The Hunting of Andrea Leadsom
Posted on July 11, 2016
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“It’s the hunting season again.
With the Tory party in the throes of choosing a new leader its time for our PC secularists to start trawling the web in order to find dark and hidden secrets of the various candidates. Have they ever lied in the past? Cheated on their taxes? Kicked the cat? Gone fox hunting?
But the big sin – the one that guarantees the Twitterati and Facebook pages go ballistic – is ‘are they Christian?’. Like, really Christian. Not David Cameron’s ‘my faith is like the patchy reception of Magic FM in the Chilterns’. Instead, a Christian who actually reads the Bible (!), goes to church (!) and even prays!!!
If so, they must be hunted down and burnt at the secular stake…”
– Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, David Robertson, comments at The Wee Flea.
Trouble in Bakersfield
Posted on July 9, 2016
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“A popular, longstanding, and effective member of a schoolboard has had to stand down—not because he does not enjoy the confidence of the community, but simply because he does not accept the latest demands that every knee must bow to whatever the political taste of the moment has decided is non-negotiable…
it is time to face that fact and abandon the myth that the world is run by people who respect difference and diversity…”
– At First Things, Carl Trueman writes about some of the fallout from California’s mandated school transgender policy.
Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit welcomed by GAFCON Primates
Posted on July 9, 2016
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“Following his enthronement as the sixth Archbishop of Kenya on Sunday 3rd July in All Saints’ Cathedral, Nairobi, the Most Rev Jackson Ole Sapit met with the GAFCON Primates who had travelled from as far away as South America to be present for this day of prayer, preaching and colourful celebration…”
– from GAFCON.
Moore’s treasures unveiled
Posted on July 8, 2016
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“A campaign has begun to preserve a major collection of Australian Christian history at the library of Moore College, including two of the first books ever printed by press, the first book distributed in Australia, an ancient Hebrew parchment, a first edition of the King James Bible and rare photos of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The historic, and eclectic, group of ‘treasures’ is to be housed and exhibited in the college’s new library, due for completion in 2017, and the college is raising funds to display and preserve the irreplaceable collection.
‘Some of Australia’s priceless national heritage is found in the Moore College library – not surprising, since the college is one of the oldest tertiary educational institutions in the country and it became the repository of special books and artefacts from the earliest days,’ said Moore’s former principal Dr Peter Jensen, who is backing the effort to conserve the treasures.
One of the most historic items of Australiana is ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies’ by the chaplain of the First Fleet, the Rev Richard Johnson. It was printed in England in 1794 with editing by the slave trader-turned evangelist John Newton. Johnson used it in his work in Sydney, making it the first book conceived and distributed in Australia…”
– Read the full story by Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Richard Johnson’s ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island’ (with some editorial input from John Newton) was republished in PDF format for the ACL website several years ago. It is a wonderfully direct gospel tract.
Photo credit: Moore College.
After lawsuit ‘ChristianMingle’ dating website allows same-sex options
Posted on July 7, 2016
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“ChristianMingle.com will open its 16 million-member site to gay and lesbian users following an anti-discrimination lawsuit.
According to a settlement approved by a California judge last week, the country’s most popular Christian dating site will offer options for same-sex matches, rather than limiting searches to “a man seeking a woman or a woman seeking a man,” the Wall Street Journal reported…”
– Story from Christianity Today.
Assisted Suicide: A Quadriplegic’s Perspective
Posted on July 6, 2016
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“Culture is so easily influenced by the entertainment industry. This is why I am sounding an alarm about a very dangerous message in a film released this summer. The movie? Me Before You.…”
– The wonderful Joni Eareckson Tada has a few things to say about a tragic movie. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Religious schools and discrimination in Victoria
Posted on July 5, 2016
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“Recently a Greens MP in Victoria, Sue Pennicuik, has introduced a Bill into the Victorian Parliament to reduce the ability of religious schools to deal with potential admissions, or their current student body, on the basis of the school’s religious beliefs. The Equal Opportunity Amendment (Equality for Students) Bill 2016 had its second reading in the Legislative Council on 22 June 2016.
The legislation is arguably an impairment of the religious freedom of parents and the schools, and ought not to be passed…”
– In his latest post at Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster discusses the latest moves in Victoria. Among other observations, he wonders of the proposed changes are constitutional. Once again, Neil has done the wider community a service by teasing out some of the key issues for us.
An Unsung Evangelistic Hero
Posted on July 4, 2016
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“An unsung hero is one who does great deeds, but receives little or no recognition for them. They fly under the radar making great contributions, but rarely find their way onto news reports or into the history books. There are and have been countless unsung heroes around the globe.
Take ‘Gunner’, for example: this stray male kelpie helped save perhaps hundreds of Australian lives during the Second World War. The dog, first found injured and whimpering under a destroyed hut at the Darwin Air Force base in 1942, was discovered to have particularly acute hearing: he could detect the approach of Japanese planes 20 minutes before the arrived—and before they showed up on the radar! But have you ever heard of him?
