Anglican Communion ‘Secretary-General’ affirms Lambeth 1.10
Posted on August 9, 2015
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Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the new Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, affirms his commitment to Lambeth 1.10 in an interview on the BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Programme and speaks against criminalisation of homosexual behaviour.
“Any resolution from any province that does not take Resolution 1.10 seriously is against the agreement within this church….. As Secretary General my job is to present and execute the decisions of the four instruments of unity we have…. I stand by Resolution 1.10…. This Communion has a position.”
BBC 4 Sunday Programme August 9, 2015. The segment begins 11:50 into the programme, with the interview starting at 18 minutes. (via Anglican Mainstream.)
TV networks ‘refuse to show ad’ asking for more debate on same-sex marriage
Posted on August 7, 2015
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“A television ad suggesting there’s more to same sex marriage than has been considered so far in public debates has been denied airings on Channel 10, Channel 7 and some radio stations this week.
The ad campaign, titled “There’s more to it than you think,” was created by newly formed group the Marriage Alliance and launched this week in Sydney. The ads depict same-sex marriage arguments around equality as just the “tip of the iceberg” of issues that haven’t yet had a proper public airing…”
– Report from The Bible Society.
Creation and new creation
Posted on August 7, 2015
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“In this second part of his consideration of Psalm 104, Dan Wu looks at the difference between the world’s sinfulness, the joy of the psalm and how we should respond.”
– from the Moore College website. (Part 1 here.)
GAFCON Chairman’s July — August 2015 Pastoral Letter
Posted on August 6, 2015
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“I am writing to you on the day when the Church has traditionally celebrated the Transfiguration. The veil that covered Jesus’ glory in his earthly ministry is briefly drawn aside before he begins his journey to Jerusalem and death upon the cross. While Jesus prayed, Peter, James and John slept, but we must not judge them harshly. Climbing mountains is hard work! In fact, they were so deeply asleep that the reality being revealed was not immediately clear to them, yet the impact was lasting.
Years later, Peter recalls this moment on the mountain as he writes to spiritually sleepy Christians who are in danger of forgetting the truth of the gospel and have become complacent about false teachers…
The problem TEC in particular continues to pose for the rest of the Communion was highlighted by another but less reported resolution from its 2015 General Convention, A051, ‘Support LGBT African Advocacy’ which mandates that Church to spread its ideas to Africa…”
– GAFCON Primates’ Council Chairman, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, sends his latest Pastoral Letter.
Annual Moore College Lectures 2015
Posted on August 6, 2015
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Professor Kevin J. Vanhoozer is delivering this year’s Annual Moore College Lectures, starting 7th August. Free and open to the public. Details here.
If you can’t get there in person, the first lecture will be streamed live.
Newcastle diocese committed to changing ‘culture of fear’
Posted on August 6, 2015
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“Newcastle’s Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson says he is preparing for the harsh realities that a royal commission probe into the diocese may bring…”
– report from ABC News. (Image from Bishop Thompson’s earlier apology.)
Christians called to respond to Planned Parenthood
Posted on August 5, 2015
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“We have come to a singularly important moment in the battle against abortion (which is to say, the battle for life). The stunning undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress have taken us right to the heart of the abortion industry. …
Yesterday’s video, the fifth, is the most horrendous yet… It is absolutely sickening, absolutely shocking, absolutely unflinching, absolutely real. It exposes the industry, shining a billion-watt light into its darkest recesses. What was meant to remain hidden has now been made plain.
Once you see this, you cannot unsee it. Once you know what happens in Planned Parenthood and a host of other clinics, you cannot unknow it. That’s true even for those of us who live on the other side of an international border. What happens in America doubtless happens in Canada, England, and everywhere else.”
– Tim Challies has 4 ways Christians (particularly in the US) can respond, including links to helpful material, as does Justin Taylor.
Planting Churches in Japan
Posted on August 5, 2015
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The Ligonier Ministries website has an encouraging interview with Dr. Dan Iverson, country leader in Japan with Mission to the World. (The team includes CMS’ Karen Darda and several other Australians.) Good background for prayer.
Turmoil in Newport Beach
Posted on August 5, 2015
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“The people of St. James the Great Church in Newport Beach, California, thought they had their bishop’s long-term support when they moved into the building in October 2013, after the diocese’s long-term property battle with former members who joined the Anglican Church in North America. He was at the ceremony and offered his blessing.
But now they have no building because the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno signed a deal in May to sell it for $15 million to a luxury housing developer. They feel betrayed, and they are fighting back.
In July church members filed a lengthy complaint, or presentment, against the bishop. It charges Bishop Bruno with 147 violations of church law…”
– The Living Church has the latest on St. James, Newport Beach.
Church Leaders’ views on Marriage
Posted on August 4, 2015
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Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook, along with Roman Catholic spokesman Brian Lucas, were interviewed today by Neil Johnson on Vision Christian Radio’s 20Twenty programme.
The topic: the proposed changes to Australian marriage laws.
The 47 minute segment can be downloaded here as a 19MB mp3 file.
Vaughan Roberts at Moore College chapel
Posted on August 4, 2015
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Vaughan Roberts spoke on Acts 16 (Paul and Silas at Philippi) at Moore College Chapel this morning.
Listen here. (43MB mp3 file.) Super encouraging.
(You can hear other recent chapel sermons here.)
Knowing God in dementia
Posted on August 4, 2015
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Here’s an encouraging video from Mary Andrews College.
Mark Wormell, who lectures at the college on Ministry with Seniors, speaks about ‘Knowing God in dementia’.
Speaking of domestic abuse
Posted on August 3, 2015
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“I want to talk about four traps that await us when we try to understand and respond to domestic abuse.
They are: a tendency towards totalizing; seeing abuse as a gender issue; misapplication of the Bible; and avoiding the Bible’s teaching about men and women…”
– on the newly revamped Equal But Different website, Dr. Claire Smith writes to help Christians respond rightly to domestic abuse.
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert — free audiobook August 2015
Posted on August 2, 2015
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The Christian Audio free download for August 2015 is The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield.
It’s read by the author, and the zipped mp3 version is 207MB in size.
A Clear or Cloudy Gospel? – A review of ‘The Suburban Captivity of the Church’
Posted on August 1, 2015
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“An interesting juxtaposition of events happened to me last week. I found myself reading Tim Foster’s The Suburban Captivity of the Church at the same time as eagerly following the consultation conference of the Australian chapter of The Gospel Coalition.
Tim Foster is the Vice Principal of Ridley Theological College in Melbourne and the book has been shortlisted for the Australian Christian Book of the year award. The Gospel Coalition Australia is a local iteration of The Gospel Coalition originating in the US. Two voices labouring to see Australia won for Christ. Yet, given the difference in descriptions of the gospel were so significant, I felt it prudent to review Foster’s recent book.
The major purpose of Foster’s Suburban Captivity is ‘… to develop a theology of gospel and culture, and then illustrate how contextualisation works.’ (p. 5). …
It’s not a pedestrian read. Foster strongly denounces conceptions of the Gospel that centre upon the sacrifice at Calvary, and calls for a reconceptualisation of the Gospel around God’s wider purposes. We are told in no uncertain terms that this is the only way to break the shackles of our suburban captivity…”
– An important review by Mark Earngey, an ACL member currently studying Reformation theology and history at the University of Oxford.
Tim Foster has posted this response.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…