Filed under Australia, Culture wars, Resources Comments Off on John Howard and the Myths of the 2004 Marriage amendments
“The debates over redefining marriage in Australia have acquired in recent years some high profile “myths” or, to use the modern parlance, “memes”, which are regularly repeated.
One of the most enduring is that the battle for same sex marriage is impeded by a supposedly shocking set of amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 which were made by conservative Prime Minister John Howard in 2004.
To take some recent quotes which illustrate the points:
“It was the Howard Government that in 2004 changed the Marriage Act to specifically refer to marriage being “the union of a man and a woman,” locking out any possibility to include gay couples in the definition without a change in the law.”
“[T[his weekend marks the twelfth anniversary of John Howard’s amendments to the Australian Marriage Act. You know, those amendments that didn’t require a plebiscite? Those amendments that made it a legal requirement for celebrants to remind champagne-tipsy wedding parties around the country that marriage was between a man and a woman at the exclusion of all others?”
There are two ‘myths’ being presented here…”
At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster tackles two oft-repeated myths –
“Myth 1: the 2004 amendments redefined marriage” and “Myth 2: Celebrants reading out the words”.
‘Printer bans book against gay marriage’
Posted on September 23, 2016
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“First we saw two commercial TV stations ban an ad backing traditional marriage. So did SBS. Then we saw a Catholic Archbishop taken to the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commission for defending traditional marriage. Next, we saw a meeting of Christian opponents of same-sex marriage bombarded with abuse and threats, forcing its cancellation. And now a printer has refused to print a book arguing against same-sex marriage …”
– Andrew Bolt writes in The Herald Sun.
See also The Australian Marriage Forum blog.
Anglican Mission in England Pioneering Plan
Posted on September 23, 2016
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Here’s an encouraging video on AMiE’s plans to plant 25 gospel-focussed churches in England by 2025 and 250 by 2050.
Bishop of Newcastle to bless “Multi Faith Bridge”
Posted on September 21, 2016
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“Bishop Greg Thompson, Anglican Bishop of Newcastle, will be visiting Albion Farm Gardens in Woodville on Sunday September 25 to bless a multi-faith bridge.
The bridge will become a significant part of Maitland’s history as it was constructed from stone given by a variety of faith communities.
Stone has come as from as far as Jerusalem, as well as from local faith groups including Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, Uniting, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim. The Jewish community gave a stone from a synagogue…”
– from the Diocese of Newcastle.
Also coming up: Blessing of the Animals at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle.
Canberra & Goulburn updates Bishop’s election process but retains Synod vote
Posted on September 21, 2016
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“The most important decision a synod makes is to select its next bishop. The 2016 Synod revised the process by which future diocesan bishops will be elected. It decided to retain the capacity to elect the bishop while expanding the role of an election committee to vet and nominate candidates for consideration…”
– Report from The Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
Diocese of Toronto elects first ‘openly gay, partnered’ suffragan bishop
Posted on September 21, 2016
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News from the Anglican Church of Canada’s Diocese of Toronto –
“After many hours of prayerful consideration, the Rev. Riscylla Walsh Shaw, the Rev. Canon Kevin Robertson and the Rev. Canon Jenny Andison were elected suffragan bishops in the Diocese of Toronto at St. Paul, Bloor Street on Sept. 17.
[Bishop-elect Robertson said after the election], ‘It’s no secret that I’m the first openly gay, partnered bishop-elect in the diocese and perhaps in the Canadian church as well…”
– Report and video from the Diocese of Toronto.
Science and the Bible, debates about committees, hope and courage in mission
Posted on September 21, 2016
Filed under Church of England, Opinion Comments Off on Science and the Bible, debates about committees, hope and courage in mission
“Another week, another revisionist Church Times leader article penned by an academic heavyweight.
This time a consultant psychiatrist and Professor of Theology insists that we need to allow the latest scientific findings to inform our understanding of Scripture…”
– Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes comments the state of the Church of England.
Related: GAFCON UK Statement following the appointment of a ‘Bishops’ Reflection Group’ on homosexuality.
A Plea for Hymn Books
Posted on September 20, 2016
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“It has become fashionable to dispense with hymn books, but they have a number of advantages over screens. Here are three …”
At Church Society’s blog, Liam Beadle wonders what we are losing when we just project the words on a screen.
New website for Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living
Posted on September 19, 2016
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Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living has a new website, with easy access to resources and recordings of past events.
See it here – including news of the upcoming ‘Can we talk about Same-Sex Marriage?’ on Wednesday October 19.
The Intolerance of Tolerance
Posted on September 19, 2016
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“It was only in 2012 that Don Carson published a book with the title The Intolerance of Tolerance.
It is a book that traces the development of so-called ‘tolerance’. How far we have come from the days of ‘I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’ The philosophical shift has happened so quickly, and it looks set to impact many areas of life.
The matter is worth contemplating afresh in the midst of the current discussion about same-sex marriage in our country. Or rather, the current discussion about whether or not our country should even have a national discussion!…”
– Over at SydneyAnglicans.net, Raj Gupta reminds Christians of the huge shift taking place around us.
Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales responds to Archbishop Barry Morgan
Posted on September 19, 2016
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From GAFCON:
The Archbishop of Wales, the Rt Revd Barry Morgan, has recently claimed that ‘sex properly belongs’ in committed same sex relationships and that the Bible can be interpreted as supporting such relationships, but the Evangelical Fellowship of the Church in Wales considers these remarks to be a licence to disregard biblical authority.
The Governing Body of the Church in Wales met in Lampeter 14th -15th September, 2016. Following the press coverage of the Archbishop’s address, the executive committee of EFCW responds as follows:
We want to wish the Archbishop well in his retirement. We note the Archbishop’s final presidential address at Governing Body, and still struggle to understand how his approach to scripture is not just licence to disregard its authority. We believe that the inclusivity of Jesus, to which the Archbishop referred, was one not only of loving everyone, but also of calling everyone to a degree of repentance which would result in following him exclusively as Lord. We note Jesus gave an invitation to everyone, but warned repeatedly and frequently of consequences for those who rejected him. We are therefore delighted that one of the closing discussions at Governing Body got people talking about the need to engage in mission and evangelism. We hope and pray that these are the issues that occupy the time and energy of the Church in Wales in the years to come.
16th Sept 2016. (Source: Evangelical Fellowship of the Church in Wales.)
Photo: The Church in Wales.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…