There is an unsung hero when it comes to evangelism. Well, an almost unsung hero…”
– At GoThereFor.com, Stephen Liggins has an encouraging article that’s worth passing on.
‘A debate on marriage equality need not be hate-filled’
Posted on July 4, 2016
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“In a wide-ranging speech delivered last week and published in the Guardian (“Straight politicians don’t understand what it’s like to hide their relationships in fear), Senate opposition leader Penny Wong made the case against a plebiscite on the redefinition of the marriage.
Her three claims were: that opposition to same-sex marriage is essentially homophobia; that the Australian people cannot be trusted to have a respectful discussion about such matters; and so the matter should be left to the parliament. …
The fact is that many ordinary Australians are both pro-gay people and pro-traditional marriage. They know and love people with same-sex attraction and want only the best for them. They know that such people have often suffered injustices in the past and sympathise with the complaint that something is being denied to them still. But they also believe that marriage is a unique relationship that unites people of the opposite sex as husband and wife and, more often than not, as father and mother. Such ordinary Australians are not bigots.”
– This opinion-piece by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher was published in The Guardian just before the federal election. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net. Photo: Archdiocese of Sydney.)
President Kenyatta congratulates new Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop
Posted on July 4, 2016
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“President Uhuru Kenyatta has congratulated the newly enthroned Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop, the Most Reverend Dr Jackson Nasoore Ole Sapit.
Speaking at the enthronement service at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, President Kenyatta wished Archbishop Sapit success in his duties as Head of the Anglican Church in Kenya and assured him of his support…”
– from Capital News. (Earlier photo from the Anglican Church of Kenya.)
Pope Francis continues to sow confusion
Posted on July 2, 2016
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In the latest episode of The Briefing, Albert Mohler turns to recent statements made by Pope Francis, and considers the confusion being sown among Roman Catholics and the wider public.
It is a masterly analysis, and is worth hearing. Many regard the Catholic Church as the font of Christianity, so the pronouncements of a Pope who contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and who seems to be re-writing Reformation history deserve examination.
The 17 minute audio segment is the first on this page. (Photo: The Vatican website.)
‘Russian government introduces draconian Soviet era restrictions on religious freedom’
Posted on July 1, 2016
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“Last Friday two members of the Russian Duma (parliament) introduced a series of amendments to anti-terrorist legislation that would require individuals to gain prior state authorisation before even discussing their faith with someone else. …
It now goes to Russian President Vladimir Putin who has until July 20th to decide whether the bill will become law. The new law will require any sharing of the Christian faith – even a casual conversation – to have prior authorisation from the state. This includes something as basic as an emailed invitation for a friend to attend church…”
– Concerning news via Barnabas Fund.
Merged group named Anglicare
Posted on July 1, 2016
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“The newly merged group formed from Anglicare Sydney and Anglican Retirement Villages has officially begun, using the name Anglicare.
The merger took effect on July 1st, and although its legal name will be ‘Anglican Community Services’, it will use the trading names ‘Anglicare’ and ‘Anglicare Sydney’…”
– News from SydneyAnglicans.net.
Sexual orthodoxy and admitting lawyers
Posted on July 1, 2016
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“The decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in Trinity Western University v. The Law Society of Upper Canada, 2016 ONCA 518 (29 June 2016) is an interesting illustration of the strength of the current orthodoxy in society on sexual behaviour, and how those who dissent are increasingly being cast in the role of ‘heretics’ and unfit for civilised society.
(While this blog is mostly about Australian issues, those raised by this case are likely to be replicated here and elsewhere in the West, so I think it is worthy of note.)
The decision is the latest in a line of cases relating to the attempt of TWU, a private Christian university located in British Columbia, to start a law school…”
– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster comments on yet another example of increasing intolerance of Christian morality.
Why Saturday’s election is like all the others, and yet not
Posted on June 30, 2016
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“Voting in elections, like pretty much everything we do, is an exercise in glorifying God by loving our neighbour.
Or as Paul puts it: ‘So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ’ (1 Cor 10:31-11:1).
The principle as it applies to voting is simple enough: we should do everything for the glory of God by seeking the advantage of many. As we eat or drink or work or drive or vote, we should not seek our own good, but the good of many others, and especially their chief good of being saved in Christ.
What does this mean for our vote this Saturday?…
… Christians will regard people’s destiny in Christ as their chief good. As we consider all the good and harm that may be attained through governmental action, we will give a special priority to those actions that provide space and opportunity for the gospel to be clearly proclaimed. As Paul said, do everything for the glory of God by seeking the good of many, so that they may be saved.
And that’s why this election is unlike any I’ve voted in over the past 36 years in Australia…”
– At Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living, Tony Payne lays out the great motivation for evangelical Christians to consider carefully how they should vote.
Related:
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…