Mike Ovey on The Pilling Report
Posted on December 23, 2013
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Principal of Oak Hill College, Dr Mike Ovey, has now posted eight responses to the Pilling Report (“the Report of the House of Bishops Working Group on Human Sexuality’).
1. God’s work versus God’s will?
“ultimately in practice, it prefers our judgment of what we think good to God’s judgment expressed in the scriptures of what is good.”
2. Does sincerity grant a veto?
“This creates the bizarre situation of an explicit submission to the authority of scripture, while not in fact applying what scripture says, either against same-sex marriages, or in favour.”
3. Groundhog Day: ‘scripture’s lack of clarity’
“As we have seen, judgments about the obscurity of scripture have been made before, notably in Roman Catholic responses to the Reformation.”
4. How common is the common ground?
“Like an iceberg, the most significant parts of the Pilling Report lie beneath the surface.”
“They have talked at length, listened at length and have had both clerical and expert help in all their deliberations. They have listened both to each other and to a wide range of witnesses. But this process has not enabled them to reach a collective conclusion as to whether or not same-sex sexual relations in the context of a faithful long-term commitment are right or wrong.”
6. Common grace and stolen fruit
“After noting that the tradition of the church for 2,000 years and indeed worldwide at the moment is against recognition of same-sex marriages and relationships, the report nevertheless goes on to speak in laudatory terms about the same-sex couples who have testified before it.”
“If we want a biblical precedent for a hermeneutics of suspicion where the hermeneutics of suspicion is wrongly placed, then we need look no further than Genesis 3:1ff.”
“Churches can get things wrong. One of the more disturbing moments in the Thirty-Nine Articles comes in Article 19 which deals with the doctrine of the church.”
Do you want more this Christmas?
Posted on December 20, 2013
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We are a society that wants more. More money, more gadgets, more food, more fun. But strangely, wanting more often leaves us feeling dissatisfied. We finally get the thing we longed for, and yet all too soon it is broken, or the batteries have run down or it isn’t as good as we hoped. Read more
Christmas messages 2013
Posted on December 20, 2013
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As we spot Christmas messages, we’ll post them here. So far…
From around Australia —
John Harrower, Bishop of Tasmania.
Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne.
John Parkes, Bishop of Wangaratta.
Ian Lambert, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force.
Stuart Robinson, Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
Peter Stuart, Bishop Administrator of Newcastle.
Bill Ray, Bishop of North Queensland.
And from further afield –
Hundreds of talks from St Matthias and University Ministries
Posted on December 19, 2013
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From the Administrator of Phillip Jensen’s website –
“Phillip has been preaching God’s word for over forty years. It has been his aim to preach the gospel by prayerfully expounding the Bible to the people God has given him to love.
As talks given prior to 2003 are currently being added to the website it is hoped that listeners will be enriched, refreshed and challenged by these talks.”
– An amazing resource. Thank you! (Photo: Matthias Press 1996.)
18 ways to make the most of your non-Christian family Christmas
Posted on December 19, 2013
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“We asked Christians surrounded by non-Christian family at Christmas for their tips. This is what they said. …”
– from Eternity Newspaper.
Jars of Clay
Posted on December 18, 2013
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“Clay speaks the truth that we who are made in the image of God are also made of the dust of the ground. Clay speaks of being in the hands of the master potter who is shaping us to His own ends. It speaks – as it does here – of the homely and ordinary; of the everyday domestic vessels whose myriad shards are scattered across every field in the Middle East.
Why has God made His servants of this clay? The reason is clear: to show that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
– Dean of Armidale, Stephen Williams, delivered this address at the funeral of Bishop Peter Chiswell last week, and Peter’s son Graeme gave the Eulogy.
Global South Statement in response to the Pilling Report
Posted on December 17, 2013
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“The Global South considers forward movement on the Pilling Report’s recommendations as equal to what the North American churches did ten years ago which caused much confusion in the Communion.
This reminds us of Eli the High Priest who turned a blind eye to the wrongdoings of his sons which led to a period of spiritual dryness when the Spirit of God departed from the midst of His people (Ichabod).”
– Archbishop Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis, Chairman of the Global South of the Anglican Communion, and Archbishop Ian Ernest, Hon. General Secretary, have issued this Statement – read it via Anglican Mainstream (PDF file).
Let your Christmas point to Jesus
Posted on December 17, 2013
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At Desiring God, John Piper responds to questions about Santa.
Christmas in Dark Places
Posted on December 16, 2013
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Another thought-provoking video from Glen Scrivener in the UK.
Related: Putting Halloween in its place.
How You Spend My Christmas
Posted on December 13, 2013
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“Everybody, except the scrooge, agrees it is a time to celebrate – there’s just no agreement about what we are celebrating. So everybody wishes everybody ‘happy Christmas’, but in true post-modern fashion it means different things to different people.”
– Phillip Jensen on Christmas.
Monergism updated
Posted on December 13, 2013
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If you haven’t check out Monergism.com before, now is a good time to start – the site has just been updated.
High Court throws out ACT’s same-sex marriage laws
Posted on December 12, 2013
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“Same-sex couples who wed in the ACT will have their marriages annulled after the High Court ruled against the laws. … today the High Court in Canberra unanimously ruled that the laws were inconsistent with the Federal Marriage Act, and were therefore unconstitutional.”
– Report from ABC News.
Related: Legality and Validity – Mark Thompson.
Northwest Network — December 2013
Posted on December 12, 2013
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The latest edition of The Northwest Network is now available – grab a copy to help in praying for the people of the North West (660kb PDF, hosted with permission).
Something more important than charity!
Posted on December 12, 2013
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“In many previous generations and still in some places today, Christians might be surprised that a pastor has to write in this way. But recently I had to remind the congregations I serve that there is something more important than charity. Read on to see what I meant…”
– Sandy Grant shares a letter he wrote to the congregations at St. Michael’s Cathedral, Wollongong.
Social Media and the Sufficiency of Scripture
Posted on December 12, 2013
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“Social media has opened up a wonderful new way in which Christians can express spiritual unity despite physical distance. … When a Christian friend posts about his sick daughter, within minutes our non-Christian friends can see that a whole bunch of us are praying for healing and strength.
But Christians are no less prone to abusing God’s good gifts as anyone else.”
– Latest post from The Australian Church Record.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…