New Dean for Australian College of Theology
Posted on March 3, 2016
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The Board of the Australian College of Theology has announced (PDF) that Dr. Martin Sutherland, currently Academic Dean of Laidlaw College in Auckland, will be the new Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the ACT, from July 2016.
Colleges affiliated with the ACT include Youthworks College, Mary Andrews College, SMBC, and the Presbyterian and Baptist colleges. (Photo: Laidlaw College.)
Canadian Bishops explain why they are not pushing for a vote to change definition of marriage
Posted on March 2, 2016
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“We spent a considerable amount of time discussing the theology of marriage and our episcopal role and responsibilities as chief pastors, and as guardians of the Church’s faith, order and unity. …
… it became clear to us that the draft resolution to change the Marriage Canon to accommodate the marriage of same-sex partners is not likely to pass in the Order of Bishops by the canonical requirement of a 2/3rds majority in each Order. Some of us talked of being mortified and devastated by this realisation…
… we feel a responsibility to convey our inability to come to a common mind in discerning what the Spirit is saying to the Church.”
– The ‘chief pastors, and guardians of the Church’s faith, order and unity’ of the Anglican Church of Canada explain why they are not pushing to change their definition of marriage at this year’a General Synod. They don’t yet have the numbers.
Update: The American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey has this commentary.
Two Worlds
Posted on March 2, 2016
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“I live in Sydney, a beautiful city, what a pleasure to show friends from overseas around the harbour, the beaches and the mountains.
And yet, like all believers, my home is the eternal city which is above.
The writer of the Hebrews reminds his readers “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14)…”
– In his latest Moderator’s Comments, Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook reflects on living in two worlds.
New Priscilla and Aquila Centre website
Posted on March 2, 2016
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The Priscilla and Aquila Centre at Moore College has a brand new website.
Check it out – including their Resource Centre.
Moore College celebrates a birthday
Posted on March 1, 2016
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160 and counting. A cause for thanksgiving to the Lord.
From the Vault No. 4
Posted on March 1, 2016
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Learning to speak Christian in an online world
Posted on February 28, 2016
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“On March 17, I’ll be speaking at Moore College’s first Centre for Christian Living event for 2016. The topic: Learning to speak Christian in an online world. …
Christians need to be online – or at least some of us do. That’s because there are real people who spend a large part of their lives online, and these people need to hear (or read!) the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” (Romans 10:14). If we Christians aren’t there with them, they will not hear of Jesus. All they will hear is the “noise” – the endless frivolous chatter, and worse.
But – we need to be very serious about how we speak. That’s because God takes our speech incredibly seriously. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, for example, when he talks about living God’s way, much of the time he’s talking about the way we speak…”
– Lionel Windsor at Moore College previews an event coming up at The Centre for Christian Living.
We still don’t want your money — message to TEC
Posted on February 27, 2016
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Statement from the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa regarding the Good Friday Offering
“It has come to our attention that the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (USA) has recently issued a Lenten appeal asking the churches of TEC to remember the Good Friday offering for Jerusalem and the Middle East. In this appeal he said ‘this tradition [The Good Friday Offering] is decades old and is an important statement of our solidarity with the members of the four dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and Middle East.’
I would like to clarify the fact that the Diocese of Egypt with North of Africa and the Horn of Africa, one of the four dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East does not receive funds or grants from the Good Friday offering of the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the USA. The decision not to receive these funds came after the 2003 decision by TEC to consecrate as bishop a divorced man living in a homosexual relationship. The decision not to receive money from TEC is one expression of the reality that the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa was (and still is) in an impaired relationship with The Episcopal Church.
One of our clergy in Ethiopia states our situation in graphic terms: ‘We rather starve and not receive money from churches whose actions contradict the scriptures.’
+Mouneer
The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Archbishop of Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
Primate of the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.”
– from the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, h/t Anglican Mainstream.
Equipped to Preach the Word — A new resource by David Jackman
Posted on February 27, 2016
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Here’s an exciting new (and free!) resource from the Proclamation Trust –
“Equipped to Preach the Word is a new resource we’ve put together as a series of videos and accompanying manuals to put resources into the hands of those who long, under God, to train up a new generation of faithful and effective Bible preachers.
Topics include: the nature and necessity of revelation, interpretation and application; apostolic priorities and practice; contemporary challenges in the culture and the church; careful reading and thoughtful analysis of Scripture; watching your life and doctrine; the Word of Christ dwelling in us richly.
This course helps you to train others to acquire and develop the necessary practical tools and skills to expound the Bible’s message.”
– Read more about it, download the Leader’s and Trainee manuals, and see the videos – all on this page.
Around the Anglican Church of Australia 27 February 2016
Posted on February 27, 2016
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Here are a few snippets from around the Anglican Church of Australia this weekend.
