Northwest Network June 2015
Posted on June 4, 2015
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The Diocese of North West Australia has issued their latest newsletter. Check it out – and pray for the churches of the North West – 900kb PDF file.
Christ amongst the ‘gods’
Posted on June 4, 2015
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“Today, Australia is visibly a religiously plural society. Christianity is no longer the ‘normal’ religion. Religious diversity is the new normal. And we experience that diversity daily. … This is the first of three articles about responding to religious plurality in Australia…”
– the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee of the Presbyterian Church of NSW is helping Australian Christians to think through the issues of living in a multifaith society. You can download the PDF file here.
A sexual ponzi scheme?
Posted on June 3, 2015
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“An article in the Washington Post last week (“How to break free from monogamy without destroying marriage”) described the dynamics of an open marriage and the various “apps” now available for facilitating extramarital relations.
The amorality might have been shocking twenty years ago but today such well-traveled territory likely provokes little more than a yawn. Yet the article is still instructive for what the author’s analysis (or lack thereof) tells us about contemporary culture…”
– Carl Trueman writes at First Things. (h/t Tim Challies.)
This is the God who Saves – new EP from Michael Morrow
Posted on June 2, 2015
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“Michael Morrow is a UK based Australian musician who has produced songs with EMU Music and on his own.
You might remember him from songs like This Life I Live, Nothing But The Blood, and Come Hear The Angels Sing.
He’s just released a four song EP that takes its name with the first track, This Is The God Who Saves…”
– thanks to Gary Ware for spotting this.
Call for coalition to vote as one on marriage
Posted on June 2, 2015
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Here’s a media release from the Australian Christian Lobby –
“The Australian Christian Lobby today renewed its call on the Liberal party to stand by its principled policy on marriage by continuing to vote as one on the issue…” – Read it all on their website.
David Cook on Preaching Galatians
Posted on June 1, 2015
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“Why is the Gospel so momentous? Is the work of Christ sufficient to bring us into relationship with God, or do we need to make some additive? What place is there for the law in the lives of Christians already saved by grace through faith?
David Cook explains why it is so important to preach Galatians properly. The law will not justify us, but neither will the law sanctify us. The law is no help in causing us to grow in godliness or in maintaining our relationship with God. The work of Christ doesn’t need supplementing by anything we may attempt to do.”
– Check out the latest Preaching Matters video from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.
Bishop Peter Lin consecrated
Posted on May 30, 2015
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“The Rev Peter Lin was consecrated as Bishop of the George’s River Region by Archbishop Glenn Davies, at St Andrew’s Cathedral on Saturday 30th May.
Mr Lin is one of the youngest bishops in the history of the Diocese and only the second of Chinese descent in Australia…”
– Russell Powell has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Related:
SBS News reports on the consecration, and also the appointment of Kanishka Raffel as Dean of Sydney. (video expires 06 June 2015.)
What is ECUSA Spending on Lawsuits? (Updated for General Convention 2015)
Posted on May 30, 2015
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“When one adds in the estimated additional amounts spent by individual dioceses on such litigation, the total amount exceeds Sixty Million Dollars…”
– Anglican lawyer and blogger A S Haley updates his annual list.
Churches defend traditional meaning of marriage — NSW Council of Churches
Posted on May 29, 2015
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“Changing the meaning of marriage would be a vast, risky social experiment. Children have the right to know and be cared for by their natural parents. The law should reflect and promote best practice.
Amid the emotion and hype, principled arguments in favour of retaining the current definition of marriage in Australian law deserve the consideration of every federal politician…”
– Dr Ross Clifford, President of the NSW Council of Churches in a media release.
Australia’s businesses take out full-page ad backing ‘marriage equality’
Posted on May 29, 2015
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“Some of Australia’s biggest businesses have thrown their weight behind the push for gay marriage, with a full-page newspaper advertisement today.
Corporations including Google, Qantas, Optus and the ANZ and Commonwealth banks have put their names to a list of Australian businesses backing marriage equality…” – ABC News report.
I oppose same-sex marriage (and no, I’m not a bigot)
Posted on May 29, 2015
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“The passing of the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage has triggered a round of Australian advocates announcing that it is now ‘our turn’. We lag behind the UK, many European countries, some states in the US, and (perish the thought!) New Zealand, and we ought to get with the programme.
The Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, in line with the new ALP dogma, has announced that he is introducing a private members bill into Parliament next Monday…
How could anyone stand opposed? The terms in which the pro-marriage redefinition case are stated make it sound as inevitable as the dawn, and as unstoppable as the tide. And these same terms make opposing a redefinition of marriage sound primitive and even barbaric. There are those in favour of change, we are told, and then there are the bigots.”
– Dr. Michael Jensen writes at the ABC’s The Drum.
Related: The Australian Christian Lobby lists some of the consequences of same sex marriage for the free exercise of religion.
Marriage
Posted on May 28, 2015
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David Cook, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, has written an important piece on Marriage. Here’s a quote:
“None of us expected that in our lives we would have to stand solidly with the apostles and declare, ‘we must obey God rather than men’.”
Take the time to read the full text:
On my recent trip to Malaysia, I was asked to expound Romans 13:1-7, the attitude of the Christian to the civil ruler.
The Bible makes it clear that all “superior” authority, like that of Government, is derived from the supreme authority, God Himself, who establishes and institutes such authority.
For the Christian, the State will have a limited jurisdiction, like Moses’ mother, the midwives of Egypt, Daniel, the apostles and the Lord Jesus, we will respectfully submit to the State until it oversteps the boundary set by God. “We must obey God rather than men” Acts 5:29.
There are many issues which may be “disputable” in our relationship with governments, but the proposed change to the Marriage Act is not one of them.
The Marriage Act of 1961, amended in 2004 defines marriage as “the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life”.
This is a perfectly good reflection of Genesis 2:24, “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”.
The Lord Jesus ratifies this definition of marriage in Matthew 19:5-6 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together let not man separate.”
Everything which the apostle Paul says of marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 is based on the premise that marriage is between a man and a woman. Some may say that this is just the writing of Paul, a mere man, but remember, just as the resurrection of Jesus declares His deity (Romans 1:4) so the resurrection of Jesus ratifies Paul’s authentic apostleship (Galatians 1:1).
The question of same sex marriage will not go away, I suspect that our politicians will treat the issue as unresolved until the Marriage Act is amended. Such amendment will not foster stronger family life, children will be denied both a mother and a father, surrogate parenting will become more common, inevitably those who hold a contrary position will be treated with intolerance, being accused of being homophobic, simply for having a moral conviction that homosexual practise is contrary to God’s will.
The fact that the Republic of Ireland has recently voted for same sex marriage, does not mean that our nation’s leaders have to unquestioningly follow such a poor example. On such a fundamental change to the foundation of our society, why shouldn’t the people have the opportunity to express their mind in a referendum?
The question that Presbyterian ministers must face is, as registered marriage celebrants, are we prepared to continue to operate under an Act which unacceptably redefines marriage?
The Church and Nation Committee has discussed this issue, our political leaders need to face the reality that a redefining of the Marriage Act will be seen by many Christian celebrants as an affront to the supreme authority of God and will lead to a massive reduction in celebrants’ availability to operate under such a compromised Act.
None of us expected that in our lives we would have to stand solidly with the apostles and declare, “we must obey God rather than men”.
David Cook.
– Source, The Moderator’s Comments, 28 May 2015.
Why Australia should not rush to follow Ireland
Posted on May 28, 2015
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“So many questions, so little free debate. …
Changing the definition of marriage has far reaching consequences. It is time to press pause and think again.”
– The Australian Christian Lobby raises a number of questions in the midst of a push for same sex marriage in Australia.
A Requiem for the Boy Scouts
Posted on May 27, 2015
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“The Boy Scouts were doomed the moment the national leadership decided to preserve the organization at the cost of the values and ideals that gave it birth.
Speaking to a national meeting of Boy Scouts of America leaders, President Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, called for the B.S.A. to abandon its policy of allowing the participation of openly gay scouts, but not the involvement of openly-gay adults…
By any honest account, the policy adopted in 2013 was a compromise that anyone could see would not hold. … the B.S.A. put itself in a no-man’s land of moral evasion.”
– Albert Mohler on the predicament facing the Boy Scouts of America.
Related: Dr. Robert M. Gates at 2015 Boy Scouts of America National Annual Meeting. Watch from 08:40.
Newcastle Bishopscourt sold
Posted on May 27, 2015
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“The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle has sold Bishopscourt on The Hill to a local purchaser…” – report from Property Observer.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…