Reform’s Chairman Rod Thomas to be Bishop of Maidstone
Posted on May 5, 2015
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“Reform is delighted that their Chairman, Rev’d Preb Rod Thomas, has been appointed to the revived See of Maidstone. Rod has served as a senior officer of Reform for nearly two decades. In that time he has been unswerving in his commitment to the principles set out in the Reform Covenant. But for Rod’s passionate advocacy of conservative evangelical Anglicanism the Church of England would have been much impoverished.
Rod’s predecessor as Chairman of Reform, Rev’d Canon David Banting, said, ‘Rod’s presence in the College of Bishops will strengthen and enrich the priority of the mission of the gospel to the nation and the centrality of biblical witness in the Church.’…”
– A media statement from Reform.
See the press release from Lambeth Palace…
“The appointment of Rod Thomas follows a meeting of the Dioceses Commission in December at which unanimous agreement was given to a proposal from the Archbishop of Canterbury to fill the see, which has been vacant since 2009, with a bishop who takes a conservative evangelical view on headship.”
And Church Society reaction from their Director, Lee Gatiss –
“Rod is the only complementarian evangelical to be made a bishop since Wallace Benn in 1997. This appointment is part of the package of compromises agreed recently by General Synod, through which women bishops have been introduced into the Church. It is a great pity that despite Synod’s overwhelming approval of the first Pilling Report, Talent & Calling, in 2007, which called for more conservative evangelicals to be considered for such roles, there has been no such appointment until today. …
It may be asked whether a single isolated new bishop is mere tokenism. Surely ‘flourishing’ implies rather more than the reluctant toleration of one among more than a hundred bishops?”
NEXUS 2015 registration last days
Posted on May 5, 2015
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It’s less than a week to this year’s NEXUS Conference – at St. Anne’s Ryde on Monday 11th May.
More than a feeling … but the feeling still counts
Posted on May 4, 2015
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“Recently I asked a group of young people to jot down the world’s take on romantic relationships. There were no surprises in their responses: ‘Get into a relationship if it feels good and get out of it when it is no longer fun’; ‘It doesn’t have to last, it just has to be fun for both parties’; ‘Do what feels right for you’; ‘It’s about feeling’.
These answers capture so much of our culture. We love experiences. Our feelings really matter. Freedom and fulfilment are found in expressing our desires – having as few boundaries and restraints as possible as long as we don’t hurt anyone else. We are awash with a focus upon ourselves. As another of my respondents put it, sex and relationships are ‘about me’…”
– Positive insights on marriage from Dr. Keith Condie, Dean of Students at Moore College.
Moore College Open Week
Posted on May 4, 2015
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Moore College has an Open Week this week.
As well, the college is planning Open Nights, Open Weeks and an Open Day for prospective students to find out about the College.
Details and contact info here.
Nigerian Bishop ‘frees 25 prison inmates’
Posted on May 1, 2015
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“The Bishop, Diocese of Kaduna Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Josiah Idowu-fearon, yesterday secured the release of 25 prison inmates from Kaduna Central Prison as part of activities marking his 25th anniversary as Bishop of Anglican Communion…
‘The committee decided to pay the fines of N10,000.00 each for 25 inmates with minor offences so that they will be able to regain their freedom.’…”
– report from Leadership (Nigeria). h/t Anglican Communion News Service.
Katherine Christian Convention this weekend
Posted on May 1, 2015
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The Katherine Christian Convention is on this weekend, Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th May. It’s a significant gathering in the Top End.
Please uphold in prayer the attendees, the organisers, and the speaker, as many are travelling long distances.
Nepali Christians die in their churches
Posted on April 30, 2015
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“It’s been revealed hundreds of Christians died or were injured as the Nepal earthquake hit their churches, including an Anglican minister and 17 of his parishioners…”
– More food for prayer from SydneyAnglicans.net.
Gospel Coalition 2015 conference audio
Posted on April 30, 2015
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The Gospel Coalition’s 2015 National Conference was held April 13-15, and audio files of all the talks and workshops are now available.
Plenty of encouraging and challenging talks to hear.
Last on the list of files, John Yates II and John Yates III speak on “The Anglican Book of Common Prayer: What relevance does it have to today’s contemporary worship?”. [John III spoke at NSW CMS Summer School this year.]
“More and more pastors and church leaders are discovering the remarkable contribution Thomas Cranmer made to us all through his Book of Common Prayer.
This Reformation martyr’s understanding of what matters in worship is reverberating more and more through the evangelical community all around the world. The genius of Reformation Anglicanism is found in Cranmer’s timeless insights into the human heart and our motivations for Christian service.”
The Clarity of Scripture
Posted on April 30, 2015
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Moore College Principal Mark Thompson was interviewed by Michael Horton on The White Horse Inn broadcast earlier this month. The topic: The Clarity of Scripture.