Please pray that all of us will keep Christ’s saving gospel front and centre, and proclaim it clearly, as we should (Colossians 4:4, Matthew 28:16-20):
Melbourne
Anglican Media Melbourne has this video from a forum held on Ash Wednesday. One of the speakers was The Rev Andy Bowman (pictured), Co-Director of the Anglican Alliance:
“Ash Wednesday’s appropriate because first, we’ve got to lament the kind of poor response we’ve shown over the last two decades – and so we began the day today thinking about how we should be grieving that, how we should be seeking forgiveness about that…”
“… How can we restore the Earth to what it should be – what it was – when God first created it and gave us that great responsibility of stewarding it.”
North Queensland
The funeral of Bishop John Lewis (Bishop of North Queensland 1971-1996) will be held at St. James’ Cathedral in Townsville, today Saturday 27th February.
In his weekly bulletin, current bishop Bill Ray explains that he is sorry medical reasons prevent him being at next month’s Australian Bishops’ Conference in South Australia. He writes:
“Despite what you may have read in the press, it has been my experience that each Bishops’ Meeting is a time of fellowship and learning as well as a time where people show respect to each other.
I have found each conference very helpful and I am disappointed that I will not be present.”
Bathurst
Bathurst Diocese is advertising an Encouragement Workshop at St. John’s Wellington in March.
Canberra & Goulburn
Canberra– Goulburn Diocese reports that a UK expert in children’s church, The Rev Mark Griffiths, is touring regional areas next month to help churches reach young people.
Perth
The Diocese of Perth has an essay on “Liberation theology in modern Australia”.
The Dean’s Story — Kanishka Raffel on ABC Radio’s The Spirit of Things
Posted on February 26, 2016
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Terrific interview with Kanishka Raffel coming up on ABC Radio on Sunday – but available on the website now.
The full programme is a 26MB mp3 file, and the interview runs for the first 43 minutes.
Well worth hearing and sharing widely.
(h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)
What the Anglican Homilies say about Justification by Faith Alone
Posted on February 26, 2016
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“How old is the doctrine of justification by faith alone? Was it just invented at the Reformation? Was it the brainchild of Martin Luther or John Calvin?
Well, the Church of England’s official view on that subject is that justification by faith alone is an ancient doctrine — taught by the Bible itself and found in the best theologians of the early church in both East and West. So despite what some today might say, it is not a mere ‘distortion due to the heated atmosphere of the time.’…”
– At Church Society’s blog, Lee Gatiss goes on to provide a comforting extract from the Homily of Salvation.
How the Atlanta Fire Chief’s Christian views cost him his job
Posted on February 26, 2016
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“Heretics will be punished.
That’s the clear message of the zealots who are defying more than 200 years of American constitutional tradition in their effort to establish a new state church, the church of sexual freedom. To the adherents of this church, no amount of virtue can compensate for apostasy. Even the best and brightest must be swept aside if they do not believe…”
– You may have read of the former Atlanta Fire Chief whose employment was terminated last year. Here’s the sobering tale from The National Review.
(Image from this video from Alliance Defending Freedom.)
Archbishop Ntagali’s Lenten Appeal to Pray for Uganda and the Anglican Communion
Posted on February 25, 2016
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The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, has issued this call to prayer for Uganda, and for the Anglican Communion. Here are two key quotes:
“Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is like we are back in 2003 where we continue to be betrayed by our leaders. The Primates voted to bring discipline to TEC and, yet, we now see that the leadership of the Anglican Communion does not have the will to follow through. This is another deep betrayal.” …
“There will be a GAFCON Primates Council meeting in Chile in April, and we will discuss how to continue advancing the mission of GAFCON as a renewal movement within the Anglican Communion. As I have stated previously, we are not leaving the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion. We uphold the Biblical and historic faith of Anglicans and have come together in fellowship with other Provinces and national fellowships that have made the same decision.”
Full text below: Read more
Spiritually Discerning the Redefinition of Marriage
Posted on February 24, 2016
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“Between the 11th and 15th of January 2016 the Primates of the Anglican Communion met to deliberate over a number of issues, including the question of a growing demand for affirming homosexual unions within the Western provinces.
This week, in his Presidential address to the General Synod, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke of the Primates meeting, the beauty and energy of the Anglican communion coming together in unity, as well as the crucial process of decision-making and development not being a matter of canons and rules, but one of discernment by the Spirit, based in relationship – but apparently not in revelation. Amidst all the Christian-sounding terminology, what is it that the archbishop was actually saying?
When Welby’s address is read in conjunction with the recently published letter of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to Jayne Ozanne, a homosexual activist and director of Accepting Evangelicals, a clear pattern and approach to the questions of marriage and human sexuality on the part of the Anglican church emerges, which reflects the radically changed priorities of the established church – a process that has been going on for many decades – to declare man’s word for the cultural moment rather than God’s unchanging word to the world. …”
– So, whose word is our authority?
Dr Joe Boot, Senior Pastor at Westminster Chapel, Toronto, has published this strong piece at the Ezra Institute of Contemporary Christianity. Read the full article here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…