“Does the incredible variety of Christian denominations and interpretive traditions imply that the Scriptures themselves are unclear? How can we know what the Bible really says if there are so many different interpretations of it? ”
You can listen here. Most encouraging.
Mark’s book, A Clear and Present Word – The clarity of Scripture, (New Studies in Biblical Theology 21) was published by Apollos / InterVarsity Press in 2006.
Moore College to offer its own PhD
Posted on April 29, 2015
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“Moore College is to be the first Anglican College in Australia and one of very few non-university institutions in the country to award its own PhD. The College has been supervising PhDs for many years in conjunction with the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. Now a Moore College PhD will be available…”
– good news from Moore College. (Photo: Dr. Claire Smith with her family.)
Latest on the Nepal Emergency Appeal
Posted on April 29, 2015
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Here’s the latest on how you can help the people of Nepal – from David Mansfield, Director of the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid –
Dear Friends,
The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid has launched an appeal to support emergency relief in Nepal following the earthquake which struck the area between Pokhara and Kathmandu on Saturday, 25 April. Please use any or all of the information below for your church bulletin. I’m attaching a ppt slide for you to make use of and a donation slip that can be reproduced. Thank you for your partnership with Anglican Aid.
After consultation with CMS Australia, funds will be disbursed through INF and the Diocese of Singapore to assist people affected by the earthquake.
Information from International Nepal Fellowship (INF), indicated that people are sleeping in the open fearing further aftershocks. INF went on to say, “As the death toll continues to rise following the Nepal earthquake, please do pray for those who are trapped and injured, those who have lost loved ones, for safety and wisdom of those involved in rescue efforts.” For more information go to cms.org.au/news/nepal-earthquake-update.
INF’s medical team from Pokhara, including other expatriate doctors, are travelling to one of the worst hit regions, Gorkha in Western Nepal, to provide support to local health services. Regular updates at inf.org.
CMS missionaries are currently serving on the ground with INF in long term medical and development work and are key personnel in the crisis response and rebuilding of the nation. cms.org.au.
Direct Deposits can be made to our bank account BSB 032078, Account Number 253522, Account Name: Overseas Relief and Aid. (please email: enquiries@anglicanaid.org.au to notify the office of your donation).
Cheques can be posted to – PO Box Q190, QVB Post Office, 1230, NSW.
For more information please call 1800 653 903. ABN 59 792 865 372. All donations to this appeal are tax deductible.
By His Grace alone,
David
Southern Region Information Night
Posted on April 29, 2015
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Don’t miss our Information Night to be held at St. Peter’s Cooks River at 7:30pm on Monday 1st June.
Hear Dr. Mark Thompson speak on the vital role of the Anglican Church League in the life of the Diocese of Sydney. Read more
Paul in Rome in the Sixties
Posted on April 27, 2015
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“The book of Acts indicates that Paul was under ‘house arrest’ in Rome, most probably between 60-62.
Luke’s text suggests that Paul was then released, something First Timothy and Titus also imply.
Second Timothy, written from Rome, however indicates that Paul was soon to face execution. Presumably, this execution was at the decision of Nero Caesar following the Great Fire in 64.”
– Confused about the Apostle Paul’s final years in Rome? Read this fascinating new article by Bishop Paul Barnett to understand better what was going on.
Tip: You may want to first read his earlier piece, ‘Paul lived in Rome two whole years’. The Mysterious Ending of Luke-Acts.
Nepal appeal launched by Anglican Aid
Posted on April 27, 2015
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“Anglican Aid has joined other agencies in launching an appeal for victims of the Nepal earthquake.
A huge quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the mountain Kingdom on April 25th…”
– Read the latest from INF and CMS via this story at SydneyAnglicans.net – and there’s a donation form for the Nepal Emergency Appeal here.
For background, here’s a message from Global Recordings Network Nepal Director, Surendra Shrestha”
“We need your special prayer because we have no water supply at all, no electricity and food starting to get shortage. No shop is open and even if there is open, no supplies there. We need God to intervene in this situation to provide all this need during this time. We don’t know what to do, we are in very confused situation. We all are nervous and nothing coming in our mind except pray. All around us looks like war zone. Some of the village is 95 percent destroyed. In one village call Barpak there were 1200 houses and only four of them are standing. The results are still coming in and earthquake is still on and off [aftershocks].”
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
Posted on April 27, 2015
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“100 years ago an Aussie Padre by the name of Andrew Gillison, serving in the 14th Battalion, found himself heading for Gallipoli.
At first, the chaplains were ordered to stay on ship and care for the wounded, but Andrew was not the kind of Christian man to stay where it was safe when others were in need…”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…